Tales of Arise Mantis Boss Fight Guide

The Tales of Arise Mantis boss is a boss that opens up to you very early on in Tales of Arise, but one that you won’t actually be able to beat for quite a while. You can technically activate the sub-quest while you’re in Ulzebek the first time, which will then spawn the giant zeugle boss in the Sandinus Ravine. 

Considering the Mantis is level 43, however, you’ll likely want to wait until you’ve beaten all five lords, which effectively puts you in the second ‘half’ of Tales of Arise. Once you’ve completed the events in Ganath Haros, and can fast travel again, you’ll be ready to take on the Tales of Arise Mantis boss. 

Tales of Arise Mantis Boss Fight - Preparing Your Party

To start with, you’ll want to be roughly level 39 before you take the Mantis on, even higher if you’re playing on increased difficulty modes. As usual, make sure you have plenty of healing items and Life Bottles before the battle. Your best bet in terms of party composition is to bring two healers, Shionne and Dohalim, and fill the other two slots with Alphen and Rinwell.

The Mantis is weak to wind, so Rinwell’s strong wind magic is absolutely instrumental in this fight. It’s a good idea to go into Rinwell’s arte list and turn off everything that isn’t wind-based, or a general attack, so the AI won’t have her use other elements. Alphen also has access to multiple artes that are wind-based (Hurricane Thrust, Severing Wind, Void Flash), so make sure to equip these if you have them.

In terms of accessories, Mantis is a boss that uses nothing but physical attacks so anything to bump up your character’s HP and defense is perfect. Finally, use the inn at Ulzebek before the battle to cook food and give yourself a boost, either Defense or Attack boost is recommended. When ready head to the Sandinus Ravine and walk right into the Mantis. 

Mantis Boss Fight Strategy

The Mantis can hit hard, and its long pincers give it wide reach as well. For the entirety of the battle, you’ll want to switch your target to the core on the Manti’s leg as breaking it will stagger the boss for a good bit. Use Rinwell and Dohalim to cast buffs bumping up the attack and defense of your party, and then get to work breaking that core.

Playing as Alphen try and cause as much damage to the core as possible, while the rest of the party heals and attacks from a distance. Here are the major attacks you’ll want to look out for from Mantis. 

• Charge Attack - Mantis charges straight at your controlled character and then bounces around the arena a bit. Block this attack with Kisara’s Boost Strike to stun the boss, or dodge it. 
• Slash Attack - Mantis does a huge sweeping slash straight ahead of it, followed by a second one. The boss’ pincers will glow red just before this attack happens, so use that cue to dodge. 
• Ground Pound - Mantis slams its pincers into the ground and causes an attack that shoots straight ahead. The attack can be interrupted with Kisara’s Boost Strike, or dodged. 
• When the boss glows blue it’s basically entered its ‘Overlimit’ mode and gets enhanced damage as well as stagger protection. It’s a better idea to back off until it gets out of the mode. 

Your best strategy for Mantis is to keep pounding on the core and using everyone’s boost strikes as they pop up. Alphen’s Boost Strike will stagger the boss while the others will cause damage. Halfway through the battle, a group of bees will appear, and you’ll want to switch your attention and take them down immediately. The bees aren’t overly strong but their attacks can stun you and open you up to an attack from the Mantis. Once the bees are out of the picture just return to your strategy and whittle the boss’ health down. Luckily, it doesn’t have any hidden tricks up its sleeve. 

Once you’ve defeated the Tales of Arise Mantis boss, you’ll be reward with an Astral Flower that boosts your CP by 10 and you can finally turn in that subquest.