How to Beat The Cow King
The Cow King is the guardian of the hidden "Secret Cow Level" in Endless Curse, arriving at 9:00. His attacks are the same as the Butcher's: Triple Cleave, Charge and Stomp. But he fights on open grassland surrounded by a whole herd of Hell Bovines. If you've beaten the Butcher he'll feel familiar; the difference is more monsters, and tougher ones.
01Quick facts
| Stage | Secret Cow Level (hidden stage) |
|---|---|
| Arrives | 9:00, stage guardian |
| Race | Beast |
| Attack element | Physical |
| Style | Melee chaser: likes to stay right on top of you |
| Movement speed | No. 2 in speed among the six guardians |
| Stage strength | Monster health about ×1.5 and damage about ×1.25 of stage 1 (Nightmare, Hell) |
| Drop | Always drops one legendary item |
02How to get into the Secret Cow Level
The Secret Cow Level isn't among the stages at the start. Clear all five stages on a difficulty and that difficulty's Secret Cow Level opens: the slot in the stage list that used to show "???" lights up, and a red portal appears in the top-right corner of town. Walk in, pick a difficulty and set off.
Each difficulty counts separately: clearing all five stages on Normal opens only the Normal Cow Level, and Nightmare's opens only after a full Nightmare clear. Clearing the Cow Level does not count toward unlocking the next difficulty; that only depends on the five main stages.
03The Cow King's attacks
The Cow King is a melee boss who spends most of his time charging in and staying on you, keeping his distance only briefly. All three attacks are melee, and each lights up a red area on the ground first.
Triple Cleave
Three chops forward in your direction, each reaching further than the last: left, center, right. After the warning, a chop lands about every 0.3 seconds.
How to dodge: Afterwards he stops to catch his breath for about 1.2 seconds, your best window to hit back. Dodge sideways, not straight back: the three chops push forward.
Stomp
Only used when you're very close: one stomp that hurts everything in a ring around it.
How to dodge: When it's on top of you, watch for the glowing ring at its feet, step outside, then come back. Melee classes eat this one the most.
Charge
Winds up, then rushes at you in a straight line. A long strip lights up along the path first, and the charge covers a lot of ground.
How to dodge: When you see the strip, step out of it sideways. Moving forward or back keeps you on the line.
04Below half health: enrage
When The Cow King drops below half health, the screen shows "The Cow King is enraged!". After that:
- Movement speed goes up 15%, so it closes in faster (to about 44%).
- It attacks 25% more often, and Stomp, Charge get 20% less warning time.
- After each attack there's a 35% chance it chains straight into the next one with barely a pause.
Once enraged he gets very fast, and the Triple Cleave into Charge combo comes more often. The grassland is wide open, so walk big circles and you won't get cornered.
05What The Cow King is weak to
The Cow King is Beast. Elements that work well against it: Fire (×1.6), Ice (×1.6), Poison (×1.6), Shadow (×1.6); it resists Holy (×0.6), and every other element deals normal damage.
Heroes with these skills have the edge (skills are drawn at random on level up, so grab these when they show up):
- Sorcerer: Firebolt, Fire Wall, Hydra, Meteor, Frost Bolt, Frozen Orb, Frost Nova, Blizzard
- Ranger: Poison Arrow, Toxic Cloud, Venom Snare, Thorn Roots
- Necromancer: Skeletal Mage, Corpse Explosion, Soul Rain, Contagion, Decrepify, Life Tap, Curse
- Assassin: Explosive Trap, Fire Bomb, Shadow Step, Mind Blast, Smoke Bomb, Phantom Blades
On the other hand, Holy skills deal reduced damage to it. If those are your main elements, bring a few skills of other elements too.
For the full chart, see Beginner's Guide: Element Chart.
06Tips
- Treat him as a stronger Butcher: the attacks are identical. After Triple Cleave he pauses for 1.2 seconds, so dodge sideways and hit back.
- The grassland is open: there are almost no trees on this map, which makes moving easy but means nothing blocks the monsters either. When the herd surrounds you, circle toward open ground.
- Lots of monsters: the Secret Cow Level spawns more monsters than regular stages, so area-clearing skills are a must.
- Easy on elements: he's a Beast, so Fire, Ice, poison and Shadow all deal ×1.6; only Holy is resisted (×0.6).
07Other bosses in Secret Cow Level
The 3:00 mid-boss is drawn from Hell Bovine; the 6:00 one from Grisbon, Skeleton Lord, Scathelocke, Skeleton Knight (never the same as the 3:00 one).The Cow Level's boss list has only the Hell Bovine, so at 3:00 you always get one giant Hell Bovine; the 6:00 boss is drawn from other stages' bosses.They also enrage at half health, and each one drops a piece of gear.
For an overview of the whole game, head back to the Endless Curse home page, or compare all six guardians in the boss overview.
08FAQ
How do I unlock the Secret Cow Level?
Clear all five stages on a difficulty and that difficulty's Secret Cow Level opens. Enter through the red portal in the top-right corner of town.
How is The Cow King different from the Butcher?
Same attacks, Triple Cleave, Charge and Stomp, but the Cow King fights on grassland with more monsters, and the stage strength is higher than stage 1.
What is The Cow King weak to?
He's a Beast: Fire, Ice, poison and Shadow all deal ×1.6; Holy only ×0.6.
What do I get for beating The Cow King?
Like every guardian, he always drops one legendary item. The Cow Level doesn't add a new hero to your town and doesn't count toward unlocking the next difficulty.
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