In total, the game has five large locations, one slightly smaller one, and a couple of tiny levels that serve more as connecting links.
Thus, you will have to fight exactly 5 bosses , namely:
- Iron Maiden is the boss of the Abode, the first in-game location.
- The Reaper is the boss at the Fish Factory, the second major story location.
- Dr. Hertz is the boss in the Graveyard (the third major story location).
- Pighead is the boss in School , the fourth major story location.
- Lord Nautilus is the final boss of the game, whom you will encounter in the Bunker under the Church (which, however, is not connected in any way to the Abode, it is a completely different location).
Tips or how to prepare for bosses
The tips below will help you prepare for the level boss encounter in advance. You’ll save money in some areas, and so on:
- Every time you knock down an enemy, use a melee weapon to finish them off and conserve ammo (nails, bullets, vials of acid, etc.). However, if there are too many enemies, this isn’t a good idea. Instead, you might want to try to group them together and fire a shotgun blast.
- Try to use traps throughout the level—they instantly kill anyone who steps on them. This will not only help you get rid of enemies but also conserve ammo.
- Weapons like the shotgun, crossbow, and hand cannon have a wide area of effect and deal high damage, so with proper aim, you can kill multiple enemies with a single shot, again saving you ammo.
- The chainsaw allows you to completely stun an enemy, preventing them from attacking you as long as you continue to hack them apart. This is especially useful against larger enemies, who typically require a lot of ammo, although it’s less effective in other situations. However, using it against groups of enemies is not recommended. Therefore, to conserve more valuable shotgun, crossbow, and other ammo, it’s best to use the chainsaw against larger enemies.
- The sledgehammer is also great for conserving ammo, as it stuns most enemies in one hit. However, due to its long setup and recovery time, it’s best used only against single targets, or if you can hit multiple enemies at once. When attacking with the sledgehammer, wait for the enemy to get up and start moving (especially if they’re just spawning or reviving)—otherwise, they won’t be susceptible to the stun, and while you’re recovering, they’ll have time to attack Carolina.
- Don’t forget to dodge frequently—while dodging, you’re invulnerable, which is especially useful during boss fights. To dodge, hold down the right mouse button and press Shift while aiming.
- Save as often as possible. The game has enough recording tapes, even on the highest difficulty level, “Torment,” to allow you to save regularly and avoid losing significant progress in the event of a dumb death.
- Save the hand cannon for the final boss fight, Lord Nautilus. On standard difficulty, it kills the boss with just two shots to his weak spot, and destroys his tentacles with one hit. This will make the final battle significantly easier and save you some nerves, especially in the second phase of the battle.
Iron Maiden
The Iron Maiden is a boss in the Abode that you will encounter in the Other World after dealing with the Cursed Door .
First, look around the area and collect all the available ammunition (at least I found shotgun shells). Also, pay attention to the two corpses pinned to the walls. Interact with each of them. While you’re doing this, the boss stands still (though he has about 1.5-2 seconds off-screen, so he can launch an attack that might catch you off guard). You don’t need anything, no special tools—just click on the dagger protruding from each corpse’s chest.
As a result, you will receive two daggers, which are needed to deal the main damage to the boss and defeat him.
Now all that’s left to do is be patient and continue attacking Iron Maiden until she falls to her knees. The first time this happens, a cutscene will trigger in which the boss opens the iron helmet on her head, revealing her face. Run up and interact with the boss before she gets back up. Your inventory will open, allowing you to select an item to use. This is where the daggers you’ve collected come in handy. Stick any of them into one of Iron Maiden’s two eyes.
The boss will recover and continue the fight. I didn’t notice any changes between phases, but perhaps he should be more aggressive. It will take about the same number of shots for Iron Maiden to fall to her knees again, allowing you to interact with her to stab her with the second dagger.
Once you do this, the boss will be defeated and you will receive the associated achievement “Heretic”.
As for the main part of the fight, when you need to deal damage to the enemy, the most important thing is to not be stingy with your own attacks. Use any available weapon, hold RMB, and fire. For example, fire one shot from a shotgun and wait. When the boss is about to strike you, press Shift while still holding RMB and jump backwards. This is essentially a cheat dodge; while performing it, even if the boss seems to be touching Carolina, she remains invulnerable. While you’re dodging, she takes no damage. The only way to escape is from a triple-spin attack, but even then, Virgo can catch you off guard and corner you. Then the only way to avoid damage is those aforementioned jumps with RMB+Shift. But keep in mind that she only performs these dodges when she’s holding a weapon (possibly even just a firearm).
Reaper
The Reaper is a story boss you must face in the Fish Factory, which you reach after passing the Abode, the Trade Quarter, and the Mall. The enemy awaits you in the Slaughterhouse, which becomes accessible after opening the door to the Sanitation Unit using three metal plates and the same number of wall panels.
The room can be roughly divided into four sides. Each side contains an item needed to defeat the Reaper. Let’s take a closer look:
- Harpoon Gun . It’s unloaded and contains no projectiles, but it’s what you’ll need to fire at the Reaper to deal the finishing blow.
- The harpoon wall is located opposite the cannon. From this wall, you’ll pull out one harpoon at a time , which you then load into the cannon.
- A panel with two green lights and a red button . Interacting with this panel will fire the cannon, but only under two conditions: the cannon must have a harpoon in it, and it must be loaded.
- Charging panel with a handle . Finally, opposite the previous launch panel, there’s another one, responsible for reloading the weapon. And this is where your main problem lies.
So, in short, you have to pull a harpoon out of the wall, place it in the cannon, then turn the handle to load it, and then fire the cannon by interacting with another control panel when the Reaper is in front of you.
While the initial steps can be completed right from the start of the battle, loading the cannon will be a challenge. It takes a few seconds to turn the handle, but the boss simply won’t give you that time. He moves and attacks very quickly, so you first need to slow him down. This is done in the most basic way: as with Iron Maiden (and most bosses, for that matter), you need to attack Reaper with any weapon available until the boss slows down. You’ll know he’s stunned (but not immobilized) when he starts moving slowly and electric sparks start flying from his left hand.
While he’s slowly moving across the arena, draw him away from the handle and begin turning it (assuming you’ve pulled out the harpoon and inserted it into the cannon). After loading the cannon, run to the control panel on the opposite side, but in such a way that the Reaper gets close to you. Then, he’ll follow you and stay roughly in the center of the arena (in the orange rectangle on the floor).
After firing 2 or 3 harpoons at the boss (the number depends on the difficulty level), you’ll achieve final victory. After each shot, you’ll have to repeat the process (both stunning and reloading the cannon).
Defeating the Reaper, the Fish Factory boss, will earn you the “Avenger” achievement. You’ll also receive a saw blade, which you can combine with the chainsaw in the next location to create a fully functional chainsaw. It’s useful as a weapon and can also be used to destroy the wooden beam on the main door.
Dr. Hertz
Dr. Hertz is a story boss in the Cemetery location, which you will encounter after solving the puzzle in the tomb with the statues of the Four Horsemen.
This time, you don’t need to perform any additional actions, except for the barest of them. The battle consists of several phases (four, I think). At each phase, in addition to Doctor Hertz (that same fascist officer you “don’t give a damn about”), you’ll be attacked by his minions. In fact, they’re just regular mobs you’ve encountered before.
For example, the first stage will feature regular undead, but later on, ghosts will appear . Several ammo drops are scattered around the arena.
The objective is to kill all of Dr. Hertz’s henchmen, after which he falls flat on the fleshy floor. While he’s down, you must attack him. You can inflict a specific amount of damage, and in this case, there’s no need to attack with a gun! Instead, take out a hammer or a crowbar and attack the enemy. Yes, you’ll need to land more than 10 melee hits, but this will save you ammo for the nail gun and shotgun.
As soon as the boss gets back on his feet, run away and move in a circle. Wait for his minions to appear. Try to gather them together and shoot them all at once with the shotgun. The boss should fall to the ground again (after they’re dead), and you can attack him again. Again, it’s best to do this with a melee weapon.
Repeating the process four times will result in victory, earning you the “Undertaker” achievement. Afterward, you can return to the real world and find a portable flashlight, which will allow you to use weapons even in complete darkness (previously, this was impossible due to the need to hold a lighter). For example, you can now break the two vases in the northern corridor on the way to the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (you’ve probably had enough of them by now). But you’ll be disappointed to learn that they actually contain… ordinary nails.
Pig-headed
The Pighead is a story boss in the School location. You encounter him after collecting four animal figurines , returning to the science classroom, and solving a puzzle involving them to obtain a combination key. This key will allow you to open the door to the principal’s office in the real world and proceed through the archives to a secret room.
As always, the fight takes place in the Other World. Several sparking electrical machines with warning signs are placed around the area. All you need to do is continue attacking the boss with any weapon until he’s stunned. Then, quickly stand in front of any sparking device and wait. The Pighead will come to his senses, become enraged, and charge toward you. Quickly run to the right or left to cause him to crash into the equipment and receive a powerful electric shock.
You’ll have to repeat this process three times. There are no other special aspects to this battle. Jumping away from the equipment is also not necessary. The boss runs in a straight line, meaning it doesn’t change trajectory halfway through, so you should be able to dodge to the side without taking damage.
Once you win, you’ll be able to pick up the Pig Mask. You’ll also earn the “Butcher” achievement. Give the Pig Mask to the hand sticking out of the TV in the janitor’s room . This will remove the demonic seal on the school’s front door and allow you to return to previous locations.
Lord Nautilus
Finally, Lord Nautilus. He’s the game’s final boss, encountered deep within the underground bunker after passing through the Church of the Trade Quarter. Be sure to save in the tents behind the bunker before proceeding to the Resurrection Chamber.
After the cutscene, the final battle will begin, followed by a cutscene with a bad or good ending and the credits. Now, onto the boss fight.
Dodging will be essential here. The boss has five tentacles. Four are located at the edges of the arena, and one emerges from a pit in the center. The tentacle attacks start from the central one. You can’t run away from it or move to a safe distance. Instead, while holding a weapon, hold down the right mouse button and click the Shift key just as the spinning tentacle is about to hit you.
The other four, however, can be avoided or run away from. If tentacles attack from the left or right, run into the screen or onto the screen (essentially up and down). If the boss attacks with a tentacle in the background, move left and right. The last tentacle to fall to the ground will remain there. Quickly attack it with any available weapon. As it takes damage, the tentacle will gradually change color. You might not be able to destroy it in time, and the boss will raise the tentacle up. But don’t worry, all damage taken is saved, meaning the durability or HP of that particular tentacle has already been reduced, and next time it will require less ammo to destroy it. You can, of course, attack with a melee weapon, but this will take a long time. However, if you’re low on ammo, you won’t have any alternatives. You’ll have to conserve your ammo and prolong the battle.
Once a tentacle is destroyed, the boss will start firing electrical bolts. Just keep moving and don’t stand still to avoid getting hit. Continue until you’ve destroyed all four tentacles at the edges of the arena. The tentacle that appears in the center can’t be destroyed (and is most likely Nautilus’s tail).
Once you do this, the boss will lower its head. Run up to it and interact with it. Use the crowbar to pry open its skull and reveal a weak spot (a huge eye). Attack it with your most powerful weapon. The hand cannon is best. If you manage to deal enough damage, the second phase will begin. However, if the boss manages to recover and raise its head, you’ll have to repeat the process. However, as far as I can tell, destroying the same four tentacles will take much less time (ammo, melee attacks, etc.).
So, when the second phase begins, everything will remain the same, except that the boss will now fire a powerful electric blast from its eye at regular intervals. Avoiding damage through normal movement is difficult. The only option is to run literally on the opposite side of the arena from the boss, at the front of the screen, but even this isn’t always safe. Instead, use RMB + Shift at the moment of the blast to jump back and avoid damage using the invulnerability window. Otherwise, repeat the same steps of damaging the tentacles until you’ve destroyed all four. Once that happens, you’ll be able to attack Nautilus’s weak spot on his head again. If you do, the battle and Tormented Souls 2 will be over. If not, you’ll have to destroy the tentacles again, but as mentioned above, the next time you play the same phase, it will take less time and less ammo to destroy them all.
Defeating Natulius will not award you any achievements, but you will see the ending and unlock an achievement associated with the bad or good ending—”Powerlessness” or “Retribution,” respectively.