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Although not your first boss inLies of P: Overture, Markiona, the Puppeteer is likely the first that will give you some genuine trouble. This duo-boss will have you perfecting every mechanic of the base game and DLC before you’ve even really stepped foot into this new world.
Dealing with Markiona is not as simple as defeating her puppet and focusing on her after. You’ll have to balance your attention on both bosses simultaneously, learning how to block, dodge, and anticipate the moves of all your enemies. And successfully doing that will require stocking up on all your materials, studying a guide, and crafting your own dastardly plan for victory.
Wind-Up Tells And Attack Description
Suggested Counters
Rush
Always opens the fight. Markiona sends the puppet forward, telegraphed by a flash of red, the puppet crouching, leveling its weapon to the side horizontally before charging forward in a trust attack. Can be followed up by other puppet attacks. Markiona is pulled forward with this attack to its end position.
Stand still and prepare to Parry. Attack once after and watch for combo.
Short Rush
This attack looks similar to above, but the distance of the rush is shorter and Markiona is not pulled with the attack. It chains into three rush attacks, an upward swing breaking up the time between the first two rushes.
Parrythe first,dodgethrough the upward swing, andparrytwo more rushes. Attack when done.
Defensive Whirlwind
Raising its staff over its chest, the puppet is commanded to swing forward in a diagonal arc. It rushes forward with the attack, turns around, and then begins to perform a spinning attack that circles around Markiona’s position.
Dodgethrough the attack andcontinue back-pedalingout of the puppet’s range.
Sky Strike
While midair, the puppet receives a command from Markiona to deliver a downward blow from above. This only happens when the puppet is above the player.
Watch the puppet andeither parry or sidestep. If the lock-on doesn’t change to the puppet, watch its shadow and listen for movement above you.
Puppet Standard Combo
Bringing its staff back and to its right, the puppet performs a diagonal upward slash. Then, after a delay, it follows up with a downward slash in the opposite direction.
Parry or dodge forward, repeating again for the second attack before making an attack of your own.
Return
A flash of blue over the line of Ergo tells the puppet to return to a position near Markiona.
Watch Markionafor the next attack.
Switch
Pulling on the line when threatened, Markiona throws herself toward the position where the puppet is standing. Likewise, the puppet flies itself forward to Markiona’s previous position.
Stay put and thenattack the puppetwhen placed in front of you. Keep your eyes peeled for a Switch attack.
Switch Attack
After a Switch, this attack is commonly used. While still crouching from the Switch, the puppet receives a red signal. It pulls its staff back and attacks first with a kick from the right leg, following with a sweeping ground kick. After, it leaps into the air where Markiona flies with an orb of energy. She descends on the ground above the player for massive damage.
Parrythe first attack,dodge or parrythe second attack. Then,unlock and look up, watching for Markiona.Dodge roll forwardupon Markiona’s crash.
Deterring Kick Combo
When Markiona is threatened while the puppet is in melee position, the puppet flies around Markiona with a spin attack. After, it combos into a kicking spin from its left. It braces itself after the kick before launching itself forward to perform a spinning kick in the other direction.
Dodge roll backwardbefore beginning to backpedal a little.Parry or dodgeboth kick attacks.
Circling Death
The puppet begins circling around Markiona and the player in a wide arc. After two passes, a red flash can be seen, and the puppet will perform two kicking attacks, one normal and one spinning.
Hit the puppeton the first circle andthen watch. When the puppet kicks,parry or dodge roll forward twice.
Circling Death (Ground Slam Variation)
This attack looks like above, but instead of performing a kicking combo, the attack at the end of the puppet’s spinning movement is only an overhead ground slam.
Like above, but when the puppet rises into the air for a slam,parry it. Then, attack.
Jumping Reposition
Markiona performs a jump with a flip in any direction to reposition herself somewhere. The kick does minor damage.
Ignore this andwatch Markionafor a follow-up.
Standard Orb Combo
Markiona gathers two orbs in her hands. She swipes first with the right hand diagonally and down, attacks upwards with the left, and then jumps into the air before descending on the player in a slam with both orbs.
Dodge backward twice. Then,parryMarkiona as she descends on you. Attack follow-up.
Simplified Orb Combo
Looks like above, but the orbs begin at a more level and horizontal position. She swipes horizontally in front of her four times and then ends without the descending attack.
Dodge backward three timesand thenforward once. Attack.
Spiraling Orbs
Gathering two orbs in front of herself, she pulls them up and back before throwing them forward in a short-range spiraling attack.
As the orbs are raised,sprint backand then dodge back if the orbs get too close.
Thrown Orb
Forming a single orb behind her, she throws it forward and then pulls it back, dealing damage both ways.
Dodge forwardand thendodge back. If close enough, follow-up with an attack. Otherwise, wait for the next opening.
Triple Orb Combo
Holding an orb off to her right side, she rushes at the player and sends it forward. She repeats this process two more times.
Begin sprinting left or rightif you want to dodge forward-diagonal with each orb. Otherwise,parry and then slowly advanceeach time. Attack after the third orb.
Orb Wall Combo
Raising her arms above her head, she generates two orbs that criss-cross and end at her sides. She then crosses her arms over her sides as the orbs begin to hit the ground in front of her in alternating diagonal patterns. She takes a short break after a few seconds and repeats the attack for a combination of three intervals.
Back away, sprinting out of range. Use ranged attacks and thrown items until finished.
Orb Spin
Making two orbs near the ground, Markiona begins to spin and casts the orbs out to circle around her with the motion. As her spin slows, she pulls the orbs back inward.
Sprint away, dodging out of the circle and waiting until completion.
Regenerate Puppet
Markiona puts green energy into her Ergo connection, beginning to regenerate the health of her puppet. It slowly regenerates, and while active, Markiona will attack independently.
Begin attacking Markionafuriously. After the green energy is transferred, watch for signs of a counterattack.
Phase Two Only
Phase Transition: Golden Assault
Markiona is illuminated in a golden light as she levitates off the ground. The puppet is also illuminated and charges at the player two times, both charges short and ending in a small delayed explosion. The combo ends with a third and final charge, this charge longer and more powerful than the previous two. After landing, the puppet crouches and then bursts for a large explosive area. There is a brief stunning pause after.
Attack Markionawhile she begins to hover in the air and then back away.Dodge rollout of the puppet’s attacks and thensidestep on each explosion. For the final attack, either parry or dodge out of its range. Then,sprint out of range, aiming for Markiona.Attack herduring the cooldown.
Standard Orb Combo (Phase Two Variation)
The attack is performed the same as Phase One. However, Phase Two introduces a new move at the end of the combination where the orbs linger after Markiona crashes, and she performs a criss-crossing swipe after a short delay.
Follow the advice above. However,parry or dodge forwardon the last attack before making any attacks of your own.
Orb Spin (Phase Two Variation)
Mid-way through the animation, Markiona instructs the puppet to make a single simple attack on the player: either an aerial ground slam or a kicking combo. The spin can be performed in two waves during this phase.
Follow the advice above, butparry any attacks from the puppetduring this time. Use thrown items on Markiona after the puppet’s attack.
Golden Charge
As the puppet and Markiona are cloaked in gold, Markiona flies into the air above the puppet. It then charges forward twice, trying to tackle the player. After each charge, Markiona flies higher and gathers an energy orb that descends on the player. The second descent, however, is a Fury Attack.
Begin sprinting in one direction,dodging at the last secondfor both charge attacks. Sprint away from Markiona’s first descent. After the previous moves, wait patiently andparry the Fury Attack. Attack without mercy.
Blue Charge
Flying into the air, the puppet is cloaked in blue energy before it charges toward the player in a sort of tackle-maneuver. It performs this attack twice.
Parry this. Attack after, once after the first charge and multiple times after the second.
Golden Defense
Flashing in gold again, the puppet performs a circling and spinning maneuver around Markiona as she forms a large orb above her head. She throws the orb forward before dragging it in an arc around her. The puppet will perform several aerial attacks as Markiona repeats her attack.
Stay away from this attack. It is better to Parry any moves from the puppet and stay away from Markiona for unnecessary damage. Use a Grindstone or ranged attack while waiting.
Delayed Golden Attack
After flashing gold, the puppet raises its mace. It waits three full seconds before performing a single downward slam.
Back up, put your lock-on on the puppet, and wait to Parry.
Unlike the Tyrannical Predator, Markiona is anything but simple. Her combos take experience and practice to learn, and some combos from Markiona might overlap with combos from the puppet.
What makes her abundantly challenging is her second phase where combos you’ve gotten used to will have little changes sprinkled in to mix up your expectations and rhythm.
The Rush attack is Markiona’s opening attack for every round of combat without fail. You have to learn how to parry (or dodge) this attack to have the best start.
To do this successfully, we recommend that as you enter the arena, take small steps out into the open and then stop moving. Wait until Markiona’s puppet charges at you and then parry at the last second.
Markiona’s orb attacks are worth mentioning as these attacks are the ones that will have changes in the second phase.Orb Spin and the Standard Orb Combo will each have variations.
Look out for both during Phase Two, andread the chart abovebefore you face them to see what exactly has been tweaked. This will improve your survivability in the notoriously long and difficult second phase.
Finally, Markiona’s golden attacks in the second phase are especially deadly. You need tolearn the difference in the cues for each type of golden attackto calculate your response.
While the Golden Defense is best ignored, Golden Charge is your best chance for a Fury Attack parry (for massive stagger damage) while the Golden Assault will have a large cooldown for attacking opportunities.You need to master both.
50,000 (NG+, Legendary Stalker)
Puppet Destroyer’s Amulet, Carcass Butcher’s Amulet, Recharging Amulet, Conquering Amulet
Recommended Weapons
Acidic Crystal Spear, Carcass Crystal Axe, Electric Coil Stick (+ Longer Handle of Choice), Pandemonium (Legion Arm)
While knowing the moveset is your first step to success, it’s just as important to note that Markiona’s fight having two distinct figures means thatyou’ll be contending with two separate damage resistances and weaknesses.
For this fight, before anything else begins,we highly recommend having either:
Before entering the room, you should alsostockpile on a few thrown items.This is because of Markiona’s movement in the area and moves that incentivize keeping distance.
Items that can be brought and do well include:
Things that don’t linger in areas and instead deal large static and poise damage are ideal.
How To Beat Markiona: Phase One
When you enter the room, as mentioned above, you’ll have toopen to Markiona’s rush attack by parrying.After dealing with that, it’s game on.
The primary objectives of the first phase are two things:
Parrying and dodging the puppet’s attacks will be most of your fight in the first phase. It will be quick. But keep in mind thatdamaging Markiona is also a part of the strugglehere.
Balancing attacks between bothwill prevent Markiona from moving to more advanced moves prematurely before you can get at least one puppet kill in.
Save your thrown itemsfor later andkeep your Fable Charges at the readyfor when you defeat the puppet.
Once the puppet is down, Markiona is going to take a large chunk of damage before starting to heal the puppet. While she is focused on recovery, use that window tounleash your Fablesanddeal as much damage as possiblebefore she turns on you.
When the puppet has been defeated at least once, Markiona’s mobility and aggression will increase slightly. From here on, if you haven’t reached it already,try focusing more on Markionato push further into Phase Two.
How To Beat Markiona: Phase Two
Don’t run awayduring the phase transition. Not at first. Instead,get a few hits inbefore backing up to counter the puppet’s attacks.
Only once the puppet begins to move should you start getting ready to parry and dodge. For this transition attack, you’ll want to:
Once the second phase is well under way, you’ll feel the fight drag on a lot as many of her new moves mean constant movement around the map and few openings.Be patient.
To get the most damage when Markiona performs moves that don’t allow for melee combat,use your thrown items liberally.If you are using Shot Puts, you should see a stagger quickly and opportunity for a Critical Hit.
Dash in for your Critical Hit when you get it, but don’t use it quite yet. Instead, use one Fable Art attack to maximize potential damage. Then, use your Critical Hit and follow up with strong attacks or damage over time options.
There will be several Golden Attacks during this fight. While we covered them generally above,look out for Golden Defense. It is too high of a risk most of the time to challenge.
Instead,stay awayfrom that attack. While in the background, you can heal, apply abrasives, and sharpen your weapon without fear of damage.
While the second phase will be far longer than the first, justtake your time and wait for Markiona to give you openings. Do not bully your way into them.
Through patience and perseverance, you will emerge victorious andreceive Markiona’s Key(to progress)and the Macabre Puppeteer’s Ergo.
Giving the Ergo to Alidoro willreward you with your choice of:
Unfortunately, if you started the DLC as soon as Chapter Nine was done, Alidoro is no longer at the Hotel. To cash in your Ergo straight away, you mustventure further into theRelic of Trismegistusand defeated the second version of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood. Do not attack Alidoro before you exchange your Ergo for these rewards.
