How to Beat the Black Horse (New Boss)

The Black Horse (also called the Horse boss) is the newest major boss — around 13,000 HP and an AOE crit that deletes parties without enough total health. The community found a reliable counter: a single high-HP tank kept alive with the Protect tactic.

#The core idea: tank with Loud Growl, heal with Protect

Reported independently by multiple players:

1. Recruit Loud Growl (the bear) at Fishpool.
2. Level him up and give him a double-resistance scroll.
3. Place him in position 2.
4. Get your Tactics to at least level 4.
5. During the fight, keep issuing the Protect order on him.

Because the boss focuses the taunted tank while the Protect order restores health, a single well-built bear can outlast the entire 13,000 HP bar. Multiple players report finishing the fight with only the bear — or only a wolf — still standing.

#Full 6-merc composition (with DPS logs)

Russian community member boroboro published a complete clear:

Everyone ate Shawarma. Reported damage contribution:

• Bear: 11,799
• White Horror: 10,201
• BigFoot Hauler: 3,757
• Mole: 3,374
• Fofan: 2,617
• The merchant: 525

The fight came down to the last 600 HP with only the bear alive.

#Patch note: the position-2 anti-crit tactic was nerfed

The developer confirmed in the forums that the tactic making position 2 immune to crits was too strong against this boss and was reduced from 100 percent to 60 percent crit protection. Strategies written before this patch may be easier than reality.

#Lighter alternatives

• A solo wolf has also been reported to finish the boss.
• High-HP mercs in general work — the requirement is surviving crits, not raw damage.

#Sources

• Steam thread: The new Boss — Emmeron's Protect strategy, developer replies
• Steam thread: THE NEW BOSS HORSE (Traditional Chinese) — bear strategy + nerf discussion
• Steam thread: Guide: How to kill the Horse (RU) — boroboro's full composition and DPS logs

Community-reported as of launch day. Numbers are player-reported, not datamined.