Shield ✓ corroborated

Kill achievement: BROKEN PLATES — currently unlocked by 36.4% of players (Steam global stats, updated July 26, 2026).

A Stegosaurus that fights with a shield — and the worst pass-through rate in the game. Mechanically unlike every other boss: frontal attacks do nothing until you break his guard, and he can counter you at any time. Fair warning from the community: part of the drop-off here is players quitting the game, not just the fight.

Strategy

Frontal attacks are useless until you break his guard, and he can counter at any time. Three approaches work: a clean parry rhythm, special abilities that bypass the shield entirely, or circling ("juking") around him and landing hits from the sides. community-reported

Source: u/choptup (100% completion), replying to our checkpoint thread

Multiple players describe Shield as a quit-point for reasons beyond difficulty — "two moves, unclear animations" — so if the fight feels unreadable, that is a known complaint, not you. Guard-break patience wins it in a few tries. community-reported

Source: Launch-week Reddit replies (u/Sycherthrou and others)

Core mechanics that matter here

Deflect / parry — timed blocks that build the boss’s Resolve Bar. ✓ corroborated
Instinct Counter — the heavy counterattack available when the Resolve Bar is full after perfect parries. ✓ corroborated
Soul Arts & Boss SP — upgrades bought with SP earned from bosses; the Meteor Slice / Dash / Zone lines each have max-upgrade achievements. ✓ Steam-verified
Ghost Summons — defeated bosses can be unlocked as summons with passive perks. ✓ corroborated

Found something wrong, or beat this fight with a different setup? Send it in — corrections ship same-day and reports are credited.