The 3.2 update toHonkai: Star Railbrought some major revelations for the Amphoreus story arc, as well as a new boss: Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls. A dragon borne of death and pulled from the nether realm, Pollux is the final boss challenge of the 3.2 story segment and without proper preparation, can be a terror to beat.
Pollux will also likely make her way to the Forgotten Hall, so knowing how to beat her is paramount if you want all 36 stars. We’ll go over what you need to know today.
All Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls Attacks
The greatest threat Pollux poses is not a lengthy attack list like the Flame Reaver, nor is it massive damage potential like Nikador. Instead,her strategy is robbing your team of health using “non-fatal” damage.
She can even reduce every member of your team to one HP, then let her tentacles do the rest.
WhilePollux won’t immediately down your team after reducing them to one HP, you will need to save your sustain character’s best healing to make sure her next attack doesn’t send you packing.
Pollux does, of course, have a set of more traditional attacks, but her ability to drain HP is far and away her strongest ability.
Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls Passive Abilities
You won’t need to deal with too much from Pollux’s passives, as they mostly determine the damage you deal and how much of a specific effect builds when Pollux deals damage.
Dream of Demise
(Unremovable)
When Pollux reduces a character’s HP, it builds Desperate Bubble gauge. At 100% Desperate Bubble, Pollux’s action advances, and she enters the Fragrance of Death state on her next turn.
Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls Attack Effects
Polluxis unique because sheintroduces new damage types and effects to the game, primarily around HP manipulation rather than raw damage. These effects and damage types also define the flow of her fight.
Description
Non-fatal Damage
A character is attacked by non-fatal damage cannot have its HP reduced below one, even if the attack would otherwise do so.
Atrophy Damage
Fixed damage that cannot be reduced by shields or redistributed by character abilities.
Even Distribution
Damage and debuffs inflicted by this kind of attack are split evenly across all targets.
Fragrance of Death
Pollux Speed increases at the end of every turn. When she or her Long Arm of Sorrow tentacles are attacked, all targets are healed and Desperate Bubble’s buildup is reduced. If Desperate Bubble is consumed, this state is dispelled.
Indulging Slumber
When a character in this state deals damage, the damage they do is reduced. This effect dispels if that character’s HP is restored past a certain point.
Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls Phase One Attacks
The first phase of the fight with Pollux sets the stage for the rest of the battle, asshe doesn’t gain many additional attacks in phase two. Her big, flashy ultimate doesn’t arrive until phase two either, so you can take a bit more time in this first segment to learn the encounter.
However,Pollux can still reduce your entire team to one HPin this portion of the encounter, and you’ll need to start healing as soon as she does.
After using her massive HP-draining attack,Pollux’s Long Arms of Sorrow tentacles will have their actions delayedto give you a single set of turns to start healing.
Save your healing character’s Ultimate for the one-health portion of the fight, as those attacks give you an effective extra turn that takes turn order priority.
To Die in Aromatic Pain
Pollux enters the Fragrance of Death enhanced state and deals massive, Quantum “non-fatal” Atrophy damage to all characters. All affected characters are also afflicted by Indulging Slumber.
To Stay the Fallen
Deals Quantum damage to a single target, converting some damage to Atrophy damage for characters with health above a certain percentage.
To Bury the Slumbered
Deals massive Quantum damage to all characters, evenly distributing the damage across them. If any character’s HP is above a specific percentage, the damage dealt is instead Quantum Atrophy damage.
Deals Quantum Atrophy damage to three random characters.
Bitterness Delivers Belated Evil News
Enhances all active Long Arms of Sorrow and advances its action. The enhanced state lasts three turns.
Inky Fog of a Near Death Dream
Decreases damage taken by both Pollux and the Long Arms of Sorrow. They accumulate Desperate Bubble when damaged, transitioning Pollux to the enhanced Fragrance of Death state when Desperate Bubble reaches its maximum.
While enhanced, Pollux and the Long Arms of Sorrow lose their innate damage reduction.
When the Fragrance of Death state is dispelled, Pollux will take additional damage and restore characters' HP.
Because I Could Not Sleep For Death
When Pollux or The Long Arms of Death hit a character with an ability, that character acquires an unremovable DoT effect that deals more non-fatal damage the more HP the character has.
The Long Arm Of Sorrow Attacks
Pollux hastwo tentacles that fight alongside her called The Long Arms Of Sorrow, and they have both their own turns and brief attack list. They’re most dangerous after Pollux uses To Die in Aromatic Pain and reduces your team’s HP to one, as they deal lethal damage.
This attack deals minor Quantum damage to one character.
The Dead Shan’t Avoid
Deals minor Quantum damage to one character and the two adjacent to them. Characters with HP above a certain percentage receive Atrophy damage instead.
Between Life and Death
While the Long Arm of Sorrow is in the Overdue Obituary state, The Living Shan’t Flee is enhanced to The Dead Shan’t Avoid.
Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls Phase Two Attacks
Thesecond phaseof the Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls boss fightadds only a single new attack, but like Nikador and the Flame Reaver, it’s a doozy. Big, flashy, and dealing a ton of damage, you need to prepare for it, as it can come shortly after the one-HP attack.
You’ll know the big attack is coming becausePollux’s icon on the turn order will show as shimmering,so start healing immediately. Breaking Pollux’s Toughness can cancel the attack, but in our playthrough, it came out so fast there wasn’t time.
Death Wishes For More Death
Deals Quantum Atrophy damage to all characters. Characters in the Indulging Slumber state take additional damage, have their action delayed, and have a high chance of becoming Entangled.
Tips For Beating Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls
There are two main things you should focus on when fighting Pollux:
As an HP manipulator,fighting Pollux with a shield unit like Aventurine or Gepard is a losing game. The dragon’s abilities go right past any shield effect.
Worse, because almost all of Pollux’s attacks deal AoE damage,units like Fu Xuan are liable to take KO-level damage. And that’s not considering the damage Pollux deals that can’t be redistributed, making Fu Xuan’s kit essentially worthless.
In short,your Sustain character willneedto be a more traditional healerlike Huo Huo, Lingsha, Luocha, or Gallagher.
Best Teams To Beat Pollux, Netherwing Husk, Ferry Of Souls
Like any new gacha game boss,the best character to beat Pollux is Castorice, the featured character released alongside her. Castorice makes quick work of all of Pollux’s mechanics and, with the right team, melts the boss’s HP in literal seconds.
Pollux also has Wind and Imaginary weaknesses, meaning you have other options from previous releases.
