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The Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is hard. Like, really hard — so hard that even an experienced splatter is going to experience a little trouble completing every challenge. There are over 80 levels to beat, and some of the toughest are second encounters with bosses from the standard campaign.
There are four “redux” bosses and a final boss, and they’re all pretty dang tough. Here, I’m going to break down what makes these redux fights special, and give you a few tips to make the fights a heck of a lot easier. There are tricks you can use, and if you want to succeed, I totally recommend you use them. Hey, not like it’s cheating! Here’s what you need to know.
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How To Beat Every Hard Boss | Tips & Tricks
Bosses are found in specific stages and are not required to reach the ending of the Octo Expansion. The only boss that is 100% required is the final boss — you’ll find four “Redux” fights against the four standard bosses from the main campaign here. These bosses aren’t just tougher and faster, they gain entirely new moves and abilities that completely change the way you’ll fight.
Octo Stomp Redux [F01/E12]
The Octo Stomp Redux is similar to the first Octo Stomp — except he starts with a protective foil around his body. To get rid of it, you need to shoot the strap on his face. In round 2, you’ll need to shoot the straps on his face and sides, and in round three, you’ll need to shoot the straps on all three of his faces.
The Octo Stomp is way faster, and will stomp multiple times before pausing. He’ll also jump across the arena, or sprint across. He comes with a minigun turret that will target you from far away. Use the Roller for quick escapes, and try to keep as much ink as possible.
PROTIP: To make this fight a lot easier, lure the Octo Stomp to the edge of the arena. There’s a lip down below that’s 100% safe to hide in at all times. You can just wait down below and shoot up at the straps on the faces in the third round. He can’t hurt you, and you don’t have to worry about getting squished.
Octo Shower Redux [Jo1/H07]
The Octo Shower returns for a second round. For once, this fight isn’t significantly harder — you’ll just have to shoot more flyers. The boss starts with three flyers, then upgrades to four, then the four gain armor.
You’re stuck in jetink mode, but your inkzooka has very long range. It takes time to hit targets, so you’ll want to aim when the Octo Shower is busy shooting one of its many cannons. The Octo Shower moves faster and you’re a little more vulnerable, but your longer range makes things way easier. You can hit the flyers without too much trouble.
PROTIP: Ink the walls and use the boosters to reach the towers for an easier shot at the flyers holding up the Octo Shower. The armored Flyers take three hits each — wait for the Octo Shower to use the ink minigun or sniper shot.
Octo Oven XXL [G02]
The massive Octo Oven XXL is just plain hard. There’s no trick to winning — just take your time and take down the oven, piece-by-piece. At each stage, the Octo Oven gains more helps. It spawns with Octo Shooters, then Ink Sprinklers and ends with Octo Snipers behind Ink Walls.
To win, keep track of your ink levels and select the Jet Squelcher to make your life easier. The Squelcher has good range, allowing you to destroy the Ink Sprinklers and enemies mounted on the top of the oven. Keep moving and circling the oven, refilling and defeating the enemies at the top. During the first wave, you can also collect an Ink Shield power-up that gives you temporary invincibility. Save it for the second or third wave.
Revenge of Octo Samurai [J08/F11]
Here’s the most challenging redux boss. You’re stuck in the Roller Ball for this fight, and while you’re totally invulnerable, a single hit can roll you off the arena for an instant defeat. To damage the Octo Samurai, you need to wait for it to attack, then detonate your Roller when you’re close — no matter what, you won’t do much damage, making this a really tough fight.
Basically, you need patience — wait for only the vertical attacks. When he slams down, you can easily dodge and detonate to the side. Wait for these attacks or you’ll leave yourself open for a spin-attack, which will almost always send you flying over the edge.
For the second phase, dodge the motorcycle attack and strike when he crashes. When he attempts his vertical attacks again, wait for two attacks before the Samurai pauses. For the third phase, he’ll move faster and use a three-hit combo with the vertical attacks. Play it safe, and only detonate when you’re absolutely sure he isn’t about to use a spin-attack.
Agent 3 [Final Phase]
The last boss is a doozy. When you talked to Captain Cuttlefish and gave him a profile on Agent 3, that’s who will appear — depending on your choices, they’ll look different, but their attacks will be the same. They’ve been mind-controlled, so you’ll do battle to free them on the elevator up to the surface.
Agent 3 fights in four stages. First, they’ll shoot / throw bombs. After that, they’ll enter a Roller before continuing the fight. Third, they’ll retreat onto a floating platform and fire beams of ink. For their final form, they’ll stomp the ground multiple times in a row.
PROTIP: To make this fight a lot easier for rounds 1 and 2, ink the two towers and use those. Shoot down at Agent 3, both in standard / roller form, to pretty easily defeat them. For the beam, ink the ground and throw bombs up onto the platform. For the final phase, run until Agent 3 completes three stomps in a row. After the third stomp, they’re vulnerable! Blast them while they try to recover.
