Bayonetta 3 – How To Defeat Pannus | Boss Guide

Bayonetta 3 introduces new enemies on a fairly regular basis. Many of these enemies are large, and these larger foes often act like minibosses. What’s more, once you’ve slapped them around, they tend to crop up as powerful enemies on a regular basis. Basically, they act like little injections of challenge. Pannus is one of the first you will bump into.

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More Bayonetta 3 content: 

Strong Digital Sales | Launch Trailer | Positive Reviews | Umbran Tears Chapter 1 | Scarborough Fair and Love Is Blue

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Who Is Pannus?

Pannus is framed as a boss encounter during Chapter 1 of Bayonetta 3’s main story. They will approach near the end of the Chapter, and can pose quite a threat if you aren’t yet used to the game’s control and mechanics. This is partially because Pannus is not one enemy in the fight, it is actually three (at the very least). 

Pannus resembles a jellyfish, and comes with a number of unique attacks and mechanics that make it especially difficult to deal with. Billed as a Light Floatation Combat Unit, this thing spends most of its life bobbing around, although it has the ability to not only duplicate itself but also explode and launch powerful projectiles. Be prepared for quite the scrap.

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Pannus’s Moveset

Discussing Pannus and its moveset is more difficult than most bosses. This is because you actually fight three Pannus, not one, and that number can increase quite drastically if you don’t know what you are doing.

Before we get into Pannus and its moveset, we need to go over its main mechanics – splitting. Pannus, when low on HP, can split into two smaller, well, Pannus. These Pannus are less dangerous, but there are now two of them. Not only that, but these smaller Panni can actually split a second time, making another two Pannus who are even weaker. 

You can stop Pannus from splitting by killing it quickly once it has dropped to critical HP. The split happens very quickly, so you will need to make sure you are dealing constant damage if you want to prevent it. 

As for attacks, Pannus can do the following:

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Attack	Explanation	Counter
Lay Mines	This attack can only be used by a full-sized Pannus. Pannus will quickly fly across the screen and leave a trail of explosive mines. If you walk into them, you will take damage.	This attack is fairly easy to avoid – simply keep away from the mines (they are denoted by large blue threat areas).
Charge	Pannus will charge directly at Bayonetta, dealing heavy damage on contact.	This attack moves quickly, but has a noticeable windup. It also moves in a straight line. You can simply walk to the side to avoid it, although you would be better served dodging and trying to land Witch Time for a powerful counterattack.
Spin Attack	Pannus unleashes a quick spin attack at Bayonetta if she stands too close for too long.	This attack also has a windup, so be sure to move away or dodge to avoid damage.
Explode	Pannus will only use this attack when it is in its smallest form. Pannus launch a suicidal explosive charge for massive damage.	The best way to avoid this is to prevent Pannus from splitting in the first place. If you were unable to do that, then use your mobility tools to get out of the way.

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How To Beat Pannus

Pannus is pretty straightforward. You want to rely heavily on Witch Time, as many attacks cause Pannus to move – and move quickly. Witch Time will allow you to catch Pannus mid-flight and deal large amounts of damage safely. We recommend using Colour My World over G-Pillar for this, as G-Pillar was a little bit too slow for our liking here. 

Additionally, you need to be aware of every Pannus in this battle. There are three at the start of the fight, so keep moving, make sure you can see all enemies at once to prevent sneaky damage, and effectively focus your attacks to kill each Pannus before they split again. Worst case scenario, you are facing down eight Pannus at once, and this is not a good place to be. 

Remember that Demon Slaves exist if you are using any of the default Bayonetta 3 weapons (so not Scarborough Fair or Love Is Blue). Demon Slaves can deal massive amounts of damage and are ideal when you are far away from enemies, or if you are in Witch Time. Do not use Demon Slaves when you are close to enemies (for the most part) as you are incredibly vulnerable during this state.

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With Pannus dead, you are free to move on and kick more Anatomia butt. In the meantime, keep an eye out for more Bayonetta 3 boss guides.