Borderlands 3 - Katagawa Ball boss strategy
How to stop Katagawa from merging Altas with Maliwan.
Katagawa of Maliwan isn't very happy that you destroyed his laser during the eighth chapter of Borderlands 3, Space-Laser Tag. Having enough of you and Rhys, he'll use his Katagawa Ball to take you down.
Now you've got to crush his ball and save the Vault Key, before Katagawa kills you.
Are you up to the challenge of shooting down a man's giant flying ball?
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Everything you need to know about Katagawa Ball and his attacks in Borderlands 3
Katagawa isn't going to let Atlas go without a fight and it turns out that he's got a great ball of his own.
Katagawa Ball is Level 18. Ideally your Vault Hunter should be at least Level 17 when facing him.
This fight is divided into three different stages and for each one Katagawa Ball will have a new health bar.
Throughout this fight Katagawa Ball will fly about the room, hunting you down. The upside, however, is that he won't summon any reinforcements during this battle.
During the first stage, Katagawa Ball is at his largest. He will attack using explosives, bullets and Incendiary damage, sending balls of fire to attack you.
He can also create pools of fire on the floor for you to avoid.
When Katagawa Ball reaches the last quarter of his health, he will also start using Shock attacks. This will come in the form of a two beams that will emerge from right and left side of Katagawa.
Katagawa Ball will telegraph the majority of his attacks by creating a spiral of energy at the front of his ball. The colour will tell you the type of attack that he is about to unleash. Shock attacks, for example, have blue energy and Incendiary attacks are orange.
During the second stage, Katagawa Ball will now be a smaller ball.
He will continue to attack using bullets and Incendiary attacks, but will also be able to use Cyro attacks to create ice pools on the floor. Try to avoid these pools of ice, because stepping in one with reduce your Movement Speed and take away some of your health.
Katagawa Ball will also have an attack where he whips a series of tentacles across the room.
Finally, Katagawa Ball may also heal himself during this stage of the fight. This is likely to occur when you manage to take half of his health bar.
The final stage of this boss fight see Katagawa Ball down to his last health bar.
He will now add a Corrosive Damage attack to his arsenal and will shoot a variety of different projectiles.
If you get to close to Katagawa Ball you will also take Shock Damage. Thankfully, you will be able to see an outline of static indicating where this field currently is.
Katagawa Ball's weak spot in Borderlands 3
The eye of the Katagawa Ball is its weak spot.
The best way to hit this target is through the use of a Sniper Rifle. Make sure there's some distance between you and the ball, before you start firing though or it might be you who takes Critical Damage.
Borderlands 3 has arrived! Check out our skill tree guides for Amara, Fl4k, Moze and Zane.
If you're looking for more challenges to complete, check out our guides on the Dead Claptraps, Broadcast Towers, Eridian Writing,Hijack Targets, Legendary Hunts and Typhon Logs and Typhon Dead Drops. If you want some easy rewards, consult our Borderlands 3 Shift Codes and VIP Codes page. When you've finished Borderlands 3, visit our guides on Guardian Rank and Rewards, Mayhem Mode and True Vault Hunter mode to learn more about what you unlock in the post-game.
Katagawa Ball boss strategy in Borderlands 3
Before Katagawa Ball appears, quickly run about the room and collect as much ammo as you can. You're probably running low after defeating the waves of Maliwan forces.
Your success in this fight depends on your ability to manage your weapons, if you're low on ammo, and using your Action Skills at the right moment. Since Katagawa Ball is airbound, you really need to make sure you don't waste a single Action Skill charge.
Use the room and its various levels to your advantage, by using them for cover and running from Katawaga Ball when you need to let your shield recharge.
When it comes to weapon choice you have quite a large selection. Due to Katagawa Ball's large size, especially during the first stage, you can risk using a gun that has a high Damage stat, but low Accuracy, because the bullets have more enemy to hit.
Guns that deal Incendiary, Explosive or Corrosive damage are perfect for this fight. A high level Shotgun will also help you bring Katagawa Ball down pretty killing.
During the first stage, you'll want to keep moving, using the various levels of this room to your advantage. Duck and weaving behind the various walls and pipes will help you block the explosive Katawaga will fire at you.
The tentacle attack Katawaga Ball starts to use during its second stage is an excellent time to riddle him with bullets. Make sure the tentacles can't reach you and unleash your favourite gun or Action Skill, while Katawaga is occupied.
Make sure you keep your distance from Katawaga Ball during the final stage. It's Shock field can easily knock your shield down, giving Katawaga Ball the opportunity to kill you during these last vital seconds of the fight.
There is an almost safe spot in this battle. We say almost because Katawaga Ball can hit you occasionally in this area. Still, this is a good area to recharge your shield and your health, depending on your character build.
This spot is behind the pipes that can be found on the far right-hand side of the battlefield. Run up the small set of stairs and head behind the pipes. You'll be able to squeeze your Vault Hunter between the wall and these pipes, keeping you, mostly, safe from harm.