Complete Carnage Mode boss tier list (18 bosses) from easiest (2.5/10 Byakue) to hardest (10/10 Minamoto no Yoshitsune). The toughest fight is Sasaki Ganryu Altered (7/10 Carnage). Detailed boss strategy for Yoshitsune's three phases and Ganryu Altered's white-glow one-shot attacks included.
1. S-Tier (Hardest — 7/10 to 10/10)
S-Tier bosses will dictate the build you bring to Carnage. Each one of these has the potential to one-shot a mid-build character or force specific consumable usage.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Final boss. The single hardest fight in the game on Carnage. Defeat unlocks the platinum trophy Truly, Thank You.
- Phase 1 (Ground Duels + Quick Strikes) — Deflect everything, drain his stamina fast. Use Chain Issen when you get a window.
- Phase 2 (Aerial Projectiles + Teleports) — Ground dodges for magic, punish the descent window when he teleports in.
- Phase 3 (Genma Unleashed + Illusion Clones) — Oni Awakening burst damage. Save Stimulants + Greater Might Talisman for this phase.
Sasaki Ganryu Altered
Second toughest fight in the game. Faster attacks than his first appearance, plus the Oni companion Gioh adds pressure.
- Most attacks are Parry-able. Commit to deflect timing on his swings.
- Oni companion Gioh adds ranged pressure — close distance so he's between you and Gioh.
- Phase 2 has ground wave red slashes. Side-dodge, don't back-dodge.
- White-glowing strikes are 1HKO on Carnage. Never trade hits when he glows white.
2. A-Tier (5/10 to 6.5/10)
| Boss | Rating | Why it's A-Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Shuten Doji | 3 phases including Rage Mode. Stimulant timing on the Rage transition is the gate. | |
| Dokyo | Illusion mechanics obscure boss position. Save Oni Awakening for his actual form, not the projections. | |
| Dohatsu-ten Enhanced | Teleportation attacks from fight start. Track his position, not his animation. |
3. B-Tier (3.5/10 to 5/10)
| Boss | Rating | Why it's B-Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Benkei (Rendaino) | Second encounter — Rage state with environmental hazards. Alternate Issen + parry. | |
| Fortinbras | Late-game boss. Treat as a higher-tier Genma brute until updated strategy is confirmed. | |
| Rasho-gan | Urban hunt boss. Use city environment for sight lines and Chain Issen bait the dash. | |
| Benkei (Bridge) | First encounter is the easier of the two. Bridge environment forces linear dodging. | |
| Sasaki Ganryu | True first boss. Distanced parry in Phase 1, parry the thrust in Phase 2. | |
| Burai | Lightning attacks. Watch the sky, not the boss — telegraph is overhead. Strafe the lightning strikes, punish the staff slam. | |
| Daidara | Massive armor troll. Punish the belly-bash recovery window. Avoid the ground slam at all costs. | |
| Nue Blue & Red | Twin chimera. Don't lock on — manual camera control lets you track her dive angles. |
4. C-Tier (Easy — 2/10 to 3/10)
| Boss | Rating | Why it's C-Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Byakue Enhanced | Below 50% HP wreaths his axe in Malice. Adds a one-shot swing if you fail to break his poise. | |
| Byakue | First boss practice. At Kiyomizu-dera, deflect the ice projectiles. | |
| Genma Archer | Ranged boss. Most of the fight is deflecting arrows. Save Issen for the recovery window. | |
| Genma Brute | The lowest difficulty boss. Pure tutorial fight — practice parry timing here. |
5. Detailed Strategy — Minamoto no Yoshitsune
The final boss is the only Carnage fight you cannot skip or rematch-friendly farm. Build your entire consumable stack around his three phases.
Phase 1 — Ground Duels + Quick Strikes
Yoshitsune opens with a katana duel sequence. Deflect everything — every parry drains his stamina meter. Once you break his posture, hit him with a Chain Issen combo. Don't commit to greedy combos; he recovers fast on Carnage and will punish with a 3-hit string if you overextend.
Phase 2 — Aerial Projectiles + Teleports
The Phase 2 trigger is a cinematic attack that covers the arena in red energy. Once it starts, Yoshitsune mixes aerial projectile spam with teleport strikes. Ground dodge the magic circles, then punish him when he teleports in for the close-range strike. Save your Heavy Restorative for the first ground AoE you can't dodge cleanly.
Phase 3 — Genma Unleashed + Illusion Clones
Phase 3 is where you spend everything you've saved.
- Pop Oni Awakening immediately when the phase transition animation ends. The Awakening burst is the only damage source that meaningfully chunk-down his Phase 3 HP bar.
- Illusion clones take one hit to dispel. Don't waste Issen on them — light attack only.
- Pop Stimulants + Greater Might Talisman in the second half of Phase 3. The combined damage window closes the fight.
Not saving consumables for Phase 3 is the single most common cause of failed final-boss attempts on Carnage. Not having Oni Awakening ready at the Phase 3 transition means you'll be stuck on his HP bar for 5+ extra minutes. Pre-stage your entire consumable loadout before opening the door.
6. Detailed Strategy — Sasaki Ganryu Altered
Ganryu Altered is the surprise difficulty spike of the late-game. He is harder than the final boss on a per-hit basis because most players haven't seen his altered moveset before.
Parry-First Discipline
Every regular swing in Ganryu's moveset is Parry-able. Commit to the parry timing on every swing — do not attack first. The only safe attack windows are after a successful deflect opens his stance. Build the fight around his attack cadence, not your combo timer.
Oni Companion Gioh
Ganryu Altered summons his Oni companion Gioh during Phase 2. Gioh adds ranged pressure that forces you out of pure close-range deflect flow. Close distance so Ganryu is between you and Gioh — his body blocks the projectiles. If Gioh circles behind you, sidestep aggressively to swap positions.
Ground Wave Red Slashes
Phase 2 introduces a ground-traveling red slash attack. Side-dodge, not back-dodge — back-dodge puts you inside the slash. The wave has a short recovery; punish it with a 2-hit string.
White-Glowing Strikes
The most dangerous attack in his kit. White-glowing strikes deal a 1HKO on Carnage. Never trade hits when he glows white — full dodge, no deflection attempt. Wait for the glow to fade before re-engaging.
7. General Carnage Tips
On your first playthrough, turn Action Prompts OFF so you learn parry timing from animation. Carnage auto-disables prompts anyway, so this habit builds the muscle memory you'll need before NG+.
You cannot enable Action Prompts on Carnage. If you haven't already turned them off during your Action run, expect a learning cliff when you enter Carnage for the first time.
The Yoshitsune fight demands more consumables than any other boss. Save at least 3x Amulets of Introspection and 3x Sun-Dried Hozukis for his door — don't burn them on earlier bosses unless you absolutely have to.