Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – How to beat Emperor Nefarious

The ruler of Rivet’s universe Emperor Nefarious is now cracking down on Ratchet’s. You must stop him before he destroys the dimensions forever. If you follow these tips, wear the right armor, and upgrade your weapons, you’re well on your way to beating the final boss of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

Before you go…

To initiate the last battle with Doctor Nefarious and Emperor Nefarious, you are given the opportunity to find as many collectibles as you’d like to find. We would recommend getting all the Robot Disguise armor parts before you talk to Captain Quantum as they will give you a 20% damage resistance from Nefarious enemies. They’ll hover around and will fire shots at you as you fight the Emperor. In addition, make sure you collect a lot of Raritanium and upgrade your weapons as much as you’d like. If you have it, the lombax praetorian suit can help you with a 20% boost in Raritanium earned.

Phase 1

As soon as you’ve wiped out the foes in the first area of Metropolis, you will then be greeted by Emperor Nefarious with his gigantic suit akin to a Power Rangers costume. He will warp in his hands using portals and unleash lasers at you. Avoid them by double jumping or dashing. At later points of the fight, the laser will continue for three intervals rather than just the one.

When you get the chance, use a topiary sprinkler. While it does no damage to him, it does make him weaker to stronger attacks and slightly stunned. In some cases, it doubled our damage output. For maximum effort, use the Mr. Fungi and the Agents of Doom to dispatch other enemies and perhaps damage Nefarious himself.

We found the peacemaker a very effective weapon against him as the rockets can rip through his health bar. Also, if you’ve been able to find all the spybots, the RYNO 8 is even better as it dunks objects on your enemy.

Phase 2

After this, you’ll play as Ratchet and this time Emperor Nefarious will be using double lasers from his eyes and quick mini-gun-like bullets that can decimate you. Dodge the former by double jumping at precisely the right moment. Once again, use the topiary sprinkler to stun him in bad situations and deal extra damage on him during this stance. The lightning bolt weapon can also electrocute him, stopping him in his tracks. He’ll also be using the laser both vertically and horizontally, so be wary of his tricks and dash or double jump from his attacks.

At around 50-60%, he’ll begin to use his mini-gun beams. If you see the head facing you, look to the right and left and use the R1 button to teleport to the other side. These beams stay on the ground too, and if you hit them, they’ll explode on you. Be careful and teleport when you can!

Phase 3

After you’ve beaten the second section, you’ll find yourself in a debris field. Despite the action around you, be patient until the rock is zapped and explodes in front of you. A rift will appear that you can zip over to. At the end of the section, use the slingshot to make it to the power suit’s heart.

If you’re low on health, you’ll find nanotech boxes to the left and to the right of the heart. Pick those up quick as weaker enemies begin to protect the inner sanctum. This part is relatively easy. Handle the Nefarious forces and use powerful weapons on the heart itself. Once you’ve broken the outer layer, you’ll have to time your jumps as lightning circles around the room.

You’ll have to time the cross button while shooting every four or so seconds. Unfortunately, the Void Repulser is ineffective in this fight and the lightning will still harm you. The rocket launcher is the best weapon to use in this section as it takes away around 10% of the core’s health.

The Final Phase

This is it. Here are Emperor Nefarious’ three main attacks and how to defend yourself:

1. Emperor Nefarious will hover and immediately slam down towards Rivet. At the exact last moment, phantom dash to either the left or the right.
2. He will throw a rock from one of his purple dimensions. This is fairly easy to avoid if you dash to the left or the right
3. He’ll unleash a constant laser stream for around 10 seconds. Keep strafing to the left or the right to avoid it. Be aware of your surroundings. You may have to jump over obstacles.

Other general strategies with this fight are to use every support weapon at your disposal. The Agents of Doom, Mr. Fungi, and the Bombardier can help you take out Nefarious’ forces that swarm you in intervals. Once again, the topiary sprinkler can stop the Emperor in his tracks for a few seconds and lets you get in a few cheeky strengthened blasts before he snaps out of it. Nanotech is scarce but it will appear on the right side of the map. Once he’s at 5%, you’ve finished him. All you have to do is accept Kit’s hand and she’ll throw Rivet towards the Emperor for a final blow.