The Puppet Master (Encore)

Last updated: Exalt Version 2.0.4.0 (Sep 2021)

The Puppet Master (Encore Version) (referred to in-game simply as The Puppet Master) is the boss of the Puppet Master’s Encore. He is a stronger version of The Puppet Master.

The Realm Eye says:
A former travelling act, the Puppet Master planted his feet in the realm after Oryx requested that he become this kingdom’s jester. Madly obsessed with the art of puppetry, he worked out a deal with Oryx to infuse his creations with living souls to enhance his performances. In the afterlife, the Puppet Master bargained with a shadowy figure willing to reincarnate him with greater strength if he relinquished his army of puppet souls for the entity’s own use.

Stats
Combat
Drops
Tips

Stats:

Base HP: 67,500 ( Boss Adaptive Scaling Boss Adaptive HP Scaling)
DEF: 40
EXP: 35,000
Location: Puppet Master’s Encore

Immune to Stasis
Immune to Stun
Immune to Paralyze
Counts toward God Kills
Counts towards Grotesque Kills

Combat

Attacks

Damage	Condition effects	Speed (tiles/sec)	Range (tiles)	Comments
150		3	15	Shots hit multiple targets
80		6	18
150		5	10	Shots hit multiple targets
70	Pet Stasis for 5s	8	16	Shots hit multiple targets
55	Pet Stasis for 7s	3.5	24.5	Shots hit multiple targets
150				Radius: 4

Behavior

The Puppet Master (Encore Version) does not move and is located in the middle of the room. Upon activation, he will say a string of dialog before spawning his 4 puppet minions and starting the fight:
“Hello, Hero. Did you truly think that I was gone forever?”
“No! I cannot allow you to end my story in such a way.”
“Behold!”
“You fail to appreciate my puppets, hero… You do not understand my art. If you cannot be sensible of their beauty then you must die.”

Phase 1:

Taunt: “You cannot return from whence you came. Face me now, hero and prepare to become the finest of my puppets when I am done with you!”

During the first phase, he will shoot out rings of large green pet stasis bullets. If he is not killed enough, he will fire wide, rapid spreads of blue bolts both above and below him. He will spawn Cursed Blasts throughout the whole fight.

At 80% HP, he will say: “Awaken, my dear puppet. Hunt them down!” The Huntress Puppet will activate.

Whenever a puppet is active, he will be invulnerable and constantly firing small green pet stasising bullets in a spiral-shaped pattern. Active puppets must be destroyed in order to make him vulnerable again.

Phase 2

Taunt: “How dare you destroy my prized puppet! You shall pay for this with your life!”

After the Huntress Puppet is destroyed, the Puppet Master will become vulnerable. He will start shooting rings of large green bullets, as well as 3-round shotguns of blue bolts at the nearest player. At 60% HP, he will say: “Awaken, my dear puppet. Fear its blades!” and the Trickster Puppet will activate.

Phase 3

Taunt: “No! You will suffer for destroying my precious puppets!”
When the Trickster Puppet is destroyed, he will become vulnerable again, Armoring himself and shooting out wide waves of blue bolts above and below him. At 40% HP, he will say: “Awaken, my puppets, and avenge your fallen brethren. Destroy these so-called heroes, leave them to rot here and become one with the dust.”
The Puppet of Pain and the Puppet of Chaos activate.

Phase 4

Taunt: “I will rend your souls from your bodies and turn you into my puppet slaves when this is over!”

When the Puppet of Pain and Chaos both die, the Puppet Master will become vulnerable for the last time. During this phase he will shoot out rapid rings of large green pet stasising bullets, spreads of blue bolts along one cardinal direction at a time, and single blue bolts aimed at the nearest player, all while rapidly lobbing Red Bombs at them.

If not killed fast enough, he will turn invulnerable temporarily and fire wide waves of blue bolts along one of the cardinal directions, rotating the spread 90 degrees every few seconds until all 4 cardinal directions are covered. Whether he rotates the barrage clockwise or counter-clockwise seems to be entirely up to randomness.

If still not killed, he will restart the phase and repeat his taunt. He is Armored for the whole phase, meaning he now has 60 DEF.

At 5% HP, the Puppet Master says “I don’t understand, it wasn’t supposed to end this way! Noooo!!!” and explodes into a dense ring of blue bolts.

Reproduction

Spawns:

Cursed Blast

Drops

Tips and Strategies

There are two sets of projectiles that you need to dodge; the boss’ and the puppets’. The fast green projectiles fired by the boss deal low damage, but inflict pet stasis, drastically slowing down the rate at which you can recover HP/MP. Dodging these makes taking the high damage from the puppets less punishing. Try and practice dodging before you try your hand at this dungeon!
When the Trickster Puppet spawns, you only need to kill the original. Look for the one with distinct shot patterns.
The puppet of chaos (purple) is immune to paralyze, while the puppet of pain (red) is immune to stun. Try to adjust your group’s formation accordingly.
The puppets of chaos and pain will give chase to players once activated and soon rotate around the puppet master when damaged enough. An easy way of surviving this phase is to rotate around the puppet master counterclockwise. This way once chaos/pain have taken enough damage they will no longer follow you since they rotate around the puppet master clockwise(They may switch directions when paralyzed or slowed).
Watch the minimap while fighting the puppet of chaos/pain. They rotate around the map at a high speed, easily capable of firing a shotgun while moving on top of you.