Changes: The Collector/5 BSC

Revision as of 23:50, 18 September 2021

This article contains spoilers regarding the true ending of the game. Discretion is advised.

“Time for your medicine!„

The Collector is the final boss in Dead Cells and can only be reached in the Observatory with 5 Boss Stem Cells activated. He is exclusive to the Rise of the Giant DLC.

Damage on a single hit is capped at 5% of his health.

Moveset

The Collector changes phases over the course of the fight. His two main phases use a different set of attacks. After taking enough damage, he will go invincible and teleport you and himself to a different room.

The phases typically go in the following order:

Melee -> Interim -> Ranged

The cycle will continue until he teleports to the final phase.

Drink potion

When the Collector's HP gets low (about 1/2), he will drink from the panacea, healing him back to full health and giving him significant damage/status effect resistance. If his HP drops below ~40% he will stun everything around him and gain a force field, which goes away after he restores his health. The second time it will be at around 60% and third time, 80%.

After the third time he drinks the potion, he will immediately transition to his final phase regardless of which phase he is currently in. In his 4th attempt, he will not be invincible, and attacking will cause him to drop the potion.

Drink potion

Description: Drinks a potion and heal back to full.
Is invincible during the move unless otherwise specified.

Melee phase

The Collector uses the following attacks:

Syringe lunge

Description: Lunges and stabs forward with his syringe multiple times.
Can be blocked, parried, and dodge rolled.
Will do the attack at least 3 times and no more than 5 times.

Syringe spin

Description: Hops on his syringe, then spins around the arena.
Can be blocked, parried, and dodge rolled.
Will change direction when he hits a wall.
Is immune to attacks and projectiles while spinning, except ones that go through shields.
Parrying will interrupt the attack.

Ground smash

Description: Charges up and creates a shockwave on the ground, then bombs drop from the ceiling.
The ground smash cannot be blocked, parried, or dodge rolled.
Bombs deal damage when they land on the ground. They don't explode on contact with the player.
Bomb explosions can be blocked or parried.
Silhouettes on the ground show where the bombs will land.

The second time you get sent to this room, the Collector spawn a spike ball that bounces around the arena. The third time, there will be two spike balls.

Ranged phase

In this phase the Collector will use a different set of attacks:

Orb shot

Description: Charges up and launches energy orbs at the player up to 4 times.
Can be blocked, parried, and dodge rolled.

Beam attack

Description: Flies above the player, then fires a beam straight down 3 times. The spikes on the walls will be active during this move.
Cannot be blocked, parried.
Is vulnerable during the attack, but most attacks will not reach him anyway.

Double tornado

Description: Sends columns of whirling energy in both directions 4 or 5 times.
Can be blocked, parried, and dodge rolled.
Blocking or parrying the attack will knock you back significantly.

The second time you are sent to this room, the walls in the arena will be covered by damaging enemy columns.

Interim phase

The player will be teleported to a room with three doors which will open and let a few enemies loose. During this phase some bombs will fall from above. This phase is the safest one by far.

The first time, he summons three early game enemies, and the second time he summons two mid game enemies.

Once all the enemies are defeated, he will teleport back to the arena and leave himself vulnerable for a few seconds. Afterwards, he will go invincible and teleport the player to the ranged phase again.

Final phase

The player will be teleported into a room with a giant telescope. In this phase, he will use every possible attack.

At ~80% HP, the Collector will drink his potion again, though he is not invincible during this period. If damaged, he drops the potion, which can be consumed for a massive stat boost. This allows the player to easily deplete the Collector's health and defeat him.

Strategy

General

Crusher is highly effective against the Collector. It will slow him down greatly and will constantly interrupt some of his attacks like his tornado attack.
It is possible to root him with the Wolf Trap, which can shut down two of his melee attacks.
Giant Whistle can knock him up and prevent him from teleporting when he is about to leave. As the attack did not connect, its cool-down resets instantly. This can buy time for skills & mutations to recharge (Disengagement, Tonic, etc).
- It also has the ability to interrupt some of his attacks.
- If the Panacea has been consumed, it can be used to finish him in one hit.

Attacks

Try to attack in the air during his melee phase, that way, it'll give you some time to avoid his ground slam attack.
The safest way to dodge his syringe lunge attack is to cling onto the wall. It's also the best way to dodge both the ground slam and the bombs.
- Avoid doing this in the final phase as the walls have spikes protruding from them.
For his spin attack, if you are cornered, roll towards the wall before he is about to hit you.
To dodge through his double tornado attack, roll through each column, then jump away and repeat.
Parrying the tornadoes is a valid option, but you will need some distance from the wall, especially if it does contact damage. Even without it, he can start using his beam attack right after and hit you with the spikes. Hold in the direction towards the Collector to minimize the distance knocked back.
He recalculates the orb attack per shot, so you will have to dodge at the last moment or parry it.
His beam attack comes out fast with massive damage, but the interval is static.
- For the beam attack, the visual cue is very subtle. Listen for the audio cue to help make it easier to time your dodge right.

Lore

When the Beheaded reaches this biome, the Collector reveals his plans to create the panacea, a fabled cure to all diseases, using all the cells collected by the Beheaded, further implying his true identity as the Alchemist. He asks the Beheaded to deposit them in the Catalyst next to him. Although the Collector doesn't believe the legends passed down by the first Alchemists of the island, he attempts this experiment in a last-ditch effort to cure the Malaise and save the island as well as himself. It turns out the remedy works, but it drives him mad with power. Thus, the Collector attempts to kill the Beheaded so he would bring him more cells.

During the fight, which consists of a number of phases in different rooms, the Collector keeps healing by drinking the Panacea. Once the player has dealt enough damage to the boss and/or survived through all phases, the Collector teleports himself and the Beheaded in the last room. Then, he becomes vulnerable when he attempts to drink, and drops the Panacea when hit. The player can then pick up the Panacea, which fills their potion slot with a blue liquid. If the player drinks it, their attacks will become extremely powerful and quickly defeat the boss.. As he was dying, the Collector exclaims that what the beheaded was doing ruined the island, and he was trying to revert his consequences. The Beheaded ends the Collector by stomping his face three times, exclaiming pity as he walks away. It is at this moment that he realizes that the cure is effective, and that he doomed the island's fate by killing the only person able to recreate it. Then, his body is vanquished by an unseen force, although his head remains. He proceeds to crawl away in a scuffle as the credits roll.

Dialogue

First encounter

The first time the player reaches the Observatory, the Collector will say the following:

"Welcome, my mute friend!"
"Do you like my Catalyst? Nothing too fancy really, but a necessary tool for any aspiring Alchemist."
"Never mind that... How many wretches did you slay this time? How many Cells did you bring me?"
"Would you be kind enough to put them in the Catalyst right there?"
"Are you familiar with the myth of the Panacea?"
"The cure to all disease..."
"... distilled from the crude essence of life itself."
"Well, if you believe the First Alchemists."
"Drivel! From a bunch of senile old fools. Fairy tales for gullible children... Just look at you."
"Dependence. Loss of empathy. Lust for violence. Insanity. Endless death."
"Nothing good can come of messing with Cells..."
"But then... I've already scoured the entire Island, scavenging from the remains of the fallen..."
"... And even the bellies of the living. Few were willing to help. Many begged for mercy."
"Is this all I've got left? The false hope of a bunch of children's stories..."
"Pathetic."
"Actually... This feels AWESOME!"

The first time the player reaches the Collector while wearing the King Outfit, he will say the following first:

"I see you've managed to crawl back into your own skin."

Any subsequent encounter will begin with this instead:

"Back again? And they say dogs are man's best friend!"
"Thank you for bringing me more! I was really starting to get the itch there!"
"Ah, that's better!"

Moments before beginning the fight, the Collector will always say the following:

"I've never felt anything quite like it!"
"Be a good sport and bring me some more... I'll send you back!"
"Time for your medicine!"

Fighting quotes

Throughout the fight, the Collector will randomly say any of the following:

"Go Back! Bring me more Cells!"
"Just a few more!"
"Don't be such a cheapskate! Share with your old pal!"
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"
"Killjoy"
"Who's a good boy?"
"Bring me more, you wretched blob!"
"I need it! One last time!"

Fight finale

"You..."
"What have you done, moron..."
"I've been trying to save this wretched Kingdom..."
"..."
"Save it... From an ass like you!"
"Oh, we're all in deep now."

Kicking responses

After beating the Collector, he will say the following after being kicked:

"You can't kill me!"
"Urgh!"
"That's it? I didn't feel a thing."
"Ahhh!"
"Without me, you're nothing!"
"Ouch!"

After the third kick, he may say only one of the following:

"You really are incapable of settling a conflict peacefully, aren't you? Pity..."
"Not cool, mate! Not cool."
"Mommy!"
"I... I... I never noticed how cold these tiles are."
"Oh my god! They killed the Collector!"
"Your Princess is in another castle."
"Won't be needing a dentist anymore!"
"Git gu..."
"Where would you be without me?"

Notes

If the player reaches the Hand of the King a second time with 5 BSC active, they can possess the glitched King by using the Homunculus Rune and thereby reclaim the Beheaded's original body. Then, the game's true ending can be seen by beating the Collector again while wearing the King Outfit.
The mutation No Mercy cannot kill him. When he would have died, the game will repeatedly produce the "BOSS EXECUTED" blood splatter.
He cannot be killed without drinking the Panacea. He will be at most reduced to 1 health and become invincible until the potion has been consumed, at which point he can be killed.
When the player reaches each Passage, the Collector will not be present, and any blueprints the player collected beforehand will be deposited and added to the list of unlock-able items later, followed by a small set of fireworks.
- In the v2.3, the Passages now have the Collector's Intern instead, who acts functionally identical to the Collector himself. However, the Intern will not be present after the Throne Room.

Trivia

Due to a visual oversight, when the Beheaded kicks the Collector's corpse, the syringe somehow moves in sync.
Even when the player is not wearing the Classic Outfit, the cut-scene where the Collector is killed will not change. The only exception is the King Outfit.
When the Beheaded kicks the Collector's face, the game may play a rubber ducky sound.
The quote "Oh my god! They killed the Collector!" quote is a reference to the responses said by Kyle and Stan in South Park when Kenny dies, specifically "Oh my god! They killed Kenny!"

Gallery

The Collector after drinking the Panacea.
The Collector about to use the laser beam attack.
The transition phase where the Collector summons enemies.

Bosses

The Concierge • Conjunctivius • Mama Tick^TBS • The Time Keeper • The Giant^RotG • The Scarecrow^FF • The Hand of the King • The Servants^TQatS • The Queen^TQatS

True Ending Spoiler (5 BSC):

The Collector^RotG

@@ Line 146: / Line 146: @@
 When the [[The Beheaded|Beheaded]] reaches this biome, the Collector reveals his plans to create the panacea, a fabled cure to all diseases, using all the cells collected by the Beheaded, further implying his true identity as the [[Alchemist]]. He asks the Beheaded to deposit them in the Catalyst next to him. Although the Collector doesn't believe the legends passed down by the first Alchemists of the island, he attempts this experiment in a last-ditch effort to cure the Malaise and save the island as well as himself. It turns out the remedy works, but it drives him mad with power. Thus, the Collector attempts to kill the Beheaded so he would bring him more cells.
-During the fight, which consists of a number of phases in different rooms, the Collector keeps healing by drinking the Panacea. Once the player has dealt enough damage to the boss and/or survived through all phases, the Collector teleports himself and the [[Beheaded]] in the last room. Then, he becomes vulnerable when he attempts to drink, and drops the Panacea when hit. The player can then pick up the Panacea, which fills their potion slot with a blue liquid. If the player drinks it, their attacks will become extremely powerful and quickly defeat the boss.. As he was dying, the Collector exclaims that what he was doing ruined the island, and he was trying to revert his consequences. The Beheaded ends the Collector by stomping his face three times, exclaiming pity as he walks away. It is at this moment that he realizes that the cure is effective, and that he doomed the island's fate by killing the only person able to recreate it. Then, his body is vanquished by an unseen force, although his head remains. He proceeds to crawl away in a scuffle as the credits roll.
+During the fight, which consists of a number of phases in different rooms, the Collector keeps healing by drinking the Panacea. Once the player has dealt enough damage to the boss and/or survived through all phases, the Collector teleports himself and the [[Beheaded]] in the last room. Then, he becomes vulnerable when he attempts to drink, and drops the Panacea when hit. The player can then pick up the Panacea, which fills their potion slot with a blue liquid. If the player drinks it, their attacks will become extremely powerful and quickly defeat the boss.. As he was dying, the Collector exclaims that what the beheaded was doing ruined the island, and he was trying to revert his consequences. The Beheaded ends the Collector by stomping his face three times, exclaiming pity as he walks away. It is at this moment that he realizes that the cure is effective, and that he doomed the island's fate by killing the only person able to recreate it. Then, his body is vanquished by an unseen force, although his head remains. He proceeds to crawl away in a scuffle as the credits roll.
 == Dialogue ==
@@ Line 221: / Line 221: @@
 == Notes ==
-* If the player reaches the [[The Hand of the King|Hand of the King]] a second time with 5 [[BSC]] active, they can possess the glitched [[The King|King]] by using the {{Rune|hom|1}} and thereby reclaim the Beheaded's original body. Then, a special ending can be seen by beating the Collector again while wearing the King Outfit.
+* If the player reaches the [[The Hand of the King|Hand of the King]] a second time with 5 [[BSC]] active, they can possess the glitched [[The King|King]] by using the {{Rune|hom|1}} and thereby reclaim the Beheaded's original body. Then, the game's true ending can be seen by beating the Collector again while wearing the King Outfit.
-* Using the mutation {{Mutation|No Mercy}} on him will not kill him in one hit even if his health has been reduced to less than 15%.
+* The mutation {{Mutation|No Mercy}} cannot kill him. When he would have died, the game will repeatedly produce the "BOSS EXECUTED" blood splatter.
 * He cannot be killed without drinking the Panacea. He will be at most reduced to 1 health and become invincible until the potion has been consumed, at which point he can be killed.
 * When the player reaches each Passage, the Collector will not be present, and any blueprints the player collected beforehand will be deposited and added to the list of unlock-able items later, followed by a small set of fireworks.