While adventuring through the world of Absolum, you’ll encounter many bosses on your way towards beating the game. However, you won’t encounter all of them if you never stray off the beaten path. In this guide we’ll show you where you can find Absolum's Secret Bosses, or as I like to call them ''extra Inspiration opportunities'', and what you can expect from them.
This text is a work in progress, and we will update it as soon as we uncover and defeat more Secret Bosses!
How to Find and Defeat the Mushtroll
As you progress through the game, Zafari the Bandit Queen will at some point tell you about a secret cave that could be worth your time. In it you’ll find the first optional boss of the game, The Mushtroll. The cave is located right where you spawn and pick up your first Ritual. Go all the way down into the right corner where you can destroy a rock to find the entrance to the cave. If you're struggling to find it, check out our images below to see exactly where you need to go.
Although if you know about this Cave, nothing is stopping you from going to his location even on your first run of the game (we've tested it out so you don't have to). All you have to do is hug the bottom of the screen after you pick up your first ritual of the run and bash through a rock blocking the entrance to the cave. Inside you’ll go through a few levels filled with beasts and mushroom people, before you encounter the big bad Mushtroll himself.
The fight against him isn’t too difficult. He’ll start the encounter off by summoning some of the smaller mushroom creatures, during which you can attack him for some free damage. He has a few strong, but highly telegraphed moves that you can dodge or deflect with ease after some practice. Halfway through, he’ll enter a second phase of sorts, where he’ll be doing undeflectable attacks more often. You'll see a red flash right before he attacks, which is your cue to get out of dodge, and well, dodge!
Even though he is an optional boss, you’ll want to visit him every time you start a new run, because the reward you get is an early bonus Inspiration! Not only is this a great reward by itself (because Inspirations are few and far between), but it will also give you some early guidance about what you want to do with your build.
How do I Fight Zafari the Bandit Queen?
You’ll come across Zafari the Bandit Queen a few times during your explorations of the first island, and you'll even get scammed by her on the heist. If this has caused some anger issues in you and a strong desire to beat someone up, no worries, we'll help you figure out exactly how to take on the Bandit Queen in Absolum.
No matter which way you go through the island, after you beat the first main boss, Zafari will be waiting to take you to the second island with her ship. Here you’ll find a locked door guarded by one of her crewmembers and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want nothing more than to find out what’s behind it from the first moment you see it. Worry not, your curiosity will be sated… eventually. Every time you board the ship, there is a chance for the crewmate guarding the door will be missing. Once that happens, it's time to rejoice and explore the captain's quarters.
Inside you will find a bunch of barrels containing food or throwables, and chests filled with gold. Be careful though, because once you start looting, Zafari the Bandit Queen herself will show up and she won’t be amused with what you’re doing, initiating a boss fight.
She’ll start the fight off by summoning her crewmates to distract you while she charges up a whole array of moves with the purpose of teaching you a lesson and ending your run prematurely. A particularly nasty one is where she spins her weapon around, blocking all your attacks aimed at her, after which she unleashes a massive wave that can take off a good chunk of your HP if you’re not prepared.
The risk is well worth it though, because aside from looting a lot of gold from the room itself, defeating her will get you another Inspiration!
Where Can I Find The Interloper in Absolum?
Once you get about halfway through the island of Yeldrim in Absolum, you’ll arrive at a resting area. There, you’ll need to take the path at the top of the stairs in order to find the secret boss. Don't fret because it's locked, we will help you open it! Walk behind one of the robed cultists and you’ll be able to see the password consisting of emotes. You’ll need to use the same emotes as the Cultist to get through the gate. Once inside, make your way through their hideout, beating up different cultists and eldritch looking monsters, including a mini boss near the end.
After beating the mini boss, go to the next room over to access the Secret Boss area. Heal up before you do anything else, as you will need the extra Health. Right before the exit from this section, you’ll see an eldritch looking statue. Walk behind it and then keep on walking some more (don't worry that you are off screen, just keep walking!), until you trigger the appearance of a new suspicious door that will take you to the boss.
You’ll have to fight through a few rooms of increasingly difficult enemies before getting to the secret boss of this area. Once you enter a room filled with cultists chanting on top of summoning circles, prepare to meet The Interloper.
It’s a creature that would feel at home in any Lovecraftian story, giant in size with tentacles and too many eyes. Be prepared to dodge its non-stop attacks, while you’re focusing your own attacks on its hands that constantly shift around the battlefield. It will be a hard fight, but once you deplete its health bar, congratulations, phase two starts!
Now in the form of just a head, the boss becomes a lot faster and trickier to land hits on. It gains new attacks, including a disorienting phase where the health bar glitches out, making it impossible to tell how close to, or far from victory you are.
Defeating The Interloper may be a challenge, but the reward is pretty gratifying. You’ll unlock the secret Ritual of Chaos!
Absolum FAQ
You get Inspirations from defeating Mini Bosses across the Islands. To ensure you get even more Inspirations in Absolum, make sure to take on the Secret Bosses, especially the Mushtroll, since he can be found right at the start of each run.
If you've been looking around for a scrap piece of paper or a magic sign, don't worry, it's not that difficult. When you reach the Resting Place in Yeldrim, wait until a Cultist goes up the stairs and then follow. The Cultist will execute a specific Emote as a Password, so you just need to do the same to get through the gates.
The Secret Cave can be found at the area where you spawn at the start of very run, right after you pick up the first Rituals. Go to the bottom right corner of the map until you see a rock. Hit it until it breaks and revealse the entrance to the Secret Cave.
If you want to best prepare yourself to take on the Secret as well as the Regular bosses, make sure to check out our Absolum Build Guide for all Characters here on PGG.
Hristina is the Assigning Editor for Pro Game Guides with a Master's degree in English Language, Literature and Culture from the University of Belgrade. She's written blogs, anime quizzes, books, as well as worked as a Content Editor before starting at PGG as a Staff Writer. She lives, breathes and often screams for the horror genre. If a game has multiplayer, be sure that she is playing it, like Dead by Daylight, PEAK, R.E.P.O. and Marvel Rivals. Hristina's comfort games are Outlast, Last of Us, and Until Dawn, which she has played or watched other people play more than 10 times each.