Sometimes if a door doesn’t open, you just have to blow it off it’s hinges. If you’ve run into a troublesome portal in Stunlock Studios new survival crafting game V Rising, and want to show it what happens to anything that stands in the way of your ambitions as a vampire lord, explosives are a very good way to get your message across.
Clive the Firestarter is a troublesome boss in V Rising. Taking him out unlocks explosives, an essential recipe that you will need to advance in the game. His arsenal of bombs and massive Area-of-Effect attacks make him a trickier boss than his name might imply.
In this guide, you will learn a few tips on how to find him and take him down, avoiding his troublesome AoE attacks. Check out the video below to see some of these tips in action – I will also discuss other elements that will make the fight easier such as blood types and equipment, as well as the most efficient way to approach this particular boss. Let’s take him down before he hurts someone!
Find The Sulphur Quarry
Clive the Firestarter likes to hang out at the western edge of the Farbane Woods at the Bandit Sulphur Quarry. While the fauna and flora of the forest are breathing a side of relief that he has not settled further within, depending on where you based your castle, you may have a ways to go to get to him. Use your blood altar to track Clive if you are having trouble finding it.
Upon approaching the quarry, you will notice that there are a variety of enemies. You have probably seen Deadeyes wandering around the woods, but the new Bomber enemy can be particularly troublesome. The deadeyes will try to keep their distance, dealing damage with long-range arrows, while the bombers will also try to avoid close combat.
Taking on either of these enemies in isolation isn’t too difficult. Bombers have a slow attack speed and telegraph their attacks giving you plenty of time to dodge. The Deadeyes also value their personal space, but have a longer range.
The result of this, since they are usually grouped together, can be quite chaotic. Avoiding the AoE attacks from the bombers isn’t difficult, but you may lose track of a deadeye in the fray. I found taking out Deadeyes first to be the most efficient way of clearing out the camp.
Make sure your equipment is up to the task
Patience Is A Virtue
The best way to approach the situation is with a veritable dose of patience. Luring out enemies one by one where possible, picking your route carefully, willl enable you to get through the camp with relative ease.
You don’t have to beat every enemy in the camp. Approaching it from the Southeastern side, over a small hill is the most direct route to Clive the Firestarter. V Rising explosives are not that difficult to unlock using this strategy – save your energy for the boss fight.
It’s also a good idea to wait for nightfall and make sure you have plenty time to fight Clive. If you do end up in a drawn-out battle, you can use the naturally-occurring pillar in the center of the camp to try and stay out of harm’s way. A skilled player could take Clive down during the daytime with this pillar. You might also be lucky and get some cloud cover along the way.
Rogue blood will help you avoid Clive’s AoE attacks
Avoiding AoE Attacks
Clive’s fight starts out easily enough. So long as you don’t have his grunts taking potshots at you from the sidelines, it’s easy to avoid his initial attacks.
As the fight wears on, Clive becomes more and more challenging. He begins deploying more advanced tactics, increasing the range of his attacks. Thankfully there is enough time to avoid them, as long as you’ve taken the time to clear out any troublesome enemies around the camp.
As long as you can avoid Clive’s attacks and keep chipping away at his health, the battle is won. If you are quick and careful, you can even blood mend for a very short time between dodging. Healing for more than an instant can get you in trouble – any progress you have made at restoring your health is easily lost if you take a hit.
The ranged ability you get from Lidia is useful in this fight
Best Blood For The Job
You have a few good options when choosing the blood type you will use for the battle. There are plenty of Rogue and Warrior types wandering around, and either of these types will benefit you in the battle. Rogue blood will help with the enhanced movement speed, allowing you to avoid Clive’s volleys more easily. Warrior blood gives you enhanced attack power, while also imparting some damage reduction.
If you are planning to take Clive on during the day time, you might want to opt for Creature blood due to the Sun Resistance buffs. Check out our blood type guide for more information to help you strategize. You can take this fight on any way you like, however I would recommend sticking with either the Warrior or Rogue blood types and taking this fight during the night.
V Rising Explosives Resistant Equipment
I was beaten by Clive a couple of times because I went into the fight unprepared with inferior equipment. An equipment level of at least 26 will ensure you have enough power to survive Clive’s bombs. This is the only surefire way to make sure you don’t take too much damage.
Stock up on copper to upgrade those weapons
Copper weapons are all but essential due to the fact that they unlock the Q weapon ability, which can be used to help you traverse the battlefield. Combining this with a movement ability will keep you out of harm’s way, especially if you have the added benefit of Warrior blood giving you enhanced ability cooldown.
Crossbows are also handy in this fight due to Clive’s AoE making it difficult to approach him sometimes. You can keep your distance using a crossbow and other ranged abilities in your arsenal, such as Frost Bat that you should have from beating Keely the Frost Archer.
Bombs Away
If you have followed this guide, you should now have unlocked explosives and be progressing to the next fight in the game. Unfortunately Clive does not unlock any new abilities, but paves the way for more exciting things to happen. This V Rising explosives recipe is essential going forward.
Be sure to gather as much sulphur ore as you can while you’re at the quarry since you will need a fair amount of it to craft your explosives. If you are still having trouble and need help understanding some of the mechanics discussed here, our beginner’s guide is a good point of reference.
