Tears of Metal — Beat the Dreadshot

Dreadshot Boss Overview

The Dreadshot is a ranged-focused Act boss that punishes players who dodge-spam without reading telegraphs. Expect bow or firearm volleys, repositioning teleports, and melee interrupts when heroes close distance too greedily. Patch 0.8.57278 fixed Dreadshot teleport stuck states, melee-interrupt bugs, and projectiles colliding with defeated-player hitboxes — update your client before marathon retry sessions.

Community boss guides and Paper Cult patch notes group the Dreadshot with Banshee stability fixes: both fights previously caused progression soft-locks on older builds. Treat this encounter as a movement exam — save dodge charges for unblockable ground markers, block or parry predictable volleys, and assign co-op roles before entering the arena. Route context lives in All Bosses and your Act walkthrough.

Attack Patterns and Telegraphs

Phase one establishes ranged pressure: visual flashes or audio cues roughly half a second before lethal shots, per launch-week boss guides. Do not panic-roll early — input queuing can lock recovery animations into the impact frame. Hold block on staggerable volleys; dodge only when the telegraph marks unblockable ground zones.

Teleport phases reposition the Dreadshot behind obstructions or across the arena. Patch 0.8.57278 ensures teleports no longer interrupt when targets move behind cover — expect fewer cheap stuck states but smarter repositioning. After each teleport, wait one beat before committing heavies; melee interrupt windows are shorter on updated clients.

Phase two increases fire rate and may add add waves or Hazard overlap carried from the map. Clear adds with battalion focus before burning hero cooldowns on the boss. Boss block-breaking attacks are parryable after 0.8.57278 — same skill as Beat the Banshee scream phases.

• Telegraph timing — ~0.5s flash or audio cue before lethal shots
• Block volleys — save dodge for unblockable ground markers
• Teleport — pause after reposition; avoid whiffing long heavies
• Phase 2 — add priority before hero burst cooldowns

Solo Strategy

Wallace block-first kits excel here if Block Stamina upgrades are online. Brienne Ironleg players close gaps with light sidesteps instead of dodge chains. Ruadh anchors add waves while you break guard on the Dreadshot during stagger windows. Bring full potion stock and one defensive Charm — healing scarcity makes ranged boss attrition costly.

Let guard break absorb big hits when block meter is healthy, then parry into heavy finishers during recovery frames. See Advanced Tips for guard-break defense fundamentals that apply directly to Dreadshot phase transitions.

Four-Player Co-op Roles

Split responsibilities: one player add control, one battalion babysitter, two focus Dreadshot during stagger. Ranged bosses stress VFX clarity — call telegraph direction ("left volley", "rear teleport") instead of button names. Mix emblem families; duplicate burst stacks collapse when the Dreadshot enrages during phase two.

Verify all clients run 0.8.57278+ before inviting — Combo Visualizer resets from other players' actions were also patched. Cross-store parties may need the Steam Crossplay beta while default-branch crossplay is disabled; see Crossplay Guide.