Before going up against any Cuphead boss, it always helps to check your weapons and charms, making sure you’re fully prepared for the fight ahead. Filling out your weapon and charm slots with the best loadout to wallop those bosses and collect their contracts, but what combination is the best? Since each boss is so different, the best loadout depends on which one you’re fighting. Based on how each boss attacks and the usefulness of each weapon and charm, I’ve come up with a list of what the best weapons and charms are best against each non-flying boss.
1) The Root Pack
The Root Pack Bosses
The Root Pack is split up into three different phases, each one sporting a new character to be your boss for that phase and showcasing one of the many ways bosses will attack you throughout the game. The first phase requires a lot of distance as the potato boss will spit dirt and a worm to parry, so the Peashooter is a good bet for doing good damage while keeping a distance. The second phase is a bit simpler because the onion boss is in the center of the screen and cries projectile tears from above, some of them being parry-able, so either the Peashooter or the Spread Shot will work in this scenario depending on how fast you need to take him down while keeping your parrys up. The third phase’s boss is a carrot, also in the center of the screen, and using the Spread Shot can easily focus fire on him and the mini-carrots he sends after you, with the Smoke Bomb being insurance in case you happen to get cornered by his minions.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Peashooter
- Shot 2) Spread Shot
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
2) Goopy Le Grande
Goopy Le Grande (Phase 2)
Goopy Le Grande has three phases which are all quite similar, probably the most similar out of any other boss in the game, with him constantly bouncing back and forth from one side of the screen to another. In his first and second phases he makes his way to and fro across the screen and stopping every so often to try to take a swing at you, the only difference being that he’s much bigger in the second phase. Because of the constant movement I recommend the Roundabout shot as your first weapon, so no matter which way you run you’ll always be throwing shots in his direction. The same can essentially be said for the third phase as well, but a good second shot is the Spread Shot to get in some more damage when he’s stationary between phases, and the Coffee charm is a nice bonus to make the fight go faster.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Roundabout
- Shot 2) Spread Shot
- Charm) Coffee
3) Ribby and Croaks
Ribby and Croaks (Phase 1)
These rough and tumble frog brothers are nothing to take lightly, hitting you with team attacks throughout the first two phases before they combine, literally, to take you out in the third. In phase one you’ll be dodging energized punches while also avoiding little firefly minions, but using the chaser should take them out easy and get some hits in on the bosses while building up parrys. Using the P. Sugar charm is helpful here as the parrys go by fast and can be hard to time out, however the next phase is all about keeping the right distance, and as long as you keep your timing steady you won’t be blown back into the projectiles being bounced your way. Either the Chaser or the Roundabout can be used for the third phase depending on which of the three possible attacks gets thrown at you, the Roundabout being best for the tiger attack, either being useful for the bull attack, and the Chaser being your best bet for the snake attack.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Chaser
- Shot 2) Roundabout
- Charm) P. Sugar
4) Cagney Carnation
Cagney Carnation (Phase 1)
Cagney Carnation’s first two phases are very similar, with the second one being a more intense version of the first, which means the already heavy assault of projectiles and minions gets even more difficult as the fight goes on, so dodging and jumping around are essential in this fight. Despite dodging being extremely important it is best to not use the Smoke Bomb here because you often risk passing through an object into another or losing track of where you’re going, so instead I recommend the P. Sugar to help catch those few tough-to-hit pink seeds that fall from the top of the screen to get in parrys and avoid being hit. Throughout the fight the Roundabout is the best bet, your constant dodging creating a flurry of boomerang bullets across the stage that not only hit the boss, but take out his minions as well, so you can focus on dodging obstacles you can’t destroy. For the final phase it’s a pretty straight shot to Cagney’s hit box, so using the Peashooter to send straight shots, and EX moves, will end this fight rather quickly.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Roundabout
- Shot 2) Peashooter
- Charm) P. Sugar
5) Baroness Von Bon Bon
Baroness Von Bon Bon (Intro Animation)
Crossing over to the second Isle, Baroness Von Bon Bon will send out three of her five randomly generated minions after you, and if you defeat three initial phases, you make it to her final phase where she chases you down in her candy castle. For all her stages the Roundabout is a fantastic weapon, the flurry it creates being able to hit any minion as they crawl their way over all four corners of the screen. Though the Roundabout is very accurate, some minions require a bit more precision which makes the Chaser a perfect second weapon. Because of all the tight spots you can find yourself in during her fight, the Smoke Bomb is extremely useful, be it for getting out of the way of minions or dodging the spinning heads she throws at you during the final stage.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Roundabout
- Shot 2) Chaser
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
6) Beppi the Clown
Beppi the Clown (Intro Animation)
To bring down Beppi the Clown the best approach is to go into the fight armed with your Spread Shot and Chaser, a perfect combination for maximum damage while keeping up with all of the minions that come your way. For phase one whip out the Chaser to keep your distance while simultaneously taking down his duck minions from above, switching to the Spread Shot for the second phase to take down his balloon dogs and deal massive damage to his centered balloon head. Switching back and forth between the two shots for phase three is your best bet, doing massive damage when you can stay close and hitting consistently when keeping your distance. For the final phase the Spread Shot is guaranteed to take down this boss better than any other shot, and the Coffee charm helps you gather power to bring down each stage quickly and efficiently.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Spread Shot
- Shot 2) Chaser
- Charm) Coffee
7) Grim Matchstick
Up in the skies, Grim Matchstick has three distinct phases, each requiring a different approach for each, though this fight requires a lot of concentration due to the moving platforms and how easy it is to slip through the cracks and fall. For the first phase working with the Roundabout is the best for keeping your distance to gather your parrys, switching to the Lobber for the rest of the fight. Because he is so low on the screen in phase two, using the Lobber makes it easier to keep dealing out massive damage while spending most of your time dodging his fire minions. The Lobber is also a good choice for his final form, given that it is much less likely to hit the exploding fireballs, and the Coffee charm helps build up your Super Meter to help take out his final phase for a glorious knock out.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Lobber
- Shot 2) Roundabout
- Charm) Coffee
8) Rumor Honeybottoms
Rumor Honeybottoms (Phase 2)
One of the more infamous fights, Rumor Honeybottoms can pack a real punch, and going into this fight unprepared is a death sentence. To avoid getting axed by this queen bee, I reccomend starting off with the Chaser, so taking down the police force in phase one while building parrys should be a piece of cake. In phase two she’ll use one of three different attacks, two of which give you parry chances that the P. Sugar is very helpful with to keep you from taking damage on this moving platform, while the third has her hanging low, the perfect range for the Lobber. Now in phase three, Rumor will chase you up from the bottom of the screen, prime for Lobber usage, however using the Chaser can be helpful when you’re dodging.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Lobber
- Shot 2) Chaser
- Charm) P. Sugar
9) Captain Brineybeard
Captain Brineybeard (Phase 1)
Captain Brineybeard is a boss that consistently adds more to dodge throughout each phase, and this along with the fact that his hit-box is high on screen making it difficult to target makes one of the more claustrophobic fights. Because he is so hard to reach, the Charge Shot is perfect for him, spending most of your time dodging while still getting in massive hit after massive hit tol dwindle his health and let you concentrate, which you’re going to need. As time goes on and more and more is heading your way, the Smoke Bomb is a great help to get out of any jams you might get trapped in, though things do slow down a bit in the final phase when his ship takes it upon itself to take you out. Captain Brineybeard’s final phase has the ship shooting fireballs and a large beam your way, so the Roundabout comes in handy because the hitbox is now more at ground level, and it gives you the option to still get hits while ducking under the large attacking beam.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Charge Shot
- Shot 2) Roundabout
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
10) Werner Werman
Werner Werman (Phase 1)
To get past the boss Werner Werman it’s best to fight fire with fire and bring your most powerful weapon, the Charge Shot, in as your main weapon. While keeping a distance you can dwindle his health at the speed you need to gather up enough parrys before letting him have it and bringing him to phase two. During that phase you’ll want to switch to the Spread Shot because of how close he is at all times and the slightly wider range it has than the Charge shot. Either shot can be used for the third phase, but this is where the Smoke Bomb really comes in handy, helping you dodge attacks from his ghostly minions and falling planks of wood while keeping to the center and bringing this boss down.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Charge Shot
- Shot 2) Spread Shot
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
11) Sally Stageplay
Sally Stageplay (Phase 1)
Because she chases you all over the stage Sally Stageplay can be hard to hit, which is why the Chaser and the Roundabout are the best way to take her down. Without having to pay much mind to aiming you can dodge her, and other projectiles in phase two, while making sure you gather enough parrys in phase one. During phase three Sally is quite large and easy to hit so using the Roundabout to bring her down is easy and efficient, while in her fourth phase she is up so high and so hard to reach that the Chaser is best at shooting her down. For charms, I would recommend using the Smoke Bomb so you can dodge when you get trapped, and also letsyou to dodge through her and over the wave in phase three.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Chaser
- Shot 2) Roundabout
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
12) Phantom Express
The Phantom Express (Blind Spectre Phase 1)
The Phantom Express has four stages, each one with a new boss to go up against and their own individual attacks, adding on the fact that your parrys can move your platform in this fight and there are flying pumpkins constantly trying to move you, and this could be extremely difficult without the right tools. Starting off with the Roundabout to take out the main bosses, taking care of the projectiles they toss your way and keeping the distance you need to not get hit, switching to the Chaser to help you take out the flying pumpkins and ghosts to keep your platform steady. At the head of the train the hitbox is small and moving, so the best bet to hit it consistently is the Chaser, as long as you parry the tail to reveal the weak spot. As for charms, the best one for this fight is the Coffee charm, letting you save and build up power to help take down any stage you find particularly difficult.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Roundabout
- Shot 2) Chaser
- Charm) Coffee
13) King Dice
King Dice (Boss Idle Animation)
Even though King Dice’s boss battle is essentially a roulette of different mini bosses, by and large the best way to take out all of them, including Dice himself, is with the Roundabout. While running back and forth, dodging attacks and parrying whenever possible, the Roundabout is able to hit most of the mini bosses fairly easily due to its wide range, and consistantly getting in hits can help shave off a bit of time from this already long boss battle. There are some mini bosses, like Mangosteen and Chips Bettigan, that are stationary or hard to reach, which is why the Charge Shot as the second weapon is best for this fight, dealing lots of accurate damage and bringing down tricky bosses. For charms the Smoke Bomb can give you a major advantage, not just because you can dodge yourself out of a pickle, but because it can be used to dodge through some mini bosses and can avoid major attacks altogether, this strategy being especially useful on Hopus Pocus and Pirouletta.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Roundabout
- Shot 2) Charge Shot
- Charm) Smoke Bomb
14) The Devil
The Devil (Phase 1)
Bringing down The Devil is no easy task, the first phase consisting of him lounging on his throne and watching the madness while tossing spells and minions in your direction, every so often taking on another form . The second, third and fourth phases all take place deep down in Hell with The Devil’s hitbox settled in the center of the screen and so huge it is near impossible to miss. Because he is always in the center I suggest going the route of the Spread shot to keep up constant high damage, then switching to the Roundabout whenever you need to dodge or during any of his first phase transformations. From phase two onward the Spread Shot is the best to use, and even when minions do return in phase three they are often close by and go down easy with a few shots. Equipping the Coffee charm is the most helpful here for chipping down The Devil’s high health and bringing down minions quickly so you can focus on dodging and bringing down the king of Inkwell Hell.
Best Loadout
- Shot 1) Spread Shot
- Shot 2) Roundabout
- Charm) Coffee
What do you think of our list? Which loadouts would you change or keep the same? Comment down below and let us know your opinions.
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