Undertale, the iconic indie game from Toby Fox, struck a chord with players ever since its release in late 2015. It found commercial and critical success almost instantly thanks to its inventive, humorous, and oftentimes emotional storytelling. Even now, nearly six years later, fans still praise the game's battle system, lore, music, and characters. It's easily one of the best indie titles ever made, and still holds up in the eyes of most players.
All of these aspects come together to create one of the game's most memorable bosses, Asgore Dreemurr. What makes his fight so unique is that he takes away the player's "MERCY" option, leaving them no choice but to fight. Of course, doing so can prove difficult for even the most skilled players. So, to make this boss fight easier, here's a guide that lets players know all the strategies required to get through this boss fight without tearing their hair out.
Updated on March 28, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Undertale is one of the most fascinating indie titles ever made. The sheer amount of love in each and every facet of this title makes it hard to digest that this game was the brainchild of just one man, who has become a legend in the gaming industry at this point. Toby Fox turned Undertale into an absolute masterpiece, with its boss fights being pretty amazing in its own right.
By the end of the game, most players will fear the name of Asgore since everyone in the game is apparently terrified of him. It helps that he's a fun character to fight, although he can be a handful for some players. So, to make things easier, this guide details the best steps to deal with and finish this boss fight once and for all.
Spoiler Alert
Who Is Asgore Dreemurr?
Asgore is the Ruler of the Underground who has been trapping human Souls to try and escape the underground. This might seemingly make him a bad guy, but the player knows by the time they encounter this foe that Asgore was simply trying to make life better for all demonkind, who really aren't bad folks in the slightest.
However, regardless of his intentions, there's no denying that Asgore is going down a pretty dark path. The fact that his wife left him and his son turned into a vacuum of hate certainly made it clear that Asgore's heart might be in the right, but his actions were pretty heinous indeed. They are unjustifiable, and the player needs to take him down a peg to make him see the light.
The reason for Asgore waging war on the humans stems from the fury he experienced at the loss of both his sons. This set him down a dark path, although the protagonist can pull him away from this hate if he wishes so.
Head Through New Home
To fight Asgore, players must first traverse through the final stage of the game, New Home. Luckily, there are no more random encounters here. Instead, players progress through a familiar-looking house and learn about the story behind King Asgore, his wife and child, and the first human to fall into the Underground.
The Heart Locket and Worn Dagger, both strong pieces of equipment, also reside here. After the king's tragic backstory and a quick chat with Sans, players then proceed to the throne room, where they find Asgore watering a bed of flowers.
Last-Minute Preparations
Asgore leads the player to the barrier that separates the Underground from the human world before giving them one last chance to prepare for their inevitable showdown. Now is the best time to take the elevator back to the New Home entrance and return to the Core.
From there, stock up on any and all healing items that may prove helpful during the fight. All the items sold by Burgerpants can heal the player's health fully, assuming they are still at LVL 1. Also keep in mind that the Burnt Pan weapon increases the effect of healing items by four points, though it does come at the cost of less damage.
How To Beat Asgore
After taking care of any unfinished business, head back to the barrier and fight Asgore. As mentioned earlier, he starts the fight by destroying the "MERCY" command. The only way through this battle is by fighting the king. It's a unique spin that might throw Pacifist players in for a loop, although they can still spare Asgore if they complete this battle.
The game puts his ATK and DEF at 80, meaning he certainly is no pushover. However, these stats can be lowered by selecting "Talk" in the "ACT" menu three times. If the player still has the Butterscotch Pie that Toriel made, they can eat it in front of Asgore to lower his stats even further. It's a unique inclusion in the game that shows a deeper side to this character than what meets the eye.
Learn His Attacks
Many of Asgore's attacks resemble Toriel's, though with heightened difficulty. Unlike Toriel, however, Asgore will not relent when the player runs low on health. He can summon waves of fire that cover half of the bullet board, lines of fire that weave back and forth, and circles of fire that close into the center of the battle area.
Asgore also has an attack where his eyes glow either orange or blue multiple times; he will then swing a scythe with the same color combination, meaning players need to dodge or stand still accordingly. Since players have been slowly introduced to this gameplay concept over the course of the game, this shouldn't be all that hard to execute... but players should still be wary unless they make a mistake.
Keep Fighting
As the fight progresses, Asgore's attacks will speed up and become harder to dodge. The only way to stop his attacks is to defeat him first. Keep using the "FIGHT" command to whittle away Asgore's health, and heal up when needed.
It can be a long and tense fight, but players should stay determined and keep learning his attack patterns until the end. When his health is somewhere around 600 points, he will endure one last attack before falling to 1 HP. This is where players will be prompted to make a pretty impactful decision that will shape the events of the game.
How To Spare Asgore (Or Not)
At this point, Asgore will give a sorrowful speech about how he doesn't really want to hurt anyone. He will lament the loss of his child and wish to see his family again. Still, he understands that the only way for the player to cross the barrier is to take his Soul. He offers to sacrifice himself so that they may do so. Here, the player can finally choose whether to finish Asgore off or to spare him.
If players are aiming for a Pacifist run, they should obviously spare the king. Regardless of which option the player chooses, Flowey appears and destroys Asgore's Soul before crashing the game. Now the REAL final boss battle begins.