Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0

The Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 is a mechanical boss in CrossWorlds. It is fought at the end of Rhombus Dungeon.

Appearance
The Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 is a large, ground-mounted gun turret. Its main body consists of a gray and blue cylinder, topped with a gray dome. The dome is painted with a blue cross and topped with a recessed blue capstone. Mounted on the front of the cylinder is a large gun barrel, surrounded by gold trim. The entire body rotates on top of a gray and blue anchoring base. The turret is physically identical to the Rhombus Heavy Turret 1.0, a weaker variation used at the M.S. Solar for training.

Combat
The battle against the Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 takes place in three distinct stages, separated by HP Breaks. During the first stage, the Turret's responses are very simplistic. It sits in the centre of the arena, turns to face Lea, and periodically charges and shoots three consecutive projectiles with weak homing capability at her. There is an approximate three second time window between the turret's attacks, regardless of the stage.

The first HP Break occurs at around 75% health, and begins the second stage of combat, Range Mode. At the beginning of this stage, the platform which the Turret is sitting on moves backward into the middle of the bottomless pit behind it, protecting it from melee attacks, with the turret being invulnerable whilst moving. During this stage, it will switch between the attack of the first stage and another attack, in which it sweeps its aim from one side of the arena to the other, dispensing a constant stream of high-damage projectiles. This attack takes a significant period to charge up, though.There are two small Vertical Moving Blocks located in the arena, which are controlled by two-position switches. Raising them can provide a safe spot from attacks either behind or on top of them. However, during all three stages, the Turret will target the switches with a single projectile between attacks to lower the blocks again.

The second HP Break happens around 50% health, beginning Shield Mode. During this stage, its attacks continue to follow the pattern established in Range Mode, but it also develops a shield around its front half that greatly reduces the damage it takes. Hitting it in its exposed backside will break its shield, and any attack currently being performed by the turret will be cancelled. The turret will also be stunned and take increased damage for a short period of time. Four Corner Blocks appear behind it during this stage, to facilitate hitting it from behind.

Strategies
During the first stage of combat, the Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 only uses its weak attack, which is easily Dashed away from or guarded against. This is the only stage where it is easy to use Melee attacks against the boss, and it is possible to quickly push it to the first HP Break. Using the Vertical Moving Blocks during this stage is not recommended, as the Turret is quick to shut them down before any notable benefit can be attained from them.

The key to the second stage is avoiding the Turret's powerful attack, which can destroy Lea in two or three direct hits. The Vertical Moving Blocks can be very useful here, as the attack's lengthy charge time gives plenty of opportunity to ready them. It is also possible to shield through the attack, although the turret deals enough damage to break Lea's shield, usually resulting in at least one bullet getting through. A third option, for those intent on meleeing the turret, is to jump on the platform with the Turret and stand away from the array of missiles. This last tactic can give you a significant amount of hits on the turret, but can result in a rapid loss of health if the turret succeeds in knocking Lea off the platform with its quick attack.

In the third stage, the Turret's shield actually provides a substantial benefit to quick players. When the Turret turns to begin its powerful attack, its back is briefly exposed, allowing it to be hit here, which will disrupt the attack. Be aware that the Turret will likely use this attack again before its shield reappears, forcing you to use a different method of avoiding it. Its back is also visible when it turns to lower the platforms. For disrupting the shield using the Corner Blocks, make a note of their locations as they can't be seen from the back of the arena, and it is very possible to miss them and waste your shot. Alternatively, it is possible to jump on its platform and melee it from behind.

Location
Rhombus Dungeon
 * The Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 can be found at the end of the Rhombus Dungeon.

Trivia
The Rhombus Heavy Turret 2.0 first appeared in the Demo v0.1.3 and has been in all subsequent updates except the Shortened Demo, where it was part of the removed content.