Kid Icarus: Uprising/Heads of the Hewdraw

Now that you've gotten used to the game's structure, Kid Icarus: Uprising throws a curve ball at you. This chapter focuses on the powerful three-headed serpent Hewdraw. You will fight them no less than three times throughout the chapter.

Air Section
This section begins with waves of enemies flying by and occasionally attacking. Palutena explains how to use Special Attacks, screen-clearing abilities that recharge over time. Use them in a pinch, but remember that it takes some time to recharge. Also remember that you can only store up to two special attacks at a time.

You'll face some corals and specknoses in the air that have to be treated carefully, but this part of the fight is generally simple. The next part, however, isn't. The boss of the enemies in this area is Hewdraw, and he will be your first boss fight in the air. As you first approach him, you can not attack until he is finished with his dialogue. This is actually a blessing in disguise, since it lets the player charge up their weapon and special attacks. When Hewdraw's heads all shout together though, the fight is on.

Special attacks are great in this fight since they allow you to damage all three heads at once. Use them immediately to deal maximum damage, or wait until you're in a tight spot to take advantage of the temporary immunity they offer. The heads will shoot all sorts of projectiles, but most of them should be similar to ones you've faced before. The exception is a powerful flame attack, which fills the entire center of the screen. Still, this attack requires one of the heads to charge, so it can be avoided in advance by circling around the edge of the screen while attacking. As each head is cut off from the body, the fight becomes easier. If all else fails, Palutena will attack herself, finishing off the Hewdraw's remaining head and body.

Despite this apparent victory, two of the heads are now running around loose. Decapitation apparently is a minor setback in this game. Collect the health orbs below and carefully melee the komaytos. You'll fly by some familiar enemies before landing in a new city.

Ground Section
Collect the food and move forward. Be careful not to be hit by the upcoming gyrazer, which shoots a deadly beam for a continuous period. In the upcoming courtyard, there will be a couple of flying enemies that shoot missiles and an intensity gate. This gate is only level 4, so one could hypothetically get through it on their first playthrough. Behind it is a treasure chest containing a weapon and a souflee, a type of enemy that grants a lot of hearts.

Continue along the path, and you'll find a Stackjaw. Beware, this enemy is a touch above what you're used to so far. It consists of a head atop several weaponized segments. The segments shoot lasers and turn in symphony, creating a wall of death. Shoot the head from a close range to be able to dodge the deadly attack. Be sure to collect the food it leaves behind, along with the food ahead and to the left.

The upcoming komaytos should be dispatched with melee attacks, as per usual. Up ahead, you'll find what appears to be a floating square moving back and forth. Just step around it and it won't hurt you. Jump along the series of jump pads to continue. You'll find a vase spawning shemums. It is necessary to destroy this and collect the key inside of it to continue. A Hewdraw head will pass by up ahead, and Palutena will tell you to go into a courtyard to the left. This is only possible with the key. Along the way, you might encounter a Merenguy. These dancers focus the in-game camera upon themselves, forcing you to focus your efforts on them.

Inside the courtyard, you'll fight a Hewdraw head and some weaker enemies. The head can only attack by thrashing around, so try to fight them from a distance. It shouldn't take to long until this head bites the dust too. Outside of the courtyard is an intersection. To the left is a level 7 Intensity gate, containing a treasure chest guarded by two Wave Anglers. In the center is a pile of food that can be easily grabbed. To the right is the path forward, guarded by a clam-like Mega Mussel. Destroy its three pearls to slay it.

The next point of interest will be a well. Inside are shulms, that can poison Pit upon dying, so be careful when dealing with them. Just melee them or attack from a long range to remain safe. Destroying the vase at the end of the well will unlock a treasure chest. Go upstairs and step on the jump pad.

Next up is an enemy ambush, consisting of several waves. For an easy time, just use the items that spawn nearby to attack multiple enemies at a time. This even hurts komaytos! Just remember how you've defeated enemies in the past and you'll do fine. From there, its a short trip down a path to a Drink of the Gods. Grab it and get ready for the upcoming boss.

Boss: Hewdraw
The last head has grown back the rest of its body, and is now waiting for you in a lake. It uses several kinds of projectiles, each of which should be treated differently. The physical purple shots can be blasted out of the air, a good defensive tactic. The energy based purple shots, however, explode upon being hit, making them dangerous to attack. Fireballs should be dodged, as should his charged beams attack. By shooting one of the red energy shots down on top of Hewdraw, it is knocked onto the shore for a few moments, making it vulnerable to melee attacks.

Generally speaking, this boss should be hit with ranged and charge attacks until you get it on the shore, at which point it becomes smart to melee away.