Celosia is very different from the other Colossi you've fought so far. Whereas the others were huge and lumbering, Celosia is a relatively tiny tiger-like beast. However, he does posess razor-sharp talons and two scimitar-like tusks, which he'll put to good use during the battle.
This colossus may be small, but Celosia is no slouch. He's very fast, so if you're not paying attention or taking cover he can destroy you rather quickly. Jump across the small gap in the ruined temple into the area with four fire altars, and Celosia will jump down from a higher level, beginning the battle. Immediately run towards one of the two closest fire altars and hide between them and the wall. Celosia will try to swipe at you from outside, which can be very damaging if it hits. To move the battle forward, notice the ridges on the side of the altar; use these to grab on to and climb up using the jump-climb method. Celosia will switch his tactics to ramming the altar with his forehead, a move that can knock you back on the ground. To avoid this, jump up whenever he gets close with his charge (you'll avoid his impact altogether this way). After doing this once, a flaming stick will fly out of the fire pit and onto the ground.
There's no easy way know of for this next step. Unequip your weapons (so that only the hand icon is displayed) and jump off the altar to grab the stick. Press circle when close to pick it up for use as a weapon. If your lucky, you can do all this without Celosia charging at you; however, if you weren't so blessed, just hope for the best and try to find some cover as quickly as possible. The stick operates very much like the sword, so you can swing it using the square button.
Celosia is afraid of fire, so use the flame of the stick to push him back by swinging at him. If the flame goes out, run to the nearest altar, climb up, and swing at the flame to light it once more. You'll want to direct him towards the ledge facing the small lake outside the temple. Don't rush too much, however, for Celosia will swipe at you if you get too close, which will knock you over and (potentially) put out your flaming stick. Eventually, you'll force him off the edge and onto the ground below, destroying the armor and revealing his back and the magic symbol. Make haste and jump down after him. He'll be stunned for a short time, just enough for you to reach him and quickly climb onto his back. Now just hold on tight - he will take both of you back to the temple, trying to shake you off all the way. Don't bother trying to stab him for now, since he'll never really give you a chance. About the time you reach the gap, your stamina will be low, so let go when he leaps across and recover it.
When you're ready, leap across yourself and ascend the altars once more. This time, when Celosia charges at the altar, jump towards him and grab onto his back. He's not nearly as violent this time, so it should be easy to get in a few, fully-charged stabs while riding him. Once at this stage, he should go down rather quickly.
- Note
- This boss is no different on Normal or Hard Modes
Time Attack Strategy
Celosia is a relatively easy time trial because there really isnt much else to do other than avoid wasting time. As before, immediately run over and hide near one of the altar's. Climb up and let Celosia ram into it, dislodging the wood fragment. Go ahead and let Celosia ram you a second time just to give you the full amount of her recovery time, jump down and quickly grab the wood fragment and run to the next altar. The rest of the battle proceeds as before. Once Celosia has been injured, jump directly down onto her back, and go ahead and try to kill her before she gets back to the temple. If you run out of stamina, you should have plenty of time to get back to the temple and climb the altar again so you can jump back on her back.