Batman: Arkham Asylum Villain Guide: Part 2

Batman: Arkham Asylum's later half sees several difficult boss fights against some of the Batman's greatest rivals. The Joker is the most obvious that must be taken down, but opponents such as Poison Ivy and Killer Croc also present Batman with various challenges. These boss fights require specific tactics if Batman is to emerge victorious, and those tactics will be discussed here.

This fight isn't against Harley Quinn exactly, but rather against a bunch of thugs who are under her command. It is still worth a brief comment because the tactics required may not be obvious at first glance.

The way this fight works is that Harley Quinn throws thugs at Batman. The thugs are stun-gun thugs and normal thugs. There are three platforms to fight on, the lower one in the center and higher platforms to the left and right. Each platform is surrounded by fence and can be electrified. If Batman is caught on the platform when it is electrified, he will take damage until he escapes to one of the other platforms.

Obviously, avoiding the platforms which are electrified is a must. Only one platform is electrified at a time, however, so it isn't that hard to do. Listen for the sound of electricity rather than looking for the visual cues, as the sound is more obvious. Once the thugs are defeated a cut-scene begins showing Batman and Harley's (very) brief battle.

This encounter is the longest and most difficult yet, but it still works the same as the earlier ones. Scarecrow's glowing gaze sweeps back and forth across an area, and Batman must cross the area without being seen. This is just a matter of timing. Once Batman reaches the Bat-signal, he will use it to attempt to defeat Scarecrow. But this time there is more.

Scarecrow will throw Batman into battle with some of his skeleton minions. They fight like thugs, so eliminate them as such. However, there will also be a giant skeleton which uses the charge attacks you'll be familiar with from the Bane fight and earlier encounters with Titan enhanced thugs. Hit the skeleton with a Batarang when it charges to defeat it and be sure to dodge out of the way of the charge attacks.

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This sequence has three major segments. A vial icon on the screen shows how far Batman is from the next spore which needs to be collected. If Batman is moving in the wrong direction it will show up as red, otherwise it will be white. This is simple at first as there is only one way to go. At first Croc will attack Batman by simply bursting out of the water nearby and charging. He can be easily thwarted by throwing a Batarang at the collar around his neck.

After the second spore is collected, Croc will add a new attack in which he tries to destroy the platforms Batman is standing on. Listen for the sounds associated with this and look for the on-screen prompt to run. If Croc destroys a platform you needed, use the line launcher to cross the gap.

As more spores are collected, Crocs attacks will become more spirited. Eventually he will begin popping up only a few platforms away, so you'll need to be very quick with the Batarang. Once you've collected all the spores you'll need to re-trace your steps while Croc's attacks continue. Once you've reached 135 meters from the exit a special sequence will begin. The perspective will change and Croc will begin destroying every platform. Batman will simply have to run in order to escape.

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The second attack sequence occurs when the plant is raised upwards. It will shoot spores at Batman, which can be avoided by running or by dodging. The eye-like area which Poison Ivy occupies will occasionally open, and when it opens Batman must fire off a Batarang. The quick-fire works fine. This is the key to defeating Poison Ivy. These two attack sequences will repeat themselves until Poison Ivy goes down.

But wait - it isn't over yet! After a cut-scene, the boss fight begins all over again, except this time Poison Ivy's first attack sequence has not only entangling vines but also zombie-guards. They're easy to defeat, but they make dodging the vines a bit more difficult. Otherwise the fight is the same as before. Once Poison Ivy's health has been eliminated the second time she stays down for good.

Well, this is it.

There are two sections to this battle. The first will seem very familiar. Two titan thugs and a huge number of other thugs will attack Batman. This also happens twice earlier in smaller fights and in the Bane fight, so players will probably have a good idea of what to do by now. Fight the thugs like normal. The titan thugs can only be defeated by hitting them with a Batarang while they are charging. This will send them stumbling, at which point Batman can melee them. After several hits, Batman will swing onto the back of the titan thug, allowing him to move it around for awhile and attack other thugs and the other titan. Once both titans and all thugs are down, a cut-scene takes place.

After the cut-scene Batman will be put into the ring with a giant titan-fulled Joker. This battle would probably be hopeless, but after chasing Batman around for a few seconds he hops out of the arena and pours thugs into it. Defeat the thugs. Be sure to avoid the walking bombs that Joker throws into the arena, as they'll knock Batman down and inflict a decent wound.

Once the thugs are down, use the enhanced Batclaw to topple Joker back into the arena. This takes out part of his life. He'll chase Batman around for a few seconds again before jumping back out and putting more thugs into the battle. This time some thugs with stun-guns and knives are included.

Rinse, repeat. After the third time the Joker is pulled into the arena, a cut-scene takes place. That's it. You've beaten Batman: Arkham Asylum.