Guardian

Location

Found by a fork in the road after getting double jump

Abilities

The shield Guardian possesses will block damage from in front of them. Sword swings and charged slashes will be blocked. It has limited durability, and can break. Before then, all damage must be from either above Guardian or behind.

Guardian has two attacks with his shield, a third situational attack, and another that they gain only after the shield breaks

Shield Charge: Jumps back a bit, then rushes the player until hitting them or a wall. When hit, the player is launched back. The phase 2 version is faster.

This attack can be parried, but the shield will block it. While it is in place, the parry must be done after Guardian has passed.

Jump Slam: Guardian jumps high into the air, and creates boulders in the air when it lands. These boulders are telegraphed by rocky, small, blue particles around where they will fall. In phase 2, the landing also creates a damaging shockwave in both directions.

If Guardian is stunned, the boulders will fail to spawn, or disappear if already spawned.

Upward Shield Bash: Guardian aims their shield to the sky and thrusts upward, creating a shockwave that deals damage. This attack is only used if the player is above Guardian, to prevent them from infinitely pogoing them.

Curl Bounce: Guardian becomes a ball and bounces around the arena. Only becomes an option if their shield is broken. They bounce on the floor five times.

Strategy

Be careful of Guardian's phase transition. Their attack will gain its shockwaves mid-execution, and can catch you off-guard easily.

Try not to break their shield. While it opens them up on all sides, it also adds an attack, increasing the possibilities for what they can do. If they have fewer choices, they are easier to prepare for.