Cerberus

CERBERUS
General
Class	Lesser Demon
Health	80 (0-5 Boss 1); 44 (7-1 Secret); 40 (0-5 Boss 2); 30 (1-2 Secret); 22 (Common)
Weight	Heavy (Grounded)
Rank	3
Locational Damage
Head (2x)	✗
Limb (1.5x)	✗
Conditional Modifiers
Flammable?
Airshot?
Damage Type Modifiers
	- Cannonballs: 200%; - Standard Revolvers (Head): 200%; - Rockets: 150%; - Standard Revolvers (Limbs): 150%;
Radiance Multipliers
Health	1.5x
Damage	1.5x
Speed	1.5x
Appearances
	0-5 1-2, 1-3; 2-1, 2-2; 3-1 4-1, 4-2, 4-3; 5-1, 5-2, 5-3; 6-1 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-S P-2; The Cyber Grind
Cyber Grind Data

Cerberi are the second Demon-type enemy encountered by the player, and two are fought as the boss of their namesake level, 0-5: Cerberus.
They are large humanoid statue-like creatures holding a glowing yellow orb resembling an apple.

Behaviour

Cerberi slowly advance towards the player while not attacking and become visibly damaged after losing 50% of their health.

When a Cerberus is killed, all other Cerberi currently active will become Enraged, gaining an attack and movement speed increase.
An already enraged Cerberus can not be enraged a second time.

Attacks

Energy Orb
The Cerberus will perform a winding up motion and hurl an Energy Orb at the player, dealing 20 damage and causing an explosion.
They will not use this attack if the player is too close.

The orb can be deflected and parried but doing so is often difficult.

Dash
While in close range, the Cerberus will dash at the player, dealing 25 damage and a hefty amount of knockback.
It cannot dash off ledges or into pits unless enraged. This attack cannot be parried.

Shortly before initiating the charge, Cerberus can instantly change the direction its facing to try and predict the player's movement.

Stomp
The Cerberus will stomp the ground with its right leg when in close range with the player, causing a shockwave that deals 25 damage.
This attack cannot be parried.

Strategy

Cerberi tend to spawn either alone or in groups of 2-3. They are not particularly dangerous when not enraged, however they can still be quite troubling to deal with due to their sizeable health pool.

The S.R.S. Cannon's Cannonballs are the most effective projectile to use against Cerberi as they have a damage increase against them, being able to instantly kill them if the cannonball is punched with the Feedbacker right after hitting a Cerberus. Rockets also have a damage increase against Cerberi and, combined with Projectile Boosts can tear down a Cerberus in seconds. Point blank Shotgun swaps combined with Knuckleblaster punches are a great way to deal damage to Cerberi and also regain generous amounts of blood if needed.

Dodging Cerberi is a trivial task; they cannot use any attack other than their Energy Orb if the player is far enough away, and their Energy Orb can be innacurate, so simply sliding around a Cerberus suffices to avoid taking damage from them.

Difficulty Changes

Brutal

Dashes twice in a row.
Sends out a second smaller shockwave immediately after the first.

Terminal Entry

TYPE: LESSER DEMON

DATA:
Although they do not resemble the mythological three-headed dog, this name was chosen due to their nature as protectors of Hell. However, it’s not yet known why some stay dormant despite provocation.

Despite the fact that keeping an energy orb stable takes a considerable amount of focus and effort, they seem to always keep one in hand, most likely as a display of their power to scare off intruders.

STRATEGY:
- Due to remaining entirely stationary until awoken, they move quite slowly, so engagement distance is easy to control.

- They're quite adept at ranged combat by throwing their orb, but in order to avoid damaging themselves, they will not initiate a throw while their target is close, which can be used to manipulate their behavior, though once a throw has started, it cannot be stopped.

- Due to the extreme concentration of their energy orbs, thrown ones explode on physical impact, so staying close to surfaces such as the floor or any walls will make avoiding ranged attacks more difficult.