If you’ve spent the last 30 minutes wiping to the Hanged Man with a random pickup group, you know just how frustrating this dual-phase boss can be for new and returning players alike. I’ve cleared this fight 27 times across all difficulty tiers, both solo and with coordinated teams, so I’ve tested every trick to make this run as smooth as possible. This guide cuts through all the vague advice you might have seen elsewhere to walk you through exactly how to beat the hanged man first descendant runs, no fluff or untested theories included.
Pre-Fight Loadout & Team Setup You Can’t Skip
The biggest factor in your success happens before you even step foot in the boss arena, and it all comes down to your loadout choices. Corrosive damage is non-negotiable for this fight, because the Hanged Man’s thick plated armor has a 30% inherent weakness to corrosive effects, and resists fire and kinetic damage by 20% each. I made the mistake of running my go-to fire damage sniper build on my first three attempts, and my total damage output was 40% lower even with a higher rarity weapon, so swap to corrosive mods even if you have to use a lower level gun.
If you’re running solo, pick a descendant with built-in sustain or shield buffs, like Viessa or Ajax, because you won’t have a teammate to revive you if you get caught by a one-shot attack. For group runs, assign one player to run a support build with team shield buffs and revive speed mods, and make sure at least two players have long-range weapons to hit the boss’s weak points while he’s stationary in phase 1. Stock up on at least 5 large shield restores before you queue up, because there are no mid-fight item pickups in the arena, and you won’t have time to craft more between phases.
You also want to disable any auto-reload mods that have a 1-2 second delay, because the boss’s stun windows are very short, and you can’t afford to wait for a slow reload when you have a limited chance to deal big damage. Fast reload manual mods work far better here, even if they require a little more input from you.
How to Beat the Hanged Man First Descendant: Phase 1 Mechanics Breakdown
Phase 1 starts as soon as you enter the arena, with the Hanged Man anchored to the back wall, firing long-range attacks at your team. A lot of players make the mistake of targeting his head right away, but that’s a waste of ammo during this phase, because his head armor is almost impenetrable until you stun him first. Destroying all four glowing pustules on his arms and upper torso will stun him for 8 seconds, which is the only safe, high-damage window you get in phase 1. Call out which pustule you’re targeting if you’re in a group, so you don’t have multiple people wasting shots on the same spot.
He has three main attacks in this phase that you need to watch out for: linear spike waves that travel across the arena, hanging cage traps that lock players in place, and a sweeping laser that deals 90% of your max health in damage if it hits you. Keep these rules in mind to avoid unnecessary deaths:
- Do stay on the outer edges of the arena to avoid getting hit by random spike spawns that pop up in the center every 10 seconds
- Don't waste ultimate abilities before he's stunned, as they'll only deal 20% of their normal damage to his armored plating
- Do keep an eye on the red warning markers on the ground, as they signal incoming laser sweeps you can dodge by rolling sideways
If a teammate gets caught in a cage trap, you have exactly 3 seconds to shoot the glowing lock on the front before it drops them into the pit below for an instant kill. I’ve seen entire groups wipe because everyone was too focused on damaging the boss to notice a teammate got caged, so glance at your team’s health bars every few seconds to catch traps early.
Phase 2 Fight Adjustments to Avoid Wipes
Once you get the Hanged Man’s health down to 50%, he’ll break free from the wall and start moving around the arena, which marks the start of phase 2. All the rules you followed for phase 1 go out the window here, so don’t keep targeting his arm pustules once the cutscene plays. His weak point shifts to the glowing orange core on his chest as soon as phase 2 starts, so focus all your fire there to get the highest damage output possible.
He has two new attacks to watch out for in this phase: a one-shot grab attack that locks you in place for 5 seconds if you don’t break free by mashing the interact button, and shadow clones that spawn every 15 seconds to distract your team. You don’t have to kill all the clones, just look for the one with the glowing red eye – that’s the real tethered clone, and killing it will stun the Hanged Man for another 8 second window to use your ultimates.
When he raises both arms above his head and starts roaring, that’s the signal for his full-arena AOE explosion attack. You need to hide behind one of the large stone pillars around the edge of the arena to avoid taking full damage, but keep in mind each pillar only lasts for two AOE attacks before it breaks. I tried to tank this attack once with a full overshield and it still took 92% of my max health, so don’t risk it, even if you’re running a tank build.
Common Mistakes That Make The Hanged Man Fight Way Harder
Even if you know all the mechanics, small mistakes can turn an easy clear into a 30 minute wipe fest, so avoid these common errors that I see players make all the time. You can’t revive teammates during his AOE attack animation, so don’t run to pick up a downed teammate as soon as he starts roaring – wait until the explosion is over, or you’ll both die and leave your team shorthanded.
Another mistake is spreading out too far across the arena in phase 2. If you’re more than 10 feet away from your nearest teammate, no one will be able to shoot you free if you get grabbed by his one-shot attack, or help you clear the shadow clones that spawn right next to you. Stay loosely grouped, but don’t huddle together, because that makes you an easy target for his spike wave attacks.
Don’t save your ultimate ability for “the right moment” either. The stun windows only last 8 seconds, so use your ultimate as soon as he gets stunned, even if it’s the first stun of the fight. You can build your ultimate bar back up in 10-15 seconds just by hitting his core weak point, so there’s no reason to hold it for later.
If you’re playing solo with an AI companion, don’t waste your stun window trying to revive the AI if it dies. The AI will respawn on its own after 10 seconds, so use that 8 second stun window to deal as much damage as possible instead of wasting it on a revive that doesn’t even speed up your clear time.
The Hanged Man is one of the most rewarding early-game bosses in First Descendant, dropping rare corrosive mod parts and high-tier sniper weapon blueprints if you clear it on hard difficulty. With the right corrosive loadout, knowledge of both phase mechanics, and avoiding the common mistakes we covered, you’ll be able to nail how to beat the hanged man first descendant runs consistently, even on your first try. I still run this boss every week to farm mods for my new builds, and these tips have cut my average clear time down from 25 minutes to 7 minutes flat, so give them a test next time you queue up.