PRAGMATA ramps up its difficulty and complexity with urgency at the halfway point, and nowhere is this more evident than with the Large bot boss fight. The game has been serving up a decent challenge so far, but it wasn’t until the Large Bot boss fight (Garden Keeper) at the end of Sector 3 that I hit a wall.
After a few tries and build tweaks, I finally took it down after a close fight, then I immediately reloaded my save file since the fight becomes so much fun once all the pieces click together. I’ll show you the best loadout along with some tips and tricks to beat the large bot boss fight in PRAGMATA.
Best loadout for Large Bot Boss
The Large Bot boss in PRAGMATA is also known as the Garden Keeper. It resembles a scorpion, complete with the stinger. Compared to the slow and telegraphed Gigantic Bot boss from the last sector, Terra Dome’s boss fight is fast, able to close the distance in one leap while striking with wide arcs and explosive traps.
My recommended loadout for fighting the Large Bot boss starts with the newly acquired Pulse Carbine, while this doesn’t hit as hard per shot as the starter pistol, its fast rate of fire can clear mines quickly and build up heat gauge on the boss fight.
For attack weapons, I went in with the Shockwave Gun and the Photon Laser. One of the Large Bot boss’s weak points is its face, which is low to the ground, making it prime real estate for a shotgun blast. The Photon Laser will be used for full-damage phases whenever Garden Keeper is immobilized.
For Tacticals, I used the Statis Net and Sticky Bomb. The former works as intended, as it buys you tons of time, while the Sticky Bomb is used to make hacking easier by removing lines from its large grid. While the Riot Blaster works, there are better ways to immobilize the Large Bot boss during the encounter. I used the Decoy Generator for my Defensive, but I’ll show you the best time to use it.
For my mods, I found the best combination is Skirmisher, Quick Fix, Extended Breach, and Relay Amplifier. Skirmishes finds high uptime in this fight as you’ll immobilize the boss often. Quick Fix is a safety net because the boss is relentless and fast, and you’ll need the extra speed. Extended Breach is used to extend the damage phase as the boss recovers quickly.
Relay Amplifier is an optional mod, but if you’re going with my strategy, this will be pivotal power. Take the Freeze hacking mod, and we’ll use this to skip a certain phase during the fight.
Large Bot Boss Fight Guide
The Large Bot boss Fight in PRAGMATA is one boss fight with no additional phases or locations. Garden Keeper has different moves depending on your distance to it, and knowing its patterns is crucial to creating better openings.
| Boss Attack | Description | Action |
| Tail Thrust | Garden Keeper readies its tail below its body before thrusting it at the player. This also leaves a red circle on the ground that detonates after a delay. | Either shoot the mines to clear them or hack it when the boss comes near, stunning the boss. |
| Tail Swipe | The boss positions it tails forward before swiping it in a large radius. | Jump over the tail. |
| Tail Slam | Garden Keeper slams its tail, leaving it temporarily immobilized. | Dodge the attack and use this time to hit the tail. |
| Body Slam | When in melee range, the boss raises its body and slams down on Hugh. | Dodge away from the boss. |
| Laser Beam | The Large Bot boss will shoot a laser that moves towards the player. | Run sideways and dodge if needed. |
| Deploy Mines | Garden Keeper shoots four mines from its tail, stunning the player when in range. | Successfully hack as Diana to prevent death. |
| Finisher | When stunned by the mine, the Garden Keeper will grab Hugh and attempt a one-shot. | When stunned by the mine, the Garden Keeper will grab Hugh and attempt a one shot. |
| Lightning Dome | The boss overloads its tail and causes lightning to strike under red circles. | Run and use this time to collect pickups around the arena. |
When fighting the Large Bot boss in PRAGMATA, you’ll want to stay at a medium distance to bait out its mines. Staying too close to it will trigger its melee attacks, while staying too far will either cause it to leap at you or shoot lasers. As mentioned, you can hack these mines when the boss is on top of them to stun it. Don’t repeat my mistake where I prematurely hacked the mines and wondered what was going on; you’ll need to time it correctly.
After hacking the Garden Keeper, its three weak points are in the head, underneath the chest, and on the tail. The reason why I recommended the Shockwave Gun is how easy it is to get a full-damage blast on its circular head or when it slams its tail down. While the boss is quick and hides its weak spots quickly, you can have an extended damage phase by combining stuns and Stasis. This is the best time to dump a full mag of the Photon Laser as it deals more damage the longer it’s held down.
From time to time, the Large Bot boss will cling to a far corner, shooting you down with a fan of lasers, missiles, and mines. I’ve tested a few ways to skip this dangerous phase, causing it to come back to the ground faster.
- This is the best time to trigger the Freeze mod effect. Stunning Garden Keeper will cause it to drop and expose its weak point. This is why I prefer using the Relay Amplifier just for this fight.
- Another way to hold your OverDrive for this phase. It has the same effect as Freeze while also damaging the boss.
- A cheesy way to force it down is to shoot a Decoy right on top of the mine. This causes the fake Hugh to get stunned, and the boss will come down to perform the finisher on the hologram. I discovered this by accident, and I was amazed at this interaction.
All these tips will help prepare you for this incredibly fast and tough Large Bot boss in PRAGMATA. Don’t worry too much about damage, and just try to keep it immobilized using its own mines and your arsenal. If all else fails, backtrack and explore locked areas to upgrade your gear and guns.
