Use parries to turn his sword combos against him
Defeat Captain Raphael by parrying his long sword combos into a stagger, landing the follow-up Critical Attack, and dodging his gunshots and flaming slash. Jump over his Stasis waves, then stay ready for a follow-up wave as his health falls.
Open the Fortress gate and reach High Tower
Captain Raphael of the Nephtis Superioris is a mandatory story boss in the Fortress. The gate near the Traverse Lantern opens after you light the signal fires on both towers. Farther along the Fortress route, the High Tower Lantern sits beside Raphael's arena; rekindle it before attempting the fight.
- Climb the wooden structures of the ruined signal tower near Traverse, using Nephtoglobin platforms and your grapple to reach its beacon.
- Ignite the large wooden beacon with Fire Transmutation to light that tower's signal fire.
- Shoot the red weak point along the outer wall toward the other tower to clear the blocked route.
- Climb the remaining tower with the grapple and platforms to reach the enemy guarding its summit.
- Defeat the guard at the top so you can approach the remaining beacon without that enemy interrupting you.
- Light the remaining beacon to open the gate near Traverse. A chest immediately beyond the gate on the left contains a Quintessential Transmutation Material.
Prepare a weapon and Ambers for sustained defence
Choose the Saber if you want to block while learning the sword strings, or the Rapier if you are comfortable committing to parries. The Saber can block and parry, while the Rapier specialises in parrying and cannot block normally. The Claymore cannot parry, so it does not suit the main strategy described here.
Equip Duellist's Focus if you need a wider melee parry window. Dominatus provides healing when you land Critical Attacks, making it a useful companion to a posture-focused approach. Parrying Impact on the level-up board increases the Posture damage dealt by successful parries.
Check your Ferrofluid upgrades before committing to repeated attempts: Power upgrades improve healing per use, while Quantity upgrades give you more uses between rests. Consider Iron Grip if getting interrupted during a drink is costing you attempts; it makes flask use uninterruptible. Keep a Cleansing Vial available because it clears Ignite and Stasis, both relevant to Raphael's attacks.
Read the sword, pistol and Stasis cues
Raphael has one health bar, but his moveset changes as you reduce it. He can also heal during the fight, which can make the encounter last longer than the health bar suggests. Keep concentrating on the attack cues when his health changes rather than rushing to finish him.
- Parry the ordinary sword string by pressing block as each strike lands. Raphael's long sequence resembles the Eternal Guardsman's combos, and learning its rhythm lets you build his Posture toward a stagger. He tends to continue the sequence while you remain within reach, so stay focused on the next swing.
- Land a Critical Attack when you break his Posture. This is the payoff for defending through the sword string, turning your parries into substantial damage. Treat that opening as your main damage opportunity instead of trying to squeeze attacks into every swing.
- Dodge sideways when Raphael draws the gun in his left hand, which appears on your right as you face him. Watch the hand movement so you recognise the switch from sword pressure to a shot. Respond to that cue instead of continuing your melee attack.
- Jump over the Stasis wave after he drops to his knees. Leaving a little space helps you read the wave before it reaches you. A hit applies Stasis immediately, so this cue calls for a jump rather than another sword parry.
- Jump over the follow-up Stasis wave once his later attacks begin. Around half health for the first time, he starts sending two waves in the same attack instead of one. Keep watching after you clear the initial wave so you do not attack into the next.
- Dodge through the flaming slash when Raphael crouches and his sword catches fire. This is a heavily damaging unblockable attack that sends him slashing across the arena. Use the crouch and burning blade to recognise the move, then time your dodge to the slash itself.
- Apply Fire between his attacks when you have a suitable opening. The burning effect wears off quickly on this boss, so use it as extra damage alongside your parries. Keep the sword string and the next defensive cue as your priority.
Spoilers: Victory rewards and the route onward
Defeating Captain Raphael awards 50,000 Catalysts and unlocks the Behemoth achievement for defeating Nephtis Superioris. His defeat advances the mandatory story route. Before continuing into the jail sequence, return to the previous Lantern and spend your Catalysts on levels, because you will be without Lantern access until partway through that section.
Recover from a failed attempt or stalled progression
If you die, you respawn at the last Lantern you rekindled and leave your Catalysts where you fell. Recover them before dying again or they are lost permanently. A Remnant's Return vial can recover the lost Catalysts automatically.
Install any available game update if Raphael stops attacking or the aftermath of the fight blocks your progress. Fixes have addressed Raphael stopping after a precisely timed Rapier heavy-attack stagger and progression blockers caused by the player and boss dying together. If your save remains blocked, the game's Support Team can provide replacement saves for individual chapters.