In the cyberpunk dystopia of Ghostrunner, players will have the chance to play as Jack, the greatest sword fighter who’s ever been created. Players will need to use Jack’s bond with technology and his unique monomolecular katana in order to climb Dharma Tower. As there are dangerous enemies lurking around every corner, players will need to slow down time and dodge attacks to defeat bosses and unlock new abilities. Speedrunning as quickly as possible through the levels is one of the best strategies for new Ghostrunner players, as it helps players keep up momentum and find the obvious next move while taking out enemies in midair before they can shoot first. In a flurry of katana slashes and lasers, players will need to do whatever it takes to reach the top of the Tower and take down the Keymaster.
T-073-M, or “The Gatekeeper”, is a computer mainframe that utilizes lasers and blasts in order to deter Jack. As the first boss in the game, it’s more of an obstacle than an enemy. As this is the only thing standing between Jack and an elevator, he will need to take it out in order to move further up Dharma Tower. Jack will need to climb up to the top of the mainframe in order to cut through the supporting chords and knock it down, making it easier to reach and destroy. The mainframe also has defenses that Jack will need to avoid, but everything keeps a consistent rhythm. If Jack has to restart at a checkpoint, he can use the same pattern he identified before, and make small tweaks to it. If the timing is off, Jack can also use Sensory Boost to slow down time and correct.
How to Defeat T-073-M in Ghostrunner
There are three phases to Jack’s battle with T-073-M. For the first stage, Jack will need to keep moving in order to avoid the lasers turning clockwise around the room. This is a simple defense, as it doesn’t react at all to Jack’s movements. Move counterclockwise to avoid the lasers, jumping on platforms, and grappling hooks above. Use Sensory Boost if necessary to slow down in the air and grapple hooks. Duck or jump over lasers as needed while standing on the platform and time grapples so that Jack doesn’t land on a laser. Close to the top, there are a series of grapples that can be made to reach the glowing blue supports. Sever the supports with the katana to weaken the mainframe and drop back down to the bottom as a result. Now that the computer is aware of Jack’s presence, T-073-M will have more offensive attacks.
Now that Jack poses a greater threat to the computer mainframe, it will initiate the second phase of the boss battle. Jack is safe on the platform he lands on at the beginning of this phase, so players should take their time to survey their surroundings. The mainframe will start dropping blasts from its exhaust that radiate from their impact point out and then up the walls. Jack can be easily injured or killed by these blasts, so be careful not to fall on one or touch one on the wall. Look to the left to see hooks, platforms, and running walls that can be used to reach the top. He will have to move clockwise to grapple hooks above and bounce off the walls when the blast isn’t going up it in order to reach suspended platforms and wall run for short periods of time. For best results, players should grapple a hook right when the blast hits it, and then wall run until right before it hits them, jumping to the next platform for a breather. Eventually, Jack will just have to grapple a series of hooks and climb up a platform covered in boxes.
At this point, players will have to continue the process by avoiding both the lasers and blasts while making their way counterclockwise up the structure. While there are fewer lasers than in the first stage, it will be harder to combine both strategies together. Be careful to time jumps correctly, and be prepared to die a few times before figuring out the pattern. Again, sensory boost will come in handy while players are trying to figure out the timing. Once at the top, Jack will cut the supports again with the katana and fall.
With the mainframe retaining more and more damage, it will start the third and final phase of the boss battle. Back at ground level, the mainframe will have dropped and has turned on its clockwise spinning lasers again, and it is also emitting plasma blasts from the center. Wait behind columns to avoid the lasers and blasts, and jump across the floor to the mainframe, dodging lasers when necessary. Then, hack at the blue rods around the mainframe. For each one that is broken, Jack will be pushed back to the edge of the room. After breaking two, a hook will drop down that wasn’t there before. Grapple up above the mainframe to jump on top and break the core, disabling the mainframe and living to fight another day.
Once T-073-M has been defeated, Jack will be able to move on to the next location via an elevator shown by an objective marker. It’s time to move on to bigger and scarier enemies now that Jack has got the first boss in the bag.
Ghostrunner is available for Play Station 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.