In The Battle Cats, few enemies strike as much curiosity and dread as The Great Sufferer. This mysterious and powerful foe appears in one of the more advanced levels, standing out due to its eerie design, potent abilities, and the intense challenge it brings to players. Facing The Great Sufferer isn’t just about brute force it’s a test of timing, cat synergy, and an understanding of enemy mechanics. For those seeking to progress deeper into the game or complete special events, learning how to handle this boss becomes a necessary skill. With the right strategy and preparation, even this intimidating foe can be overcome.
Understanding The Great Sufferer
Enemy Characteristics
The Great Sufferer is not your average enemy. It features a unique appearance and mechanics that immediately set it apart. Classified under the Relic enemy type, it comes with high HP, strong attack power, and access to Curse effects that can severely debuff your units. This Curse disables your cats’ abilities and talents temporarily, making previously reliable cats far less effective. Additionally, its range and area attacks make it a threat to both frontline and midline units.
Where to Find The Great Sufferer
This enemy usually appears in higher-difficulty event stages or in late Into the Future or Legend Stages. It’s often found as the final or mid-boss, accompanied by a lineup of Relic and Traitless support units. These stages require energy and player ranks that are usually only attainable after investing a good amount of time into the game. As such, The Great Sufferer is considered part of Battle Cats’ endgame content.
Battle Preparation
Traits and Counters
Since The Great Sufferer is a Relic enemy, the best approach is to bring units that can specifically counter Relic types. These cats are usually unlocked later in the game and often require Catfruit evolutions or talent upgrades to be truly effective. Here are some recommended options:
- Thermae D-Lux One of the top anti-Relic meatshields that can also knockback Relics.
- Jizo’s Mega-Castle Although more effective against other types, its rapid attacks still help.
- Gao A generalist Uber that can deliver consistent damage while staying out of harm’s way.
- Housewife Cat Long-range and powerful against Relics when talents are unlocked.
- Slime Cat Excellent for chip damage and can sneak attacks past frontliners.
Talents and Cat Combos
Talents are extremely important for battles involving Curse effects. You should prioritize unlocking Curse Immunity and Curse Resistance talents on your best units. This ensures your critical attackers retain their skills when The Great Sufferer strikes. Additionally, combo bonuses can add much-needed survivability or boost production speed. Recommended combos include:
- Research Up Faster unit recharge time.
- Health Up Increased endurance for your front-line cats.
- Strength Up Helps finish off Relics faster, especially when paired with critical hitters.
Battle Strategy Against The Great Sufferer
Managing the Opening Phase
The early part of the battle often lulls players into a false sense of security. Most Great Sufferer stages begin with low-tier enemies like Relic Doges or Angelsnaches. This is your chance to build up your wallet and store workers. However, don’t be careless killing early enemies too quickly can cause The Great Sufferer to spawn before you’re fully prepared.
Handling the Spawn
Once The Great Sufferer enters the field, the tone of the battle changes drastically. Its wide attack range and ability to inflict Curse means you’ll need to rotate your attackers carefully. Avoid spamming all your key units at once. Instead, stagger their deployment so that if one set is Cursed or wiped, another can take their place. Make sure your meatshields stay in front to delay the boss while your backline does the damage.
Maintaining a Stable Frontline
One of the main challenges in this fight is maintaining a strong frontline while withstanding repeated Curse attacks. This means using a mix of durable tank cats and units with status immunity. Focus on deploying 23 meatshields at a time, such as Eraser Cat, Thermae D-Lux, and Ramen Cat. Their short recharge time helps absorb The Great Sufferer’s blows while minimizing losses. Rotate your Ubers or high DPS units strategically.
Enemy Reinforcements
Support Units
The Great Sufferer rarely appears alone. Throughout the fight, waves of support enemies will reinforce its position, typically including:
- Relic Doge Fast, annoying, and difficult to remove without anti-Relic damage.
- Angel Fanboy Can push your lines back if not countered with strong area damage.
- Those Guys Bulk spawns that stall your DPS units.
While these enemies may seem secondary to the main boss, they can be just as dangerous. If they overwhelm your frontline, The Great Sufferer will break through easily. Bring cats that can deal multi-target or area damage efficiently to clean up these reinforcements.
Managing Knockback and Timing
Some cats have knockback effects that are useful for pushing enemies away from your base. However, be careful with overusing knockback on The Great Sufferer, as this can reset its attack cycle and create timing issues. Use knockback strategically either to give breathing room or sync your DPS attacks to land together.
Rewards and Progression
What You Gain from Beating The Great Sufferer
Successfully defeating this enemy can lead to a range of rewards depending on the stage. These may include:
- Catfruit Seeds and Epic Catfruit
- XP and User Rank increases
- Unlocking new Legend Stages
- New Cat Units or Awakening Materials
Clearing the stage also grants a sense of progression. For many players, The Great Sufferer marks a turning point in their journey from mid-tier battles to high-level strategy play. It’s an achievement that reflects skill, planning, and persistence.
Replayability and Farming
Some players choose to farm The Great Sufferer stages when they offer high XP or valuable Catfruit drops. Once you master the strategy and can win reliably, repeating the stage can be a great way to build up your resources. Be sure to keep an eye on stage schedules, as these events often rotate or appear as part of limited-time campaigns.
Tips and Common Mistakes
- Don’t Ignore Talents: Curse Immunity is critical. Underestimating this can ruin your entire strategy.
- Avoid Overcommitting: Spamming all your high-cost units too early can leave you vulnerable later in the battle.
- Pay Attention to Range: Use long-range attackers that can avoid The Great Sufferer’s area strikes.
- Prepare for Reinforcements: Don’t let support units overrun your formation. Bring AoE attackers to help thin them out.
- Monitor Energy: These stages can be expensive in energy, so plan your attempts wisely.
The Great Sufferer in The Battle Cats is more than just a tough enemy it’s a strategic milestone. With its powerful Curse attacks, overwhelming reinforcements, and significant HP pool, it forces players to think beyond brute force. Using anti-Relic units, timing your deployment, and maintaining unit rotation are all key to winning. Once defeated, the sense of achievement and rewards make the battle worthwhile. Mastering this stage not only helps unlock future content but also proves your growth as a skilled Battle Cats commander.