Del Fharis Castle is the fifth major dungeon in Tales of Arise and the home of the game's final Lord, Vholran. Like Almeidrea before him, defeating Vholran is surprisingly straightforward, though actually getting to the boss fight is going to require a fair amount of legwork on the player's part.
Players will need to explore two large towers to unlock the path to Vholran, each of which contains plenty of useful items that will assist the party in the latter stages of Tales of Arise. It's a good idea to bring some CP refilling gels along though, as well as ensuring that either Shionne or Dohalim is in the main party to keep everyone else alive.
Updated November 7, 2021 by Tom Bowen: From the very first moment that he's introduced, it should be clear to players that Vholran is not like the other Renan Lords. He seldom shows any real emotion other than anger and is considerably more powerful than the rest of his peers combined. The latter, in particular, is something that players will need to be ready for when entering Del Fharis Castle. For those struggling, this guide will not only explain how to beat Lord Vholran, but also how to raise the drawbridges in Del Fharis castle and where to go next.
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Central Entry Plaza 1F
After taking out the four guards, players should grab the Lemon Gel from the right of the central water feature and then make their way up the stairs. There are more guards to take care of here, but once they're defeated, players can head through the door and into a long corridor with a bunch more enemies.
There's an open drawbridge blocking the party's path up to the castle's higher levels, so players will need to head through the central door instead. This leads to the Main Tower and a large wall of ice that Alphen can destroy for 20 CP. Before doing so, however, players should head into the room on their left, where they'll find some enemies and a blue chest containing 14,100 Gald.
Behind the ice wall is a T-junction where players can choose to go either left or right. They'll need to explore both routes at some point, so for now, it's best to take a right towards the North Tower. Before heading through the door though, players should check out the little side room on the left, where they'll find a red chest containing Law's Jet Black Vest armor.
North Tower
Upon entering the North Tower, players will find some Red Chamomile growing in the room to their right and a blue chest containing an Elixir in the one opposite. There's also a chest containing some Pineapple Gel opposite the point where the party first enters the upcoming circular room. After collecting it, they should take the stairs up to the third floor.
Taking the left passageway here will lead to a 63 CP ice wall; behind which is a door that leads back out into the Central Plaza. Players can find a blue chest with an Omega Elixir here, so it's definitely worth the CP needed to perform the map action, particularly as there are a few tricky boss fights coming up relatively soon.
The passageway on the other side of the preceding room leads to some stairs up to the fourth floor. Here, the party will need to defeat a large group of enemies that includes a fairly high-level Polymentus. After dispatching them all, players should head through the door, where they'll find the drawbridge mechanism and a blue chest containing three Life Bottles. After lowering the drawbridge, it's time to drop down back into the plaza below from the unrailed ledge nearby.
South Tower
With the first of the two drawbridges now taken care of, it's time to return to the main tower and take the path on the left. The first room on the right of the south tower's first floor contains a blue chest with 15,500 Gald inside, while the next one has some beef and 7,650 Gald in the far corner. Opposite that is a room with another red chest, inside of which is Alphen's Battle Suit armor.
After exploring all three rooms, it's time to head to the circular chamber at the end of the corridor, where players should take a left. Behind a 62 CP ice wall is a door leading back out to the Central Plaza and a red chest containing Rinwell's Silk Robe armor. Once equipped, players should double back and head up the stairs on the opposite side of the circular room, being sure to grab the Orange Gel at the foot of the stairs before they do.
The next area contains some more Lemon Gel in a chest to the left as well as another large group of enemies. Players will need to defeat them to get through the door, which leads back to the Central Plaza. Here, they'll find the mechanism for the second drawbridge, as well as a blue chest containing a Heavy Treat.
With both drawbridges now down, players are finally ready to make their way upstairs. Assuming they've collected everything from the South Tower already, they should drop down to the plaza below from the nearby ledge and then make their way up the stairs to the fourth floor. Before using the elevator at the top, however, players should first use the healing light to refill the party's HP and interact with Owl #31, which is opposite the fourth-floor drop point.
Hanging Gardens
There'll be a short cutscene in the next area, after which players will be thrown into battle with a high-level Kalmarzel. Like other large Zeugles, players should target its glowing orange core to trigger an extended break period, which will allow them to chip away at its HP bar much faster.
Once the Kalmarzel is down to 50% HP, a second giant Zeugle will show up. This Kaldinzel is incredibly similar, though its core is on the opposite front leg. Players should switch their focus to the Kaldinzel at this point and take it out as quickly as possible. When its bar is empty, the two Zeugles will fuse together to form a larger, more terrifying Kaldinzel.
Boss Tip: When the two Zeugles fuse together, the survivor's HP will be boosted to 50%, so there's no point taking its HP below this level before the fusion takes place. |
Though its attacks hit a little harder, the strategy for taking down the Kaldinzel remains the same. Players should target its core, aim to stay behind it as much as possible, and be sure to use Boost Attacks whenever needed (Dohalim's can be pretty useful in this fight).
After a few minutes, the Zeugle will go down and players can continue on to the next elevator, grabbing some Gold Gel and another Omega Elixir from the two blue chests nearby before riding it up to the Rooftop Corridor. Here, there's another healing light and a door leading to the showdown with Lord Vholran.
Lord Vholran Boss Fight
Given the ease with which Vholran defeated the party earlier, players are probably expecting a pretty difficult fight. Vholran is so confident, in fact, that he even dismisses his elite guards, which, in hindsight, proves to be a pretty big mistake. It’s by no means an easy encounter, but, providing players have a decent grasp of the counter strike mechanic and equip accessories that mitigate water elemental damage, it really isn’t that bad.
Vholran moves around incredibly quickly, but there are occasional moments when he stands still, and it’s here that players should unleash their most powerful Artes. There are also special command prompts from time to time, which, when properly executed, will lead to an extended break period. The only thing that players really need to worry about is his Lex Talionis Mystic Arte, though this is actually fairly easy to dodge.
After Vholran’s health bar is depleted, a fairly lengthy cutscene will play out and players will need to defeat him for a second time with his Sovereign power unleashed. This battle plays out much the same as the first, though his attacks switch from being water-based to lightning and ice-based, so players should hop into the menu and switch up their accessories if needed. His Mystic Arte also changes too, though, like the first one, Finis Aeternam is not that difficult to dodge if players keep their distance.
Boss Tip: Using counter strikes when dodging Vholran's Finis Aeternam attack can often lead to players taking massive damage, so it's best to stay back until the giant ice sword has sunk completely into the ground. |
Once Vholran has been defeated a second time, an epic duel between the two Sovereigns ensues, with Alphen eventually coming out on top. The party then sets about using the five Master Cores to free Shionne of her thorns, but an unexpected visitor shows up and throws a spanner in the works. Following a few more cutscenes, players regain control of Alphen back in Del Fharis Castle and the final section of the game begins.
Where to Go After Del Fharis Castle
With the realm finally liberated, players will now be free to explore Pelegion at their leisure. There are quite a few sub-quests that can be tackled at this time and players can also find Owl #32 near the elevator on Level 2. Whenever they're ready to continue with the main story though, they should return to the Lavtu Marshlands and take the exit to the north.
This will lead the party to the Depths area, which, in turn, will take them to the Forland Mountains. It's possible to skip through the next few areas fairly quickly, though, if nothing else, players should make a point of exploring the western side of the South Hiking Trail, as both the Hamburger Cooking Recipe and Shionne's Sapphire One Piece armor can be found there.
Eventually, after reaching the end of the path and lowering a drawbridge, players will find themselves back in Cyslodia, where one or two new sub-quests will now be available. At this point, the party decides that they want to explore the source of the giant beam of light, which means returning to the Hidden Wharf in Mahag Saar. Speaking to the boat captain there will see the party whisked away to The Wedge, which serves as one of the final mini-dungeons on Dahna.