How to easily beat M9-BELYASH in Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart is one of the latest single-player games to hit store shelves. The first-person shooter is set in an alternate universe where humanity depends on robots and AI for their needs or to get grunt work done. However, a mysterious event makes the robots hostile, resulting in the player having to fight off tons of them to get to the source of the event and stop them.

While most of the hostile robot population comprises regular, human-sized robots, there are plenty of bosses that players will have to fight during their Atomic Heart journey. One is MA-9 BELYASH, a robot with a giant head, multiple eyes, long arms, and ape-like movements. Players encounter this boss as part of the "Show Must Go On" quest, where they aim to reach the Theater.

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Atomic Heart: Everything players need to know to defeat MA-9 BELYASH

Aside from using its arms and upper body to take swipes at and hit the player with clawing attacks, one unique ability that the MA-9 BELYASH boss possesses is to use its multiple eyes to belch out flames at a rapid rate, effectively acting as a flamethrower. It also has a jump attack that it constantly charges that has impact and fire damage in a large radius upon landing.

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Tips to help players in the MA-9 BELYASH boss battle

1) Dodging

One of the most basic counters to most incoming physical attacks is simply trying to dodge them. In addition, players should try to counter their attack immediately after dodging to catch the machine off guard or before it can recover. In many cases, this can make it stumble as well. Players can also use dodging when the machine spews fire on the ground, i.e., uses the flamethrower attack.

The charged-jump attack, however, is unique. As soon as they see the robot approaching the final stages of charging, they should move away from it and ready themselves to defend against its most powerful ability. When the attack hits, players must jump to avoid the ring of fire and energy that the machine will release. If not countered, the attack will know players on their backs.

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2) Using guns

Atomic Heart gives players a ton of different weapons to use, be it automatic weapons or those with special abilities. Using all of them to deal damage at every turn can be profitable, and switching a weapon instead of reloading can often help players get out of a tight spot.

The Kalash is one of the best guns to use when fighting the MA-9 BELYASH boss. Named after a Russian slang for the well-known Kalashnikov series of rifles, the weapon is accurate, has a large magazine, and has a steady rate of fire. Pistols can fill the gaps where a rifle is loading to maintain a steady stream of outgoing damage.

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3) Shock

Atomic Heart has many special abilities for the player, including Shock. Classified as a Polymeric ability, Shock allows plays to stagger hostile machines. This renders them powerless, which can unlock a window in which the player can deal damage to them.

The ability lifts the enemy, levitating them, which can be quite a sight to behold. Using this ability on MA-9 BELYASH can give Atomic Heart players the break they might be looking for to turn the tide of the fight.

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4) Frostbite

Frostbite is another ability that players can use during the boss battle against MA-9 BELYASH in Atomic Heart. It can be a significant alternative to the Shock ability, allowing players to freeze hostile machines. Just like Shock, this allows players to take a momentary break from all the dodging and countering while maintaining a constant stream of attacks against the enemy.

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5) Melee weapons

One of a player's first weapons in Atomic Heart is a melee weapon with which they must strike bots down. While the fight with MA-9 BELYASH is quite challenging to attempt with a melee weapon, they can be used in cases where the player runs out of ammunition. Ammo is scarce, so this is a real possibility.

One of the best reasons for using a melee weapon in this fight is to obtain the "Chop Chop Chop" Trophy for Atomic Heart, which requires the player to beat MA-9 BELYASH using a melee attack. Fortunately, there is no compulsion to only use a melee weapon for this trophy, so players can choose to deal the final blow using one.

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While many players consider the MA-9 BELYASH fight one of the easiest boss battles in Atomic Heart, it is accompanied by specific strategies. If not avoided, the robot can still pack a mean punch and has a few abilities that can damage the player.