Visions of Mana: How to beat Garethe, Benevodon of Earth

Zahawk Desert hides Garethe, Benevodon of Earth in Visions of Mana. The party will return here later, chasing down the primary antagonist, but to progress, this gigantic sandworm will need to be taken down first. Covered in adamantine scales, the boss will swirl and leap through the sands, as well as summon monsters to aid it. However, it’s far from an impossible boss to defeat.

Unlike other bosses like the Jewel Eater boss, defeating Garethe in Visions of Mana involves mainly using one character to deal damage. Your party will be aboard the defunct ship, The Dyluck, with a cannon on each side. The party member you control will man the cannon and fire at the boss, while the others mostly fight occasional adds.

Read on to learn how to defeat this boss in Visions of Mana.

---

Tips to defeat Garethe, Benevodon of Earth in Visions of Mana

The stats for Garethe, Benevodon of Earth (Image via Square Enix)

Before you begin Garethe, Benevodon of Earth’s boss fight in Visions of Mana, make sure a party member has a Sylphid class equipped. Garethe is a Level 24 Insect/Wyvern boss and is weak to Wind Magic. It’s also Immune to Earth Magic. This makes sense, as the Benevodon of the Earth.

The reason to equip and use the Sylphid class is that if you have the Sylphid Boomerang equipped and fire the cannon, the reload time will be reduced. That means for me, running Val as Rune Knight. The other party members were Palamena (Grand Diviner) and Morley (Ninja Master). This is a longer fight than most since only one party member is dealing damage.

As Garethe, Benevodon of Earth moves past you in Visions of Mana, aim for the orange spots on the body. Those are stones that are rich in elemental power and also his weakness. The boss will make several passes on one side, and then pull back away, into the background.

Don't let the enemy adds overwhelm your party while focusing on Garethe (Image via Square Enix)

At this time you’ll need to focus on the various adds that have spawned and the three AOE waves of explosive Earth damage that Garethe launches. Even if you can’t get a clear weakness shot, it’s still worth firing on the boss - it has a massive amount of HP. It will repeat this pattern a few times, before swapping to the other side of the ship to renew its assault.

Don’t just leave the adds to your team though - you’re going to need to disengage from the cannon occasionally to help out. This prevents them from being overwhelmed and allows you to keep them safe. Later in the fight, around 30%, it will also start dealing a gigantic AOE strike that takes up much of The Dyluck’s deck.

When Garethe, Benevodon of Earth is around 25% or less HP in Visions of Mana, a cutscene will trigger, and the boss will face you, literally. No more sliding by. It will begin charging a powerful blast but just man the cannon. With a few shots to its mouth, it will die, and victory will be yours. Victory nets you 5,000 Lucre, 14,850 EXP, and a Garethe Corestone.

---

Visions of Mana launches on August 29, 2024, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC storefronts. You can learn more about the game from our spoiler-free preview.