Ah, the final boss of Remnant: From The Ashes base campaign, The Dreamer and their “Nightmare.” This boss is pretty polarizing because, compared to a lot of Remnant’s other bosses, it’s very simple in its mechanics. Due to this simplicity, consequences for simple mistakes are more unforgiving, which is why some people hate it, while others love it.

It’s a confrontation that a lot of players struggle with on their first playthrough. So, to help people get over this hump a bit more easily, here’s a guide on how to fight both of them.

Who Is The Dreamer & Their Nightmare?

The Dreamer in Ward 17 seems to be the “Dragon” that the main character has been seeking this entire time or at least connected to it, and players might be confused as to why that is.

This part of the narrative actually ties heavily into Remnant’s prequel game, Chronos: Before the Ashes, which was an Oculus VR exclusive until December of 2020.

So, for those who don’t want spoilers to Chronos (a pretty decent game in its own right), don’t read below.

The Dreamer is the player character from Chronos. They were tricked by the Root entity known as “the Dragon” at the end of their game, tied down to a bed, and became the new window by which the Root re-invaded Earth. Now, it’s up to the player character of Remnant (who comes from the same tribe as Chronos’ MC) to put them down once and for all.

Are There Alternate Rewards For This Boss?

There’s no alt kill for the Dreamer and Nightmare because, quite frankly, they’re the end-goal. But, that isn’t to say that there aren’t some great rewards to be had from this fight, such as:

  • Dreamer’s Mana: Can be crafted into the Repulsor, a very “alien” looking gun that comes with the incredibly unique Weapon Mod called Banish The Orb of Undoing: The Respec option of Remnant, allows players to completely reallocate their Trait Points, more can be bought from Reggie’s Shop after this. Mind’s Eye Trait: A fantastic Trait that increases all Ranged Damage by 20% at max rank The Praise The Gun Emote: A not-so-subtle Dark Souls reference, but still cute nonetheless.

The Dreamer’s Movelist

The fight always starts off with The Dreamer. Luckily, players only have to watch the intro cutscene once, and this fight mostly serves as an appetizer of sorts for the actual encounter with Nightmare. Just aim for the head, keep a good distance, and this phase will be over rather quickly.

The Spin Attack

For this first move, The Dreamer gets close to the ground and starts spinning around at Mach speed, which sounds scary. In actuality, this move is incredibly easy to dodge, doesn’t do that much damage, and only really gets annoying when their health reaches a certain threshold.

Once that threshold is crossed, The Dreamer’s Spin will include a vacuum effect as well, pulling players into it. Then, the Dreamer glides into the air and slams back down. Still, even then, this attack isn’t very imposing.

Another Mortar Attack

There are a lot of bosses in Remnant that throw bombs (like Ixillis) or blast projectiles into the air (like the Iskal Queen), raining them down on players. For this variation, The Dreamer will stop moving and then fire a volley of energy orbs into the air which quickly comes back down in a rather tight spread.

Quite frankly, out of all the mortar-like attacks, this is one of the easiest to avoid. Just a bit of sprinting or one basic dodge roll will get out of the way of this attack.

Shockwave “Punches”

This is the last move that the Dreamer attempts themselves, and it involves descending to the ground again and punching it, with their “tentacles” following shortly after. This “punch” creates a shockwave that quickly travels to the player in a line. Luckily, it’s an obvious move that’s easy enough to dodge with a decently-timed roll. Just be careful, as there is a pause between both punches, which can throw people off pretty easily.

The Summoned Root

There’s technically one more “attack” to this phase, but it’s not much of anything to worry about. From the start of the fight, basic level Root “Devils” can spawn. But, the arena is huge, so they really don’t get in the way. That said, the longer the fight goes on, the more Root spawn, so make sure to take the Dreamer out as quickly as possible.

Transitioning To The Nightmare Phase

Once the player depletes the Dreamer’s Health Pool, they’ll recoil before gently floating down into a rib cage-esque cocoon that materializes around them. More energy starts to generate, and soon it seems like the Dreamer is at the core of some weird shadow monster that can only be labeled as “Nightmare.”

Projectile Volley

The only real “attack” that Nightmare throws at the player is another energy volley, only these ones are a lot scarier than the Dreamer’s. The energy coalesces at the circles on its “wings” before being blasted out and homing in on the player:

  • These things do some insane damage, so try not to get hit by any of them at all. Distance is key, their “homing” mechanic gets worse the farther back the player is. At the edge of the arena, they can be avoided by simply running to either side after they’ve been launched. Certain Weapon Mods completely nullify this attack, such as Rattle Weed, Veil of The Black Tear, & Blink Token.

The “Nightmare Realm” Mechanic

After a few volleys, Nightmare will pull the players into its “Realm” where the color palette changes pretty drastically. While in here, the player will take a constant amount of damage until they walk out the portal on the other side. But, players commonly assume there was a reason they were pulled in here as Root Enemies start to spawn en masse around them.

Once the player kills a few of these shadowy Root enemies, they might notice that they start getting a buff under their health bar. This buff stacks with every enemy killed, and it also determines how much damage the player can do to Nightmare once they escape from this pocket dimension. Additionally:

  • The Damage players take in this Realm only escalates the longer they stay in it, so keep an eye on the HP Bar. The best tactic, by far, is to immediately run to the portal on the other side and bunker down to fight there so that an escape is only a few steps away. Bloodwort or Regrowth Armor is incredibly useful for this fight, as it basically counteracts the health drain. Distraction Weapon Mods like Rattle Weed are great for this. So are Mods that target enemies on their own such as Summons (like Beckon or Seed Caller) or homing ones like Swarm.

What Happens After Leaving The “Nightmare Realm”?

Once players leave this area with their damage buff, they should immediately start running back to avoid an initial volley from Nightmare. Once they feel safe, all that’s left to do is lay into this Spectral Entity right where the Dreamer is being held, as this is its weak spot.

  • If enough damage is dealt: The rib cage will break open, and the players will be able to do some serious damage to Nightmare. If the damage is lacking: Nightmare takes their buff away, lets another volley or two loose, then sends them right back to its Realm.

And that’s all this fight is! It’s a process of avoiding the volley, getting transported, building up the damage buff, then coming out and laying down some damage. Pretty simple, right?

Some Final Tips

That said, even if it’s simple, this fight can take a while and can be frustrating. Therefore, here are all the general tips that the community seems to agree really help with this fight.

  • Bring plenty of Ammo Boxes, Bloodwort, Adrenaline, & Frenzy Dust Mod Power Generation related items, traits, or Trinkets are very helpful. Try to leave the Nightmare Realm before or right after the “Hulk” Enemies spawn, it starts becoming very easy to die after that. Constant damage, such as Status Effects or certain Weapon Mods, are amazing for the Nightmare section of this fight, as they get buffed by the damage stacks as well. Some examples are Hot Shot, Swarm, Wildfire Shot, and Unstable Quills. In multiplayer, sometimes Nightmare will pull one friendly into its Realm, sometimes it will pull all of them. If it only pulls one person, then they are the damage dealer, and everyone else should focus on support and survival. Trinkets that allow players to heal each other, such as the Mender’s Charm or the Burden of the Devoted, are so incredibly helpful when the team is split up. Aiming for anywhere on Nightmare other than the Dreamer itself really isn’t worthwhile in terms of damage, even if the player’s weapons & gear are completely upgraded.

NEXT: 10 Things To Do After You Beat Remnant: From The Ashes