Before fighting Shirley, players need to complete her whole questline. This involves finding her in the gambling hall at Savalon, learning how to play B&D (Bind and Divide), and challenging several other patrons to the game. After this is complete, players will need to challenge Shirley herself to a round of B&D before starting the first optional boss in Bravely Default 2.
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Unlike other Bravely Default 2 bosses like Anihal, Shirley only has three moves to keep track of, and one of them is only used in the second phase of the fight. Her first technique, Odds or Evens, deals moderate damage to one target. Before using this move, Shirley chooses a random number between one and ten, and if the result is even, she deals double the damage. Next, Shirley will make use of Elemental Wheel, dealing a random elemental damage a random number of times. She can choose any element in the game and the attack will hit a target once one to ten times. The target is chosen at random. Finally, High Roller is straightforward, but deals massive damage to her target.
What makes this fight so tricky is that Orpheus the Bard is also here, meaning players are basically fighting two bosses at once. Additionally, there are two guards as well that will get buffed by Orpheus. As a general strategy, players should focus on defeating the guards first, and then focusing down Orpheus just like they did the first time they fought him. Once she’s alone, players can handle Shirley by playing defensively and being patient.
It helps to always make sure everyone is doing well on HP, as there’s no telling if Shirley will do double damage or if her next attack will hit ten times instead of one. Also, since Orpheus counters White Magic skills by putting the caster to sleep, equipping the Clothespin accessory will make this fight a lot easier. This one comes down to luck more than skill, but if players play their cards right, they can maximize their chances of winning.
Bravely Default 2 is available now on Switch.
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