Hedgehog in Atomic Heart: how to defeat the boss

In Atomic Heart, the Hedgehog is one of the first bosses in the game, which is quite difficult to defeat, since at this stage the hero is not very well pumped and does not have the most powerful weapons. In this guide, we will tell you how to defeat this opponent even on the Armageddon difficulty level, revealing all his weaknesses, attacks and movements. For killing this work, you will receive the Spinning, Spinning trophy.

You will also learn how to unlock the achievement "Strike", taking down the boss without firing a shot. We add that some players have encountered such a problem that the Hedgehog simply does not appear due to a bug. At the end of the article, ways to solve this error are presented.

Preparing for the fight with the Hedgehog

You will encounter this enemy after completing the quest "Perfect" and arrival at VDNKh station. The mission "What does the coming day prepare for us?" will begin. Move to the quest marker, dealing with the robots along the way. Then go to the arena, but do not go to its center yet. We advise you to save first, and then interact with Eleanor to prepare for the battle.

Skills and weapons

Select the "Polymer Upgrades" option, go to the "Character" section and be sure to unlock two upgrades (if you haven't unlocked them yet): Second Wind - allows you to make an additional dash (it will become easier to dodge); Slippery Type - Makes you invulnerable while dashing (you won't be afraid of boss hits when dodging).

In terms of abilities, we advise you to use the Polymer Shield (allows you to reflect hits that you cannot dodge) and Massive Telekinesis (unlock the Power Boost perk), which will temporarily prevent the Hedgehog from using her most dangerous attack. The last skill can be replaced with Chill, with which you can slow down the enemy a little, which is very useful, because speed is the main trump card of the boss.

If we talk about weapons, then the best option would be Dominator, since it deals significant energy damage even at long distances and does not require ammunition (the charge is restored over time). If you haven't gotten his blueprint yet, you can use Kalash and KS-23. As a melee weapon, use a pumped Pate. If it is not there, then an improved Fox will do.

Note: The Hedgehog is immune to ballistic, shock, electric, fire and ice damage, as it is protected by a strong shell, so it does not make sense to attack it in a protected state. She is only vulnerable to rockets and booby traps launched by Fortress. But you are unlikely to be able to get a blueprint for this weapon at this stage.

Naturally, do not forget about consumables - fill all free cells without fail (7-10 medium capsules should be enough) so that you can quickly restore your health in case of damage.

Hedgehog attacks and movements

This "bun" is an extremely aggressive boss that constantly circles around the arena, disorienting the player and trying to knock him down at great speed. Sometimes he stops to slam his upper limbs into the character, creating a shockwave (jump or dash to dodge).

If you see that the enemy has risen on one leg, then immediately run away from him, as soon he will begin to rotate on the ground like mad. However, the radius of this attack is not very large, so you can easily dodge it. Keep a close eye on the boss, because at the end, he will drive in your direction.

His more dangerous attack is hitting the ground - Hedgehog stops and starts hitting the ground with his limbs, creating shock waves (2-3 pieces). To dodge them, jump or dash (if you have the Slippery Type perk).

Another of his dangerous attacks is the launch of homing missiles. He fires them as he quickly rolls around the perimeter of the arena. At this point, run to the right or left side (in the direction towards the “kolobok”) and make double dashes when the projectiles are next to you - this way you can dodge them.

The boss makes his most dangerous attack when his health drops to 30-40%. It emits rainbow light, starting to pull the character towards it. If you get close, you will take damage from the boss and the shockwave that follows. We advise you to either activate the Polymer Shield, or turn your back on the Hedgehog and start jerking away. Jump to avoid falling under the wave (be guided by the sounds).

Hedgehog battle tactics

Low risk method

It assumes that you will be at a safe distance and not get hit. However, a special achievement in this case will not be possible to obtain. So, pick up some kind of long-range weapon, for example, Dominator or Kalash, and then go to the pedestal and hit it with Shock so that a stone "flower" appears and the boss appears.

When the ball stops, it will cause a shock wave, so jump and stand behind the stone pillar. The boss will crash into it and fall down, giving you some time to rest. After he rises, do not try to shoot him, as you will only waste your ammo. Dodge all attacks and wait until he runs out of breath - at this moment, reactors will come out of his torso, which you need to shoot at.

Thus, you only have to dodge Hedgehog's attacks (we told you how to do this above) and shoot at her reactors from a safe distance. True, this method is quite time consuming, so we advise you to partially combine it with the second method.

Statue destruction method (Strike achievement)

If you want to open a trophy, then pick up a melee weapon and look for retractable pedestals around the arena. Wait until the "bun" is in front of you, ready to roll in your direction, and activate the remote control with Shock for a column to appear from the ground, into which the boss will immediately crash into and fall to the ground.

Don't hit him in a vulnerable state! The fact is that in order to get the achievement, the Hedgehog must break 5 statues. If you damage her with melee weapons, she may die prematurely. You can call pillars about once every 2-3 attacks of the enemy, so get ready for frequent dodges. Also prepare more first-aid kits (pieces 10-12).

Note: Some players note that it is also impossible to attack the boss with skills to get the achievement.

If you don’t care about the achievement, and you just want to kill the Hedgehog as soon as possible, then you can also knock it down with pillars, and then hit its opened reactors with firearms or melee weapons (we recommend using a charged strike for maximum damage).

After dealing with the enemy, return to the gate and save. When you're ready, move to the opposite side and go down the stairs to the Exhibition entrance. The task will start "Shaded Mirror".

Hedgehog does not appear in Atomic Heart: what to do

Many players complain that they do not have a Hedgehog in the marked place, which is why they cannot go further. Especially often this bug occurs on the build of developers (Dev Build), merged a few days before the official release. If you are using the licensed version, then we advise you to just download the latest patch and load the save after the train crash cutscene - the boss should appear.

On a pirated version, this method may not work. In this case, open the console (key “Backspace”), go to the “Quests” section, click the “Get Quest” inscription and activate the “What is the coming day preparing for us?” mission, if it has not started. Then go to the grid, near which HRAZ will report that he cannot open the door. When the dialogue ends, go to the debug menu again, complete the current task (Complete Quests), go to the arena and select the quest "The Clouded Mirror". Now activate the pedestal with Shock and fight the Hedgehog.

If even in this case the boss did not appear, then go ahead and go down the stairs to the entrance to the Exhibition. If the door here is closed, then stand right next to the gate and use the console command "Teleport Forward" to move inside. Find the black android girl with no arms on the right and talk to her to activate the quest "Hands off!".

If the task has not started, then try to force it to run through the same developer console. True, in this case you will miss the battle with the Hedgehog. Plus, there's a good chance you'll run into bugs later on due to skipping quests.