A silhouette of the Pirate Master.
The Pirate Master is the main antagonist of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. A frighteningly-powerful creature, it took the combined power of all the Genies in Sequin Land to seal him away from the world in a lonely grave on an isolated island. Risky Boots used to be his first mate until his defeat, after which she inherited his Tinkerbats and Pirate Gear. As an added insult to injury, Risky also took his face and turned it into her bra and belt.
Sensing that the power of light magic has vanished from Sequin Land, the Pirate Master begins to stir and unleashes a curse on the surrounding islands, transforming most of the Tinkerbats into vicious Cacklebats and gathering dark energy from the evil-infested dens of monsters.
Forced to work together, Risky and Shantae manage to seal up the dens and cut off the flow of dark magic, but they are unable to stop the Pirate Master's revival and Risky is captured by her vengeful ex-master. Chasing them to the roof of Sequin Land Palace, Shantae tries to fight the Pirate Master and initially wins. The Pirate Master then takes back his Pirate Gear and becomes even more powerful. He eventually demands that Shantae give him the dark magic she had taken from his Cacklebats in exchange for Risky's life. Shantae accepts and releases the collected magic, which has turned to light magic. Reabsorbing the magic into herself, Shantae regains her genie powers and is able to critically weaken the Pirate Master, allowing Risky to use Ammo Baron's long-range cannon to destroy the fiend completely.
Boss Strategy
Phase 1
Though powerful, the Pirate Master sticks to a very rigid attack pattern.
- The Pirate Master will teleport around the area, appearing on either side or the middle of the screen. Hair-whip him at each interval. After four teleports, his next two will be followed with a wide-reaching blast of dark magic. Getting hit by these blasts really hurts (two full Hearts a hit!). Either get some distance and crouch or use a Bubble Shield.
- He will then summon skeletal platforms to sway back and forth while he warps between them and fires more dark magic towards the ground. It's best to concentrate on dodging at this point.
- When he comes back to the ground, crosshairs appear to telegraph where deadly laser beams are going to fire. The lines in them will show which way the beams will fire. If no beams are firing near the Pirate Master, Shantae can get close and tear him up with hair-whips and Super Pike Balls. Otherwise, find a safe spot and use the hat and cannon if needed. After this, the Pirate Master repeats from the first step.
If Shantae did not kill all 20 Cacklebats and collect their Dark Magic, the battle and the game will end after Phase 1 and a downbeat ending will play. Otherwise, the battle will continue.
Phase 2
The Pirate Master has taken the Pirate Gear away from Shantae, limiting her to hair-whips and items for attacks, and has now grown into a giant. Only his head is vulnerable to attack.
- He starts by firing three cannonballs, which bounce across the screen. Stand near the middle of the screen where the first one will hit, then run forward to dodge the rest. They will make two passes. Shantae can get some hits in while he's firing.
- Next, he brings down swords from the sky. There is only one spot where the swords won't hit, so run there.
- The Pirate Master summons pistols next. Four pistols will spin in the center of the screen and fire dark magic in expanding circles. Simply stay put and calmly wait for an opening to dodge each incoming shot. Using Bubble Shields will also help.
- Finally, platforms appear and shadows of the Pirate Master's first form will stand on them to shoot dark magic. Climb the platforms and whip away the shadows, then hit the Pirate Master's head with everything available. Super Pike Balls and Super Monster Milks should not be spared at this point. Eventually, he will start over with the cannonballs.
Phase 3
Shantae has regained her genie powers. Her hair-whip now hits for 999 damage, but the Pirate Master has gotten a power boost as well.
- The Pirate Master will use the same four attacks as before and in the same order, but now he throws added tricks into them. He will now fire four cannonballs, moves the swords around to make the safe-spot harder to reach, and throw the pistols at Shantae once they have all fired.
- Once enough damage has been inflicted, Risky will provide support from Scuttle Town by commandeering a cannon. As Shantae continues to fight, crosshairs must be maneuvered into position to hit the Pirate Master's head with cannon shells. The shells take time to reach the palace once fired, so Shantae must keep hair-whipping him so that he stays put long enough for the shell to hit. With each hit, he'll move faster and spit dark magic to impede Shantae's targeting. Four direct hits will finally end this long and arduous battle.
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