How to defeat The Nightmare in Black Ops 7
Are you struggling to defeat The Nightmare in Black Ops 7? Frank Woods has been taken over by this giant, deadly flower, and it's up to the Joint Special Operations Command squad to stop it. This guide will help you understand the Black Ops 7 Nightmare boss fight, located on Distortion, the third mission in the Black Ops 7 campaign. Beating this challenging boss, whether you're playing alone or with friends, requires you to hit its specific weak points.
The Nightmare boss fight strategy
First phase
We highly recommend using the Grapple Hook minor ability during this fight. It's incredibly useful for dodging The Nightmare's attacks, especially its red vomit, which covers a large area and can knock you down. The Grapple Hook also lets you quickly reach the higher platforms on the map, giving you a better view of the boss and its weak spots.
When the fight begins, you won't be able to damage The Nightmare right away. First, you need to destroy the glowing yellow growths that appear on its body. Be patient; these weak points won't show up immediately.
Once the growths appear, blast them with any Black Ops 7 weapon you have. After destroying them, shift your focus to The Nightmare's heads to chip away at its health. When the boss is stunned, enemy minions will spawn to protect it. If you're playing with a team, it's smart to split up: one group focuses on The Nightmare while the others clear out the mobs.
You can take out about a quarter of The Nightmare's health during this weakened state before it becomes invulnerable again. At this point, you must clear out all remaining enemies before you can proceed. As it recovers, it will send out several eyeball-like drones that fly towards your squad and explode. Shoot them down to avoid damage, but stay aware of Scourge and Fear minions that might sneak up on you while you're dealing with the drones.
Second phase
As the eyeball drones attack, a new set of growths will appear on The Nightmare. Keep your aim on the boss's body once you've dealt with the drones. Destroying these growths deals heavy damage, quickly bringing The Nightmare down to half health. You won't need to target its heads in this phase.
Expect the number of spawned enemies to significantly increase during this part of the fight. To boost your chances of survival, look for the Crash Cart major ability. You'll find it in red-outlined boxes on the upper platforms. This ability allows you to revive downed teammates from a distance and provides a health buff to your entire squad if everyone is still alive.
Third phase
After destroying the third and final set of growths, your goal is to target The Nightmare's heads once more to drain its remaining health. Hit them enough, and each head will explode. A key difference in this phase is that the heads will continue to attack even while they're vulnerable, making it tougher.
If you're playing solo, stick close to The Nightmare's roots and use cover, only peeking out to attack between its vomit area-of-effect attacks. This phase is usually easier with a full squad, as the heads will only focus on one person at a time, leaving other squad members free to deal damage. The more heads you destroy, the smoother the rest of the fight will be. If you've reached this stage, you're well on your way to victory.
