Combat Guide (Cancer)

Thunder Strike possesses a multitude of unique bosses with varying
degrees of difficulty (some less so than others). There is bound to be a
 moment when you encounter a boss that proves its worth and actually
poses a challenge. This is especially so in Stage Mode, and thus this
guide aims to offer the best tips and tricks for every boss you meet.
Grab your notebook and pen (or just remember it).

Also, click here to see the Stage layout for referencing.

## Cancer Constellation

The
 Cancer fields have once again, new enemies with better firepower and
heavily increased armor. They will not be easy to take down and will
require a but of endurance to pull through.

**Enemy wave behaviour**
 - Fighters come in moderate wave sizes and short pauses but the real
threat is their endurance and heavy fighters in large numbers. They can
survive on the field long enough to unleash moderate bullet waves upon
you, so prioritize **reducing their numbers quickly**. Also be careful with side-swiping fighters, as they can catch you off guard and inflict heavy crash damage.

**Stage 26 - Armored Lizard (2nd)**

This 2nd iteration
isn't particularly threatening again, but it has an improved weapon for
bullet blocking. The talons can now fire in a slow spread that forces
you to circumvent them and blocks your bullets extensively. In addition,
 it features a new drone attack which it can send out from its cockpit.
These are able to absorb a fair amount of damage and act as damage
soakers for the Lizard. If you cannot blast through them, then get
around them and attack when the opportunity presents itself.

Note that Defender wing planes can neutralize the talons, but you might want to be careful still.

**Stage 28 - Destroyer IV**

After being defeated
 twice and upgraded as Destroyer IV, this ship moves around pretty
quickly to shift its bullet waves. Apart from improved HP, it retains
use of its cockpit gun and the lone turret on its back, primarily to
fire its signature lasers. Its main tactic is to entrap you in bullet
walls and fire its lasers within. Don't stray too much into the center
where it attacks, and you will survive.

In its 2nd form, it
gains a bit more speed and launches new attacks with its guns.
Noticeably, an increase in bullet attacks and sprays, including tracking
 gunfire. Its bullet wall is tighter which restricts your movement when
it uses the lasers in tangent.

At this point, you
may want to bring along high fire-rate weapons or at least a Peak/Alien
fighter to overcome its increased high-speed missile barrages.

**Stage 30 - The Dead-R (2nd)**

With improved HP,
this menace is back to hound you with its powerful and disruptive
weapons. Able to now fire more electric spheres and even 4 laser cannons
 in tight formation, this battle is even slower to finish. Dead-R pretty
 much dictates your pace of battle due to it forcing you to exercise caution. Don't be too hasty and you can win
eventually.

If you're feeling
gutsy enough, try to enter the narrow blind spot and attack it every
time it fires its quad-laser cannons. And if you still own a Peak
fighter, you might as well use it to bypass those spheres.

**Stage 32 - Dark Magic Disc**

This peculiar new
boss looks unassuming at first. It has a penchant for spinning around
and spraying gunfire. Its new feature is the extensive use of radial and
 spiraling gunfire, unlike the previous bosses which only used spread
gunfire in a your general direction. Another new type is accelerating
bullets, which as the name implies, pick up speed upon firing. It uses
this type to fire lock-on bullets at you. Because of its relatively
large circular size, it can be easily struck down by all weapons, and
doubly effective if you own Alien fighters which can take advantage of
the Disc's size and length.

The real danger
starts when its in 2nd form, not including its newly revealed
intimidating facade. Featuring heavier and denser spiral gunfire, it
also shoots out high-speed laser bursts from its "eyes". Due to the
orange-hued stage background and the difficult to notice sprites (orange
 sparkles), players will be hit by surprise before they get to notice.

If there is a general rule of thumb for prudence, stay away from its center and you will likely be fine. Be careful during its transformation sequence, once it finishes, its first attack is the eye lasers. And they hurt!