Ten Piedad

"I am awake in a sleeping body."

**Ten Piedad** is a boss in Blasphemous and part of a trifecta of bosses along Our Lady of the Charred Visage and Tres Angustias which can be visited in any order. Ten Piedad is widely targeted as the second boss by many players due to Mercy Dreams' closer proximity and Ten Piedad's much easier battle.

## Profile

Ten Piedad is a combination of demon and plant with the body of a human and the skeletal head of a goat. According to the relevant item descriptions, he was once a man who was haunted by visions of the Miracle. He became very tired and slept in the arms of the statue he is found in, but then woke up, realizing he had been transformed, trapped within a beast of constant anger and pain.

The official art book states that when the creature is asleep, the man inside awakes within the creature's dreams.

## Behavior and Tactics

* **Swipe**: Bends down and swipes once. Can be jumped over.
* **Sprout Smash**: Smashes the ground with both hands, making vines sprout from the ground on both sides.
* **Vine Stomp:** Stomps, making vines sprout in the direction he is facing.
* **Sprout Spit**: Spits vine sprouts.

A simple way to defeat Ten Piedad is to stick close to him, and parry most of his attacks. Both his swipe and stomp can be parried, allowing the Penitent One to maximize damage against him. Both the swipe and the stomp count as heavy attacks, therefore can only be blocked and the Penitent One will be pushed back significantly. Alternatively, the swipe can be jumped over, and the stomp can be dodged through. Note that when dodging the stomp the vines will still follow the player unless under the boss.

Sprout Smash is extremely easy to avoid, as the boss takes a while to charge it. As his health goes down, the area where the sprouts cover turns bigger and he uses this attack more often. One can evade the attack as normal or dodge *into* the boss while smashing, providing a perfect window for flasks, prayers or damage. As he loses health, his Sprout Stomp also summons more vines, going from just one to 3-4.

Seguiriya to your Eyes like Stars can prove useful in this fight as allows the Penitent One to hit faster. Since Ten Piedad is not a very mobile boss, along with his tendency to use swipe while in proximity, this makes this tactic generally more easy to exploit.

## Relevant Item Descriptions

I'm still inside the creature. I can hear its roar outside, I can hear the thunderous beating of its heart. I just wanted to sleep, but I saw the Miracle in my dreams. It spoke to me. That is why I lie down in the Lady's open arms. But the Miracle appeared to me again. It was more and more tangible. Then I woke up, but I was no longer myself. I was a prisoner trapped inside a rooted body. A body immersed in constant anger. In constant pain. I am awake in a sleeping body.

## Trivia

* When translated, the name **Ten Piedad** stands for "Have Mercy".
* When entering the boss battle, Ten Piedad's pose is a reference to the Pietà statue by Michelangelo.
* This boss was featured in the early narrative prototype only available to backers.
	+ In that narrative prototype, Ten Piedad actually had a dialogue before and after it's fight with the Penitent One.
* When the boss is slain, a gout of blood pours from its mouth, likely indicating the death of the man inside **Ten Piedad.**