Revenge Is Best Served Cold

Revenge Is Best Served Cold is the launch-content boss quest in the Coastal Jungle biome. Doctor Galen sends the player to hunt down Thomas Richards, the Coastal Jungle local-threat boss responsible for the player's prologue suffering. The fight takes place in a hand-crafted dungeon scaled for gear tier 1 to 5, making this the first major boss encounter in the launch story.

Quest Overview

Story Setup

After the player completes the Seafarer naval combat tutorial (the demo's ending), Doctor Galen reveals more about the prologue attack. Thomas Richards was one of Blackbeard's officers present at the boarding action that nearly killed the player and captured the original crew. With the player now established with a real ship and crew, Galen frames the next step as personal: hunting down Richards before pursuing larger targets like Israel Hands.

The exact reason Richards "personally wronged" the player or Galen during the prologue is implied rather than spelled out in launch dialogue. Community speculation ties the framing to specific prologue events the player witnesses during the opening cutscene, but the launch script leaves the details ambiguous. The "revenge" framing is real; the specific grievance is partly player-imagined.

Quest Flow

1. Receive the quest from Doctor Galen after completing Seafarer; he marks the location of Richards's dungeon on your map

2. Travel to the dungeon entrance a hand-crafted Coastal Jungle dungeon, often near a Pirate Camp or hidden in jungle terrain

3. Clear the dungeon's enemy guards Cutthroats, Drowners, and possibly a Pirate Sergeant; use the dungeon's environmental cover to pull individuals

4. Reach the boss chamber usually a multi-room dungeon with platforming, hidden buttons, and chest puzzles along the way

5. Engage Thomas Richards the boss fight

6. Defeat Richards and loot the chamber usually containing a Tumbaga Ingot, weapon plan, or armor plan

7. Return to Doctor Galen to close the quest and unlock his next dialogue

Boss Fight: Thomas Richards

Richards is the launch's first formal boss encounter. He uses Soulslite mechanics scaled for gear tier 3-5. Key patterns per Sportskeeda's boss guide and community testing:

• Double or triple sword swings: Standard combo. Block the first, parry the second or third for major poise damage. The combo ends in a committed strike that punishes panic-dodging back into the swing

• Grab attack: Most dangerous attack. Telegraphed by a wide-arm windup. Dodge laterally; getting grabbed deals heavy damage and stuns

• Slam AoE: Ground-pound style attack with a small AoE radius. Move out of range during the windup

• Bomb Toss: Throws an explosive at mid-range. Dodge sideways and continue closing distance; the bomb has a delay before exploding

• Poise shields: Visible below his HP bar. Most boss-tier enemies have 2 to 3 poise shields. Parries deplete poise; once depleted, he stumbles and you get a heavy attack window

Recommended preparation: at least one upgraded Rare weapon (Razor saber, Sturdy Halberd, or similar) at gear tier 4+, full food buffs, 3+ Healing Potions, and 5+ Bandages. Use the Captain's Greatsword if you have it; its Retaliation bonus on Perfect Blocks makes the fight much easier. Lock on (T key) before engaging and never deplete stamina to zero.

Why This Fight Matters

Beyond the immediate revenge framing, defeating Thomas Richards serves several gameplay purposes:

• Unlocks Galen's next quest in the Foothills (Needle in a Haystack against Israel Hands)

• Provides the first boss-tier loot drop, accelerating gear progression toward the Foothills tier

• Validates the Soulslite combat skills the player has been developing through the tutorial fights

• Marks the transition from "survivor learning the world" to "threat to Blackbeard's lieutenants"

Tips

• Bring a Cutlass or Razor saber for the standard combat phase; one-handed weapons can perfect-block Richards's combos for major poise damage

• Reserve a stamina-restoration food (Coconut Milk with Bananas) for the burst stamina demands of dodging multiple committed swings

• Drop a Fast Travel Bell outside the dungeon entrance so you can warp home for resupply between attempts

• Co-op makes this fight much easier; one player can tank Richards's aggro while another deals damage from the flanks

• If you have access to the Plague Halberd's F-attack (5 Corruption stacks unlock it), the heal-on-attack lets you sustain through Richards's grab and slam combos

See Also

• Thomas Richards - the boss target

• Doctor Galen - quest giver

• Procedural Biomes - the Coastal Jungle biome

• Soulslite Combat - combat mechanics for the boss fight

• Needle in a Haystack - the follow-on Foothills boss quest