How to Beat Every Boss in Savant – Ascent REMIX (Laser Shark, Void Wyrm and Dragon)

Last Updated on 31 October, 2025

Prepare yourself, Alchemist. A dark corruption has seized your orbital tower, and your only path is up. Savant – Ascent REMIX is a high-octane, music-fueled shooter that throws you into a relentless battle up a rogue elevator. This is not a simple port of the original. The REMIX edition rebuilds the game from the ground up, adding new stages, new bosses, new abilities, and a full-fledged story mode that takes you far beyond the limits of the original.

This game demands skill, fast reflexes, and a feel for the rhythm. This comprehensive walkthrough will guide you through your core mechanics, provide a catalog of the enemies you will face, and offer detailed strategies to defeat every boss. We will help you reclaim your tower, one floor at a time!

Quick Fact: The game was developed by D-Pad Studio, the same independent Norwegian developer famous for creating the high-bit pixel art adventure game, Owlboy.

Table of Contents

• The Alchemist’s Toolkit: Core Mechanics
• Reading the Fight: The HUD and Pickups
• The Ascent: A Stage-by-Stage Walkthrough
  • Stage 1: The Elevator
  • Boss 1: The Laser Shark (Wyrm)
  • Stage 2: The Vertical Ascent
  • Stage 3: Heart of the Void
  • Boss 2: The Void Wyrm
  • Stage 4: The Mechanical Heart
  • Boss 3: The Mechanical Dragon
• After the Climb: Post-Game Modes
• Tips for a Perfect Run
• Conclusion: The Tower is Yours

The Alchemist’s Toolkit: Core Mechanics

Your survival depends on mastering a few key actions. The game’s controls are simple, but their application is deep.

1. Movement: You control the Alchemist, who is (at first) confined to two platforms on either side of the elevator. You can jump between these two platforms using your movement keys or the left analog stick. You cannot free-roam.
2. Shooting: You aim in a full 360-degree arc using your mouse or the right analog stick. The Alchemist automatically fires a continuous stream of magic missiles at your reticle. You do not need to press a fire button; your only job is to aim.
3. Dodge Roll: You unlock this ability very early in your ascent. The dodge roll gives you a precious few seconds of invincibility. You use this to pass through projectiles and enemy lasers. Mastering the timing of this dodge is essential for surviving the game’s bullet hell sections.
4. V-Shift: This is your “super” or “bomb” ability. You charge the V-Shift meter by defeating enemies and collecting the orbs they drop. Once the meter is full, you can unleash a powerful screen-clearing blast that destroys most minor enemies and deals significant damage to larger ones.

Practical Tip: You can cancel your dodge roll at any time by aiming your reticle. This allows you to perform very short, precise dodges to reposition without getting locked in the full roll animation.

Reading the Fight: The HUD and Pickups

The screen is chaotic, but your heads-up display gives you all the information you need.

1. Health Bar: The green bar at the top of the screen is your health. When it drains, your run ends, and you restart from the last checkpoint.
2. V-Shift Meter: The blue bar below your health. When this is full, you can use your V-Shift.
3. Soundtrack CD Fragments: This is the most important pickup. In each stage, enemies will drop four golden CD fragments. You must collect all four to progress.
   • Benefits: Collecting the fourth fragment instantly fully heals you, provides a temporary power-up to your weapon, saves your progress at a new checkpoint, and unlocks a new music track from the artist Savant.
4. Health Orbs: Defeated enemies drop small yellow orbs. These orbs refill a small amount of your health.

Heads-Up: Hardcore Mode is a true test of perfection. It is not just a harder difficulty; it is a one-hit-kill mode. Any single hit from an enemy or projectile will instantly end your run.

The Ascent: A Stage-by-Stage Walkthrough

The REMIX campaign is a multi-stage journey through distinct biomes, each with unique enemies and bosses.

Stage 1: The Elevator

This is the classic Savant – Ascent experience. You are on the elevator, and enemies attack in waves. Your goal is to survive long enough to collect the four CD fragments.

Key Enemies:

1. Scrappers: These small, flying robots are your most common foe. They fly in simple patterns and try to crash into you. They are weak, but their numbers can overwhelm you.
2. Turrets (Egg Launchers): These enemies latch onto your two platforms. They fire slow-moving, targeted shots. You must destroy them quickly, or they will make it impossible to dodge.
3. Spinners: These enemies stop in the middle of the screen and fire projectiles in a rotating, spiral pattern. Find a safe spot between the bullets or prepare to dodge roll.

Strategy:
Focus on survival. Always keep your cursor on the most immediate threat. Prioritize the Turrets, as they limit your safe movement. Use your dodge roll to pass through lasers or dense bullet waves. Do not hoard your V-Shift; if the screen fills up, use it to clear the board and give yourself room to breathe.

As you collect CD fragments, a massive eye will periodically appear in the background. It fires a huge laser beam that covers one side of the screen. Simply jump to the other platform to avoid it. After you collect the final CD piece, you will face your first true boss.

Quick Reminder: Your score is directly tied to your kill chain. The on-screen multiplier increases as you defeat enemies without getting hit. Topping the leaderboards requires flawless play to keep this multiplier high.

Boss 1: The Laser Shark (Wyrm)

This massive mechanical serpent circles the tower, and it is your first major skill check. The fight has several phases.

1. Phase 1: The Chase: The Wyrm will circle the tower in the background. It will periodically fire a massive, red laser from its mouth, sweeping it across the screen. You must time your dodge roll to pass through the laser, or jump to the other platform if you are quick enough. Your goal is to shoot its main body constantly.
2. Phase 2: The Turrets: After taking some damage, the Wyrm will stop and slam the elevator, spawning several Turrets (or “eggs”) on your platforms. Your priorities must shift immediately. You cannot damage the Wyrm. You must destroy all the turrets. Once all turrets are gone, the Wyrm returns to Phase 1.
3. Phase 3: The Enrage: As the Wyrm’s health gets low, its patterns speed up. The laser sweeps faster, and it spawns more turrets. Stay calm, stick to the plan, and focus your fire.

When you defeat the Wyrm, the elevator breaks free, and you begin the next stage.

Stage 2: The Vertical Ascent

The gameplay changes completely. You are no longer on the elevator. Instead, you are flying up the side of the tower in a vertical-scrolling sequence.

New Challenges:

1. Tower Cannons: The tower wall itself is now your enemy. Large cannons will emerge and fire barrages of missiles and bullets at you. You must shoot them to destroy them.
2. Debris: You must navigate a field of falling rocks and debris. Dodge these environmental hazards while simultaneously fighting enemies.
3. New Enemy Drones: New flying enemies will appear, using more complex and aggressive attack patterns than the Scrappers.

Strategy:
This stage tests your ability to aim and dodge at the same time. Your movement is now free, not locked to two platforms. Stay mobile. Prioritize shooting the Tower CannGuns, as they are your biggest threat. This stage acts as a fast-paced bridge to the next area.

Resource Note: The Soundtrack menu is not just a music player. You must collect the CD fragments in-game to unlock their corresponding tracks, which are all created by the musical artist Savant, the game’s namesake.

Stage 3: Heart of the Void

You fly into a massive hole in the tower, entering a surreal, corrupted dimension known as the Void. The music becomes more intense, and the enemies are far more dangerous.

Key Enemies:

1. Void Scrappers: These are faster, more aggressive versions of the basic Scrapper. They often release a burst of bullets when destroyed.
2. Void Spinners: These enemies create true bullet hell patterns. Their spirals are tighter, faster, and cover more of the screen.
3. Void Turrets: These platform enemies fire predictive shots, aiming where you are going to be. You must keep moving and change direction to fool them.

Strategy:
This is a pure survival stage. Your V-Shift is your best friend here. The screen will become a chaotic mess of purple projectiles. Use your dodge roll carefully to navigate the patterns. A single mistake can cost you a huge chunk of health. Fight your way through the waves, collect your four CD fragments, and prepare for this area’s guardian.

Boss 2: The Void Wyrm

This is a massive, multi-part boss fight that will test your endurance. The boss is a giant, pulsating heart protected by two large, shielded arms.

1. Phase 1: The Arms: The boss is stationary. It attacks with its two arms, which fire overwhelming waves of bullets and lasers. You cannot damage the core. You must focus all your fire on one of the arms. Dodge the bullet waves and pound the arm’s shoulder joint until it explodes.
2. Phase 2: The Other Arm: With one arm destroyed, the boss’s patterns change. The remaining arm becomes more aggressive, attacking faster and with new patterns. Repeat your strategy: focus fire on the joint and destroy it.
3. Phase 3: The True Wyrm: After you destroy both arms, the core’s shell shatters. A new, terrifying Void Wyrm (similar to the Laser Shark) emerges. It will dash frantically across the screen, firing complex and disorienting bullet patterns. This phase is a pure test of your dodging.
4. Phase 4: The Exposed Heart: After you defeat the inner wyrm, the heart itself is exposed. It will unleash a final, desperate barrage of screen-filling bullet waves. This is your last damage phase. Dodge, aim for the heart, and use your V-Shift if you have it.

Quest Tip: The main character, the Alchemist, was cast out of his tower by a great corrupting force. Your quest is to reclaim the tower to restore order, with the final boss being the entity that controls the tower’s corrupted heart.

Stage 4: The Mechanical Heart

You escape the Void and ascend into the tower’s final, mechanical core. This is the last gauntlet.

New Challenges:

1. Elite Guards: These are the toughest non-boss enemies. They are heavily armored, absorb a lot of damage, and fire complex, multi-stage projectile attacks.
2. Laser Grids: The tower’s defense system will activate, creating moving laser grids that you must dodge roll through.
3. Final Gauntlet: This stage combines all the enemies you have faced, but they are faster and stronger. You must survive a final, intense series of waves before you meet the master of the tower.

Boss 3: The Mechanical Dragon

This is the true final boss of the REMIX story. It is a massive, multi-phase encounter.

1. Phase 1: The Head: The Dragon’s head and its two claws appear. The head is your target. It will fire homing missiles, which you must shoot out of the air. It also fires a massive beam from its mouth. The claws will periodically slam down onto your platforms, so you must jump to safety.
2. Phase 2: The Claws: The head retreats, and the two claws become your main opponents. Each claw has its own health bar and attack pattern. One claw may fire bullet spreads while the other performs melee slams. You must focus your fire on one claw at a time, destroy it, and then switch to the other.
3. Phase 3: The Exposed Core: After you destroy both claws, the Dragon’s head returns. Its chassis is now broken, revealing its glowing core. This is your main damage window. The boss will be desperate. It will combine all its previous attacks at once: homing missiles, laser beams, and new, frantic bullet waves.
4. Phase 4: The Final Stand: The music peaks. The attacks become a chaotic storm. You must use every skill you have. Dodge roll through beams, shoot down missiles, and pour all your fire into the core. This is the final fight for your tower.

Pro Tip: The temporary weapon power-up you get from collecting the fourth CD fragment is extremely powerful (e.g., a triple shot). Try to save this power-up for the start of a boss fight by collecting the last CD fragment just as the boss is about to appear.

After the Climb: Post-Game Modes

Beating the story mode is just the beginning. Your victory unlocks new ways to play.

1. Endless Mode: This is the original, classic arcade mode. You are back on the elevator, and the waves of enemies never stop. The difficulty scales infinitely. This is the mode for high-score chasers.
2. Hardcore Mode: This mode gives you a single hit point. One mistake, and your run is over. This is the ultimate test of skill and mastery.

Survival Tip: Your V-Shift is also your best defensive panic button. Using it grants you a brief period of invincibility, allowing you to use it to escape an unavoidable bullet hell pattern even if you do not need the damage.

Tips for a Perfect Run

1. Prioritize CD Fragments: Always go for the CD fragment when it appears. The heal and checkpoint are vital.
2. Master the Dodge Roll: Your invincibility frames are your life. Practice rolling through attacks, not just away from them.
3. Do Not Hoard Your V-Shift: Use your V-Shift when you feel overwhelmed. It charges reasonably fast, and saving it for a “perfect” moment often means you die holding it.
4. Platform Control is Key: Never let Turrets build up on your platforms. Keep your safe spaces clear.
5. Listen to the Music: The music is not just background noise. The waves of enemies and boss attacks are often timed to the rhythm of the soundtrack. Let the beat guide your actions.

Boss Tip: When fighting the first boss, the Laser Shark (Wyrm), your fire is only effective when you hit the glowing golden orb on its back. Shooting the non-glowing parts of its body will do no damage.

Conclusion: The Tower is Yours

You have ascended from a simple elevator to the corrupted heart of the Void and the mechanical brain of the tower. You have mastered the dodge roll, the V-Shift, and the art of aiming. Savant – Ascent REMIX is a masterpiece of arcade action, and by reaching the top, you have proven your skill.

But the tower always calls.