How to Beat Homecoming King, the Fifth Mission in the Evil Dead Game
An Evil Dead game Mission 5 walkthrough is essential to completing the Homecoming King mission, where Lord Arthur battles Evil Ash from the Army of Darkness. The Evil Dead game Mission 5, Homecoming King, is extremely challenging, forcing you to deal with high-level Deadites and a ruthless timer. However, we have put together a step-by-step walkthrough and tips to help you beat the game.
Evil Dead Game Mission 5 Walkthrough
To beat Mission 5, Homecoming King, in Evil Dead: The Game, players need to take the following steps:
1. Secure resources and the secret shovel weapon
2. Grab the Kandarian Dagger from one of two locations
3. Head to the Knowby Cabin and kill Scotty
4. Get the Necronomicon and survive the horde of skeletons
5. Survive the “boss fight” with Evil Ash
6. Grab the secret legendary crossbow and items
7. Head to Payne Manor and kill the flute skeletons
8. Grab Arthur’s Sword and any resources nearby
9. Head back to the Portal to escape
10. Fight the Pit Deadite
11. Kill Evil Ash in a proper boss fight
Honestly, this mission borders on being unfair at times. It is imperative that you preserve your health and amulets in preparation for the final confrontation – ammo is relatively common, however getting hurt will have a lasting impact on your performance. This all leads to two boss fights, one with the Pit Deadite, which will soften you up, and another with Evil Ash, which is challenging even under the best of circumstances (and that is without his infuriating unavoidable grapple attack).
Additionally, there is an “oncoming storm”, a wall of mist that circles around the player and shrinks over time. Taking a moment to stand in the mist is not dangerous, but if you remain in the mist for more than ten seconds, you will simply die. Due to the fact that it is a single-player game, nobody will assist you. The storm expands and repositions each time you accomplish an objective, so keep progressing and you should be able to stay safe. If you spend too much time doing something, you will be caught and killed. That’s woof.
Nevertheless, we are able to provide you with information for the best odds possible, including some secret weapons and some basic tips, along with the best way to proceed.
1. Grab resources from the shack and the secret shovel nearby
The game begins with a crashed car in a shack. Loot the shack for amulets and a crossbow, as well as anything else you might need. Rather than proceeding to the objective, go to the other house in Lucky Valley Lodge and check the basement – there will be another Amulet and a Shovel, a more useful weapon than the cleaver.
It should be noted that skeleton minions spawn randomly and constantly throughout the map, usually with shields that block the first hit and prevent damage (although they can still stagger). Even if you hit the shield, a normal shovel blow will leave a standard skeleton vulnerable to a takedown. The strike/takedown combo will be your most commonly used pattern in this mission, and for the right reason – it’s efficient and effective.
2. Get the Kandarian Dagger from either the Fishing Village or Flight 666
The Kandarian Dagger can be found in one of two locations, randomly selected – either in the center of the Fishing Village, or near the wreckage of Flight 666 to the north. Look for a nearby car and proceed to the one you are told to go to. Kill any skeletons in your path, grab the Dagger, and escape before more spawn in and overwhelm you. Next, you will visit a place that is very familiar to you.
3. Go to the Knowby Cabin and kill the Deadite Scotty
Though the Kandarian Dagger is in one of two areas, the Necronomicon is always at the Knowby Cabin. Head there and there’ll be some new resources along with a rare Fire Axe and Epic Meat Cleaver in the main room. Don’t touch the Necronomicon yet – instead pick up the Fire Axe (it’s better than the Cleaver despite being a lesser rarity), and kill the Deadite Scotty who attacks you. Scotty is tough, but is vulnerable to headshots – use your crossbow to pick him off after his charge attacks miss you. Grab up whatever items you can from around the cabin, heal/shield if you need it and interact with the book when you’re ready for a fight.
4. Pick up the Necronomicon and survive a wave of eight skeletons
Once you pick up the book, you’ll be locked into the area by the mist until you can kill eight skeletons. We recommend staying inside the cabin – with only two directions for them to come from and more ambient light, you’ll have a better understanding of the area and your foes. Use the crossbow for precision headshots whenever they’re in doorways or corridors, and remember the strike/takedown combo! Some of them will drop resources like Shemp’s Cola, and the final one will drop an Epic Crossbow (you should pick it up, but admittedly you won’t have it for long).
5. Head to the Portal and Survive the “boss fight” with Evil Ash
Now that’s done, head North to the Portal in the little mine. As you approach, Evil Ash will appear and provoke what the game pretends is a boss fight, but it’s actually not. The player can’t win, they simply have to survive for the timer duration marked in the top-right – once you do, Evil Ash will disappear and the next phase begins.
Evil Ash can’t be killed in this bit, and summons skeletons to back himself up before doing deadly melee attacks. Kill the skeletons to stop yourself getting swarmed whenever they appear, then stay out of Ash’s reach! Considering you can’t kill him, there’s no reason to actually engage in a close fight. We’ll talk more about the actual mechanics of fighting him later on at the bottom of this guide when it’s time to take his head.
6. Head to the Sewage Treatment Plant for a legendary crossbow and more
Your next location is Payne Manor, to get a sword capable of killing Evil Ash, but first take a detour to the area on the map marked “Sewage Treatment Plant.” There’s an obvious crashed car in that location covered in ammo, resources, and a legendary version of your crossbow. Grab it! It’s going to be your best friend for the rest of the mission. Once you’re done, head to Payne Manor.
7. Kill the flute skeletons to get inside Payne Manor
Payne Manor is patrolled by various elite skeletons, but as you approach you’ll notice multiple red crosses on the map. Aside from the one on Payne Manor itself, these all mark flute-playing skeletons nearby that you need to kill – they’re sustaining a spell that blocks off the doorways inside the manor so you can’t get in. Kill them all quickly, using hit-and-run tactics, and staying aware of the more powerful elite skeletons before they can hit you. Once you kill the last one, Payne Manor will open up.
8. Grab nearby resources and Arthur’s Sword (in that order)
You’re not really safe inside Payne Manor – skeletons will continue to spawn outside and come in to harass you – but don’t grab the sword yet. If you do, it’ll trigger the next objective, reposition the storm/mist, and make it all the more harder to sweep the manor for Amulets, ammo and gear, which you should do first. There’s also a legendary blunderbuss upstairs, but we don’t recommend it over the legendary crossbow you have. It’s not an empirical right/wrong thing, we just think the crossbow is a bit better overall. Grab everything fast, then scoop up the sword on your way out. It’s a deadly melee weapon that’ll kill most foes in a single hit – though sadly not Evil Ash himself. Keep in mind this is your last chance to stock up before the hardest part of the mission.
9. Head back to the North Portal to escape to the past
Now you need to run/drive all the way back to the Portal in the mine where you first encountered Evil Ash. Try your best to avoid unnecessary enemies along the way, and keep an eye out behind you for any looking to stab you in the ass. Efficiency is key, so play frugally until you reach the Portal and go back in time to the Castle Kandar Dungeons. Once you appear, there’ll be an Amulet ahead of you – grab it and go into the cage on the left to begin the first of two boss fights.
10. Kill the Pit Deadite with maximum efficiency
The storm/mist element is no longer an issue – so take your time with this fight. The Pit Deadite is a tank with basically one move – running at you with melee swipes – so ration your stamina, dodge these attacks with a sideways step, and perform a couple of melee hits before stepping back. Don’t bother with ranged attacks; this thing shrugs them off and you’re just burning ammo you’ll need more momentarily.
The key here is to lose as little health as possible so you’re ready for the greater threat that’s coming, so take your time and don’t rush. There’s no need to beat the clock, or risk your neck on achieving a couple of minor hits, so simply play as safely as possible until the Deadite is beaten. Scoop up the Amulet and Cola it drops, and use them before the next fight that immediately kicks in…
11. How to Kill Evil Ash in the final boss fight
Be warned – this boss fight sucks, and if you die you have to restart the entire mission, which sucks even more. Evil Ash is a tank himself, summons more skeletons when given the chance, his melee combos are deadly and hard to dodge, and he has this stupid unavoidable grapple move where he force chokes you without warning. Here’s some basic tips in the hope you don’t have to do this fight more than a couple of times max.
- Stay at range. All of Ash’s attacks require him to be close, and though it’s not easy to back away considering you’re both in a small pit, staying out of sword’s reach is a good general principle. Fire bolts into his head and only try swordplay if there’s no other option.
- Be aware of your stamina. With every attack Ash throws being heavy ones, the last thing you want is to be out of energy for dodging. Use light attacks, sprint rarely, and make sure there’s always something in the tank – if you run out of stamina, you’re vulnerable.
- If Evil Ash summons skeletons, kill them fast. A single hit will either destroy them or leave them vulnerable to takedown – either way, you don’t want to be overwhelmed by numbers. Clear them out ASAP so they can’t pick your health away.
- Evil Ash’s standard sword combo is a hard-to-dodge nightmare. It can land three distinct and deadly blows on the player, each one shredding your health bar. We find the best thing to do is dodge under and past him on the first attack, then sprint in the opposite direction past him. That being said, the narrow confines of the pit will still make it difficult. And the choke grapple power… we have no idea how to avoid that. It seems to come out of nowhere and it can’t be dodged or blocked. Aside from our first point about keeping at range, there’s very little you can do except heal the moment it drops you below 50%.
This is a fight of attrition – make sure to burn up your Amulets and Cola as and when you need them (i.e., the moment your shields are gone and your health is below 50% respectively). Hopefully you’ll persevere and get what you deserve!
Mission 5 Rewards
For completing the Homecoming King mission, you’ll get the following prizes:
- Lord Arthur (Leader Survivor)
- Knowby Recording 5
It’s also likely that you’ll have access to the sixth mission, when it’s released. At time of writing there’s no indication on when that’ll be, but hopefully completing this one will let you play it the moment it’s provided.
