Progressing through the managers in Neon Abyss is pretty straightforward – until you get to Ares.
The fourth boss – or ‘manager’ – of the game, Ares won’t automatically appear. Unless you find a specific item – something called the Token of Violence – your run through the dungeon will end with a fight with Zeus. Here’s how to find the Token of Violence and face Ares in Neon Abyss.
Annoyingly, the Token of Violence is an item that randomly drops. This is a Roguelike game after all; what did you expect? There’s no way to guarantee finding the Token of Violence, but thankfully its drop rate is pretty high. There’s one caveat though: you need to head to the Temple of Sacrifice and sacrifice a heart. Likely more than once.
As you play through Neon Abyss, you’ll fill either a Violence or Wisdom meter. The Violence meter fills by taking damage, or by damaging crystal-activated items then getting hurt on them. Once the Violence meter is filled, a new area will unlock on your map. Fast-travel to it at a waypoint, and you’ll be able to sacrifice a heart in exchange for a choice of items.
In your quest to face Ares, each time you sacrifice a heart and choose an upgrade, there’s a chance for the Token of Violence to drop. It’ll appear on the floor of the Temple of Sacrifice. Pick it up and it will add to your loadout, although it has no effect.
The Temple of Sacrifice – the place you head to when your Violence meter is full – is the only place the Token of Violence will drop. You need to sacrifice a heart and select an item before it’ll appear. Perhaps you’ll be lucky and find the token on your first attempt; maybe you’ll have to fill your Violence meter and sacrifice a heart a few times.
If you don’t find the Token of Violence in Neon Abyss, your run will end on a fight with Zeus. If you do have it, you’ll move on to another dungeon. You’ll have to clear your way through usual enemies before facing Ares.
Ares himself isn’t difficult – especially as by the time you fight him, you’ll likely have an impressive arsenal of skills. One thing, though: if you have a flying ability, you can’t use it here.
