Short Answer

Black Loong is a secret Chapter 2 Loong boss behind the sand waterfall near Fright Cliff - Rockrest Flat. Get Loong Scales from the Flowing Sands cave route, open the waterfall door, and treat the fight as a lightning arena check rather than a straight damage race. Save the raised rocks for the mace-pounding lightning waves, then punish after the waves end or after slow mace swings fully recover.

When This Guide Helps

Use this guide if you can see the sand waterfall but do not know what opens it, or if Black Loong’s lightning pulses keep hitting you after otherwise clean dodges. The boss is optional, but it is part of the hidden Loong chain and gives useful crafting materials, so it is worth learning once your Chapter 2 route is stable.

Route And Unlock Context

Black Loong is in Fright Cliff - Hidden Loong Cavern. From Rockrest Flat, climb toward the sand waterfall, interact with it after obtaining Loong Scales, and enter the door behind it.

The important prerequisite is Loong Scales from the Chapter 2 cave route near the First Prince of Flowing Sands arena. If you have not opened that route yet, handle the Flowing Sands wall and return later. Do not spend time searching for Black Loong before the key item is in your inventory.

Core Mechanics

Black Loong fights with paired maces and wide lightning coverage. The melee strings are slower than Tiger Vanguard’s pressure, but the arena attack is much more punishing: when Black Loong pounds the ground, lightning waves spread through the arena and can catch repeated panic rolls.

The raised rocks are your safest answer to that sequence. Stand on one when the lightning wave starts, wait for the pattern to finish, then leave the rock before Black Loong’s body or mace swings collapse your spacing. Do not lure the boss into those rocks or spend big area tools into them by accident.

Moves To Respect

Respect the mace slam series. The windup is readable, but the follow-through covers a wide area, so hit once or twice and roll sideways before the mace lands.

Respect the lightning-wave setup. If Black Loong starts pounding the ground, stop attacking and reach a rock. Pillar Stance is not a reliable replacement for the arena rocks here.

Respect the post-wave greed trap. When the lightning ends, you get a real punish window, but Black Loong can resume heavy swings quickly. Spend Focus or a Spirit only if you reached the boss early.

Fight Plan

  1. Enter only after Loong Scales open the sand waterfall route.
  2. Keep the fight near open floor and away from the raised rocks until the wave attack begins.
  3. Punish mace windups lightly, then dodge sideways rather than backward.
  4. When the lightning waves start, climb a rock and wait out the sequence.
  5. Use Pluck of Many, a Spirit, or a heavy stance punish after the wave ends, not while the arena is still active.

Smash and Thrust Stance both work because Black Loong’s recoveries are long enough for deliberate heavy attacks. Bring a lightning-status answer if the status pressure is making every mistake too expensive.

A burst Spirit is useful after a completed mace string or lightning-wave sequence. Save transformations for a clean window; transforming while the boss is still pounding the arena usually wastes the form on defense.

Common Mistakes

  • Looking for the boss before getting Loong Scales.
  • Breaking or abandoning the raised rocks before the lightning-wave sequence.
  • Treating Pillar Stance as a full answer to the arena pulses.
  • Chasing damage during the mace-pounding animation instead of using the rock window.
  • Spending every cooldown early and having nothing ready after the long wave attack.

Quality Check Before You Move On

You are ready to continue the Loong chain when you can open the sand waterfall deliberately, keep at least one rock usable for lightning waves, and punish Black Loong after finished sequences instead of trading into the arena attack.

FAQ

How do I unlock Black Loong?

Get Loong Scales from the Chapter 2 Flowing Sands cave route, then return to Fright Cliff - Rockrest Flat and interact with the sand waterfall.

Should I use the rocks in the arena?

Yes. The rocks are the safest answer to Black Loong’s lightning-wave attack. Protect them until that sequence begins.

What does Black Loong reward?

Important rewards include Loong Pearl, Thunderbone, Refined Iron Sand, and Mind Core, all useful for broader weapon and upgrade planning.

Sources

  • How to Beat Black Loong guide

    Route, lightning-wave mechanics, arena rock advice, stance notes, and reward reference for Black Loong.