Cuphead DLC: How to beat Esther Winchester

The wild west renegade Esther Winchester is the shoot 'em up boss in Cuphead's The Delicious Last Course DLC. There are four stages to this steer's fight that must be completed in order to subdue her. Here are some ideas and methods for defeating Esther Winchester in Cuphead.

Tips to defeat Esther Winchester – Phase 1

The most action is in Esther's first phase, so make sure to keep shooting at her throughout the fight. She will primarily throw two bottles of snake oil your way. You may have to avoid these more than once since they will twirl in the air before they cross the screen. Move away from Esther if she begins to wind her lasso, to the top or bottom of the screen. As you can see in the image above, she will drag a cactus across the screen to obscure a portion of the combat. You can still use the plane's bombs if she is higher than you until she releases the cactus.

During this stage, two other animals will cause havoc. A vulture will occasionally drop a package of dynamite, to start. When it strikes the ground, this will release two waves of explosives: a trio and a pair. Be prepared to weave and bob until the entire bundle is complete. Lastly, the screen might be crossed by a flying horse. This can be shot down, but if you don't react quickly enough, a spiked ball will be spit in your general direction. This can occasionally be parried because it will turn pink.

Tips to defeat Esther Winchester – Phase 2

In the second phase, which involves repeating the first two stages, Esther takes out a vacuum. She will first smuggle in cash bags, gold bars, and loose change. You might need to press the plane's shrink button because there is a lot on the screen to avoid. She will vacuum before dropping a number of safes on the floor. The same stuff she just obtained will subsequently be shot out by them, albeit occasionally one or two pieces can be parried. The vacuum will then be started once more, repeating the process.

Tips to defeat Esther Winchester – Phase 3

For process three, Esther literally gets sucked up into the vacuum and made into sausage. She only has one attack during this period, which is to spit forth a steak that loops over the screen. You may be able to parry this occasionally, but for the most part, you'll want to move quickly to keep firing at the boss. Bean cans will also fly across the screen when this is happening. Flying by the open side will result in the beans actually lashing out at you, so make sure to give a wider berth.

Tips to defeat Esther Winchester – Phase 4

Phase four will culminate with a can of sausages. During this stage, the two strings never cease firing, so to avoid hitting the open spaces in the sausage link, you'll need to move both up and down as well as back and forth. A wave of peppers will likewise spew out of the can. If you can, parry the pink one, but be sure to fly between them as they spread out.