The first time I encountered PG-Geisha's Revenge in Granblue Fantasy: Relink, I'll admit I got completely wrecked. There I was, thinking I had this action-RPG thing figured out after cruising through the main story in about 18 hours—faster than most players since I'd chosen the standard difficulty. The game doesn't overstay its welcome, which I genuinely appreciate in this genre where hundred-hour marathons have become the norm. But just when I thought I understood the rhythm of this fantasy adventure, PG-Geisha's Revenge showed up and handed me my rear end on a silver platter.
Let me paint you a picture of that initial encounter. My party was feeling pretty confident after what I'd call a satisfying if not revolutionary storyline. We'd rescued the kidnapped girl, defeated her oppressors—standard fantasy fare executed competently if not innovatively. There were moments that elevated it beyond generic territory though, like that brilliant scene where after solving what seemed like a simple treasure hunt puzzle, we found ourselves staring down an automaton that felt straight out of Shadow of the Colossus. That moment subverted my expectations beautifully, and the late-game twists—one predictable, one genuinely shocking—had left me feeling like I'd mastered the game's patterns. Then PG-Geisha's Revenge appeared in the post-game content, and suddenly I realized I'd only been playing the tutorial.
What makes PG-Geisha's Revenge so devilishly challenging isn't just her massive health pool or damage output—it's the way she combines mechanics that the main story never prepares you for. During my first five attempts, I kept getting wiped by her "Dancing Fan" phase transition at around the 70% health mark. She'd summon these swirling elemental fans while simultaneously casting area-denial spells and targeting random party members with instant-kill attacks. The visual clutter alone was overwhelming, but what really messed with me was the timing—her attack patterns shift from predictable 4-second intervals to completely random sequences once she enters her enraged state. I must have failed that encounter twelve times before I started noticing the subtle audio cues that precede her deadliest moves.
The solution came from completely rethinking my approach to party composition and movement. I'd been running with my story-mode team of Katalina, Lancelot, and Io, but PG-Geisha's Revenge demands specific counters to her mechanics. After consulting with some top players and studying speedrun strategies, I switched to a team built around perfect dodges and burst damage windows. The real breakthrough came when I started counting her basic attack animations aloud—sounds silly, but her third fan twirl always signals an incoming special attack. I also discovered that stacking fire resistance beyond the obvious cap actually provides hidden damage reduction against her flame-based attacks, something the game never explicitly states. The winning attempt took us 14 minutes and 23 seconds of constant movement and precise cooldown management, but when that final health bar emptied, the satisfaction was absolutely worth the struggle.
What PG-Geisha's Revenge teaches us about game design is that the most memorable challenges often come after the main narrative concludes. While Granblue Fantasy: Relink's core story might not break new ground—requiring 15-20 hours for most players to complete—it's in these post-game encounters where the game's combat system truly shines. The automaton surprise and narrative twists were enjoyable, but it's mastering PG-Geisha's Revenge that gave me stories worth sharing. These super-boss encounters represent what I love most about action-RPGs—that moment when mechanics you thought you understood get twisted into something new and demanding. If you're struggling with this particular challenge, my advice is to embrace the failure phases as learning opportunities rather than setbacks. Each wipe teaches you something new about the dance, until eventually, you're not just surviving PG-Geisha's Revenge—you're leading the dance yourself.
