Jahandar the manticore is the first major boss you’ll face in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. You’ll have met other named mini-bosses, but Jahandar is the first you’ll have to really prepare for before you fight.
Our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown guide will help you prepare for the Jahandar boss fight with health and weapon upgrades, and then walk you through the steps on how to defeat him.
How to prepare for the Jahandar boss fight
At this point in the game, you’ve got access to some upgrades to help you out in your fight against Jahandar. In the Haven, hit up the Mage at the Magi Emporium to grab:
- An additional healing potion for 500 time crystals (if you haven’t gotten it already).
After you find Menolias (and get the bow and chakram), a new door will open in The Haven that leads you to Kaheva’s Forge. There, you can upgrade your weapons and amulets:
- Upgrade your swords. With one azure Damascus ingot (that you should’ve picked up on your way back to Haven) and 325 time crystals, you can get the Qays & Layla +1 upgrade for a slight increase in sword damage.
- 450 time crystals will get you the Blessing +1 upgrade for your Blessing amulet that will give you some extra temporary health.
- Arslan’s Glory +1 gets you increased melee attack power (while at full health) for 375 time crystals.
While you’re there, if you haven’t visited Artaban yet, head up to his training grounds and brush up on defensive options — specifically, dodging — and parrying. They’ll both come in handy during the fight.
How to beat the Jahandar boss fight
Jahandar the manticore is not an overly exacting fight — you’re already familiar with most of his moves and your reactions — but he is tougher and hits harder than the (mini-)bosses you’ve faced before.
For the first phase of the fight — which lasts for about a third of his health bar — you’ll just need to watch out for swipes with his claws and tail, and a pouncing attack. When he flies up to the top of the screen, watch for his shadow on the ground. When it stops moving, slide out of the way.
Keep an eye out for his yellow eye charge attack. He’ll back up, and then rush toward you. Parry this attack at the last second to deal a good chunk of damage.
After you’ve drained about a third of his health, he’ll deliver a villain monologue from the top of a pillar. After that, he’ll add a few new attacks to his repertoire. The first is an evil spell — the glowing purple orb — that floats above you, dealing damage. Take it out with your bow or chakram.
The second new attack is a tail attack where he plunges his scorpion tail into the ground, creating a pool of poison. After a moment, the end of his tail will pop up out of the ground. Watch the ground near the poison pool, and you’ll see a green spark showing where his tail will come up — dodge out of the way to avoid it.
He will also occasionally spray poisonous stingers from his tail. You can parry them or just jump over them, but a better approach is to slide under the stingers toward Jahandar. That’ll put you in position to land a few hits before his next attack.
Use your Athra surges whenever you can — they can disrupt attacks like the evil spell — and make sure you parry the yellow eye attacks whenever you can. Keep dealing damage when you can, and you’ll soon best the manticore.
Jahandar boss fight rewards
After the fight, you’ll get 350 time crystals and a soma tree flower that increases your max health. In the next room to the right, you’ll find the Rush of the Simurgh that gives you the ability to dash horizontally through the air — and unlocks new traversal options to further explore Mount Qaf.
For more Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown guides, see our list of amulet locations, learn where to unlock fast travel spots, and get tips on how to solve the water wheel puzzle in the Lower City.