Kill the Sorceress!

Chapter 1 - Cannon Patterns

After completing the text interaction with Agent 9 at the beginning of the fight, cannons will begin to spawn randomly around the arena. There are five fixed drop points for these cannons - later referred to as Cannon A, Cannon B, Cannon C, Cannon D, and Cannon E, respectively. A maximum total of three airborne cannons may be spawned at one time.

A diagram depicting the beginning of the fight. The sorceress is in the center of the arena, and cannons A through E are at equally spaced points around the edge of the arena, arranged clockwise in alphabetical order. The initial dialogue takes place near cannon E's drop point.
Cannon Drop Points (Specific)

Finding the First Cannon

Identifying the cannon pattern is very useful in that it creates a certain amount of predictability for the first cannon. Namely, the first cannon to drop may be predicted based on which pattern is represented. All of the listed patterns are equally likely.

Table 1: Initial Cannon Drop
PatternABCDEDrop
1✖✖⭕Cannon C
2✖✖⭕Cannon D
3✖✖⭕Cannon E
4✖✖⭕Cannon D
5✖⭕✖Cannon C
6✖⭕✖Cannon D
7✖✖⭕Cannon D
8✖⭕✖Cannon C
9✖⭕✖Cannon D
10✖⭕✖Cannon D

Theoretical initial cannon drop probabilities:

  • Cannon A and Cannon B - 0%
  • Cannon C - 30%
  • Cannon D - 60%
  • Cannon E - 10%

There are conditional statements composed from the data in Table 1 that collectively predict the first cannon drop. They are listed below.

Rule 1. If Cannon D is present, then Cannon D will drop.
Rule 2. If Cannon D is absent, but Cannon C is present, then Cannon C will drop.
Rule 3. If both Cannon C and Cannon D are absent, then Cannon E will drop.
A diagram depicting a pattern to which rule 1 applies. Cannons C, D, and E have spawned, so Cannon D is marked as the one that will drop.
Cannon I - Drop Prediction (Rule 1)

Following Agent 9

After the first cannon has been dropped, the direction Agent 9 moves (left or right) is also predictable based on which cannon spawn pattern is represented.

Table 2: Agent 9 Movement
PatternABCDELR
1✖✖✖✔
2✖✖✖✔
3✖✖✖✔
4✖✖✖✔
5✖✖✖✔
6✖✖✖✔
7✖✖✖✔
8✖✖✖✔
9✖✖✖✔
10✖✖✖✔

Theoretical Agent 9 movement probabilities:

  • Left - 40%
  • Right - 60%

There are conditional statements composed from the data in Table 2 that collectively predict the movement of Agent 9 after the first cannon drop. They are listed below.

Rule 1. If the two remaining airborne cannons are spaced differently relative to the dropped cannon, then Agent 9 will move in the direction of the closest one.
Rule 2. If the two remaining airborne cannons are spaced equally relative to the dropped cannon, then Agent 9 will move in the opposite direction from which he approached the dropped cannon.
A diagram depicting a pattern to which rule 1 applies. Cannons C, B, and A have spawned; Agent 9 will drop Cannon C and then move towards Cannon B, since it's closer than Cannon A.
Agent 9 - Directional Interest Prediction (Rule 1)

Putting It All Together

After completing the text interaction with Agent 9 at the beginning of the fight, move to the outer ring of the arena and position Spyro so that he's directly behind the Cannon D drop point and facing the center of the arena. Move the camera through the arena (with L2/R2) so that the spawn points for Cannon A, Cannon B, Cannon C, and Cannon E are visible and interpret the pattern either explicitly or implicitly using the information above.

Once it's clear which cannon is going to be dropped first, move to the drop point of that cannon and wait for Agent 9 to initiate the drop.