How to defeat Protected Esselings in Infinity Nikki

As you explore the world of Miraland in Infinite Nikkiyou will likely encounter not only Esselings, but also Shielded Esselings. As you traverse the game's vast open world and collect the abundance of Bling and Whimstars crafting materials needed to create each of the game's outfits Esselings are sure to appear in the wild at some of the most random timeswhich will make Nikki need to adopt her combat skills. While Esselings can be defeated with a direct Purification attack, Armored Esselings may require a little more effort.

Armored Esselings have the appearance of normal Esselings, but instead of appearing bare-bellied like the others, you'll see them covering their torsos with a round, Viking-style wooden shield. The shield provides a layer of protection that is impossible to overcome with just one Purification strike. These Esselings will generally be the last types of Esseling you attempt to defeat in any Esselling groups you encounter during your adventures exploring Miraland. While they may seem a little confusing to beat at first, there are a number of actions you can take to make combat against Shielded Esselings easier.

Where to find protected Esselings

Usually found in groups

Protected Esselings can appear in any Esseling set encounter in Infinite Nikkialthough you can only find one when exploring Chapter 3 of the game when you first arrive in Stoneville, where you will also find the Inspiration lit search. THE Shielded Esselings will appear throughout Miraland in many areas. Therefore, whenever you encounter a group of Esselings, be prepared to fight not only the normal ones, but also one or a few of the Protected Esselings.

Additionally, a useful element of the soundtrack in Infinite Nikki is that an exclusive piece of music plays as soon as Nikki is next to or encounters some Esselings, quickly becoming a recognizable motif for players.

How to beat Armored Esselings

Best way to combat protected Esselings

The easiest way to defeat Shielded Esselings in Infinite Nikki It's more obvious than you might think. The process requires no alternative abilities and simply involves you sneaking past the Shielded Esseling to a side of them that is not covered by the shield, where you can hit them with Purification and defeat them immediately.

Another way to defeat Shielded Esselings is to unlock Whim Fragranceswhich can break your shields. To unlock the fragrance, you need to explore caves in Miraland, where you will find the ingredients to create different Whim fragrances in the Heart of Infinity. You will then need to equip them with Infinite Nikkiof the Purification Outfit so you can use them in combat.

The two best Whim fragrances for combat are Citrus Burst, which will become the Summer Breeze fragrance and Forest Whisperwhich will become the Immersed In Thoughts fragrance. With these two fragrances equipped in Infinite NikkiYou can break a Shielded Esseling's shield just by running close to it.