He's kicking my butt all over the room and I'm not good enough at dodging all his attacks to do hit and runs for 10 minutes. Are there any classes, spells, runes, or strategies that are well suited to taking him out?
What’s a good strategy for defeating the Tower boss, Ponce de Leon
rogue-legacy
Best Answer
A Sprint Rune or the ADHD trait (+30% speed) help against bosses. The Shinobi class comes with this extra speed by default. You also should take a Vault Rune (double jump); maybe even two. Two vault runes gives you unprecedented mobility throughout the game. (FYI Sky Cape gives two jumps)
Avoid Gigantism because it makes it harder to dodge flames. Also avoid Dwarfism because it makes it harder to safely hit Ponce. Vampirism/Siphon/Balance runes are great for keeping topped up before the boss fight, but in the case of Ponce de Leon, they are useless during the boss fight itself. (They however viable against the Dungeon boss, and great against the Forest boss)
If you're early in the game, a an upgraded Barbaian (Barbarian King) might be best because of his shout ability; it clears the flames if you get cornered. He also has lots of health so you have more chances if you mistakenly run into a flame.
If you have the upgraded Knave (Assassin), then you can use his sneak ability to simply walk through flames in a tight spot; his ability ALSO can be used to evade Ponce himself! With some Damage/Crit Chance/Crit Damage manor upgrades, he will make very quick work of any boss.
An upgraded Shinobi (Hokage) can also teleport/flash/blink through the flames. If you have quick reflexes, a Shinobi's Replacement Technique is the most mana effective dodge. He also does far and above the most damage in the game before you start maxing manor upgrades and acquiring gear (by then an Assassin or Spellblade are heavier hitting).