How do you defeat Harper in Black Ops 7? The entire Joint Special Operations Command squad goes through a tough time during the campaign as they’re all forced to relive their worst memories. Harper, played by Michael Rooker, loses control of his emotions during his flashback, transforming him into a mindless giant.
It’s not every day that you get to fight against a giant version of one of your squadmates, let alone someone as mouthy as the incomparable Michael Rooker. This is one of the big boss battles during the Black Ops 7 campaign that you may have trouble against, but with the right strategy, you can easily bring him back down to size. Taking place during Fracture, the seventh mission on the Black Ops 7 missions list, you don’t have to wait much longer before you unlock the Endgame mode.
Harper boss fight strategy
Just like the fight against The Nightmare in Black Ops 7, we highly recommend using the Grapple Hook minor ability, along with the Crash Cart major ability to resurrect your teammates if they get downed. The Grapple Hook is one of the best abilities in the game when it comes to avoiding the explosives Rooker loves to throw out.
First phase
Right from the jump, Harper is vulnerable to your gunfire, giving you plenty of time to start raining down bullets on his face. You can use any of the Black Ops 7 weapons to deal damage to him, but we recommend using the light machine guns, sniper rifles, and anti-vehicle RPGs which can be found as ground loot.
His main two attacks in the first phase consist of an AoE slam, which forces you to jump over a pulsing shockwave, and a barrage of bombs that he fires at you using his deadly, steamy breath. The easiest way to avoid taking damage is to stand on any of the objects spread across the battlefield, negating his AoE attack entirely. You won’t need to move far away from your platform until the second phase, and you can make your way back there once Rooker returns.
The bomb attack forces you to move from your position, but it’s easy to tell the difference between the two as Harper slowly pulls his hand into the air before slamming down on the ground to produce a shockwave. After you’ve taken away a quarter of his health bar, he will fall to the ground, forcing you to deal with a wave of infected mobs.
Second phase
While the infected mobs are spawning, you can find helpful items locked away in crates close to where Harper was dishing out his attacks. This will give you the opportunity to switch to something more effective, in addition to scoring a Self-Revive Kit just in case you do get knocked out during the fight.
After clearing the enemies, Rooker will reappear, which means it’s time to stand on one of the nearby platforms and continue to blast him with your weapons. In addition to his bomb attack, Rooker also gains a mortar strike that rains down deadly explosives onto your location. Unlike the bomb attack, the mortar strike shows an outline of exactly where it’s going to hit, giving you plenty of time to dodge out of the way.
Third phase
Rooker’s final trick once you get him down to a third of his life is to unleash a red gas cloud that surrounds the arena, forcing you to move closer to him. You should be able to see a red outline highlighting where you need to move to avoid taking damage. Make your way towards him, and keep an eye out for a spot with a platform you can both jump onto and use as cover.
His attacks become much more lethal during this phase, and now that you’re closer to him, they’re also harder to avoid. This is where the Grapple Hook really shines; alternatively, you can use Flicker to zoom past any incoming projectiles. Other than that, the strategy remains the same: stay on a platform to avoid the shockwaves and continue to shoot at him until his health bar depletes.
Using the strategy we’ve outlined, you should have no problems defeating Harper in Black Ops 7. Defeating bosses is all well and good, but what everyone really cares about is looking fly as hell on the battlefield. Give our Black Ops 7 mastery camo guide a read once you’re done with the campaign to see what skins you can unlock.
