Walter Lanford is a one-phase boss tied to the House Serkis faction questline in Hernand, fought inside Fort Warspike. He fights almost entirely with a shotgun, mixing close-range blasts with smoke grenades that let him reposition and unleash a wide projectile attack. The fight rewards reactive play over aggression, and the cleanest answer is to turn his own bullets back on him.
Where to find Walter Lanford
Walter Lanford spawns at Fort Warspike, located west of Hernand and north of Witch Woods. He will not appear at the fort until you have made progress in the House Serkis Faction quest in Hernand, which builds toward the encounter "The Nemesis' Demise." Liberating Bleed Bandit camps and clearing other Hernand faction quests speeds up unlocking that step.
When you arrive, head straight to the main fort building. You can ignore the surrounding bandits if you want to save resources for the boss itself.
Move set and openings
| Attack | What it does | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard shotgun blast | Fast, close-range pellets fired when you are in his line of sight. | Guard or dodge sideways. Pellets cannot be parried, so dodging is safer. |
| Dash reposition | Walter dashes back to keep distance and reset his angle. | Close the gap with Blinding Flash Finishers (L1+R1+R2). |
| Aerial smoke leap | He leaps up and fires into the air, raining projectiles down on your position. | This is the cue for Nature's Snare Retribution. Redirect the shots back at him. |
| Smoke grenade | Drops smoke to evade and reset, often followed by a heavy shotgun pattern. | Move out of the smoke, then prepare Nature's Snare Retribution for his next big attack. |
The core strategy: Nature's Snare Retribution
The fight is built around a single read. When Walter throws smoke or leaps into the air, he is committing to a heavy shotgun attack. That window is exactly when Nature's Snare Retribution shines, since the skill catches incoming projectiles inside a barrier and sends them back as damage.
Step 1: Stay at mid range and watch for the smoke grenade or the upward leap. These are the only telegraphs you need to track to survive cleanly.
Step 2: The moment the smoke appears, move out of the cloud and cast Nature's Snare Retribution toward Walter. The barrier will absorb his pellet spread and reflect it.
Step 3: For his normal point-blank shotgun shots, do not try to reflect them. Guard or dodge instead. They fire too quickly to react with a skill, and trying to parry pellets does not work.
Step 4: Repeat the loop until his health bar empties. Done correctly, the reflected shots can carry the entire fight without you taking meaningful damage.
Melee alternative
If you prefer to pressure him directly, Walter's biggest weakness is his reliance on distance. Every time he dashes away, use a Blinding Flash Finisher (L1+R1+R2) to cover ground and stagger him. Once he is staggered, follow up with Blinding Flash and chain into a Blinding Flash Finisher for a heavy damage burst.
Lean on dodges rather than parries throughout, and bring a stack of healing food. He hits hard, but he is a one-phase fight, so a steady rotation of stagger plus finisher will close it out without much risk.
Drops and reward
| Drop | Notes |
|---|---|
| Golden Piggy Bank | Key item. Using it returns you to the title screen, and on your next login you receive Light Copper Pouches based on offline time, capped at 365 pouches. |
| Dane Shotgun | Walter's signature weapon. |
| Rhonda Leather Boots | Armor piece reward. |
The Golden Piggy Bank is the main reason most players come for this fight. After the kill, open your inventory, switch to the Key Items tab, and use it only when you are ready to stop playing for a while, since activating it kicks you back to the title screen.
How to confirm the fight is done
Once Walter falls, the quest tracker for "The Nemesis' Demise" updates to "Obtain the artifact." Loot his body, then continue the House Serkis storyline with Marquis Serkis to wrap up the questline. The Golden Piggy Bank will be sitting in your Key Items menu immediately after the encounter.