The Matriarch

Base HP	Stage HP
700	0

Ingame Appearance

Entity ID
413.0

Found In
Boss




Degraded Boss

Dropped Items
Boss

Unlock Method
Defeat ??? as 6 different characters

The Matriarch is a boss added in Booster Pack #5 of The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth † that can appear:

• In all environments of Chapter 4 ( The Womb, Utero, Scarred Womb).
• Only in The Womb and the Scarred Womb.

Behavior

Phase 1

The Matriarch hops randomly around the room and performs the following attacks

• Spawns a Fistuloid that either orbits her or chases Isaac, and can have up to a maximum of 4 out at once.
  • Only 1 Fistuloid can chase Isaac at a time. If the Fistuloid that chases Isaac is killed, one of the remaining ones stops orbiting the Matriarch and starts chasing Isaac.
  • The Matriarch loses 30 HP each time she spawns a Fistuloid. If this would cause her to change phases, The Matriarch is unable to create Fistuloids.
• Jumps and launches 8 Chubber shots in all directions, which rebound back to herself.
  • Spawned Fistuloids chase Isaac less aggressively and refrain from attacking during this attack.
• Spawns two small Fistulas once she takes 140 damage, and 2 more every 100 damage afterward.
  • Reduced to 1 small Fistula for the first 2 spawns.
• Spews a large long-range blood projectile towards Isaac that leaves Red Creep on the ground, similar to Mr. Fred.
  • This projectile can damage and bounce off of Fistuloids she has spawned.

Phase 2

After taking 340 damage, the Matriarch rapidly spawns waves of glowing red Fistuloids that have 20 HP and quickly lose health, causing them to shoot their maggots almost immediately.

• She now gains this attack as apart of this phase.
  • If there are any orbiting Fistuloids while The Matriarch is performing this attack, they start glowing red and become apart of this attack.

Phase 3

When at low HP (after taking ~540 damage), The Matriarch splits into a medium-sized Fistula, 2 small Fistulas, a Fistuloid, and turns into a low HP Chub. Any Fistuloids that were orbiting the Matriarch continue to orbit her Chub form.

• The Matriarch as Chub always spawns charging in a random direction, regardless of Isaac's position, before returning to the normal Chub pattern, similar to the Chargers spawned by Sloth.
• If the Matriarch eats a Bomb during her charge attack, she spits it back out at Isaac.
  • Most bomb modifiers are still be on the bomb, except for Bomber Boy.
• The Matriarch as Chub never appears as a Champion.

Notes

• The Matriarch is unique in being twice as common than other Boss Room Bosses in the Scarred Womb boss pool, but only 1/4th as common as other Boss Room bosses in The Womb.
  • This makes her the only boss in the game to have a boss weight higher than 1 on any floor.
  • This also makes her the only boss to have a special weight which isn't an alternative variant of another boss on the same floor.

Gallery

• 

  The Matriarch in-game.

• 

  The Matriarch as one of Delirium's forms.

• 

  Concept art for the Matriarch by _Kilburn.

Trivia

• The Matriarch appears to be a Chub stuck inside a Fistula. In this way, it also acts as a giant Fistuloid.
  • As Chub also appears to be a grown up Charger, the Matriarch could be a Charger inside a Fistula that outgrew its capacity.
• Her behavior is similar to that of The Duke of Flies.
• The Matriarch is the only boss added in a booster pack.

Booster Packs
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5