U4GM Guide to Kill Matriarch With Trailblazer Grenades

Anyone who's been farming Stella Montis since the November patch knows the Matriarch isn't "just another boss." She's a walking noise complaint with rockets that seem to bend around corners, and she'll punish sloppy positioning fast. I started seeing people talk about stocking up like it's a shopping trip—Trailblazer grenades, not a new rifle—and even folks who normally just buy ARC Raiders Coins for convenience were suddenly asking, "Wait, can this actually work."

Pre-buff, Trailblazer felt like a novelty. You'd toss it, get a little gas trail, watch the ticks, shrug, move on. After the Cold Snap buffs, the trail lasts longer and the ignition hits harder, which changes the whole point of the fight. You're not trying to out-DPS her with a gun. You're trying to make the arena do the damage for you. That means you're thinking about angles, choke points, and where she's going to stomp next, not where your crosshair is sitting.

If you try this in the open, it falls apart. Her adds—Wasps and Leapers—don't politely wait their turn. They wrap around, shove you off your line, and now your "carefully placed" trail is just a messy scribble. You want tight terrain: Spaceport underground is a favourite, and the launch tower areas can work if you control the approach. The goal is simple: kite her into a lane, drop trails where she has to move, then ignite when she's committed.

Here's the part most clips don't explain well. With shields up, the numbers are fine, nothing magical—think a few thousand on the plates if you're landing it clean. The swing happens when you break that face plate and the red core is exposed. Stack trails, let her step into them, then pop ignition when she's right on top of the burn line. Done right, the chain reaction spikes way higher and you can feel the health bar finally budge. It's not quick—solo clears can take around ten minutes—but it's steady, and it doesn't demand you hoard heavy ammo.

You pay for this strat in inventory and in mistakes. Carrying big stacks of grenades eats your space, so you're lighter on meds and you're not looting much until she's down. Self-damage is also very real; one lazy ignite near your feet and you're crawling. Bring a dependable add-clear weapon and treat Trailblazers like boss-only tools. If you stick with it, the rewards feel worth the hassle—XP, reactor drops, and a weird satisfaction from winning with a pile of throwables instead of the usual meta grind, even if you grabbed cheap ARC Raiders Coins earlier to speed up the prep.