Summary
One of the best aspects ofPath of Exile 2is its boss design. The bosses of Act 3 are another step up in difficulty from the previous Act, and they will test the player on both their first playthrough and again on Cruel difficulty. Players will want to persevere through the challenge though, as these bosses are the ones standing between them andPath of Exile 2’s end game.
Not every boss in this latter chapter is a stand-out, but even the optional bosses tend to be worth fighting for their rewards, at least. If players want to know which bosses to target for their permanent buffs, look no further. This topic ranks allPath of Exile 2’s Act 3 bosses according to how memorable they are, how rewarding they are, and how tough they are to beat.
While there are 14 entries on this topic, players will only fight 12 (optional and mandatory) bosses in Act 3. That’s because the Trial of Chaos bosses can spawn in any order, so players could end up fighting any one of the three options on their first run.
14Rootdredge
Volatile Summoner
One of the first areas players will visit in Act 3 is the Sandswept Marsh. Rootdredge is the optional boss there, and while it’s not too difficult to overcome, it has some attacks that can catch out unaware players. The main things the boss will do are firing slow-moving, explosive projectiles, and summoning waves of zombie minions.
Dealing with the adds quickly is a good strategy, as the boss will use its minions as weapons. It can detonate the zombies, and their corpses, which can be deadly if the player is caught in multiple explosions. Staying mobile while whittling down the boss makes this fight relatively simple, as long as the player avoids the pools of movement-slowing quicksand.
13Blackjaw The Remnant
The Fire Keeper
Blackjaw can output a ton of physical and fire damage, but it’s not a particularly fun fight, and his moveset is limited. The main challenge is that the boss’s slam attack, both his leap slam and repeated melee slam, can dealenough damage to one-shot a lot of builds. His fire damage is less of a problem unless players end up getting caught by a point-blank flame breath attack.
Staying close to the boss, so the player can quickly dodge to its back, will avoid most of the big damage in this fight. The reward, at least, is worth the effort, as it grants a permanent 10% buff to fire resistance.
12Xyclucian, The Chimera
Multi Elemental Threat
Xyclucian, the Chimera is an early mandatory boss in Act 3, blocking the player’s path to Jiquani’s Machinarium in the Chimeral Wetlands. It’s an interesting fight, as the boss will use all three elements, as well as poison damage, to attack the player. That can make the fight a challenge if players don’t have balanced resistances.
The boss will fly around the arena at points, making it difficult to always deal consistent damage. When the boss lands on the stone platforms around the arena, however, the player can attack the platforms to knock the boss down, opening it up for big damage opportunities. Defeating the boss not only opens the way forward, but it also grants an Ultimatum, the key to accessing the Trials of Chaos. Players can grab their second two passive points for theirAscendancy classthere in this act.
11Mighty Silverfist
Colossal Slams
Mighty Silverfist is a large, multi-armed gorilla-like boss who wields a huge stone pillar as a weapon. Players who come across this optional boss in the Jungle Ruins in Act 3 are likely to be caught unaware of the huge amount of physical damage this boss can do. The boss has several variations of slam attack with huge AoE that can output a healthbar’s worth of damage from range.
Staying close to the boss isn’t easy either, as its regular swipes deal a ton of damage, and its forward roll can catch the player model, pushing them and multi-hitting them to death. Players with high physical resistance will have an easier time but still have to dodge the slam attacks. Conversely, players who need mobility might struggle, as the ruin-strewn arena makes movement and targeting awkward. Every player will want to beat this optional boss, though, the reward of twopassive skill pointsis too good to pass up.
10Ignagduk The Bog Witch
The Witch Of Fire And Bones
Players that rely on Spirit for their build, like theminion-focused Witch, will likely rush to Ignagduk as soon as they can in Act 3. This optional boss drops a permanent buff of 30 Spirit, which roughly equates to an extra summon, or buff skill. This makes the boss appealing for most players, but especially for spirit-based classes. Ignagduk is no push-over though, dealing high fire damage and physical damage too.
The first phase of the fight is arguably the harder of the two, as the Bog Witch will ride her mount around the arena, interrupting attack damage as she’s hard to hit consistently while moving. The bone spikes she places can be dangerous as the boss will detonate them when off her mount, potentially dealing multiple hits to the player. The second phase is mostly about fire resistance, so players won’t have much trouble once they’ve progressed to this part.
9Ketzuli, High Priest Of The Sun
The Heat Of The Sun
Ketzuli is a mandatory boss who appears later in the Act 3 main quest line but is disappointingly unrewarding. They also do little to stand out as a main boss, with fire attacks that aren’t particularly unique, and no specific mechanics attached to the fight. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily easy, though, as the boss has a couple of attacks that can quickly drain health bars with multiple hits.
The barrage of fire projectiles is difficult to dodge, running out of range and spam dodging is basically required. The boss’s concentrated fire beam is also deadly, but staying close to the boss will allow players to rotate around them fast enough to avoid it.
8Zicoatl, Warden Of The Core
The Red Triangle Of Death
Players will have to face Zicoatl, Warden of the Core to obtain the large soul core they need to progress midway through Act 3. Once its attack patterns are learned, this fight becomes a lot easier, but the boss has some attacks that are guaranteed to catch out anew playerat least once. Most of the boss’s attacks are lightning-based laser beams, so lightning resistance can help a lot with this fight.
The one attack that isn’t lightning-based is the one to watch out for, though. When a red triangular glyph glows around the boss, he’s about to release waves of energy that will likely one-shot most Act 3 players. Players need to stand in line with a point of the triangle, a little further away from the boss, to stand in a safe zone and avoid damage. Once players figure out how to avoid this, the fight isn’t as much trouble.
7The Queen Of Filth
Apex Hexer
The Queen of Filth is another mandatory boss in Act 3, as she holds the key to the Temple of Kopec. The Queen of Filth is a hexer who will use debuffs and lingering chaos damage to debilitate the player. Players need to do their best to avoid curse zones and the orange spores that bloom around the arena. The spores explode, dealing chaos damage and leaving caustic ground that deals more chaos damage over time.
Getting hit by the various curses in the fight can lower armor, slow the player, or lower damage dealt, which can be a big disadvantage when trying to deal with the adds that spawn throughout the fight. If players can keep on top of all this, though, they only need to watch out for one tell from the boss. When she raises her weapon, she’s doing one of three damaging attacks, and it’s time to dodge.
6Uxmal, The Beastlord
A Much Bigger Chimera
Uxmal, the Beastlord is one of three possible bosses that can spawn at the end of the first tier of the Trial of Chaos. This optional challenge is how players get their second set of Ascendancy passive skill points, so every player will want to take on the gauntlet at some point in Act 3. Uxmal is very similar to Xyclucian in appearance and attacks, attacking with all elements, poison, and physical damage.
The arena makes this a far more difficult fight than the first Chimera, though. The boss will regularly take to the sky, interrupting damage and repositioning. It can also spread highly damaging ground effects that can cause problems navigating the arena due to its narrow paths and connecting staircases. Once players have overcome the challenge, they’ll be rewarded with some random corrupted vaal loot, as well as their second set of Ascendancy skill points for the first completion.
5Chetza, The Feathered Plague
Feathered Fiend
The second possibility for players' Trial of Chaos boss is Chetza, the Feathered Plague. This monstrous raven-like enemy can deal high physical and bleed damage, as well as being able to maim the player, slowing their movement.
The slowed movement is the real killer in this fight, as this leaves the player more vulnerable to multiple hits from the boss’s larger attacks. High movement speed and a charm for bleed immunity can be a big help in this fight. As with any Chaos Trial boss, it’s worth completing for those Ascendancy skill points.
