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Legacy of The Vaalis the third chapter’s main questline inPath Of Exile 2,and it can be quite time-consuming and difficult to figure out if players don’t know where to go. Act 3 is huge, with dozens of secondary objectives to complete, and tons of bosses to kill.
With that in mind, traveling across the jungle and facing countless enemies will not be an easy task, so this guide will help players get their bearings around the harsh Act 3, and give them useful advice on how to beat the main bosses.
How To Start Legacy Of The Vaal In Path Of Exile 2
InPath Of Exile 2, starting Legacy Of The Vaal will happen automatically once players travel to the Ziggurat Encampment, accessed after traversing the Sandswept Marsh. Upon arriving, speak to Alva, Oswald, and The Hooded One. They will give players the directions they need to follow next.
Now, players will need to explore the Jungle Ruins, whichare infected with undead adventurers, cannibals, rabid monkeys (and Quadrillas, a meaner badder version of Gorillas but with four arms), and other nasty beasts.
Look For The Entrance Of The Infested Barrens
Next, players need to sweep around the Jungle Ruins map until they find the Infested Barrens, a task that won’t be easy with so many beasts lurking around ready to turn them into their dinner. Pay special attention to the surroundings, and never lose sight of the objective.
Upon entering the Infested Barrens, players need to access the Canal Mechanism, which will drain the waters surrounding the Ziggurat Encampment so they can follow up with the quest. But first, they will need an Energy Core to power it up. So,next step is in the Chimeral Wetlands, which are accessed from the northernmost part of the Infested Barrens.
Chimeral Wetlands & Jiquani’s Machinarium
This new area is characterized by its many enemies swarming in from the river, especially River Drakes and Chimerals, which seem to be absolutely hellbent on surrounding players and pinning them down against any surface. Avoid walking near the borders of the map to prevent being cornered.
Players need to find Jiquani’s Machinarium, an old reservoir of Vaal technology if they want to find the proper battery for the Canal Mechanism. So travel northwest until finding an area with many columns and the ruin entrance. Get ready for a fight, because here comes the first boss.
How To Beat Xyclucian, the Chimera
This huge Winged Beast will spit elemental blasts of energy, and players need to be careful not to receive too many elemental ailments, because otherwise Xyclucian will corner and kill them easily. Here’s a rundown of this boss’s abilities:
Xyclucian is resistant to Fire,Cold, and Lightning, but it has no weaknesses whatsoever, so players need to consider this, especially those using Mercenary, Sorcerer, or Ranger who use those damage types more frequently.
Keep avoiding the elemental attacks and destroying the columns, and the Chimaera will fall. Keep in mind that this boss drops theInscribed Ultimatum Quest Item, which players will need to complete The Trials Of Chaos quest. After it is defeated, enter Jiquani’s Maquinarium to proceed with the quest.
Once inside, talk to Alva to figure out the way to proceed. The players need to findSmall Sould Coresto activateStone Altarsinside the Labyrinth and proceed further. The first one is close to the place where Alva spawns from the Portal, the others will be lying around the chambers of the labyrinth.
There are three different chambers, one is atreasure room. the other is thepath forwardinto the next chamber calledJiquani’s Sanctum, and the third one hides a sub-boss that will be tremendously hard to beat:Blackjaw, The Remnant.
How To Beat Blackjaw, The Remnant
This Optional Boss lies hidden in one of the chambers that players can open using the Small Cores in Jiquani’s Machinarium. Once players enter this chamber, Blackjaw will awaken and try to kill them on the spot. It is a boss that is resilient to physical and fire damage, soplayers should use his main weaknessin their favor: cold damage.
The boss has 2 phases: The first one has two instant kill moves so players should avoid them at any cost. The first is an upward slash that Blackjaw will use repeatedly when players are at mid-distance. The other is a Ground Slam that the Boss uses no matter the distance, but it is easily dodgeable if players keep rotating around it and forcing it to use its two other moves: Fire Breath, andPushback, which is askill that does little damageand playerscan circle around the bosstoforce him to spam it.
In the Second Phase, Blackjaw uses a sequence of combos combining several fire projectiles with Upward cleaves, as well as a crescent moon cleave that can also cause heavy (if not lethal) damage to the players. The third and most brutal is a combo of slam attacks that affect the ground and quickly change directions, so keep a close eye on his movements and dodge in the opposite direction to where Blackjaw is aiming to avoid being squashed.
Beating the boss will reward the players with its core, whichpermanently increases Fire Resistance by 10%,as well as a chance to receive lots of loot.
Enter Jiquani’s Sanctum
Once players unlock the path ahead, sorting out this mini puzzle by looking for Small Soul Cores, it is time to look for Medium Soul Cores, to unlock the Big Soul Core from the wall (yes, that’s more or less how it goes).
Now, players need to roam around this new labyrinth-like area and search for twoGenerator Engines, which arebig circular areaslocatedon opposite sidesof the map. So if they find one, the other lies in the exact opposite direction.
Each Generator needs aMedium Soul Core, which is spotlighted in the mini-map with aGreen Exclamation Sign, so finding them will not be an issue. Once players have activated both generators, it is time to backtrack to the entrance of Jiquani’s Sanctum and speak to Alva once more. Interact with the Big Soul Core and watch the cutscene, it istime to fight another boss.
How To Beat Zicoatl, Warden of the Core
Zicoatl has several annoying attacks and resistances to Physical, Cold, and Fire damage types. It is not an uber hard boss to beat, but could become trickier if players are using the squishier classes like Witch, Sorceress, and Ranger
After beating the boss, pick up the Big Soul Core, travel back to the Ziggurat Camp, and talk to everyone with a Marker to make sure to trigger the next step: inserting the Soul Core in the Canal Mechanism. Then activate the canal mechanism and proceed to the next area to complete the next steps on The Legacy of The Vaal Quest.
Activating The Flood Mechanism
Players need to access the Matlan Waterways and clear their path by activating levers and clearing out the canals. Once they have gone through at least 7 mechanisms, they will open up a path forward and will have to beat several Elite enemies in order to reach the Flood Mechanism activation Lever.
Push the Lever to make the water levers around the Ziggurat Encampment drop, and proceed further to the next zone. Going back to the Ziggurat Encampment and talking to Alva will reveal that playersstill need to activate some sort of mechanismto access theTemple of Kopec.
The Drowned City And The Pinnacle Of Filth
Now that the water levels have dropped, a new area has been cleared, revealing the ancient Vaal city that surrounds the temple. So players need a certain key to access the Temple, and that key is in the hands of the undead queen of the Vaal.
TheQueen of Filthlies at thePinnacle of FIlth(figures), so players must fight through a myriad of horrors to reach the Pools of Depravity where the Queen waits. After that, it will be time to beat her down to get theTemple Door Idolquest item players need to move forward. In this part, there’s an alternative quest thatinvolves gathering mushrooms, so keep an eye out for them.
Next, there’s a detailed guide on how to beat The Queen of Filth boss inPath of Exile 2.
How To Beat Queen of Filth
The Queen of Filth is resistant to Physical attack and has no weaknesses. That means the only viable choice is either Chaos, Elemental, or Poison damage. The best strategy to beat her is to keep a safe distance and avoid her many AoE attacks. An impact from her huge mallet can send players back to the checkpoint in an instant, so watch out for her rolling attack.
This is the move set for this complex boss, so players should take note of them before they start the fight:
Now, once defeated, the queen will drop the Temple Door Idol,and players will have to pick it upand turn back to Kopec temple (right below the Ziggurat Encampment stairs) to open the door and proceed to the next zone.
Temple of Kopec
The next area will be quite tricky to traverse, as players need to ascend a spire-like structure that has a living sun in the middle. The sun will constantly cause burning damage, so players need to stay behind the shadow that structures project to protect themselves and advance until they reach the pinnacle.
Of course, swarming enemies will try to keep them from advancing, and the slightest mistake can end up in a horrifying death for players. So, watch out for enemies and the scorching sun, and keep moving forward until reaching the next level.
How To Beat Ketzuli, High Priest of the Sun
Ketzuli is one of the hardest bosses in Act 3 and specializes in causing Fire Damage. He is also resistant to Fire Damage, and vulnerable to Cold. The best way to defeat him is by using eitherChaos,Physical,Poison, orColddamage to chip away its health while also dodging its barrage of fire attacks.
Here’s a rundown of his abilities:
After punishing him for scorching the players' clothes, it will be time for a cutscene, and players will witness how the power of Alva’s blood activates the mechanism to transport them above the pyramid, reaching the Ziggurat Encampment.
Now the portal to travel back in time and complete the Legacy of the Vaal quest will be open.Cross the portalto reach the city ofUtzaal in the year -400 BC.
The City Of Utzaal
Moving forward will trigger a brief cutscene where Alva will attempt to reason with the Vaal, but to no avail. Players will need to fight their way through the streets of Utzaal to reach the pinnacle of the Pyramid and have an audience with their High Taumaturge, Doryani.
But, after ‘rampaging’ through their city, the Vaal are not happy at all, and Alva will be captured by them. It will be time to face one of the last bosses of Act 3:Viper Napuatzi.
How To Beat Viper Napuatzi
Another of Act 3’s hardest fights, in this sort of ritual duel, players will face Viper Napuatzi, the Vaal Chieftain that will prevent them from going further. As the players are surrounded by Vaal soldiers and the size of the arena is constantly reduced, it won’t be a fair fight. Players need to finish it fast, strike as hard as possible, causing Stun on Napuatzi and finishing her off before she corners them against her soldiers' spears.
Here’s a rundown of the attacks Napuatzi uses during the fight:
Phase One:
During Phase one, Napuatzi will strike spear in hand, and will use lunge attacks that cause poison damage and leave a trail of poisonous AoE. Plus, the arena around will represent a constant threat to players.
Soldier Spear Barrage: During phase one, Napuatzi soldiers willconstantly attack in front of them, causingpoison and chaos damageto the player. Spear attacks are preceded by agreen shine on their shields. Watch for that warning, and dodge timely to prevent receiving near-lethal damage.
The ideal strategy is to keep dodging by staying near the shields. That way, it is easier to figure out how many soldiers will attack and in which direction players should dodge.
Phase Two:
Napuatzi will drop her spear and the fight will turn into a mid/range fight, with the arena enclosing even more. The soldiers will now attack in barrages and cover a bigger area, and players need to be extremely careful when Napuatzi yells: “Feel Arakali’s sting!” or “Arakali’s web!” as this warns the players of the upcomingSpear Barrage from the sides.
The secret to win this phase is to keep moving and always paying attention to Napuatzi’s voice cues to prevent receiving the damage from the Spear Barrage, then, attacking with everything they have to stun her and clear out the remaining HP.
Defeating this boss will grant players access to the upper Aggorat, and then, they can chase down Alva and go for the next and last part of the Legacy of the Vaal quest.
Pursue Alva’s Captors Trough Utzal
The players' next destination in the Legacy of the Vaal quest are the Black Chambers, which can be accessed after traversing the Aggorat region. Climbing the stairs and killing every Vaal that stands in their way will be the only way to progress through the enclosed ritual sites.
On the other hand, if players manage to get theSacrificial Heart, they can search for theSacrificial Daggerat an altar to complete the ritual andreceive 2 Skill Points.
Proceed further past the ritual site to reach the entrance to the Black Chambers, it is time to traverse the final dungeon andcomplete the Legacy of the Vaal Quest.
The Black Chambers
The Black Chambers is a dark and dangerous place where Doryani’s amalgams between fresh and machine run rampant. Players need to be extremely careful and prepare elemental resistances since many of these monsters cause several ailments including burning, frost, and shock.
The bridges connecting the areas are hard to see, and players need to be observant since they will likely miss them otherwise. Upon approaching the borders connecting the two areas, the bridges pop up from the bottom of the pits. If players do not approach the borders they will miss them and won’t be able to proceed further.
Upon crossing the third bridge, players will arrive at Doryani’s Testing Grounds, and they will face the infamous Vaal Thaumaturge that has captured Alva.Once they beat this boss, the Legacy of the Vaal quest will enter its final stage.
How To Beat Doryani
Before finally completing Legacy of the Vaal and Act 3, players will have to face Doryani, the high Engineer and chieftain of the Vaal, in one last face-off which has 3 phases, and is the hardest boss encounter in Path of Exile 2.
Doryani is resistant to Fire and Lightning damage and can use attacks that cause Physical, Fire, Cold, and Lightning damage, as well as the Chill and Burning Ailments. Next, a rundown on his abilities:
Phase 1 - Doryani:
After causing severe damage to Doryani, he will teleport to the center of the arena and deploy his Crab Mecha, which has lots of new attacks. Now, the real fight begins. Doryani also recovers all his health during this process, which can be quite annoying, but hang in there. This is the final fight.
Phase 2 - Doryani’s Triumph:
Pay attention to the surroundings of the arena, and stay behind the Crab Mecha at all times, players should avoid trying to face it in a frontal assault or he will sweep them out. Here’s all the new abilities the boss gains on its second phase:
Keep circling around the arena, avoiding his attacks, until Doryani is finally defeated. To complete the Legacy of the Vaal Quest, simply talk to Alva, then to Doryani, and watch the cutsceneto complete Legacy of The Vaal.
In Normal Difficulty, this will immediately start Act 1 in Cruel difficulty, but after completing it in Cruel difficulty, players will reach the End-Game Stage.
