Campaign boss list
The most important act and interlude bosses in version 0.5.5. "Required" means a boss you cannot progress the story without. A dash in that column means the sources do not say clearly whether the fight can be skipped.
| Act | Boss | Area | Required? | Reward / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Bloated Miller | The Riverbank | — | first boss of the game |
| I | Beira of the Rotten Pack | Clearfell | — | permanent +10% Cold Resistance |
| I | The Devourer | Mud Burrow | optional | level 2 Uncut Skill Gem |
| I | Draven, the Eternal Praetor | Mausoleum of the Praetor | required | Draven's Memorial Key Piece |
| I | The Crowbell | Hunting Grounds | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| I | The King in the Mists | Freythorn | — | +30 Spirit |
| I | The Executioner | Ogham Village | required | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| I | Candlemass, the Living Rite | Ogham Manor | required | +20 Maximum Life |
| I | Count Geonor | Ogham Manor | required | act boss |
| II | Rudja, the Dread Engineer | Mawdun Mine | — | fire resistance check |
| II | Balbala, the Traitor | Traitor's Passage | — | Balbala's Barya, entry to the Trial of the Sekhemas |
| II | Jamanra, the Risen King | The Halani Gates | — | a different boss from the end-of-act Jamanra |
| II | Kabala, Constrictor Queen | Keth | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| II | L'im the Impaler | — | optional | level 6 Uncut Skill Gem |
| II | Tor Gul, the Defiler | The Spires of Deshar | required | the Sisters of Garukhan shrine is in this area |
| II | Jamanra, the Abomination | The Dreadnought | required | act boss |
| III | Mighty Silverfist | Jungle Ruins | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| III | Ignagduk, the Bog Witch | The Azak Bog | — | +30 Spirit |
| III | Xyclucian, the Chimera | Chimeral Wetlands | — | entry to the Trial of Chaos |
| III | Blackjaw, the Remnant | Jiquani's Machinarium | — | permanent +10% Fire Resistance |
| III | Mektul, the Forgemaster | The Molten Vault | — | damage check: under 4 minutes; level 10 Uncut Skill Gem, Reforging Bench |
| III | Doryani, Royal Thaumaturge | The Black Chambers | required | act boss |
| IV | Yama the White | Halls of the Dead | optional | Silver Coin: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points from Hinekora |
| IV | Omniphobia, Fear Manifest | Journey's End | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| IV | Tavakai, the Chieftain | Heart of the Tribe | required | act boss |
| Int. 1 | Oswin, the Dread Warden | Wolvenhold | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| Int. 1 | Thane Wulfric & Lady Elswyth | Holten Estate | — | interlude finale |
| Int. 2 | Akthi, the Final Sting & Anundr, the Sandworm | The Khari Crossing | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| Int. 2 | Azmadi, the Faridun Prince | Qimah Reservoir | — | interlude finale |
| Int. 3 | Lythara, the Wayward Spear | Kriar Village | required | +40 Spirit |
| Int. 3 | The Abominable Yeti | Howling Caves | — | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points |
| Int. 3 | Zelina, Blood Priestess & Zolin, Blood Priest | The Cuachic Vault | — | interlude finale |
Act IV is non-linear, so you can meet its bosses in any order. According to the wiki, which islands are required for the main quest changes between leagues. You can also do the interludes in any order.
How to beat the most important bosses
The tactics come mainly from Maxroll guides written for versions 0.1–0.3 (2025). Bosses may have received small changes since then; for example, 0.5.3 weakened Geonor's Moonbeam attack.
The King in the Mists (Act I)
- Maxroll calls him one of the toughest bosses in Act I. His basic attack fires 3 projectiles instead of 1.
- Explosive Spore leaves purple blisters behind. Bait these attacks to the edge of the arena so the middle stays clear.
- Thorngrip (the boss shouts its name) is a cone of vines in front of him: in melee, roll sideways past him; at range, roll away.
Count Geonor (Act I boss)
- Impaling Charge and Freezing Thrust are telegraphed by a red flash. When the charge misses, he slashes behind himself (Frost Cleave), so do not stand at his back.
- Below 75% life he turns into a wolf and summons 5 Court Werewolves. Stay out of the icy circles around his planted sword, because they freeze you.
- At 50% he returns with full life as Geonor, the Putrid Wolf. In the mist phase he is invulnerable and dashes out after the lines of his poem (6 times in total): dodge roll in rhythm with the end of each line.
Rudja, the Dread Engineer (Act II)
- This is a fire resistance check: get your Fire Resistance as high as possible before Mawdun Mine. Maxroll says one or two Desert Runes "make all the difference".
- Oil slows you and applies −10% Fire Exposure, and once ignited it turns into burning ground. During Scorched Earth the boss throws oil and sets everything on fire with a flamethrower, so get out of the puddles.
Jamanra, the Abomination (Act II boss)
- During Sandstorm, hide behind Sekhema Asala's shield. Standing in the storm kills you quickly.
- At 66% life the boss cuts through the Dreadnought and moves you to a second arena with new attacks (tornadoes, lightning, Portal Flurry).
- When he throws beacons, run past the boss to avoid getting hit.
Doryani, Royal Thaumaturge (Act III boss)
- At 50% life he climbs into the mech Doryani's Triumph and regains all of his life.
- Doryani's Fist tracks you and slams a huge area, usually lethally. Keep running, and when the fist slows down, roll out past the edge of the slam.
- During Vaal Frost Laser, roll past the boss when the laser changes from blue to red. Avoid the slow Burning Orb projectiles, because Flameblast detonates them later.
Yama the White (Act IV, optional)
- Monkey Business: the boss vanishes and leaves 6 clones on the pillars, and you have to run to each one. Then he jumps at you, so dodge.
- Guessing Game stops time and creates 4 clones of you. Maxroll strongly recommends boots with movement speed for this fight.
Tavakai, the Chieftain (Act IV boss)
- The fight has three phases: at 50% life the boss becomes Tavakai, the Fallen and flees to a second arena; at 25% he turns into Tavakai, the Consumed.
- Jade Slam, Grappling Hook, Corrupted Sunder and Seething Rage have an "avoid" cue. Getting hit by the hook pulls you into a combo.
- It is a long fight. Game8 recommends flasks that regain charges on their own during the fight.
General boss rules
- There is almost always a checkpoint before the arena. It refills your life, mana, flasks and charms.
- You cannot open a portal or change your equipment during the fight. Put on a ring or charm for the boss's element before you go in.
- A red flash and a sound cue mean an attack that ignores block and evasion. That is what the dodge roll is for.
- Maxroll's rules: keep moving all the time, run in circles rather than lines, stay close to the boss and drink your life flask early, not at the last moment.
- The resistance cap is 75%, and according to the wiki each following act lowers your resistances by 10%. 50% instead of 75% means double damage from that element.
What bosses give you
- Spirit: The King in the Mists +30, Ignagduk +30, Lythara +40, 100 in total, and each of them also gives an Uncut Spirit Gem. Details: how to get Spirit.
- Passive points: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points each come from The Executioner, The Crowbell, Kabala, Mighty Silverfist, Omniphobia, Oswin, Akthi and Anundr, The Abominable Yeti and Yama (through Hinekora). How to spend them: passive skill tree.
- Permanent resistances: Beira +10% cold, Blackjaw +10% fire. The +10% lightning comes from the Sisters of Garukhan shrine in Act II (not a boss).
- Other: Candlemass +20 Maximum Life, Mektul: Reforging Bench. Balbala and Xyclucian open two trials, each worth 2 ascendancy points (ascendancy classes).
When you die the area resets, but guaranteed boss drops (usually uncut gems) stay on the ground.
Endgame and pinnacle bosses
The endgame starts at level 65 (a tier 1 Waystone is a level 65 map). There, death costs 10% of the experience to your next level, and attempts on a map are limited: with no Waystone modifiers you get 6 portals. Count Geonor returns as the boss of the Iron Citadel (level 79). The three Citadels give Crisis Fragments, which open the fight with The Arbiter of Ash in The Burning Monolith. Version 0.5.0 added The Arbiter of Divinity. Since 0.5.0 every pinnacle boss has a quest version with unlimited revives and a harder version opened with a tradeable key. The full list of pinnacle bosses differs between sources.
Bosses in version 1.0
Version 1.0 releases on December 11, 2026 with Acts V and VI, the Duelist and a large balance patch. According to the game's Steam page, the full version will have six acts and 100 bosses. GGG has not named the bosses of the new acts yet and plans to show more at ExileCon (November 6–8, 2026). The community wiki says the interludes will be removed, but GGG has not confirmed this. More: Path of Exile 2 1.0.
