Besides the challenging dungeons and endgame content, Path of Exile 2 features Acts, which allow you to progress through the main storyline while also rewarding you with earned PoE2 currency and other items.
The Third Edict, the latest patch, adds Act 4, which requires you to complete multiple quests, some of which feature dangerous bosses. Fortunately, like Acts 1-3, not all bosses are mandatory. If your abilities are limited, you can forgo the optional bosses.
Act 4 features four bosses, including The Great White One, which is optional and can be challenged later when your character is stronger. And this article will cover the three non-optional bosses.
- Captain Hartlin
This boss is the first one you encounter upon entering Act 4 and is part of the quest Dark Mists. During this quest, the key NPC, Freya Hartlin, asks you to help her find her son, who turns out to be Captain Hartlin.
This poor mother is unaware that her son has long since died, becoming a disfigured undead, forcing you to defeat him in battle.
Preparing For The Battle
Follow the quest instructions and travel to Kedge Bay Island to encounter this boss. He is extremely resistant to physical damage and moves slowly, making spells, especially those with area-of-effect effects, more effective against him.
In addition, bringing heavy armor and gear with light frost resistance will be more effective against Captain Hartlin. Therefore, it is definitely a wise choice to spend some PoE 2 Exalted Orbs to re-roll your resistance modifiers before starting a battle, which will help you avoid a lot of trouble.
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Boss Battle
At the start of the battle, you’ll notice a captain’s wheel hanging from the boss’ neck. The skull atop the wheel changes color as the boss spins it, with each color indicating a different special attack:
- Purple: Hartlin summons a dozen skeletons to fight alongside him.
- Green: The boss drops a massive anchor from the air, dealing devastating damage if you’re within its radius when it lands.
- Blue: The boss summons many spectral orbs, each dealing moderate damage.
In addition, throughout the battle, the boss wields a heavy anchor and employs small cannons as primary attacks. When Captain Hartlin’s health reaches approximately 33%, he activates “Fire in the Hole!” to summon a ring of cannons to attack you.
Thus, in addition to observing the color of the skulls, it’s crucial to dodge the cannons in time. The best way to do this is to stay in the center and run in a circle, allowing the cannonballs to pass by you.
After completing the battle, in addition to the normal PoE 2 currency, the boss will also drop Verisium, which is required for completing the quest. However, you cannot obtain other specific items from him.
- Diamora, Song Of Death
This boss is a necessary obstacle to unlocking Auto-Trade system in Act 4. After finding NPC Ange and accepting the quest, you need to travel to Whakapanu Island and explore it thoroughly to find Diamora, hidden deep within Singing Caverns.
This boss excels at dealing area-of-effect damage, but is vulnerable to lightning damage. Therefore, the key to this battle is to maneuver around to avoid the boss’s attack range while dealing as much lightning damage as possible.
Boss Skills To Watch Out For
Diamora primarily uses the following three skills during the battle. You’ll need to observe her cast animations to determine your response.
- Waterspouts: The boss will continuously cast waterspouts that deal heavy damage to you, so you’ll need to stay on the move to avoid them.
- Petrifying Gaze: When Diamora’s health drops to 66% and 33%, she will begin to slowly spin. If you look at her and remain within her gaze, you will be petrified.
- Icy Water: When you reduce the boss’s health to 33%, she will use this skill to release a ball of icy water into the arena. If you remain within this ball for 2 seconds, you will instantly die.
Results Of Winning The Battle
After the boss dies, The Hooded will appear and give you the piece of the weapon. You can then return to Kingsmarch and interact with Ange again to unlock access to Auto-Trade system.
- Scourge Of The Skies
This boss, resembling a giant shrike, can be encountered at the end of Shrike Island (the third island in Ngamakanui archipelago). Its attacks are also primarily area-of-effect, but are relatively easy to deal with.
All The Boss’s Attacks
First, during the fight, it uses AoE ability to create a long-lasting puddle on the ground, requiring you to avoid it quickly. Even more dangerous, the boss will release Plaguelings from its stomach, which will attack you for a while before returning to its body.
Thus, the key to this boss fight is to remain vigilant and avoid the boss’s abilities. You need to make the boss to move slowly in a circular motion, ensuring the puddle doesn’t cover too much of a narrow area while still dealing sufficient fire damage to the boss.
Second, don’t kill all of Plaguelings immediately after the boss casts them, as this will only enrage them and attract more minions. Simply deal enough damage to cause them to retreat back into the boss’s body.
Defeating Scourge of the Skies still grants you PoE 2 currency and weapon pieces for the quest The Search.
If you’re solely focused on completing the main storyline of Act 4, defeating these bosses is sufficient. However, if you want to fully explore Act 4 and earn more rewards through side quests, you’ll need to continue challenging the optional bosses.
That concludes this guide. POECurrency wishes you the best of luck in your exploration of POE 2 The Third Edict!