As manyPath of Exile 2fans know by now, the difficulty level in the ARPG has been cranked up significantly compared to the original. Mobs are tankier and have stronger moves while bosses can take hours of frustration and grit to defeat.
While the opening to Path of Exile 2 doesn’t feature too many challenging enemies, that changes extremely quickly in Act One.
You’re soon overrun by stronger mobs and some of the toughest bosses you’ll face all game long. In total, Act One features 15 story and optional bosses, most of which are fairly tough.
However, if you’re looking for the absolute hardest bosses in Act One of Path of Exile 2, you’ve come to the right place.
In the list below, we’ll go over the 10 bosses that will give you the most trouble in Act One.
10The Rust King
Shake the Rust Off
The Red Vale
Recommended Level
The Rust King comes in at the number 10 spot on our list. This is the second story boss you’ll face in Act One and while not overly difficult, you might still have some trouble with him.
If you’re just trying out Path of Exile 2 or experimenting with a new class,The Rust Kingcan present a challenge. For the most part, though, his attacks are easily telegraphed and are mostly made up of area of effect (AoE) moves that you can dodge.
However, when you’re at such a low level with a new class, the boss can be frustrating to deal with, especially if you’re a ranged character trying to deal damage from afar. The Rust King isn’t nearly as difficult as others on our list, but he’s not a push-off at the start of Act One.
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9Ervig, the Rotten Druid
Bring Your Bug Spray
The Grim Triangle
Next up on the list is Ervig, the Rotten Druid. Ervig is an optional boss in Path of Exile 2 that is located in the Grim Triangle within Act One.
Some players might have breezed past Ervig without much effort while other players could spend several attempts trying to get past the druid. It truly depends on your build, as tankier characters will likely be able to survive for much longer against Ervig’s poison attacks.
The boss can throw a variety of fungal attacks your way, including a couple of ranged ones that can catch Witches, Sorceresses, and Rangers off guard. If you’re not careful, your HP will be decimated by poison damage.
Fortunately, Ervig’s attacks can be telegraphed in advance, so you shouldn’t have to spend too long on the fight before understanding how to survive and deal damage.
8The King in the Mists
Cleanse Your Spirit
The King in the Mists is another challenging side boss in Act One that shows you just how difficult Path of Exile 2 can be.
At this point in the story, you’re going through a region called Freythorn, which is easily one of the most frustrating maps in the entire game. At the end of Freythorn, you have the option of facing off withThe King in the Mists, who utilizes both melee and ranged attacks to deal huge damage.
The primary issue with The King in the Mists is the purple spirit energy that he can shoot at you. If you’re caught in the crossfire of this spirit, you take massive damage that can put you out of commission in a hurry.
The King in the Mists also has two phases, making him one of the harder side bosses you’ll face in Path of Exile 2.
7The Devourer
Call the Exterminator
The Mud Burrow
One of the earlier bosses you can fight in Path of Exile 2 isThe Devourer, a massive worm that can burrow under the ground and spawn tiny, annoying roaches.
While The Devourer doesn’t have too many harmful attacks, its burrowing ability makes it extremely difficult to defeat at an early level. Just when you start to deal damage to the worm, it goes underground and leaves you to fend off against the several roaches it spawned.
Then, after a few seconds, the worm reappears in a new location. Not only that, but The Devourer can utilize a variety of poison attacks that make it difficult to deal damage to it for long periods.
Overall, this is quite an annoying fight and I know I certainly died to it more times than I’d like to admit.
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6Asinia, the Praetor’s Consort
Little Green Ghouls, Buddy!
Cemetery of the Eternal, Tomb of the Consort
It’s time to revisit story bosses, and one of the more difficult but manageable bosses from Act One is Asinia, the Praetor’s Consort. Asinia is one of the three bosses in the Cemetery of the Eternal.
Asinia has some frustrating mechanics that make her a challenging boss to take down. For starters, she has a blue shield over her HP bar that you constantly need to whittle down before you’re able to fully damage her.
The boss will also summon green ghouls over the course of the fight, which can spread out and make Asinia stronger if you leave them be. However, if you come into contact with one of the ghouls when it’s over a grave in the arena, a stronger ghoul will be summoned.
The boss will also summon the Draven, the Praetor after falling below 66% HP, which is an equally strong enemy you’ll have to deal with.
Overall, Asinia has some powerful attacks and plenty of help from side enemies. You’ll need to be mobile and always conscious of your surroundings if you want to defeat her.
5Draven, the Eternal Praetor
More Green Ghouls
Cemetery of the Eternal, The Mausoleum of the Praetor
The next boss on our list goes hand-in-hand with Asinia. Draven, the Eternal Praetor is the second boss you’ll face in the Cemetery of the Eternal and the enemy Asinia summons in her fight.
Well, as you might expect, Draven can also summon Asinia when he gets below 66% HP. In addition to that, you’ll have to contend with more ghouls in this fight, which follow the same mechanics as they do in Asinia’s fight.
Once again, you’ll want to stay as mobile as possible, avoid the ghouls when they’re over graves, and attempt to deal with Asinia quickly so you can focus entirely on Draven.
4The Crowbell
Go Until the Bell Rings
The Hunting Grounds
The hardest side boss in Act One of Path of Exile 2 is easily The Crowbell. Located in the Hunting Grounds, The Crowbell utilizes some intriguing mechanics to prolong the fight and wear you down.
At first, The Crowbell fight seems like any other. While the boss has a massive bell for a head, you start the fight in an arena and try to avoid its attacks while simultaneously dealing damage of your own.
However, about halfway through the fight, The Crowbell will run south to a small area in between two gates. After you enter the arThe Crowbellea, the gate behind you will close, locking you inside with the hulking enemy.
It’s here where things get challenging, as you have little room to roam and The Crowbell makes use of huge AoE attacks that are extremely hard to avoid. If you manage to damage the boss enough, it’ll scurry off to a third arena and use the bell on its head as a melee weapon.
The bell presents more challenges, but it also makes the boss more one-dimensional. Simply avoid the bell’s melee attacks and you’ll be able to finish the fight.
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3Lachlann of Endless Lament
End the Suffering
Cemetery of the Eternal
We’ve arrived at the top three hardest Act One bosses in Path of Exile 2 and it begins withLachlann of Endless Lament. This is the final boss at the Cemetery of the Eternal after Asinia and Draven are defeated.
While Lachlann of Endless Lament might not be challenging for ranged classes, he’s one of the toughest bosses a melee character can fight in Act One. Lachlann utilizes a variety of extremely strong and lethal melee attacks that can decimate a player’s HP bar.
If you’re a ranged class, all you have to do is work around the middle grave in the arena. Simply keep running around it to ensure Lachlann can’t get near you for his melee attacks and get damage in when he’s running trying to catch up to you. Rinse and repeat that formula until the fight is over.
However, melee characters will have to take the brunt of Lachlann’s attacks and do their best to dodge out of the way at the right times.
2The Executioner
Ogham Village
Level 14-15
It’s fitting that the penultimate boss in Act One is the second-hardest boss you’ll face throughout the entire storyline of the act.The Executioneris located in Ogham Village and is not a boss you want to mess around with.
Perhaps the toughest part of The Executioner is that he has the ability to one-hit kill you with his guillotine attack. Some builds can live through the attack with enough HP or if they don’t get hit head-on by it. However, a majority of the time, you’ll be instantly killed if you’re in the crossfire.
Aside from the guillotine attack, The Executioner has a plethora of other slow melee attacks that cause severe damage. Fortunately, many of these require a lot of build-up, so you can see them coming and dodge accordingly.
Still, The Executioner will likely take you at least a few tries, especially if you’re unlucky enough to get in the way of the guillotine attack.
The Toughest Test Yet
Ogham Manor
Level 17-19
At the number one spot is the final boss of Act One in Path of Exile 2,Count Geonor.
Count Geonor has become infamous in the PoE community for his incredibly tough attacks, high HP, and overall mobility. The boss fight has two phases, with the second phase being doubly as difficult as the first.
The second phase sees the count turn into a full wolf and utilize some powerful new attacks. The most challenging attack you’ll have to contend with sees the boss disappear into some fog and spawn dozens of small wolves to run after and attack you.
During this time, Count Geonor sprints through the fog, damaging you if you come into contact with him.
The entire fight is a slog to get through, as the count uses his fog attack three or four times before his HP bar reaches zero. However, if you want to proceed to Act Two, you have to show you’re worthy enough.
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