Path of Exile 2 introduces a variety of exciting boss battles, including The King in the Mists. Defeating this boss grants you an item that boosts your Spirit stat, enabling you to summon additional allies or maintain permanent buffs.
If you’re struggling with this challenging encounter, this guide has got you covered.
Who is the King in the Mists in Path of Exile 2?
The King in the Mists isn’t just a cool name—it’s also a warning. He is a druidic spellcaster and dealing with him marks your first encounter with a multi-phase boss fight, where the enemy fully regenerates health between phases, making the battle significantly longer. By the time you face this foe, you’ll have already laid waste to an entire village, so manage your healing and mana potions carefully.
Where to Find The King in the Mists in Path of Exile 2
This towering plant-boss appears at the conclusion of the Ominous Altars side quest. Don’t skip this quest and miss out the chance of encountering this boss, and earning his highly valuable reward. The Ominous Altars side quest appears early in Act 1 of Path of Exile 2, so you’ll likely face The King in the Mists around Level 11 or 12. However, there’s no issue if you’re at a higher level when you take on this boss.
Note: Completing all the Rituals in Freythorn during Act 1 is important.
The King in the Mists’ Strategies in Path of Exile 2
The King in the Mists begins with a powerful presence and intensifies as the battle progresses. He channels the same purple spirit energy as the Brambleghast, but with greater mastery. The King is unyielding, launching fierce attacks by hurling energy shards, striking the ground violently to create shockwaves, and generating expanding red pools of blood.
How to Defeat The King in the Mists in Path of Exile 2
In Path of Exile 2, The King in the Mists wields a massive staff and swings it at you with slow but steady regularity. At the end of his combo, he’ll unleash a shockwave of spiky roots that inflict damage if they make contact. If you use ranged elemental abilities, poison, or damage over time effects, you can keep moving while safely dealing damage to him.
The small shockwaves that he creates around himself can cause significant damage if you’re too close to it. However, if you’re a ranged player, there’s no reason for this to hit you, as it doesn’t reach very far. However, he does have one particularly frustrating attack: he slams his staff into the ground, summoning a rune that tracks your movements. One noteworthy aspect of this fight is how The King of Mists’ generates red, bubbling pools of blood that spawn around him. Though they’re not always nearby, you will need to avoid standing in these red pools because it can trigger him to fire small purple thorns at you (they’re easy to dodge though).
You’ll likely notice that The King in the Mists doesn’t have much HP in Path of Exile 2. This is because when his health drops to around 35%, he fully regenerates and reveals his true strength by transforming into a demonic tree ent. He has several new attacks now. He launches a purple orb that explodes upon impact, and also spawns flowers that explode shortly after. The red rune now also roots you in place if you get caught in it. He often follows this up with a wave of purple bolts, making it more difficult to avoid the damage.
The King of the Mists boss fight in Path of Exile 2 features a lot of area-of-effect (AOE) attacks. From the red droplets that fall from the sky, creating blood pools, to the mushrooms and flowers that explode when you’re nearby, and his waves of purple energy attacks, staying mobile is essential. He also periodically summons pools of purple energy that you should avoid.
Defeating The King of the Mists in Path of Exile 2: Rewards
By defeating the King of the Mists, you’ll earn the Gembloom Skull (+30 Spirit). Additionally, you’ll unlock the favor system, enabling you to receive rewards from the druid ritual altar in exchange for tribute.
However, keep in mind that the item drop may be bugged and unlootable. For some players, even though the King of the Mists died a little away from the altar, the Gem still dropped there, making it difficult to pick up. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved during Path of Exile 2’s Early Access.
Path of Exile 2: Tips for Gearing Up to Face The King of Mists
Ensure that potions are upgraded to the highest possible level, as HP at this stage tends to be much higher than the base value of lower-tier flasks. For example, using a Medium Life Flask may no longer be sufficient. Upgrade to the Greater Life Flask, which can be purchased from Una as an unidentified item. It can then be infused with magic and enhanced with an additional modifier.
Conclusion
Defeating the King in the Mists is no easy feat but it is a very rewarding thing to do in Path of Exile 2. By mastering his attack patterns and staying mobile, you will be granted powerful rewards such as the Gembloom Skull that can unlock the favor system for you. Prepare well and you will be able to conquer this formidable boss with triumph!
