PoE 2 Boss Guide: Lord of the Mists

The Lord of the Mists is a challenging, pinnacle boss fight in Path of Exile 2, offering an intense fight and great rewards. This fight recreates the fight from Act I, fought in a dedicated arena with a more powerful king, and more dangerous than before. Defeating him grants you a 30% chance to get one of the best PoE 2 items in the game, including the much sought-after Ingenuity and several Omens.

Here's everything you need to know about defeating the Lord of the Mists.

How to Find the Lord of the Mists

To face the Lord of the Mists, you'll need to:

Run the Ritual: Find an Audience with the King through a ritual encounter.

Buy the Key: Alternatively, you can buy the key to the boss fight from Alva with some artifacts.

After you've had an Audience with the King, place it in the Realmgate on the Atlas. This gate is permanently affixed and easily accessible from the Atlas menu.

Things to Know Before You Go

Chaos and Physical Damage: The King deals primarily with Chaos and Physical Damage. Having a reasonable Chaos Resistance (ideally above 70%) is essential to surviving this fight. If your resistance is low, you will take more damage, making the fight more difficult.

No Pause: This is a pinnacle boss fight, so pausing or logging out during the encounter is not an option. If you need to temporarily exit the fight, you must log out quickly (the boss does not heal, so you can re-enter without him regaining HP).

Ranged Safety: If you play as a ranged character, you will find this fight easier, as keeping your distance is the safest option. If you need to get close to the King, keep your distance to avoid his unstoppable mechanic.

Platforms and Omen Steam: Be careful with the platforms within the arena. Staying on a platform for too long will cause you to gain Omen Steam stacks, increasing the damage you take. If left unchecked, these stacks can quickly turn the fight from manageable to deadly. Avoid standing still on platforms if possible.

Phase 1: The King's Gambit

In Phase 1, the King will start with a few basic attacks and debuffs.

Auto Attack: Basic Chaos projectiles that deal small damage. He will use this attack frequently, but it is easy to dodge. This attack also applies Blight, temporarily increasing the amount of Chaos damage you take.

Pain Totems: The King will periodically summon Pain Totems around the Arena. These Totems apply debuffs and increase the amount of damage you take. They have low health, so prioritize destroying them quickly.

Mystical Fetishes: These Totems will appear on platforms. While easy to kill, they make the Arena more dangerous and help with Omen Steam stacking. Take them down quickly.

Blood Pools: The King will fire red projectiles that leave pools of blood on the ground. These pools deal physical DoT damage and are dangerous to stay in. These pools only appear on higher difficulty levels.

Grip of Thorns: The King will yell "Grip of Thorns!" and throw a cone of purple thorns at you. Easy to dodge if you're far away.

Meditation Ritual: The King will curse you for four seconds. You need to stand still for the last second or two to avoid being rooted. Moving too much during the curse will cause you to be rooted and take some damage.

Dance Ritual: Similar to Meditation, this attack will curse you for four seconds, but this time you need to keep moving during the last few seconds or you will be rooted. As with Meditation, you can move freely during the first two seconds.

Vine Slam: This is the King's most dangerous attack in Phase 1. If you get close to him, he will raise his staff and slam, dealing heavy damage. This is a telegraphed attack, so get out of the way quickly.

Phase 2: Will-O-Wil Maze

Once the King's health drops to 25%, he will enter the Will-O-Wil Maze, a mechanic borrowed directly from the Mist Lord from Path of Exile 1.

Will-O-Wil Maze Mechanic: You will be teleported into a maze, and your goal is to quickly follow the glowing will-o'-the-wisp to find the exit. Will-o'-the-wisp will float in front of you to show you the way. Keep an eye out for them as you move through the maze. Some sections have no will-o'-the-wisp, so keep moving to find the next one.

Time Limit: The maze is a pass-fail mechanic. You must find the exit before the timer runs out. Once you reach the purple gate, you will return to the arena to continue fighting.

Phase 3: Chaos Eruption

In Phase 3, the King becomes more chaotic and dangerous.

Multiple Projectiles: The King's default attack is now three projectiles instead of one.

Ritual Attacks:

Tormented Swarms: Purple swarms of insects will spread across the arena, dealing Chaos DoT damage. With enough Chaos Resistance, they won't do much damage, but they still need to be avoided.

Rat Tornadoes: Dangerous, moving rat tornadoes will chase you around the arena. If you get caught in a meditation or dance mechanic near a tornado, you'll be in serious trouble. Keep your distance from it at all costs.

Blood Waves: Blood waves will sweep across the arena. These are easy to dodge and don't deal much damage.

Exploding Spores: The King will shoot a slow-moving projectile that explodes on impact, leaving behind a purple ground effect. Stepping on these deals Chaos damage.

Explosive Toads: These toads hop around the arena and explode on impact. They don't do much damage, but their presence is a further distraction.

Mist King Loot Table

The King drops regular loot as well as unique boss-specific loot. These can include:

Beetle Bite

Ingenuity

Burden of Shadows (+2 or higher)

Pragmatism

From Nothing to Something (+4 only, very rare)

In addition, the King drops at least one Omen, with the following probabilities:

Improvement Omen

Corruption Omen

Right-Winged Coronation Omen

Right-Winged Alchemical Omen

Right-Winged Abolition Omen

Right-Winged Erasure Omen

Right-Winged Ascension Omen

Greater Abolition Omen

Greater Ascension Omen

Refreshing Omen

Rejuvenation Omen

Left-Winged Coronation Omen

Left-Winged Alchemical Omen

Left-Winged Abolition Omen

Left-Winged Erasure Omen

Left-Winged Ascension Omen

Sharpened Omen

Conclusion

The Mist King is a powerful boss with multiple phases, each introducing unique challenges and mechanics. From dodging Chaos projectiles to traversing the Wisp Maze, this fight requires adaptability, positioning, and quick thinking.

Having PoE 2 currency on hand can help in acquiring powerful gear, and consumables, and even trading for other valuable PoE 2 items that drop during the fight. Consider stockpiling PoE 2 currency for these types of high-stakes encounters, as you'll be able to make sure your gear is optimized for Chaos resistance and be prepared for Phase 3's Chaos ability attacks.