An Audience with the King: Mastering the Ritual Pinnacle Boss Fight in PoE 2
An Audience with the King: Mastering the Ritual Pinnacle Boss Fight in PoE 2
The Ritual pinnacle boss fight, known as "An Audience with the King," pits you against the formidable King in the Mists in Path of Exile 2. This encounter is a challenging two-phase battle that tests your awareness, positioning, and ability to manage complex mechanics under pressure.
Preparing for the Fight
To unlock this boss, you first need to activate and complete three Ritual Altars scattered across your maps. Once completed, you receive the "An Audience with the King" item, which you place into the Realmgate on your Atlas to open a portal to the King’s domain, the Crux of Nothingness.
Phase One: The King’s Initial Assault
The fight begins with the King in the Mists in a relatively mobile form. He uses thorny melee attacks, chaos projectiles, and summons totems around the arena that can debuff or damage you. A key mechanic to watch out for is the “Portent Vapors,” a mist that spreads on the battlefield and stacks a debuff increasing damage taken. You can reduce these stacks by moving up the ramps around the arena, which also serve as strategic points to destroy totems.
The King teleports frequently and uses a powerful slam attack that can one-shot players if caught in range. Staying mobile and watching for his attack cues is essential. Additionally, the King plants flags that must be destroyed to prevent further ritual effects from activating.
Phase Two: The King’s Transformation
Once the King’s health drops to about 25%, he transforms into a towering abomination, regaining full health and gaining heavy armor. The arena changes as ramps close off, limiting your movement options. The King becomes slower but his attacks intensify, including a devastating purple orb slam and a tornado attack that can deal massive area damage.
During this phase, you’ll also be sent into a Wildwood Maze filled with deadly fog and swarming enemies. Following wisps will guide you through the maze to return to the arena. If you take too long, you risk being overwhelmed and losing the fight.
Key Tips for Success
Manage Movement Carefully: During the first phase, use the ramps to reduce harmful debuffs and destroy totems quickly. In phase two, be mindful of limited space and the King’s slower but more powerful attacks.
Watch for One-Shot Attacks: The King telegraphs his slam and orb attacks. Dodge these carefully by moving away or timing your rolls to avoid instant death.
Destroy Totems and Flags: These spawn throughout the fight and can greatly increase the difficulty if ignored. Prioritize them to reduce incoming damage and debuffs.
Use Stuns and Crowd Control: The King can be stunned, which provides valuable windows to deal damage safely.
Prepare Flasks and Cooldowns: Save your flasks for the boss fight and avoid using them during the preliminary waves of enemies to maximize availability during the encounter.
Rewards and Progression
Defeating the King in the Mists grants valuable unique items, ritual currency, and Atlas Passive Points that enhance your ritual farming efficiency. The fight’s difficulty scales with the Ritual’s tier, so higher tiers offer better rewards but require greater skill and preparation.
Mastering "An Audience with the King" requires patience, precise movement, and understanding the boss’s mechanics. By carefully managing debuffs, avoiding powerful attacks, and controlling the arena, you can conquer this pinnacle challenge and reap its rich rewards.