PROJECT: Vaal Bosses, My Way (WARNING: Spoilers)

Hey guys, I decided to start a little project to help out those who have problems defeating the Vaal bosses at the end of each corrupted area. I'll be making videos of my Scion fighting each of these bosses as I encounter them. Hopefully this will give people some insight into how to kill these bosses, because they are actually quite challenging and fun. And yes, I do fully intend to eventually dedicate one of these videos to Wiraqucha (the invisible Stagnant Canal boss), which I've noticed seems to be one of the hardest of the Vaal bosses for beginners. I just need to level up once more so I can use my Staunching flask though (you need one if you're going to defeat this boss without dying.) I'll be updating this post with my videos as I encounter these bosses.

Oh, and by the way, this post contains spoilers, so if you want to figure out these bosses yourself, don't view my videos.



The Build

It should be noted that although I don't exactly have stellar gear, I've got all my resistances capped, and my damage is 12.6k. My build uses high attack speed to destroy enemies quickly and efficiently.

My passive tree can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/nrgoq5t. Improvement suggestions are welcome. Like I said, my build isn't stellar, I'm just a casual player sharing my methods with those who need it.



The Gear

This is the gear I currently have on my 71 Scion, which I'll be using to defeat these bosses.





Vaal Boss 1: The All-Seeing Eye (Concealed Cavity boss)

Difficulty: Very Easy

Not much to this fight. The only differences between him and other Watchers is his size, and he uses Arc for distance attacks. Not a very dangerous boss. Hit him with everything you've got, and listen for the charge-up sound for his laser attack. Sneak behind him as he charges his laser, and attack him from behind. Rinse and repeat. He went down fairly quickly for SirPoopyPantsIII. Miss a beat, and you'll pay dearly, as SirPoopyPantsIII found out the hard way in her newbie days.

Video: http://youtu.be/mOaswgdz8aE



Vaal Boss 2: Perquil the Lucky (Sunken Shingle boss)

Difficulty: Easy

Avoid the large blue circles he places on the ground. These are Storm Call markers, and although they take a while to activate, they can do considerable damage. The danger from this boss is accidentally fencing yourself into an area where you're surrounded by overlapping Storm Call markers, and don't have high movement speed, a quicksilver flask, or a Whirling Blades gem to escape. Aside from this, he's an easy boss kill. I have high attack speed, so I just run up to him and whack him until he dies. His Spectral Throw does not seem to do that much damage, but keep an eye on your health anyways, just in case.

Video: http://youtu.be/-EoncFd9QQE



Vaal Boss 3: Sheaq, Maker of Floods (Remote Gulch boss)

Difficulty: Medium

You may get desynced once in a while by this boss (as was the case with me), as he tends to put a lot of projectiles on the screen. He uses (Vaal?) Spark, and his main attack is a fire-based Lightning Strike attack similar to what Draconarius Wilhelm Flamebrand (http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Draconarius_Wilhelm_Flamebrand) from the Dominus battle uses, except Sheaq's attack speed is greatly accelerated in comparison, so he can do quite a bit of damage with it. He also uses double Lightning Nova totems that can do a fair amount of damage if you don't have sufficient lightning resistance. When he uses his main attack, be prepared to run, otherwise you will receive a lot of damage. The main thing to remember is that when he uses his Flame Strike attack, he cannot pivot, so just run to the opposite side (or better yet, use Whirling Blades if you have it) and attack him from the rear, doing as much damage as possible. If he should knock you down to low life, run away and heal - he usually won't give chase, and if you don't run, he will probably summon his lightning nova totems again, which will finish the job if you're not careful. Basically, that's all you need to know.

Video: http://youtu.be/ooX_1Zl-ROI



Vaal Boss 4: Konu, Maker of Wind (Clouded Ridge boss)

Difficulty: Very Easy

Konu is the much-weaker cousin of Sheaq. He uses Leap Slam, Spark, and Molten Shell, and has the Fast Attacks affix, and leaves burning ground where he lands. Not a dangerous boss. Just stack fire resistance and your favorite defensive stat, and hammer away at him until he dies. For those with low fire resistance or armor, you can kite him when he Leap Slams, and use Spectral Throw or any other ranged attack gem. This should make him easier pickings for those who have low damage mitigation.

Video: http://youtu.be/5nfOnFzM50c



Vaal Boss 5: Coniraya, Shadow of Malice (Forgotten Oubliette boss)

Difficulty: Medium

Don't be fooled by my run - this boss is quite a bit more dangerous than is presented here. I just wanted to kill him before he got a chance to use his Rain of Arrows, which leaves shocked ground where it lands. This is how most people die to this boss. The shocked ground will get you up to 3 stacks of shock very quickly, which makes your character easy pickings for him, and/or whatever champion packs happen to be lurking nearby, because when you're shocked, each stack increases the damage you take, and it can stack up to three times. Fortunately, as you can see, he's not that difficult to kill - just make sure not to get hit by his Rain of Arrows.

Video: http://youtu.be/628A_cVDuNU



Vaal Boss 6: Thornrunner (Hidden Patch boss)

Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard, depending on build

This is the first really difficult boss in this series. This guy has a protective shield around him, which means hitting him from a distance is going to be a waste of time. You can only do damage from INSIDE the shield, and he will try to keep distance between you and him as much as he can. This makes him a royal pain in the ass for ranged characters, because any attacks from outside the shield will have no effect.

Fortunately, I had Whirling Blades to keep up with him, but quicksilver flasks, Shield Charge, or Temporal Chains will work as well, and you can also use Vaal Cyclone to pull him to you and do a lot of damage if you have it fully charged. (As of the date of production of this video, you need 16 souls for Normal, 32 for Cruel, and 64 for Merciless.)

The first thing to do before the fight even begins is to create a portal to town so you can quickly recharge your flasks, and return to the fight. You will likely use up your flask charges very quickly, because Thornrunner's main attack (a volley of thorns) will do bleeding damage, and his tail attack does chaos and bleeding damage. He also uses a thorn-based Firestorm attack, so staying in one spot is not a very good idea. Pay attention to your health and your flask charges, and bring at least one staunching flask (dispels bleeding and makes you immune to bleeding for 5 seconds) if at all possible. Also, if you've been leveling up damage or crit curses like Assasin's mark, Frostbite, Flammability, Conductivity, or Elemental Weakness, or a Puncture gem, those will come in handy as well, as they will increase your damage output, and shorten the fight. You'll be able to stay in the battle longer. When you run out of charges, quickly portal out to town, and remember to create another portal when you return. You do NOT want to waste valuable time searching for portal scrolls in your inventory with Thornrunner pounding on you from afar, as that is a sure way to get yourself killed. You get a 15-second grace period when you first enter an area. Use it!

Additional Notes: My first attempt at this boss will show you just how nasty this boss can become if you don't pay attention. Don't fall victim to him in this way, as I did. You'll just lose all your experience. Fortunately, I fared far better in my second attempt. :D

Also, I'd like to send props to Grinding Gear Games for the design of this boss. One of the most fun and challenging boss fights I've seen in a long time! :D

Video: http://youtu.be/3S7FFXRdfc0



Vaal Boss 7: Kutec, Vaal Fleshsmith (Secluded Copse boss)


Difficulty: Medium

Kutec is a powerful summoner that uses Desecrate, Flesh Offering, Detonate Dead, and Raise Zombie. Kutec is not much of a threat by himself. The danger is from his zombies. They will try to swarm you, and if they succeed, they can kill you very quickly.

At the start of the battle, Kutec will either begin summoning zombies from any dead bodies you've killed, or if there are no corpses in the area, he will use Desecrate to summon some. His zombies are empowered by Flesh Offering, which gives them insane movement and attack speed. Use a quicksilver flask to maneuver around the zombies, and hit Kutec as much as you can. Be very careful, because the zombies will try to swarm you, and if they do, death is certain.

If needed, you can also try to lure the zombies away from Kutec, and hit them with any ranged AoE skill (I chose Spectral Throw because I have mine linked to Greater Multiple Projectiles, Mana Leech, and Added Cold Damage), then come back and hit Kutec as much as you can before he summons more zombies. Be advised, though, that the zombies are not stupid, and will not follow you too far away from Kutec - they will just run back to protect him if you try to lure them too far away. Repeat this strategy, and he will eventually die. This fight is all about dodging his minions and dodging poison.

Video: http://youtu.be/aQWm7zjmeSE



Vaal Boss 8: Cintiq the Inescapable (Covered-up Hollow boss)


Difficulty: Medium

This is a variant of the Weaver boss from Act 2, with some key differences: While Cintiq doesn't summon additional spiders to help him in this battle, he uses Flicker Strike (he may also have Multistrike support as well in Merciless difficulty), and has Faster Attacks affix, and his Ethereal Knives is a bit more powerful. Aside from these differences, he's basically the same boss.

With high-level Life/Mana Leech and Life Gain on Hit gems, it is possible to rush this boss. My Life Gain on Hit and Mana Leech are both level 18, my Life Gain on Hit has 13% quality, which gives a small (42 points I believe) boost to the amount of health you receive, and my Life Leech is level 17, and I was able to rush this boss okay with relatively low health.

If you do decide you want to try to rush this boss, make sure to keep an eye on your health though, as he can do a lot of damage in a short space of time. If you're not too tanky though, I strongly suggest kiting this boss as much as possible, as his damage will probably be too much for you, unless you have a lot of health to make up for it.

Video: http://youtu.be/jZMkIowqYQE



Vaal Boss 9: Shrapnelbearer (Entombed Alcove boss)

Difficulty: Medium

This boss is a souped up Vaal Construct. His attack and movement speed are greatly increased, his main attack is supported by Greater Multiple Projectiles, and he uses a nasty poison ball attack when you get close. Fortunately, he has a serious weakness - he has very low life. If you don't have high Chaos Resistance & an amethyst flask, you can either use ranged attacks, or use hit & run melee attacks to kill him. He'll die fairly quickly.

Video: http://youtu.be/ybwyBtRkTWg



Vaal Boss 10: Haviri, Vaal Metalsmith (Forbidden Chamber boss)

Difficulty: Hard

This is a tough boss fight, mainly because Haviri has a lot of hard-hitting skills at his disposal, and he can lay up to three spell totems simultaneously that use these skills. Totems can use Freeze Pulse, Fireball, Arctic Breath, Flame Surge, Ethereal Knives, or Storm Call. Haviri also attacks you directly with a physical version of Firestorm and powerful melee attacks. I went ahead and killed all the Champion (blue) monsters in the area because they're extra damage that I don't need to be dealing with when fighting this boss. Haviri does quite enough damage by himself. If you're crazy enough to actually want to add that element of danger to the fight, good for you. Maybe I'll join you in about 15 to 20 years when I finally gather enough exalts to buy a Kaom's chest and Mjolnir. :P :D

When Haviri sets totems, destroy them as quickly as possible. You don't want these totems stacking up on you. Have a Heat Flask ready to dispel any freezing effects. (I don't have to worry as much about freezing because I have a Hrimnor's Resolve helm, which grants you a 50% chance to avoid being chilled or frozen.) Getting frozen with a low-life build like mine is certain death in this fight. Once the totems are destroyed, start unloading on Haviri until he summons more totems. You can also run off screen for a little while, heal, and wait for the totems to dissipate if you run low on life. Don't be afraid to teleport to town if you run out of flask charges.

Video: http://youtu.be/ZeCZTfD0dwY



Vaal Boss 11: Kamaq, Soilmaker (Narrow Ravine boss)

Difficulty: Easy

He is a Devourer with a ball lightning attack. As long as you have maximum Lightning resistance, and stack good defensive stats, he shouldn't be much of a problem. Run up to him, hit him a few times until he burrows back into the ground (sometimes he glitches, and doesn't actually burrow back into the ground) and repeat. Watch your health, as his claws can do serious damage. Also be advised that this boss has Far Shot capability, which makes his ball lightning attack do more damage at longer distances. Kiting is not advised without strong defenses. Overall, he's not a hard boss, unless you lack defenses.

Video: http://youtu.be/3gEUTfS9pq8



Vaal Boss 12: M'Gaska, The Living Pyre (Blind Alley boss)


Difficulty: Easy to Medium, depending on build and player skill

Be warned - this can be a very laggy fight, due to the fact that this boss puts a large number of projectiles on the screen at once.

M'Gaska is a living totem that uses Flameblast, and summons three smaller high-health totems that shoot fireballs that will home in on you, so dodging is not enough. Fortunately, the fireballs don't move very fast, plus you can also destroy them, and they will refill your flasks, so keep this in mind if you should run low on flask charges and portal scrolls during the fight, as this is another viable method to regain charges. M'Gaska's biggest weakness, however, is his long charge-up time for his Flameblast attack. You can use this to your advantage by faking him into targeting an area a distance away, then run up to the totem, and start doing damage to it until either his Flameblast finally explodes, or you start getting a lot of fireballs on your screen.

Depending on how strong your fire resistance is, you might be able to tank the fireballs, but I wouldn't risk attempting to tank through a Flameblast strike. Between attacks, you can lure the fireballs a distance away from M'Gaska, and start destroying them to help you last longer in this fight, or simply to keep your flasks full. Destroying the smaller totems is useless, because they have very high health, and M'Gaska will simply summon more to take their place anyways. Concentrate your attacks solely on M'Gaska itself.

Video: [URL]http://youtu.be/rxKYixw44Is[/URL]

Video of the All-Seeing Eye is up.

low fps and map and items always on is a pain to watch in my opinion.
Also why show the whole run when you want to show the boss?

I think the vids are a good idea for n00bs.

Added Perquil the Lucky (Sunken Shingle boss.)

Cool project

Switched out my lightning res ring and my gloves.

"

kolyaboo wrote:

I think the vids are a good idea for n00bs.

The idea IS good, but the vids are terrible imho.
In the second video again, low fps, items on, map on...and he does the full run, even opens a strongbox, identifies items...i don't know what this has to do with the intention of this guide to show a boss.

You can tweak the graphics: /forum/view-thread/177500
If you need some better gear pm me.

"

kizzderose wrote:

"

kolyaboo wrote:

I think the vids are a good idea for n00bs.

The idea IS good, but the vids are terrible imho.
In the second video again, low fps, items on, map on...and he does the full run, even opens a strongbox, identifies items...i don't know what this has to do with the intention of this guide to show a boss.

This guy makes a valid point. I'll look into toning the graphics down and maybe finding a new recorder. Meanwhile, I'll take the videos down until I get some proper software.

Thanks for your critique, it's much appreciated Kizzderose.