PoE 2 Boss Design Insights

Boss design is a core part of Path of Exile 2, GGG has designed some of the most iconic and challenging boss fights in the ARPG space. For PoE 2, it looks like they're taking things to the next level! The recent video on Boss Design in Path of Exile 2, further outlines their design philosophy.

Origins

Many of the bosses in Path of Exile 2 emphasize the narrative. For example, the Iron Count plays a major role in the game's first Act.

But in the video, Mark also talked about letting artists take the lead and go wild creating an impossible monster. The Vaal Construct, Zicoatl, Warden of the Core is an example of one such amalgamation. A statue with multiple snakes sprouting from its back, ready to unleash a lethal barrage of spells.

What is a Boss?

Bosses present a singular challenge that you must overcome. These are highly thematic enemies with unique mechanics. Because Path of Exile 2 takes heavy inspiration from the Souls-like genre, there is a huge emphasis on learning a Boss's move set to succeed. Therefore, each fight should present a brutal, but fair experience.

Defeating bosses in Path of Exile 2 gives permanent character power increases, similar to the Bandits or Passive Point quests.

Balancing

There are no additional portals on boss fights in Path of Exile 2. You have one shot to complete all of the phases and should you fail, you need to restart the fight. This means each boss needs to be balanced around fair mechanics. Hitboxes must be accurate and attacks need to fall into readable patterns. When players have 6 portals, a boss can kill the player 5 times without reaching a true failure state. Requiring 6 deaths to reach a failure state leads to bosses with 1-shot mechanics that feel unfair. In Path of Exile 2, Bosses only have a single portal to avoid this issue.

Summary

Boss design is a core part of the Path of Exile 2 experience. There are over 100 unique bosses for players to challenge as they level through the Acts and participate in endgame activities. Each presents an obstacle for the player to overcome. At first, many of these fights may seem impossible. But as you fight them and fail, look for what you can learn from each attempt. As you become wiser, you are better prepared for the next challenge.

Stay tuned for more news leading up to the Path of Exile 2 Early Access on November 15th!

Written by: Tenkiei

Reviewed by: Havoc616