You’ll notice pretty fast that the King in the Mists isn’t one of those early bosses you can breeze past, and the moment you enter his clearing, the whole tone of the game shifts. By the time you accept Finn’s request to clean up the druid altars, you’re already seeing how the story pushes you deeper into Freythorn, but nothing there hits quite as hard as he does, so having a bit of extra help in the form of PoE 2 Currency to shore up your gear never feels wasted. Players often walk in thinking they’re ahead of the curve, only to realise they forgot to refresh their flasks or upgrade the weapon they’ve been dragging around since Act One.

Preparing Before You Step Into the Arena

A lot of folks underestimate how much simple prep saves them here. You don’t need a perfect setup, but you do need something you trust. Movement skills matter more than raw stats in this fight, because the boss punishes stillness more than most early encounters. And flasks—seriously, people skip this all the time. You’re going to burn through life flask charges just from chip damage, so bring gear that keeps you steady rather than trying to brute-force the whole thing. The fight’s long enough that tiny mistakes add up fast.

Handling His First Form

The opening phase isn’t too wild. His projectiles are slow enough that you can sidestep them without much stress, and his slams show clear tells. You’ll find yourself circling him a lot, taking quick shots, then backing away before he locks you down. It’s not complicated, but it’s a test of whether you’re paying attention. If you get pushed into a corner, it turns messy quickly, so stay mobile and keep the arena open. Most players feel confident by the end of this phase, which makes the next part sting a bit more.

The Moment Everything Escalates

Once his health bar drops, the fight shifts hard. He transforms into a twisted tree creature, and the entire rhythm changes. His waves cover half the screen, his mines clutter up every angle, and he roots you the second you stop moving. That root into slam combo is the main reason people die here. The safest way to deal with him is to hit once or twice, then slide out before he winds up something nasty. Ranged builds get an easier time, sure, but melee players can manage it with disciplined dodging and quick bursts.

The reward makes the whole ordeal worth the stress though, because the Gembloom Skull giving a big boost to Spirit feels absurdly strong this early, especially for summoners or characters juggling reservation skills, and unlocking the Favor system through the altars opens the door to some long-term progression. Beating him feels like you’ve actually learned something, and the win sticks with you in a satisfying way, especially once you’ve sorted your gear and dipped into a few useful PoE 2 Items buy upgrades.