Boss guide
From Old Tusk outside Emberfold to Skorvyn the Cinder Wyrm in the Colony, bosses are where the best gear in the game comes from. Here is where each kind of boss lives, how it appears, who takes the loot and what is worth hunting it for.
Bosses from level 12 to 72Hearthmoor, Valcrest, Gorzhak and the ColonyLoot to the top damager's partyUniques and legendary weapons
How bosses work
A boss is a monster far stronger than the camps around it, with special attacks of its own: slams that stun, sweeps that hit everyone in front of it, rings of fire or frost that slow, and blasts from the sky. Its big attacks take a moment to wind up, which is your chance to step out of the way. A boss pays far more XP than a normal monster, and every party member near the kill shares it.
Bosses appear in three ways. Most stand in a lair of their own and come back there some time after they fall. Roaming bosses turn up in the homelands at a new spot each time. The Ancient Colossus rises in the Bowl at fixed hours. The level of every boss is on its nameplate, and the database has a page for each one with what it drops.
Who gets the loot
- The top damager wins it. A boss's XP and its chest go to the player who dealt it the most damage, and to that player's party. The last blow does not matter.
- Damage is not pooled. Your party's damage is not added up: what counts is the one player with the most. In a race against another group, keep your hardest hitter on the boss from start to finish.
- The chest is yours for a short while. Only the owner and their party can open it at first; after that anyone near may take what is left, and in the end the chest fades.
- Gold is shared. The gold in a chest is split evenly among the party members near it, and a bigger party finds a little more.
- Uniques are news. When a unique goes into someone's bag, the whole server hears about it.
Hearthmoor and the homelands
Old Tusk (level 12) is the first boss most players meet, a huge boar in the outer fields of Hearthmoor. It is worth a group for its XP, steel gear, bronze jewelry and scrolls. No boss unique drops in the start zone, so save your hopes for later.
In Valcrest and Gorzhak stand The Barrow King (level 28) and Mossback the Ancient (level 36). Each homeland has its own copy of both, so each nation hunts them in peace. They drop mithril gear, silver jewelry and scrolls, and they are the first bosses with uniques: the Barrow Crown Ring and the Grave Warden Earring from the Barrow King, the Mossback Hide Belt from Mossback.
Roaming bosses
Four roaming bosses wander the homelands: Gnarlhide (16), Redmane (22), Grimtusk (30) and Bonecaller (34).
- Now and then one of them turns up near a camp of monsters close to its own level. Only one is out at a time.
- The whole zone is told where it was seen, so others will be on their way too.
- If nobody kills it within about 20 minutes it slips away, unless it is in a fight at that moment.
- When it falls, the zone hears who slew it.
Gnarlhide and Redmane drop steel gear and bronze jewelry, Grimtusk and Bonecaller mithril gear and silver jewelry, and all four drop an Upgrade or a Jewelry Scroll. A player at its level can beat one alone with potions; a party does it faster.
The Colony bosses
The Colony Zone holds the strongest bosses, from level 64 to 72, and it is open PvP: both nations hunt the same bosses, and the other side can steal a kill by out-damaging you or by killing your party. Each one has a lair along the middle of the map, between the two nations' bases.
- The Cinder Tyrant (64) burns at its pyre on one side of the Bowl.
- Hellmaw (66), a fast hellbeast, keeps its den on the other side.
- The Hoarfrost Titan (66) stands in the frozen glacier at one far edge of the map.
- Pyreheart (68) waits in the molten wastes at the opposite edge.
- Grak the Warlord (70) holds his war camp in the stony hills beyond Hellmaw's den.
- Skorvyn the Cinder Wyrm (72), the highest boss of all, lies in the obsidian scar beyond the Tyrant's pyre. Its flame breath covers a wide cone, and it comes back far less often than the others.
A Colony boss needs a strong party with a Priest and a Warrior in front. The PvP and war guide explains how the Colony works.
The Ancient Colossus
The Ancient Colossus (level 70) is the world boss. It rises in the Bowl at the heart of the Colony three times a day, at 13:00, 19:00 and 22:00 Istanbul time. The whole server is warned 10 minutes and 1 minute before, told when it has risen and told who slew it. If it is still standing at its next hour, no second one appears. Whoever holds the Bowl when it rises gets the first swing, so the fight for the Colossus is often a fight between nations.
Between risings the Bowl is not empty: Ashen Stingers and the Crown Champion live there, and the Champion pays a few National Points to the party that slays it. The Rift Gate stands in the Bowl too.
What bosses drop
Bosses drop magic and rare gear more often than any common monster, and their gear can be up to 5 levels above their own (bosses above level 60 count as level 60). Beyond plain gear, these are the prizes worth the hunt:
| Boss | Uniques and special drops |
|---|---|
| The Barrow King | Barrow Crown Ring, Grave Warden Earring |
| Mossback the Ancient | Mossback Hide Belt |
| Hellmaw | Hellmaw Cleaver, Fangs of Hellmaw, Staff of the Old Root, Hollowbell Mace, Hellmaw Fang Necklace |
| The Hoarfrost Titan, Pyreheart | Staff of the Old Root, Hollowbell Mace |
| The Cinder Tyrant | Tyrant's Ember |
| Grak the Warlord | Warlord's Signet; the Emberbound, Frostbound and Stormbound belts; the Earrings of the Vanguard, the Shadow, the Arcanist and the Devout |
| Ancient Colossus | Heart of the Colossus, Legion Belt, the Ashdrake, Frostdrake and Stormdrake Pendants, Bloodstone Ring, Moonglass Ring |
| Skorvyn the Cinder Wyrm | Wyrmwing Cloak, the drake pendants, Bloodstone Ring, Moonglass Ring, Gold Bars |
Every Colony boss also drops the four legendary weapons of level 60, Nightreaper, Duskreaver Daggers, Staff of the Sundered Sky and Crownforge Maul, along with the Best Upgrade Scroll, the level 55 set, dragon gear and gold jewelry. A unique is always clearly stronger than the best plain piece of its slot at its level and shimmers gold in its slot. The gear and upgrade guide covers them in detail.
Every boss at a glance
| Boss | Level | Zone | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Tusk | 12 | Hearthmoor | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Gnarlhide | 16 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Shows up now and then somewhere in the homelands |
| Redmane | 22 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Shows up now and then somewhere in the homelands |
| The Barrow King | 28 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Grimtusk | 30 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Shows up now and then somewhere in the homelands |
| Bonecaller | 34 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Shows up now and then somewhere in the homelands |
| Mossback the Ancient | 36 | Valcrest, Gorzhak | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| The Cinder Tyrant | 64 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Hellmaw | 66 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| The Hoarfrost Titan | 66 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Pyreheart | 68 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Grak the Warlord | 70 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
| Ancient Colossus | 70 | Colony Zone | Every day at 13:00, 19:00 and 22:00 (Istanbul time) |
| Skorvyn the Cinder Wyrm | 72 | Colony Zone | Keeps its own lair and comes back a while after it falls |
Tips
- Let the Warrior open with War Cry so the boss looks at the one who can take it.
- Spread out. Many boss attacks hit everyone around the target or in front of the boss.
- Bring a Priest: Purify and Cure All clear the slows and poisons bosses leave behind.
- Read a scroll and cast Blessing before the pull. A long fight rewards every buff.
- In the Colony, post a lookout. A boss fight at half health is the best moment for the other nation to attack.
Questions
Can two parties share a boss?
No. The chest belongs to the party of the single top damager. Another party can only take what is left once the chest is open to everyone.
Do bosses drop their uniques every time?
No. Uniques are rare, which is why the server hears about every one. The database lists what each boss can drop, never how often.
Is there a boss in the Umbral Rift or Morgard?
The Rift has none. In Morgard the two War Keepers decide the war; read the War of Morgard guide.
When does a lair boss come back?
Some time after it falls, at the same spot. The game does not show the timer, and the Colossus follows its fixed hours instead.
Not level 40 yet? The leveling guide shows the route to the Colony, and the Crystal Clash pays coffers from level 20.