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How to Prepare and Conquer ‘An Audience with the King’ in Path of Exile 2
To prepare for and conquer ‘An Audience with the King’—the Ritual pinnacle boss fight in Path of Exile 2—you need to understand the fight’s mechanics, optimize your gear and strategy, and know how to access the encounter efficiently.
How to Access the Fight
Obtain the Key Item: The fight requires the rare item An Audience with the King, which can drop as a favor reward from completing Rituals or be purchased from other players or the in-game Currency Exchange. It’s expensive, so many players farm Rituals repeatedly to get it.
Use the Realmgate: Place An Audience with the King into the Realmgate on your Atlas to open portals to the Crux of Nothingness, where the King in the Mists awaits.
Fight Overview
The battle has two main phases with distinct mechanics:
Phase One
The King uses melee attacks, chaos projectiles, and summons Affliction Totems that increase damage over time if not destroyed.
He applies two types of curses called Ritual of Dance (purple) and Ritual of Meditation (red). One requires you to keep moving, the other to stop moving, or you risk being rooted or imprisoned.
The King teleports frequently and uses a powerful slam attack that can one-shot players if caught.
You must destroy totems and flags scattered around the arena to prevent escalating damage and debuffs.
Avoid pushing the King near ramps, as it can cause him to get stuck and make the fight impossible.
An Audience with the King represents one of the most punishing tests of timing and positioning in the entire Ritual endgame.
Phase Two
At about 25% health, the King transforms into a heavily armored abomination, regaining health and becoming slower but more dangerous.
The arena changes with ramps closing off, limiting your movement.
The King uses devastating attacks like Blood Tornado, Blood Wave, and explosive orbs that spawn hazardous pustules.
You are teleported into a Wildwood Maze filled with fog and enemies. Follow the white sacred wisps to find the exit quickly; delays here can be deadly.
After exiting the maze, the fight resumes with intensified attacks and adds like Volatile Toads that explode near players.
Preparation Tips
Gear: Prioritize high life, chaos resistance, and mobility. Flasks that remove curses and boost movement speed are essential.
Movement: Master switching between moving and standing still depending on the curse. Staying aware of your debuff status is critical.
Crowd Control: Use stuns or freezes to interrupt the King’s attacks and totems.
Totem and Flag Priority: Quickly destroy these to reduce incoming damage and debuffs.
Avoid Pushing the King: Don’t force the boss into corners or ramps to prevent bugs.
Maze Navigation: Be ready to follow the wisps without hesitation to avoid wasting time in the maze.
Rewards and Value
Defeating the King in the Mists grants valuable ritual currency and unique items, including some of the best gear in the game. The fight’s difficulty scales with Ritual tier, so higher tiers offer better rewards but require better preparation.
By understanding the fight’s phases, managing your movement around curses, prioritizing totem destruction, and efficiently navigating the maze, you can successfully conquer An Audience with the King and reap its lucrative rewards..