Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict - The Prisoner Boss Guide

In Path of Exile 2, bosses serve as major milestones in your journey, presenting the ultimate challenge that tests your build, skill, and patience. One such monumental boss encounter is The Prisoner, a pivotal antagonist in the Third Edict questline. This boss battle is not only a test of your combat prowess but also an immersion into the complex and deeply narrative-driven world that Path of Exile 2 is known for.

The Third Edict questline is central to the game's unfolding story. As you progress through this chapter, you'll uncover deeper mysteries surrounding the game's factions, the Edicts, and how they shape the world of Wraeclast. But nothing tests your mettle more than facing The Prisoner—an enigmatic and powerful foe locked away for centuries, whose escape could have devastating consequences.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know to defeat The Prisoner boss in Path of Exile 2, including the mechanics of the encounter, tips for preparation, phase transitions, and strategies for success. This will also help you more quickly earn rewards like POE 2 Currency.

Overview of The Prisoner Boss Fight

The Prisoner is a multi-phase boss fight located in the Prisoner's Citadel, an ancient and foreboding location. As a major storyline boss, the fight represents a turning point in the Third Edict quest, where your character faces off against an ancient being imprisoned for its unfathomable power and mysterious nature.

This encounter is not just a battle of raw damage; it requires a good understanding of the boss's various mechanics, as well as careful navigation of the environment. The Prisoner's design blends both psychological and physical threats, offering a layered challenge that can overwhelm the unprepared.

Boss Mechanics and Abilities

Before diving into the strategies for defeating The Prisoner, let's first break down the boss's key mechanics and abilities, which are integral to your approach during the fight.

1. Prisoner's Chains:

The Prisoner is shackled to powerful ethereal chains that restrain its full strength. However, these chains also serve as a conduit for several devastating attacks. One of the key mechanics involves the Prisoner's Chains interacting with the environment and the player.

Chain Pull: The Prisoner will periodically summon chains to pull you toward specific locations on the arena. Failing to dodge or escape these chains can result in massive damage and even disorient you by slamming you into the walls.

Avoid the Chain Pull: Watch for the visual indicator when the Prisoner begins to summon chains. Position yourself away from the center and move toward the edges to avoid getting dragged into the most dangerous parts of the arena.

2. Soulflare Burst:

In a more devastating ability, The Prisoner will charge up and release a Soulflare Burst in the form of a massive energy beam. This attack can wipe out a significant portion of your health if you're caught in its path. The Prisoner charges up this attack over several seconds, allowing players to react.

Counter the Soulflare Burst: Timing is everything with this attack. As soon as you see the Prisoner begin to glow or gather energy, quickly move out of the beam's projected path. Staying close to the Prisoner might seem tempting, but avoiding this attack is critical for survival.

3. Warden's Mark:

The Prisoner will periodically target one or more players with a Warden's Mark, an ability that marks a character for a specific debuff. Players affected by this mark will start to take increased damage or become slowed. The Prisoner will frequently target multiple players with this debuff during the fight, so it's important to manage positioning and movement.

Debuff Management: If you're marked by the Warden's Mark, you need to move out of the group or find cover to avoid taking amplified damage. If not avoided, this debuff can quickly stack up and overwhelm a single player. Speed boosts or teleportation skills can be extremely useful for dodging this mechanic.

4. Prisoner's Phantom Minions:

During the later phases of the fight, The Prisoner summons phantom versions of itself to aid in battle. These minions mirror the Prisoner's abilities and will pulse damage across the arena, making positioning incredibly important.

Phantom Minions Strategy: The minions will become more aggressive as their numbers increase. Use crowd control abilities to stun or slow these minions, allowing your team to focus on the real Prisoner. Target the minions quickly, but remember that their attacks deal significant damage, so be mindful of their telegraphed abilities.

5. Final Phase: Unleashed Fury

Once The Prisoner reaches a certain health threshold, it enters a rage state, shedding its chains and unleashing its full power. During this phase, The Prisoner will attack relentlessly with increased damage, faster chain pulls, and more frequent bursts of Soulflare. This phase marks the culmination of the fight, where the Prisoner's abilities are heightened to their most dangerous.

Surviving the Final Phase: The key to surviving this phase is to keep moving and time your dodges correctly. The Prisoner becomes invulnerable for short periods, so focus on dodging and avoiding the AoE bursts. Make use of defensive flasks and damage mitigation abilities to survive this final onslaught.

Strategies for Defeating The Prisoner

Now that we've covered the basic mechanics, let's talk about how to approach the fight and come out victorious.

1. Preparation is Key

Before entering the Prisoner's Citadel, make sure you are properly prepared for the encounter:

Elemental Resistances: The Prisoner utilizes a wide range of elemental damage types, especially chaos and fire. Having high resistances to these elements will significantly reduce the amount of damage you take from the Soulflare and chain abilities.

Flasks: Bring health flasks, mana flasks, and stamina flasks to ensure you can continue fighting without running out of resources. A quicksilver flask for movement speed is especially useful for dodging chains and bursts.

Crowd Control Skills: Abilities that allow you to slow, freeze, or stun the Prisoner's minions can help mitigate the chaos of the final phase. Having a trapping or minion-summoning build will allow you to create additional distractions.

2. Stay Mobile

Throughout the fight, mobility is key. The Prisoner's attacks are all heavily telegraphed, allowing you a window to avoid them. Practice the following:

Always be on the move to avoid chain pulls and Soulflare Bursts. Staying stationary might give you a false sense of security, but it will lead to quick death when the Prisoner enters its rage phase.

When you are marked by the Warden's Mark, move away from your group to reduce the incoming damage and confusion.

3. Focus on Positioning

Positioning is crucial, especially when dealing with the chain pull mechanics. Here's how you can stay ahead:

Stay to the sides of the arena: The center is often the most dangerous spot because of chain pulls and AoE attacks. Stay close to the walls or the edges, allowing more room to maneuver when the Prisoner targets you.

Avoid the minion swarms: During the summoning phase, prioritize the Prisoner over its minions, but don't neglect them entirely. Damage mitigation and crowd control for the minions can make this phase much more manageable.

4. Patience and Timing

The Prisoner fight is long and can be overwhelming if you don't keep calm. Patience is essential, especially in the final phase. Take your time to dodge, keep a steady stream of damage, and wait for openings to attack. Many players fall into the trap of overcommitting during the final phase and get caught off-guard by the boss's high damage.

Conclusion

Defeating The Prisoner in Path of Exile 2's Third Edict quest is a significant milestone, but it can be a tough challenge for unprepared players. Understanding the key mechanics-such as chain pulls, Soulflare Bursts, and Warden's Mark-is critical to surviving the encounter. By staying mobile, managing positioning, and focusing on crowd control and elemental resistances, you can overcome the Prisoner's deadly tactics. Be prepared to use poe2 trade to quickly grow stronger and conquer your enemies.

In the end, this boss fight is a test of patience, precision, and adaptability. With the right preparation and strategy, you'll be able to break free from the Prisoner's grasp and continue your journey through Path of Exile 2, closer to uncovering the full mystery of the Third Edict.