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Path Of Exile Black Star boss fight mechanicsDissecting the icy-hot arena
Dissecting the icy-hot arena
Need a hand with the new Black Star boss fight in Path Of Exile?The Siege Of The Atlas expansion has arrived, bringing four new endgame bosses toPath Of Exile. There’s a new story progression that will walk you up through the Atlas and into these new fights, each of which has some deadly new mechanics. The Black Star is particularly unique, and can easily crush the unprepared. If you want a primer before entering the Polaric Void, we’re here to help.
Path of Exile: Siege of the Atlas Official TrailerWatch on YouTube
Path of Exile: Siege of the Atlas Official Trailer
The Black Star arena mechanics: The Polaric Void
The entire Black Star fight hinges on the center of the arena. When you load into the Polaric Void, you will immediately notice the center globe. That globe emits two lines of flame which divide the arena into a fiery-red half and an icy-blue half. The globe will rotate throughout the fight, shifting the halves with it. Each side inflicts the player with a stacking debuff, which makes them more vulnerable to that type of damage and its related ailment. However, they will also take less damage of the opposite type. This is the key to surviving the Black Star’s most dangerous attacks.
Note that the pillars around the arena also block attacks but sometimes break. This is also related to the rotating arena dial and will be important later. Just remember that fire attacks break pillars on the cold side of the arena but not the fire side, while cold attacks break pillars on the fire side but not the cold side.
The Black Star has two extremely powerful abilities; Astral Avalanche and Solar Storm. These attacks will near-instantly kill you if you have their matching debuff. However, with the opposite debuff, they do far less damage. In the quest version of this fight (your first encounter with The Black Star) most builds can just tank these abilities using the opposite debuff. See the images below for examples.
The same plan works for Solar Storm’s deadly beams. Because I’m in the cold half of the arena, I take very little damage.
In the more difficult, repeatable version the Black Star fight, things aren’t so simple. Even with the appropriate debuff, Astral Avalanche and Solar Storm will deal a lot of damage. You won’t be able to outright tank them without significant regen or increased maximum resists. If that doesn’t apply to you, you will need to take advantage of the pillars. Hide behind pillars on the cold side during Astral Avalanche and the fire side during Solar Storm to avoid these attacks. This puts you at risk of getting one shot due to the debuff stacking, but it is the only way to avoid damage.
How to access the Black Star fight
That’s everything you need to take on the Black Star in Path Of Exile! The Polaric Void mechanics can be frustrating if you’re going in blind, but once you understand the arena the fight isn’t too difficult. If you’re still trying to decide on your build, check ourguide to Sentinel league starters.For new players that need a hand gearing up, see our rundown ofhow to trade in Path Of Exile.
