Path of Exile 2: Viper Napuatzi boss guide

Modified Dec 18, 2024 18:42 IST

Path of Exile 2 Viper Napuatzi — Viper Napuatzi is one of the final challenges of the Path of Exile 2 main campaign, and she's no pushover (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

During Path of Exile 2’s Legacy of the Vaal quest, you’ll come across the infamous Viper Napuatzi boss. While many players have asked for help with this boss via Global Chat in Early Access, it's also one of the more frequent bosses I see in the Party Finder. The reason is also quite clear — the fight takes place in an enclosed space that only gets smaller.

This boss can inflict serious Poison damage, making Chaos Resistance and any charm that can reduce/nullify Poison incredibly valuable in this fight. However, she can be defeated solo, so if you’re having trouble with Viper Napuatzi in Path of Exile 2, here’s what you need to know.

How to beat Viper Napuatzi in Path of Exile 2

You have to fight Viper Napuatzi while being surrounded by a wall of spear-wielding soldiers in Path of Exile 2. As the fight goes on, the soldiers will close in, shrinking the area.

This boss has a series of close-range melee strikes that can inflict Poison, as well as a charged Poison attack that she launches. Another thing that makes this fight harder is how she leaves her spear jammed into the ground, creating a permanent Poison AOE. This is just one more area you have to avoid during the battle.

Find a safe space to stand and avoid death (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

It's also incredibly fast — if you hear her say “Yaomac take you!” it’s likely she’s charging this attack, so get ready to use that Dodge Roll. Her melee combo will end in a large sweeping AOE strike that also inflicts Poison.

When the soldiers that surround you for the Viper Napuatzi fight in Path of Exile 2 shift their shields, get ready for a series of AOE strikes from the sky. It will also be accompanied by huge purple circle AOE strikes. These fill the screen pretty quickly, so keep moving and find a safe place to stand. She will also occasionally use a lightning strike, which shoots out and then releases a series of projectiles at an angle.

After the AOE bombardment, the spearmen will begin to do a series of quick strikes that are incredibly hard to read. They tend to go in a line, taking up large chunks of the map at one time. In my experience, I just tried to Dodge Roll as soon as I saw one happening and hoped the invincibility frames would carry me through.

She will feed the next group green energy, and that's the group to avoid (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

The only cue you get is that Viper Napuatzi will send poisonous magic energy to a section of the spearmen. If you see that, get ready to dodge through. She doesn’t stop attacking either, and the poisonous line attack may occur simultaneously. After the initial series of poison stabs, the soldiers close in, shrinking the battlefield even further.

In my experience, she didn’t move much beyond the 50% mark, so I was able to hit her with Flammability, letting my Skeletal Arsonists and Raging Spirits do the brunt of the damage.

She stood there, occasionally using her lightning spear or poison line attack, but that was it. Of course, that might not be everyone’s experience, but my Witch minion build locked her down and melted the second half of her health bar.

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Edited by Shraman Mitra