Quick Links
As you make your way through the Traitor’s Passage inPath of Exile II, you may come across a large door bearing an Ancient Seal. Inside is a woman, chained above a pit and bound by three Runic Seals.
This is Balbala, and she stands between you and the path toAscendancy, one of the most important upgrades a character can have in Path of Exile II.
Path of Exile 2: How to Beat Count Geonor
If you’re not sure how to get through Ogham Manor, then Path of Exile 2: How to Beat Count Geonor is the guide for you
This guide will cover her move set and how best to navigate thisoptional, yet completely necessary, boss fight.
The first thing that differentiates this fight from many others is the arena’s size. The room is very claustrophobic, only made worse by thehole in the centre which you cannot cross.
In addition, Balbala is a highly mobile enemy, teleporting around constantly and appearing behind you at will. Consequently,you will need to move around,dashing to and fro in a rather confined area.
Balbala is weak to Frost attacks and resistant to Fire attacks. Using Cold or Lightning strategies works best here.
attempt to keep your distance as much as possible, kiting her around and getting used to the arena’s size. For me, it helped just toobserve her mechanics at firstbefore actually initiating the fight.
While there isn’t a phase 2 to this battle, it’s important to note that her mechanics scale with the health that she has remaining, so much like other bosses,it’s best to finish the last of her health bar as quickly as possible.
Balbala will deal a lot of poison and fire damage throughout the duration of the fight. Stack up your elemental resistances to have an easier time.
Regular Attacks
Attack Name
Description
Dual Blades
Fairly often in this fight, Balbala will teleport behind you and swipe at you with her blades. It’s very important to keep moving so you don’t get caught and stabbed in the back. Standing next to Balbala for too long can be fatal due to the rapid attacks that she can unleash. It’s recommended to keep your evasion high for the best chance of avoiding these attacks.
Balbala rises up in the air and dashes across the room. This move is fairly well-telegraphed, and as such, a simple rollout of the way will do the trick.
Dagger Attacks
Toxic Dagger Throw
Balbala will throw out a flurry of poisoned daggers. Keep moving around in a circle to dodge this mechanic.
Homing Knives
Balbala will teleport around a few times, each time spawning a new floating dagger. After a short period, these daggers will target you all at once. Again, keep strafing to avoid this attack.
Rising Strikes
Balbala will throw four sets of daggers into the ground, targeting the last place you were standing. After a while, these daggers will rise into the air, damaging anything in their path. This attack is very well-telegraphed and easy to avoid simply by looking at the floor.
Glaive Circle
This attack isn’t as common as the other attacks, and it isn’t very well-telegraphed. Balbala will send out a ring of Glaives, and draw them back towards her again. There is a hole in this ring with one missing glaive. Either move outside the range of the ring or find the hole and stand there to not get hit.
The Venom Well
This was one of the attacks that confused me at the beginning and is a huge threat to thosewho think they can tackle this fight standing still.
Balbala will disappear, and poisonous gas will begin to drift up from the well in the center of the arena. It doesn’t matter how far you move away from the pit;standingin the gas will whittle away what’s left of your health within a few seconds.
Path of Exile 2: Best Gear Farming Methods
Get geared up fast!
Instead, as soon as you see the gas,run around the edge of the room to find where Balbala is hiding.
Once you see her, don’t bother attacking, as she will cause a decently sized AoE attack, dealing a good amount of damage if you get caught. Instead, just roll away from her, and the gas will stop spreading. Once again, this fight is all about maneuverability.
The Cursed Coin
An attack that is a constant threat throughout this fight is the ancient coin trap that Balbala will regularly throw out. This is probably her most complicated and important attack, and dealing with it correctly will greatly improve your chances of success.
Spirit of Balbala
After a short while, the coin will spawn a Spirit of Balbala, a shade that will chase you around the arena and swipe at you with dual knives. This ghost isn’t going to do a lot of damage, andsimply moving around will stop it from hitting you.
Once killed, this spirit will turn back into a coin,giving you space to attack Balbala until it revives.
This enemy is more of an annoyance than a threat, making the already claustrophobic room seem even smaller as the space gets more cluttered. If you spawn too many, try to gather them in a bunch and take them out all at once with an AOE attack.
Naturally, if you’re low on Life Flasks, forcefully spawning a bunch can help you out if you’re in a pinch.
I tried to spawn as many of these enemies as possible when testing, and though I couldn’t count all of them, as I was constantly moving, I believe the maximum spawn limit of spirits is around 10.
Breaking the Charm
Alternatively, you’re able to run through the coin trap and break the seal, causing Balbala to teleport to you and dive down, exploding into flames.
The best method is torun through the trap, and then dodge roll at the last second to avoid all damageand prevent the spawning of more extra mobs. This may seem a little tricky at first, but just keep moving, and it’ll make sense eventually.
Path of Exile 2: How to Increase Spirit
Spirit is one of the most underutilized mechanics in Path of Exile 2, so find out how to get more of it.
This boss teaches you about managing supplies andusing your movement abilities to your advantage.Swiftness and taking shots when you have space are the real key here.
The Demise of Balbala
When you deal the final killing blow to Balbala, she will rise up and burst into flames. Of course, this isn’t the last you will see of her, as she decides to stay and become a Djinn rather than departing to the afterlife.
Path of Exile 2: 13 Essential Beginner Tips
If you’re confused about all those numbers, we are here to help.
Make sure to pickBalbala’s Barya, which is an item crucial for beginning the Trial of the Sekhemas, and unlocking the power of ascendancy.
