Campaign bosses
Every act ends with a boss, and some have a gate boss in the middle. Bosses are far stronger than normal monsters: much more life, harder hits and more experience. Dying to one costs only the usual experience (The death rule).
| Act | Boss | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorial | Ketterrak the Drowned Bosun | At the Breakwater Gate of the Wrackline. Drops the Shardbreaker Mark and a glyph (The Wrackline and Gullrest Camp) |
| I | Warlord Ruzad | An orc warlord with the first shard. Sub-quest boss: Rotworm Queen |
| II | The Horned Fox (gate) and Elvenbane Guardian | The Fox carries the letter; the Guardian carries the second shard |
| III | The Old Widow (mid) and Mooh'Tah Master | Killing the Widow opens Ascendancy Trial 1 |
| IV | Chizzoron the Distorter | A serpent mage, fourth shard |
| V | Mother of Scarabs | Scarab queen, fifth shard, opens Trial 2 |
| VI | Hrodmar the Frostbitten | A frost-rotted barbarian chief, sixth shard |
| VII | Azerus | A demonic general, seventh shard, opens Trial 3 |
| VIII | The Rot-Engine | A Glooth machine, eighth shard |
| IX | Zulazza the Corruptor | The final bearer, ninth shard |
Rewards. Every boss kill gives a large share of experience, a guaranteed rare of its act's tier, a few orbs, a passive point and its shard as a quest item. The first time you kill each boss, a unique item specific to that boss also drops: for example Warlord Ruzad's Cleaver or Mother of Scarabs' Carapace Helm (Unique items). Ketterrak drops Rat King's Fang.
Everyone gets their own credit. Each character clears each act boss once for quest purposes, and a party shares kills (Parties in maps).
Fighting them. Bosses speak at the start, at a phase change and when they fall. Flasks can fire when a boss fight starts (Automatic flask rules).
Map kit bosses (new). Two generated map themes have their own bosses. Gravelord Oshuran keeps the Crypt Ossuary, an undead warden who counts the dead and calls them back. Plagueroot is the heart-tree of the Fungal Cavern, where the Rot has grown a forest of spores. Both appear as the map boss of their themes.
Parties. Bosses gain life per extra party member (Parties in maps).
Related: The Nine Shards, The campaign: acts and hubs.