Once you stumble into Freythorn, it doesn’t take long to realise the King in the Mists is the first boss that actually makes you think about your build and how you’re using your PoE 2 Currency. He’s not a quick clear or some early‑game pushover; he’s the moment the game checks if you’ve been paying attention. Before stepping into his arena, most players overlook the simple stuff like flask uptime or a half‑decent weapon, and that’s usually why they end up face‑down. The fight’s not about fancy gear, it’s about keeping yourself alive long enough to understand his pacing.

Checking Your Setup

A lot of people run straight into the fight with whatever they picked up ten minutes earlier, only to wonder why they’re evaporating. You don’t need anything wild, but fresh armour and a weapon that isn’t held together with tape makes a big difference. And flasks matter more here than in most early fights. You’re in this encounter for a while, so you need regen and movement ready to go. Having a movement skill on your bar isn’t optional either; you’ll use it constantly to slip out of his bigger swings and those slow purple shots that look harmless until you take one to the face.

The Fight’s Real Shape

The first phase feels simple enough. He lobs projectiles, slams the ground, and gives you time to breathe. You dodge, poke him a bit, and stay away from corners. But once he drops to zero, things shift fast. He regrows into that twisted tree‑form, and the tone of the fight changes. Energy waves cover wide angles, and those mines he scatters stay around much longer than you expect, which forces you to move in odd patterns. The most brutal part is the root effect; if you hesitate for even a second, he catches you, pins you, and lines up a hit that’ll flatten most builds. You learn very quickly that standing still is basically volunteering to die.

Playing to Your Build

Ranged characters get a slightly easier time since they can keep sliding around while landing hits, but melee players have to treat the whole fight like a hit‑and‑run loop. You dart in, get one or two swings, then you’re already moving out before he reacts. It feels stressful at first, though once you settle into the rhythm, the fight becomes more about patience than raw power. The moment you stop trying to burst him down and start reacting to his patterns, the whole thing becomes almost predictable in a good way.

Why It’s Worth the Trouble

You’re not doing this for bragging rights; his rewards make the early acts smoother for so many builds. The Gembloom Skull drop, with its big Spirit boost, opens up some strong setups right away. And activating those altars to unlock Favor is a nice bonus that pays off later. So even though the fight looks rough the first time you face it, learning how to deal with him pays off fast, especially once you start hunting better gear like the ones you can find through acheter item poe 2.