Path of Exile 2: Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia boss guide

Deep in Chapter 4 of Path of Exile 2, Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia awaits players as a major challenge. At this point in the chapter, the story has already gotten incredibly heated, and you’ll be fighting the most dangerous bosses. You’re closing in on this current story, but don’t get too ahead of yourself; Benedictus has a suite of very dangerous attacks. A maze to navigate, falling rocks, cone attacks, and plenty of fire/lightning damage.

Unlike content like the Trial of the Ancestors, the Benedictus fight in Path of Exile 2 is a required bout, but success will complete the first major part of The Search: The Weapon will finally get forged! We won’t spoil what happens next, though, don’t worry. If you’re struggling with this fight, we’re here to see you through it.

Where to find Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia in Path of Exile 2

Due to the nature of Path of Exile 2 maps, we cannot guide you exactly to the point where you fight Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia. However, you will find them on The Excavation map, at the checkpoint for The Precursor Forge. In my experience, it was in the northeast corner of the map. It will almost certainly be on the edge of the map, since the forge itself is down a little hallway, and into a building.

Benedictus is not messing around with his boulders and lightning blasts (Image via GGG)

The monsters on the way here were at least level 52, so it’s certainly a high-level area. After a short conversation, Benedictus will reveal how mobile they are for the start of this Path of Exile 2 bout. With a quick teleport dive towards you, the fight will kick off.

Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia’s attacks in Path of Exile 2

Benedictus, First Herald of the Utopia has a full arsenal of attacks he can throw at you in Path of Exile 2. There's no real order or pattern to it, you just have to keep an eye out for all of it. Thankfully, most of his attacks have a good wind-up time. The only exception is that laser whip. As soon as he moves, you have to be ready to dodge.

If you see a ring of dust form around you, get out! (Image via GGG)

Benedictus dives down and attacks with splashing lightning damage.
Conjures and throws a rock.
Snaps a lightning whip at the player.
Summons a rocky AOE around you, which lifts rocks from beneath you that slam down after a delay.
Creates lightning land mines. These rocks crackle with energy and explode if you get too close.
Benedictus forms a meteor that smashes into the ground, aimed at you.
Conjures a boulder that explodes in a cone attack.
Creates a mini maze to navigate by conjuring two huge stones. Following the glowing spots in the rock to get out.
Under 50%, the whip now also fires a laser. He can teleport repeatedly to do this.

How to beat Benedictus, First Herald of Utopia in Path of Exile 2

The most dangerous attack in Benedictus’ arsensal in Path of Exile 2 has to be the Maze. The first time, he will channel a huge lightning explosion, where you need to get to the center of the room.

If you're seeing this lightning this close to your character, it may already be too late (Image via GGG)

After the explosion, you’ll have to navigate through some rocks, and get free of a small maze. Do this before the second explosion triggers. When you see lightning crawl along the ground, this is coming. When under 50% health, he’ll instead teleport to the top or bottom of the map and create four walls after the explosion. Quickly follow the glowing parts in the rocks to get to the other side safely.

Most of his other attacks are pretty easy to avoid. If you see an AOE form around you, very quickly dodge roll to avoid having rocks fall on you. He can also crack a lightning whip at you, and in the later parts of the fight, this can also shoot a laser.

Other than that, take care to avoid his cone attacks, or rocks he throws, and you should be safe. If you’re overleveled/hit incredibly hard, you can skip a lot of this content, though. In my first encounter, I completely skipped the first maze, and went right to the second, because my minions hit him too hard and too fast. Success against Benedictus in Path of Exile 2 will get you to the next part of the Chapter 4 story,

Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features

About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

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Edited by Jason Parker