Path of Exile 2: Great White One boss guide

Path of Exile 2’s Great White One boss fight hides on Whakhapanu Island, and at first, it’s not going to be obvious how to trigger the fight. A few players on the global chat noticed that when they reached the “boss room”, nothing happened. However, when I did it, when patch 0.3.0 dropped, my method worked. So I’m here to tell you where this boss is hiding, how to trigger it, and how to defeat it.

This boss also drops an invaluable item that triggers the Tribal Medicine side quest. It’s a short quest, and gives you a useful reward. If you aren’t sure where to take it, don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered. If you’re stumped on the Great White One optional boss in Path of Exile 2, we’re here to help.

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Where to find Great White One in Path of Exile 2

The Great White One spawns on Whakapanu Island in Chapter 4 of Path of Exile 2; specifically, in the Shark Pit section of the map. Since PoE 2 maps are randomized every time you log into one, there’s no telling its exact coordinates. However, I can tell you that it’s going to be facing the water. The Shark Pit has an opening on either side of it, and has huge jagged rocks surrounding it, except for a spot near the water.

When you see the shark swim by, it's time to fight (Image via GGG)

If you just stand around in the Shark Pit, it’s unlikely that the boss will spawn; that’s been the experience of several players. What I did was walk up to the open area, where you can get close to the water. After a few seconds, the Great White One will swim by, and then leap onto land. That’s all there is to it, and you’ll be thrown into a boss fight.

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Great White One’s attacks in Path of Exile 2

The Great White One isn’t really a dangerous fight if you’ve got minions to fight for you in Path of Exile 2. He didn’t exhibit a single ranged attack, other than its leaping smash. Everything else in its arsenal consists of melee attacks, short lunges, and spin attacks. I imagine melee users might have a bit harder of a time dealing with it.

• Does a few swiping claw attacks in melee range.
• Swings its body around and unleashes a bite attack.
• After a brief delay, leaps across the map to try and smash into you.
• Has a short lunge attack to try and attack the player.
• Has a spin attack where it tries to hit you with its tail.
• Rises up out of the sand, leaving behind an AOE that slows
• His bite gives a debuff that gives the boss your scent
• Dives in and out of the sand back to back

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How to beat Great White One in Path of Exile 2

Other than this leap, everything else appeared to be close melee range (Image via GGG)

As long as you can stay out of melee range with the Great White One, the fight is incredibly simple. You just stay at range, and pelt him with attacks, out of the way of his dangerous claw, bite, and tail swipe attacks.

In addition, his attacks don’t appear to have any extra arcs or projectiles to them, so it shouldn’t be hard to get close, attack a few times, and then get out of the way if he starts to spin or lunge. The only real exception is his tail spin. It can splash a bunch of rock and sand in its wake.

In my second fight with the Great White One, I saw that it can also dive up out of the sand and bite. It will do this a few times, leaving several AOE spots on the ground that slow you down. I don’t recommend using Sprint to get around though, that’s just asking for trouble in any boss fight.

This fight was much easier than the final boss of this area, which is hiding down in the Singing Cave area. Just try to stay out of the way of his lunging bite attacks and tail swipes, and he should go down easy.

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Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features

• Path of Exile 2: Deadeye Leveling guide (Easiest 0.3.0 League-starter)
• Path of Exile 2’s Support Gem rule change in 0.3 is a big buff to all builds
• Path of Exile 2: All Crafting changes in 0.3.0 (The Third Edict)
• Path of Exile 2: Scourge of the Skies boss guide