Path of Exile 2: Scourge of the Skies boss guide

Scourge of the Skies awaits Path of Exile 2 players on Shrike Island, and if nothing else, it confirms that Grinding Gear Games adores frustrating bird bosses. Things can definitely get out of hand while fighting this massive, corpse-spewing bird. Found during the first main story mission, The Search, players will scour a series of islands, looking for fragments of a weapon. Unfortunately, this boss has one of them.

Like Diamora, Song of the Deep, being mobile is key to surviving Scourge of the Skies in Path of Exile 2, but the attack types are much different, and much more deadly. I almost died in this fight a few times, despite being a much higher level than it. Here’s what you need to do if you seek the blood of the Scourge of the Skies.

Where to find Scourge of the Skies in Path of Exile 2

Scourge of the Skies is the primary boss of Path of Exile 2’s Shrike Island. You get here by boat, from Kingsmarch, and have to navigate a complicated, frustrating series of canals and pathways around the island. This also triggers the Shrike Island quest, where the goal is simply to “explore” the island, until you find the boss.

Just look for the gigantic nest all by itself (Image via GGG)

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the PoE 2 maps being random, we cannot tell you exactly where to find the boss. When you see the checkpoint for Corrupted Nests however, you’ve found the boss. If you see a checkpoint that leads into a gigantic nest area (large trees and rocks with just one way in), odds are good you found the boss.

Scourge of the Skies’ attacks in Path of Exile 2

This is a fight filled with crimson fire and bird corpses (Image via GGG)

For being the Scourge of the Skies, this Path of Exile 2 boss didn’t really move around very much for me. That might be because my minions were keeping it busy. However, if you do get behind this boss, I learned it will turn to try and attack you.

You can do this to sort of briefly point it at the back wall of the room. It doesn’t have a ton of attacks, but the ones it does have hurt.

Belches up a line of corpses that splash onto the ground.
Conjures a half circle of feathers that pop up out of the ground and deal damage/slow/bleed
Spits up a trio of lines of red fire that deal heavy damage.
Has a melee range peck attack that needs to be avoided.
Splatters roughly half the ground in bird corpses.
Spits up more bird corpses, but in a continual line that chases you in a line.
At 50% summons a Plagueling that also fights you.

How to defeat Scourge of the Skies in Path of Exile 2

Avoid the Feather Wall at all costs (Image via GGG)

When dealing with this boss, you really have to stay on your toes. There are several large AOE splash damage attacks, where it just. . . belches up corpses, it looks like. It’s gross, but it also hits incredibly hard.

However, the most dangerous attack, for my money in the Scourge of the Skies fight in Path of Exile 2, are the feathers. It will summon a curved line of feathers, and after a delay they pop up and hit you. This deals damage, and also inflicts a 30% slow, making it very dangerous. Suddenly, it’s much harder to dodge the next line or wave of big damage.

The feathers also inflict a massive bleed that goes on for five seconds. It feels like an eternity, and almost took my whole health globe out. While you’re bleeding out health, the Scourge of the Skies continues to bombard you with other attacks, so a misstep can easily result in you starting the fight over.

Around the 50% mark, the Scourge of the Skies will summon a Plagueling that gets its own boss health bar. Remember Chetza, the Feathered Plague? Yeah, you’re basically dealing with that nonsense all over again.

It doesn’t offer you a lot of variety in terms of attacks, but every single one is dangerous. Once you’ve defeated this boss, you’ll get another one of the Weapon Pieces you need for The Search quest as well.

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