Path of Exile 2: Tavakai, The Chieftain boss guide

Tavakai, The Chieftain is the final boss of Path of Exile 2’s Chapter 4 content. After slaying Benedictus and forging the weapon, Tavakai winds up with it, and of course, it corrupts him completely. It’s going to be up to us to chase him through a map that was previously quite tiny and only used for one thing, and have a showdown with him at the Heart of the Tribe. Technically, this is a fight of two halves, though.

While the battle begins as Tavakai, The Chieftain in Path of Exile 2, at the halfway point he heals back to full, and brings new attacks, and a new battleground, as Tavakai, The Fallen. Then at 25% he becomes Tavakai, The Consumed. We’ll be covering all of these, but it all kicks off with The Chieftain. If you are having a hard time with this fight, here’s everything you need to know.

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Where to find Tavakai, The Chieftain in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2’s Tavakai, The Chieftain is at the Heart of the Tribe checkpoint, deep within Ngakanu Island. Previously, this map was only used for one thing, and that’s to turn in the Shark Fin, if you completed that side quest. Other than that, it was just a tiny island with a vendor on it.

It's a long way to the Heart of the Tribe, so it's time to start walking. (Image via GGG)

However, you’ll have to navigate through what could be one of the biggest maps in all of Path of Exile 2, and once you get to the Heart of the Tribe section, you’re almost at Tavakai, The Chieftain. It’s a huge map with tons of enemies, so just take your time and explore every nook and cranny for lots of loot and exp.

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Tavakai, The Chieftain’s attacks in Path of Exile 2

The final boss of Path of Exile 2’s Chapter 4, Tavakai, The Chieftain, does not mess about. He constantly inflicts AOE attacks that look like pure jade, throughout phase 1. Phase 1 lasts until he drops under 50% health, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to skip Phase 2. Here are the primary attacks in Phase 1 that you need to worry about.

Phase 1's attacks are primarily AOEs, but they aren't too threatening (Image via GGG)

• Uses his axe to deliver several brutal melee strikes.
• Can chase you with axe strikes to the ground that create small jade explosions.
• Creates a wall of jade spikes, that he then smashes through with his axe.
• Swings his axe in a huge arc in front of him.
• Throws a small jade bomb that explodes in a large AOE after a short delay.
• Summons the spirit of Tukohama, and slams the ground, creating a massive AOE around him.
• Launches a grappling hook at the player, which is teased by a sound effect. If caught, you get pulled in and comboed.

After dropping under 50% health, Tavakai will transform into Tavakai, The Fallen, regain all of his health, and run into the next area. Chase him down, and you’ll get into another, more dangerous fight.

Things get a bit more serious in Phase 2 (Image via GGG)

• Summons 3-5 Jade Statues that all explode almost immediately, causing incredible damage.
• Fires a series of blood tentacles. If you get hit, they can cause shock, ignite, and a Fire Resistance Debuff.
• Creates a gross blood tumor on the ground. He then stomps it to create a physical DOT AOE puddle on the ground.
• Slams his axe into the ground to create a wave of jade spikes to rise up at you.
• Uses both his weapons to create an explosion of blood/corruption.
• Covers the ground in Tawhoa’s Forest except a small part in the center to reduce incoming damage.

When he drops down to 25% health, he will undergo another transformation, and that’s Tavakai, The Consumed. Unfortunately, he also fully regains his health bar again. His attacks change up just a little, but don’t get too bold.

Volcanoes, lightning, blood, is there anything he won't throw at the wall? (Image via GGG)

• Uses a furious weapon combo attack, which culminates in a series of leap slams. Take care to roll out of the way of this.
• Raises a series of blood crystals from the ground. They explode after standing on them, so try to avoid standing on/near them.
• Slams the ground to create blood crystals, that then trigger explosions.
• Conjures large volcanoes that spew fire onto the ground
• Chases the player with lightning strikes, while using other attacks at the same time.

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How to beat Tavakai, The Chieftain in Path of Exile 2

Phase 1 (Chieftain)

That Jade Bomb might be far away, but its reach is immense (Image via GGG)

The first phase of the Tavakai boss fight in Path of Exile 2 is pretty tame, as far as things go. He can chase you with a slam attack, and make a couple of annoying jade explosions. As with most bosses in this game, having minions means they tank most of this stuff, and you can stand back and fling spells.

The Jade Bomb can be pretty deadly if you’re near it, and if you get caught under his constant axe smashes, that can hurt too. The worst thing is that his AOE attacks all have pretty solid range, to be honest. He may not even use all of his attacks, either. He might just spam the axe slams over and over. Either way, when you reach 50%, he’ll heal to full, and phase 2 begins.

Phase 2 (Fallen)

If you're standing in the green, you deal less damage; simple as that (Image via GGG)

Run into the next room, where he starts to resemble Garrosh Hellscream at the end of Mists of Pandaria. The Blood Tentacles come at you fast, but in my experience, they didn’t inflict any status ailments; I was also very overleveled for this fight.

The Blood Spikes shouldn’t be too big of a deal, because it’s similar to Scourge of the Skies, and several other bird-themed boss fights. Instead of feathers though, it’s blood crystals/spikes.

Towards the end of the Tavakai boss fight in Path of Exile 2, he covered the whole ground in green flora. If you stand in it, it triggers Tawhoa’s Forest debuff, which significantly reduces the damage you deal while standing in it. Most of this fight you’re going to be avoiding AOE attacks while dealing what damage you can, and the forest debuff only slows that down.

Phase 3 (Corrupted)

You'll have to deal with lots of mechanics at once, so keep on the move (Image via GGG)

The final 25% of the bout shows Tavakai transform one last time in Path of Exile 2, into Tavakai, The Consumed. Unfortunately, this means he gets a full heal, yet again. He’s likely to combine several attacks back to back, so be careful. He’ll have the spikes going, while dropping lightning from the sky, while also summoning volcanoes. This is likely the most AOE-heavy phase of Chapter 4.

He also likes to leap slam, that creates AOEs out beside him, so you have to be ready to dodge anytime he starts jumping. Tavakai is also prone to launching waves of blood crystals at you, in addition to the other AOEs, if that weren’t vexing enough. At the end of the fight, the Hooded One appears to lock Tavakai down; we won’t spoil anything beyond that. Enjoy your victory, and get ready for the Intermission of Path of Exile 2.

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Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features

• Path of Exile 2 Forgotten Bounty quest: All Torn Map Piece locations
• Path of Exile 2: Yama the White Boss Guide
• Path of Exile 2: Great White One boss guide
• Path of Exile 2: What to do with the Shark Fin (Tribal Medicine)