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The Diablo franchise is best known for its epic Boss fights and late-game content. In its newest title, Diablo 4, the boss at the end of Act 2 doesn't disappoint. When you first fight Astaroth, he's big, tough, and the cutscenes are emotionally wrenching.

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And while Astaroth has everything needed to be a fan favorite, he's also an encounter that gives a lot of players trouble. His Hit Point pool is massive, and he can almost one-shot the player with his basic swing. For tips on Astaroth's attack rotation, precautions to ensure success, and in-fight strategies, keep reading.

Astaroth Explained

The Act 2 boss, Astaroth from Diablo 4

Astaroth is the demonic boss at the end of Act 2. This takes place in an instanced version of Cerrigar. During the cut scenes leading up to the fight, you'll see him in all his terrifying glory atop his mount - The Amalgam of Hatred.

Abilities Of The Enemy

Astaroth has an attack pattern similar to what you'd expect from a hulking, mounted combatant. His attacks are powerful but slow. Most of the demon's damage is done in a cone in front of him, although he is able to call down AoE attacks occasionally.

The main threats in the fight are:

  • His staff swing
  • The flaming breath attack of his mount
  • The fireballs (his AoE)

He will also sometimes call Lycans into the fight with a howl, but these shrimp minions mostly provide fodder for players whose builds require enemy kills.

Phases Of The Fight

Astaroth's health bar is divided into three sections to reflect the three phases of the fight. However, unlike other bosses, Astaroth does not gain new abilities in each phase. Instead, his attack rotation speeds up, and he runs to a new section of the arena.

To help players sustain themselves through the fight, health potions will spawn whenever Astaroth enters a new phase. This seems to be 2–3 health potions per phase, but it is currently unknown whether the amount of potions goes down at higher difficulties.

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Tips To Prepare For Astaroth

Player Upgrading Their Potion With The Alchemist

When you are approaching this boss, it is very well-telegraphed. You even fought a weaker version of Astaroth's mount in a previous boss battle. Due to its telegraphed nature, players should be able to prepare to their heart's content.

While there are many small things you can do to give yourself an edge, your priority should be your gear and acquiring a specific consumable.

Preparing Your Gear

Gear in Diablo 4 is responsible for your character's power level more than anything else. As a result, wearing subpar or damaged gear into a big fight is a major disadvantage. Just before entering the boss arena (encountered while running through ruined Cerrigar) it is wise to teleport back to town to put on your latest and best gear. While you're there, repair all your gear, and maybe even upgrade a couple of pieces.

Acquiring Consumables

A mechanic that is new in Diablo 4, and thus commonly overlooked by veteran players, are elixirs. The Alchemist sells them in the second tab of their menu for cheap. They only cost a couple of the herbs you've been finding all over Sanctuary.

There are a plethora of elixirs with differing effects available, but one of the best when fighting Astaroth is The Elixir of Fire Resistance. Depending on what stage of the game you are playing through, the quality of these elixirs will be different (much like upgrading healing potions).

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Strategy When Fighting Astaroth

a screenshot from Diablo 4's Astaroth fight showing the player character attacking from behind

Once you've begun the fight, there are a few strategies that will help you stay healthy while doing damage.

  • Dash forward underneath Astaroth when he winds up for a staff swing or fire cone to avoid the damage. These attacks are very wide and hard to dodge otherwise.
  • Take advantage of Astaroth's frequent pauses and slow reaction time to stay behind or to the side of him whenever possible (this essentially eliminates 2/3 of his damage output).
  • Dash away from him when the mount bends low to the ground. He will then jump and daze nearby characters.
  • Watch for the fireball outlines on the floor, which appear about 1 second before the damage triggers. Walk out of these but try not to dash (you're saving that for other attacks). These circles will linger on the ground for a while after triggering, dealing high burn damage. Avoid them at all costs.

With the combination of a Fire Resistance Elixir and staying behind Astaroth, this fight gets much easier. You should be able to dodge most of his other damage and heal through what you cannot dodge. Good luck and happy demon slaying!

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