The Searing Exarch is one of the pinnacle bosses in the Siege of the Atlas expansion for Path of Exile. While it can appear intimidating at first glance, this fight is one of the more straightforward challenges once you understand its mechanics. Here's a guide to help you prepare, avoid the most dangerous abilities, and ensure a successful encounter.

Key Abilities of the Searing Exarch

1. Incineration

What to Expect: This is the most dangerous ability in the Searing Exarch's arsenal. When you hear "Incineration!", the Searing Exarch will cast a huge slam attack that covers a large portion of the arena (about two-thirds of it). If you're within range, it will deal massive damage, potentially one-shotting you.

What to Do: Watch for a large flaming sigil that appears just before the attack lands. This marks the edge of the attack's range. Move beyond the sigil and you will be safe. Always be ready to move when you hear the warning call.

Pro Tip: The flaming sigil is a clear visual cue. Once it appears, immediately move away from the center of the arena to ensure you're outside of the attack's reach.

2. Bullet-Hell Phase

What to Expect: The Searing Exarch's bullet-hell phase is a significant challenge. During this phase, the Exarch launches magmatic orbs across the screen in a pattern reminiscent of bullet-hell mechanics. These fireballs can cover much of the arena and make dodging difficult, especially for players who panic.

What to Do: The key to surviving this phase is to stay calm and focus on dodging. The Maven floats above the arena and fires purple beams that vaporize some of the incoming fireballs. Watch for her beams and move through the gaps that she creates. This is your best opportunity to dodge the fireballs and survive.

Pro Tip: Flame Dash is an excellent movement skill for this phase. The instant blink allows you to cross gaps or avoid incoming fireballs with ease quickly. Keep Flame Dash on standby and use it to teleport across the screen when necessary.

3. Minions and Totems for the Bullet-Hell Phase

What to Expect: If you're struggling with dodging the fireballs during the bullet-hell phase, there's an alternative strategy that can make the fight easier. You can summon minions or place totems in front of you. The fireballs will explode upon contact with anything in their path, including minions or totems.

What to Do: Position some disposable minions or totems in front of you to act as a shield, soaking up the incoming fireballs. While it may feel like a cheesy strategy, it can make the bullet-hell phase much more manageable.

Pro Tip: This strategy works particularly well if you're playing a minion-based build or have easy access to totem skills like Ancestral Warchief or Flame Totem.

Fight Phases and Tips

The bullet-hell phase typically happens several times during the fight. However, it will always trigger when the Searing Exarch reaches around 20% health. At this stage, the phase becomes much more intense, with more fireballs flying at you. If you can deal with high DPS, you can defeat the Searing Exarch before this phase is fully triggered. This makes the fight much easier.

Maximize your DPS: The more damage you have, the less you need to worry about the bullet-hell phase. If you can take down the Exarch before reaching this phase, you will avoid the most chaotic parts of the fight altogether.

Accessing the Searing Exarch Fight

To access the Searing Exarch fight and take it on at higher levels, here's what you need to do:

Defeat The Black Star: First, you need to defeat The Black Star and complete the required quest step. This will unlock your progression towards the Searing Exarch fight.

Tier 13+ Maps: After defeating The Black Star, you will be tasked with completing Tier 13+ maps with the Searing Exarch's influence. The influence will appear in the maps as a sign of his presence.

Tier 16 Maps: Continue progressing through Tier 16 maps with the Exarch's influence, and you'll eventually receive an invitation to the Searing Exarch fight in the Story version of the battle.

Omniscient Voidstone: By defeating the Searing Exarch, you'll earn the Omniscient Voidstone, which can be slotted into your Atlas to raise the tier of all maps in the region.

Repeat the Fight

Once you've defeated the Searing Exarch and earned the Omniscient Voidstone, you can take on the boss again by completing more Tier 14+ maps with the Searing Exarch's influence.

Invitation: You'll need to complete 24 maps with the Exarch's influence before you can receive another invitation to the fight.

Harder Versions: You can increase the difficulty of the fight by adding modifiers to your invitation, similar to how you can modify other endgame bosses (like Maven or the Shaper). The higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards.

Conclusion

The Searing Exarch is a thrilling and challenging encounter in Path of Exile's Siege of the Atlas expansion. While the bullet-hell phase can initially seem overwhelming, it's much more manageable once you're familiar with the mechanics and use tools like Flame Dash for mobility or minions/totems to absorb fireballs. With the right positioning, skill usage, and preparation, you'll be able to handle the Searing Exarch's devastating attacks and emerge victorious.

By following the strategies outlined, including avoiding the Incineration slam, timing your movements during the bullet-hell phase, and optimizing your damage output, you'll be ready to face the Exarch and claim the rewards from the encounter.

Good luck with your fight, and don't forget that having the right gear and Path of Exile currency can significantly enhance your experience. Whether you're looking for gear upgrades or just need some extra POE currency to perfect your build, making sure you're well-equipped for the fight can help you stay ahead in the Siege of the Atlas!