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How Do You Deal With The Encounter With Ekbab And Iktab In Path Of Exile 2? - Battle Guide

Feb 10, 2025

Path of Exile 2, which has been popular all over the world for some time, has become a popular target for many players who love challenges because of its unique boss battle encounter mechanism. A double boss encounter in Act 2 of this sequel has become the most discussed topic among exiles.

The two bosses are Ekbab, Ancient Steed and Iktab, Deathlord. They will reward you with Mastodon Tusks and a piece to assemble the Horn of Vastiri, so that you can cross the current desert and go to more dangerous places.

How Do You Deal With The Encounter With Ekbab And Iktab In Path Of Exile 2? - Battle Guide

Since the difficulty of fighting two bosses at the same time is very high among the boss encounters in the whole game, this guide will show you how to find Ekbab and Iktab, as well as the attacks and mechanisms they use in the battle, so that you can complete this unique boss encounter faster and more comfortable.

How To Find Ekbab And Iktab?

The first thing we need to know is that Ekbab, Ancient Steed and Iktab, Deathlord are located in The Bone Pits in Act 2, which you will find during A Theft of Ivory quest.

You will explore two very important locations during this quest, the first being the Mastodon Badlands. Although there is no boss to fight here, it is great for farming POE 2 Currency and some loot, as it contains a lot of lower-level monsters that are easily defeated by your normal attacks. The other location is The Bone Pits where you fight Ekbab and Iktab.

How To Defeat Ekbab And Iktab?

As you explore The Bone Pits, a very large area, you will definitely come across Blackrib Pit, which is the location of the arena where you fight these two bosses. Since this arena is regional, try not to set foot in it until you have decided on a strategy to deal with them.

It is also worth noting that when either Ekbab or Iktab is defeated, the other will be given some power, which will cause their damage output per attack to be very high and very efficient, so when making your build, you can’t focus your main attack power on only one boss.

You can try to spend some POE 2 Exalted Orbs to invest in multiple gears with different offensiveness, so that they can deal equal damage to each other, so that Ekbab and Iktab’s health will be depleted at the same rate, and then quickly defeat them one after another. After you prepare a powerful build, you also need to understand the attack moves and mechanics of these two bosses so that you can react faster and more accurately during the battle.

Also Read: Player Feedback: The Endgame In Path Of Exile 2 Would Be Better With Some Changes!

Ekbab, The Ancient Seed

  • Ground Slam: If you see Ekbab is standing up, it means that it is about to raise its front hooves and slam itself in front of it, which will cause a wave of cascading damage to you. So you need to dodge immediately when you see it standing up to avoid this attack.
  • Tusk Swipe: At this time, Ekbab will swing his head to the left to cause tremendous damage, so you can stay on its right side to avoid this move. But it should be noted that it is always moving, so Ekbab will often swing to the right, so please always pay attention to the direction of its head swing.
  • Charge: When you see Ekbab start to retreat, it is about to use this attack move: charging forward to cause unbearable straight-line damage once hit. At this time, it is recommended that you can increase the mobility in the build as much as possible, or keep some distance to better avoid this attack.

In general, most of the attacks used by Ekbab can be judged by its actions before the attack and the distance between you and the boss. The safe area you are standing in is generally safer on both sides. So between Ekbab and Iktab, Ekbab is easier, but when it gains a buff because of Iktab’s death, it will be your real challenge.

POE 2 Ekbab

After gaining the specified buff, Ekbab will create a smaller version of Iktab’s Ghost Nova, which will fire a number of projectiles at you. There will also be one or two small ghost orbs that will follow you around and explode when they get close to you. The strategies available here are very limited, as each player’s play style is slightly different, but the easiest way to practice is to just keep dodging their attacks until the projectiles are gone.

Iktab, The Dreadlord

  • Lightning Wand: Iktab will fire a bunch of small lightning projectiles around the arena that will explode when they hit your character. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell where the projectiles are from, so when you see the first set, it’s best to stay at a distance or dodge.
  • Sigil Meteor: If you see orange marks on the ground, it means Iktab is about to summon a meteor to hit those marks for heavy damage. Obviously, you need to avoid the orange marks and find a way to deal some damage to the boss from a safe area.
  • Lightning Strikes: Not only do you need to avoid the orange marks, but you also need to pay special attention to the blue ones that appear in the arena, as they are the signs that Iktab will release Lightning Strikes to deal heavy lightning damage to you. During this process, it is recommended that you equip some POE 2 Items that can provide you with lightning resistance to keep your character safe.
  • Ghost Nova: After getting all the above moves, you will see a nova appear in the center of the arena, which will periodically fire some projectiles at you while slowly spinning. It is best to move to the edge of the arena and give yourself some space to deal damage to the boss. Also, be careful to avoid each projectile as the nova moves, which has tremendous damage.

When Ekbab dies, all of Iktab’s attacks gain a huge buff: Sigil meteors will form waves that cover most of the arena, Lightning Strikes become denser, and Ghost Nova’s novas will spin faster and projectiles will fly faster.

POE 2 Iktab

In addition, Iktab gains a new attack called Bone Tendrils, which is the only Area Damage of the two bosses. You will see 5 circular AOEs around where you are standing, which will explode after a few seconds. So you may need to move around to stay in a safe area.

That’s it for finding and fighting the two powerful bosses Ekbab and Iktab in POE 2. Overall, the best strategy for completing this encounter is to deal with Iktab first, as Ekbab has a strengthened attack that is easier to avoid. Once you defeat them both, you can find Mastodon Tusks from the loot provided to you and then embark on your journey to find the rest of Horn of Vastiri. Have fun!

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