Cortex Boss Guide Path of Exile



How to Begin the Fight

The Cortex can appear from Zana map missions, she can also sell a Cortex map in your hideout. You can also get Cortex map drops from map bosses.


Preparing for the Fight


The fight is relatively easier compared to most end-game bosses, but should still be taken with caution, we recommend the following before attempting:


  • Have over 5000 effective health
  • Have capped elemental resistances
  • Have some form of layered defence i.e high dodge chance or mana before life
  • High DPS (2m+)
  • A good movement skill like flame dash or dash


Boss Phases


The boss fight is split into 5 different phases.


Phase One


In phase one, you will fight The Fractal Gargantuan, similar to the Augmented Synthete boss but faster – once he is defeated phase two will begin.


Phase Two


The Synthete Masterpiece is summoned shortly after, he is similar to the Twisted Synthete bosses, after he is defeated the third phase will begin.


Phase Three


The Decaying Map Device will appear and begin to spawn monsters for 30 seconds from four portals before disappearing and transitioning to the fourth phase.


Phase Four


The Fractal Titan will be summoned, he is the same as The Fractal Gargantuan but has two additional attacks. Once defeated the final phase will begin.


Phase Five


The Synthete Nightmare will be spawned last, he is the same as The Synthete Masterpiece with two additional attacks, after you defeat him the map device will appear and explode, dropping the loot.


The Fractal Gargantuan Abilities


Golem Whip


The Gargantuan charges up his hands and swipes the area in front of him with each hand.


Golem Beam


The Gargantuan plants both arms into the ground and fires a large laser in a straight line from his chest.


Leap Slam


The Gargantuan leaps into the air and slams the ground beneath him.


Projectile Laser Combo


The Gargantuan fires out 5 projectiles in a cone in front of him and swipes them with his laser beam, exploding them and causing them to explode, dealing damage in a small around them.


V Turret Slam


The Gargantuan slams the ground in front of him, summoning two lines of small turrets in a V shape.


Single Projectile Combo


The Gargantuan fires a single projectile and then blasts it with his laser, causing it to explode, dealing damage around it.


Spinning Projectile Combo


The Gargantuan spins in a circle and releases several projectiles, he then spins and hits them all with his laser, causing them to explode and deal damage in a small area around them.


The Fractal Titan Abilities


The Fractal Titan has all of the Fractal Gargantuan’s abilities and two of its own.


Energy Pylons


Small energy pylons may be summoned onto the ground that deals lightning damage.

Unstable Energy Phase


The Titan summons several Energy Pylons that travel to him and power him up, after a few seconds the Titan will explode and let out a huge wave of damage.


The Synthete Masterpiece Abilities


Projectile Barrage


The masterpiece fires a barrage of projectiles in an arc in front of him.


Celestial Projectiles


The Masterpiece fires 3 slow-moving projectiles towards the player.


Beam Barrage


The Masterpiece briefly charges an electric field above his head and then fires a barrage of lasers in a straight line in front of him.


Wormhole Slam


The Masterpiece summons Vortex projectiles around him and then slams the floor in front of him.


Charged Slam


The Masterpiece creates a large circle on the ground which charges up with energy, after several seconds the area explodes into a large bubble.


Concentrated Beam Blast


The Masterpiece channels several beams into a specific point on the ground, after a few seconds the area explodes.


Cross Mortar


The Masterpiece fires out 4 mortars in an X pattern that then being to spin around his body after a few seconds.


Laser Storm Slam


The Masterpiece levitates in the air and fires many lasers around the edge of the arena that rotates into a shrinking circle, once the lasers reach him it sets off a large explosion.


The Synthete Nightmare Abilities


The Synthete Nightmare has all of the Masterpiece’s abilities and two of its own.


Teleport


The Nightmare can teleport around the arena, firing projectiles at the player.


Blackhole Projectiles


The Masterpiece summons several projectiles that travel to the same location, the projectiles all explode once reaching the target.


Rewards


The Cortex offers four different unique item drops at the end, you are guaranteed to get at least one.