How to stop the poison phase during fight with Balbala in PoE 2

Struggling with Balbala's poison phase in PoE 2? Try these tips to turn the fight into your favor.

Olga Fiszer

Source: Path of Exile 2; Developer: Grinding Gear Games

Some boss fights in Path of Exile 2 lack clear indicators or intuitive mechanics, and Balbala the Traitor is a prime example. Found in the Traitor’s Passage during Act 2, this encounter makes the time-limited fight with Mektul in the Molten Vault feel like a walk in the park. Here’s everything you need to know to cancel Balbala’s poison attack, along with other helpful strategies.

Balbala’s poison attack in PoE 2

When Balbala vanishes and poison gas begins to spread, circle the arena to locate him. The boss will reappear when you get close enough, and a good pair of headphones with spatial audio can be a great aid during this invisible phase. Touching Balbala will stop the gas, but he’ll immediately unleash a powerful AoE attack. Don’t try to hit the boss and focus on rolling away quickly to stay safe.

Tips for Balbala boss fight in PoE 2

Balbala’s hitbox is unusually small, which makes landing hits, especially with melee attacks, particularly challenging for such a fast-moving boss.

Here are some other tips to help you with this fight:

  1. Balbala throws coins that spawn yellow runes. Stepping on a rune prevents an additional enemy from spawning but triggers a damaging AoE attack. Roll away immediately after touching the rune. The coin disappears once the rune is deactivated.
  2. Alternatively, you can allow the coins to spawn enemies to use them to trigger On-Kill buffs or other skills. But be cautious. If you don’t control the spawns, you could quickly become overwhelmed by the enemies.
  3. Balbala is weak to cold damage but resistant to fire.
  4. If you’re a Warrior with a shield, make heavy use of it in this fight. It’s great for blocking yellow daggers, preventing poison debuffs, and more. Shield Charge is especially handy, use it to quickly escape the rain of yellow daggers or to pass over yellow runes.

Path of Exile 2

December 6, 2024

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Olga Fiszer

Author: Olga Fiszer

Joined the guides on gamepressure.com in 2019. Nonetheless, you can also come across her posts about LEGO, which is something she has passionately collected for many years. A former corporate employee who decided to move to the UK, where she devoted herself to collecting pop culture relics. Her favorite game genres include primarily RPGs and jRPGs, classic RTSs, as well as unique indie games. When, despite a sizable collection of games, she concludes there's nothing to play, she launches Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, one of the KOTORs, or Baldur’s Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, not Throne of Bhaal) for the hundredth time. After hours, she enjoys painting figurines or admiring her collectibles and retro consoles.