Map Bosses

Kill the final Map Boss to complete a regular endgame map. Ordinary Map Bosses are Unique monsters with special mechanics and increased rewards. Powerful Map Bosses are harder, give better rewards, and frequently drop Waystones one tier higher. Deadly Map Bosses are specific Powerful bosses tied to particular maps and can add special rewards such as Unique items, Lineage Supports, or access items for Pinnacle Bosses. If the map contains unfinished optional content, complete it before risking the boss because dying after the boss fight starts removes the map's other monsters and encounters.

The boss completes the map

Regular endgame maps each contain a Map Boss. Defeating the final boss completes the map. Since version 0.3.1, completion no longer requires killing every Rare monster, so the player may do as much or as little optional map content as desired before the boss.

The Atlas icon means Powerful

All regular maps already contain a boss. The boss icon visible above an Atlas map now identifies a Powerful Map Boss. It does not mean that maps without the icon are bossless. Some Unique Maps and Hideouts are exceptions to the general all-maps rule.

Ordinary, Powerful, and Deadly are different tiers

An ordinary Map Boss is the Unique monster required for completion. A Powerful Map Boss is an upgraded version with more difficulty and better rewards. A Deadly Map Boss is a particular Powerful boss that appears in a specific map and can have a dedicated reward pool or drop access to a Pinnacle Boss.

Powerful bosses frequently drop a higher-tier Waystone

The current keyword says Powerful Map Bosses frequently drop Waystones one tier higher. Only the final Powerful Map Boss in the area can roll this higher-tier outcome. Its chance decreases at higher Waystone tiers and can be raised by applicable Waystone modifiers. This is a chance, not a current guaranteed drop.

Older guarantee wording is historical

The 0.2.0 patch notes said Waystones from final Map Bosses would always be one tier higher. The current Powerful Map Boss and Waystone progression definitions use a chance-based rule. Current keyword data should therefore be used for present gameplay rather than treating the old patch line as an active guarantee.

Empowerment upgrades the boss

Empowering a Map Boss upgrades it into a Powerful Map Boss. An Overseer Tablet applies this directly when opening a map in the Map Device. Non-Unique Tablets currently have 10 uses, and an Overseer Tablet consumes one use each time it is applied to an eligible unattempted map.

Finish optional content before a risky boss

Once a Map Boss fight begins, dying resets the boss to full life. The restarted map keeps only the boss and removes its other monsters and encounters. Complete valuable Ritual, Expedition, Breach, Delirium, Essence, Shrine, Strongbox, or other optional content first when the boss presents a meaningful death risk.

Party respawns belong to the map owner

During a Map Boss fight, the map owner controls the collective party respawn. The whole party is returned together so the boss fight restarts from full life rather than allowing individual players to re-enter a partly completed fight.

A failed map can be retried with penalties

A failed map node can be attempted again with another Waystone, but its additional encounters are gone, Tablet slots are disabled, item drops are lower, and experience gain is reduced by 50%. A successfully completed map cannot be attempted again.