Dominus, Ascendant (Act 3)
Dominus, Ascendant, is the final boss of Act 3, located at the top of The Upper Sceptre of God. This encounter is a two-phase fight that tests your ability to manage adds, avoid dangerous ground effects, and deal sustained damage. Dominus deals primarily physical and lightning damage, with some chaos damage in his second phase. Coming prepared with appropriate resistances and a solid damage output will make this fight significantly smoother.
The arena for the Dominus fight is relatively small, especially in the first phase, which can make dodging challenging. Understanding his attack patterns and prioritizing targets is key to victory. Don't be afraid to use your utility flasks strategically, especially those that grant instant life recovery or temporary elemental resistance buffs. This guide will break down both phases of the fight, offering strategies to overcome the High Templar and progress to Act 4.
Phase 1: The High Templar
In his first phase, Dominus remains on a raised platform, largely stationary, while summoning various minions and unleashing ranged attacks. Your primary goal here is to survive the onslaught of adds and deal damage to Dominus when safe.
- Summoned Undying: Dominus frequently summons groups of Undying Alchemists and Undying Evangelists. Prioritize eliminating the Evangelists, as their Proximity Shield can make dealing damage to Dominus difficult. The Alchemists throw caustic ground flasks, which create dangerous areas of chaos damage over time.
- Lightning Storm: Dominus will periodically cast a large AoE lightning storm that covers a significant portion of the platform. There will be a clear visual indicator on the ground before it strikes. Move out of the indicated area immediately.
- Blood Rain: He also casts a Blood Rain skill, which creates small, persistent puddles of physical damage over time on the ground. Try to avoid standing in these.
- Strategy: Focus on clearing the Evangelists first. Use movement skills to reposition and avoid the Lightning Storm and Blood Rain. Deal damage to Dominus between add waves and when his shields are down. Maintain a good distance to give yourself more reaction time for his AoE attacks.
Phase 2: Dominus, Ascendant
After defeating Dominus in his first form, he transforms into a grotesque, winged abomination and descends to the main arena floor. This phase is more mobile and features new, more dangerous attacks.
- Touch of God: This is Dominus's signature attack. He charges up a massive lightning beam that sweeps across the arena. The beam deals immense lightning damage and applies a strong shock. This attack is highly telegraphed; move perpendicular to the beam's path to avoid it.
- Blood Bomb: Dominus will occasionally launch large, slow-moving blood projectiles that explode on impact, dealing physical and chaos damage in an AoE. These are relatively easy to dodge due to their slow speed.
- Desecrated Ground: He leaves trails of desecrated ground as he moves, dealing chaos damage over time. Avoid standing in these areas.
- Summoned Plagues: Dominus summons small, fast-moving Plagues that deal physical damage. While not as threatening as the Undying, they can quickly overwhelm you if ignored. Clear them periodically.
- Strategy: Stay mobile! The arena is larger in this phase, allowing for more kiting. Prioritize dodging the Touch of God at all costs. Keep an eye on your chaos resistance, as the Desecrated Ground and Blood Bombs can quickly chip away at your life. Use your movement skills to create distance and avoid being cornered. Sustain damage on Dominus while managing the Plagues and avoiding ground effects.