How to beat the Devourer in Path of Exile 2

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The Devourer is one of the first bosses in POE2

Path of Exile 2 devourer
(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)
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The Path of Exile 2 Devourer in the Treacherous Ground quest is one of the first proper encounters you'll go up against, slaying a tunnelling insect in the Mud Burrow past Clearfell. It's a serious leap in challenge from the Miller in the tutorial, a fight that requires intelligence and evasion to stay out of the way of its acid and tail attacks. 

Below we'll explain all the basic principles about how you can beat the Devourer (regardless of which of the Path of Exile 2 classes you choose), including strategies, tips, weaknesses, and just where to find the damn thing, as the Devourer's Vile Nest arena is somewhere down in the Mud Burrow.

How to beat the Path of Exile 2 Devourer

Path of Exile 2 devourer

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

The Devourer in Path of Exile 2 is a melee focused boss encounter who will be easier to fight at a distance, though obviously that doesn't help much if you choose the Warrior or the Monk. Here are some basic, universal tips on how to handle the Devourer that should apply regardless of your current early game build.

  • Be at least level 3, ideally 4 or 5. The Mud Burrow region is good for farming XP, so back up out of the arena if you're having difficulty and fight the larvae, skeletons and mud monsters until you feel you're ready. Like we said - this boss has a lot more teeth than the Path of Exile 2 Bloated Miller boss fight, in all sense of the word.
  • Make sure you have all the best equipment ready to go. It sounds patronising, but this early in the game we don't blame people for getting used to systems, so open your inventory and confirm you're equipped accordingly, while making sure you're choosing according to your classes' strengths and weaknesses.
  • In the arena, target the head. Different sections of the Devourer will emerge from the ground, but it's only the head that takes damage, even though the body sections and tail can still attack you.
  • As a rule, stay behind the head. The head itself vomits pools of linger acid and does melee attacks, but these are largely front-facing. If you're close, roll behind it and attack the back of the skull.
  • If the ground goes red, immediately roll away. This is the sign that the Devourer is about to emerge with an explosive AOE effect - it's surprisingly damaging and can kill many players outright.
  • How you approach minions should depend on your class. About halfway through the fight the Devourer will start summoning Larvae to attack you, and what you do with them should depend on your class. Most classes should just pick them off as a priority - it's harder to fight groups - but Monks and Witches can use them to trigger powers or summon undead minions.
  • Play slowly. The Devourer has a large health pool and you should get used to the back-and-forth, not rush in and take risks. This is a battle of attrition - whittle it down, focus on inflicting status effects if you can, and eke out your own flask uses and supplies accordingly.

Defeat the Devourer for a small pool of random loot and an uncut skill gem you can use, then travel back to Renly for an uncut support gem and 100 Gold as you turn in the Treacherous Ground quest.

How to find the Devourer's location

Path of Exile 2 devourer

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

The Devourer is in the Mud Burrow, an optional area that you can find by the following path:

  1. From Clearfell Encampment where you get the quest, leave by the North gate into Clearfell itself.
  2. From there, head Northwest. You need to reach the upper wall of the area and follow it to the left. You'll find a hole marked as the "Mud Burrow" - head inside.
  3. Inside the Mud Burrow, the layout is somewhat randomised, but we can say you'll either start at the far left or far right side of the burrow - and need to reach the opposite right or left side respectively.
  4. Once you find a checkpoint stone, head up into a large open space marked as the Vile Nest. The Devourer is inside here.

The next big challenge in the game is finding all the Path of Exile 2 Rust Runes - and our guide can help you not only do that, but defeat the Rust King boss who emerges as a result! Or, if you've got buyer's remorse, find out how to unlock the Path of Exile 2 respec system and what it'll cost you.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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