Doryani stands as one of the most iconic and challenging bosses in Path of Exile 2. Not only is he the climax of Act 3, but in Early Access, he also doubles as the Act 6 boss, underscoring his importance in the game's lore and gameplay progression. Facing Doryani tests your build's resilience and your tactical understanding of boss mechanics, especially compared to the brutal encounter with Jamanra in Act 2. While the fight isn't impossible, it requires attention to detail, good elemental resistances, and pattern recognition to come out victorious.

Overview: The Fight in Two Phases

The Doryani fight is split into two distinct phases, each with its unique challenges:

Phase 1: Doryani as a Royal Thaumaturge - a human spellcaster with a mix of ranged elemental attacks and area hazards.

Phase 2: Doryani's Triumph - a massive mechanical crab robot armed with devastating physical and elemental abilities.

Health and Difficulty

Phase 1: Around 140k HP (360k in Cruel difficulty Early Access)

Phase 2: Approximately 220k HP (half a million in Cruel)

You'll need to defeat both forms in succession, and Doryani's mechanical phase significantly ramps up the difficulty, especially with his deadly "Crab Disco Laser."

Recommended Character Setup

Resistances:

Lightning Resistance: The most critical, as the "Crab Disco Laser" in Phase 2 deals pure lightning damage and hits very hard.

Fire Resistance: Very important to mitigate damage from his flamethrower and flameblast attacks during Phase 1.

Cold Resistance: Useful but less vital, as his cold attacks are easier to avoid.

Defensive Stats:

Prioritize life, energy shield, and evasion for survivability.

Armor offers very little defense against Doryani's elemental and physical attacks, so don't rely on it heavily.

Equip a level-appropriate life flask with useful mods such as increased recovery or immunities to stun/bleed.

Offensive Power:

High damage helps end the fight faster, but survivability is more important. A character who can handle Act 2 boss Jamanra with relative ease should be able to take on Doryani, provided elemental resistances are solid.

Phase 1 - Doryani, Royal Thaumaturge

Attack Patterns

Phase 1 is somewhat forgiving compared to Phase 2, but still requires care:

Flamethrower & Flameblast: These fire-based attacks cover an area, dealing sustained damage and bursts. If your fire resistance is low, actively dodge these; otherwise, you can endure them.

Burning Orbs: Doryani leaves pools of burning orbs on the ground. These deal damage over time but are avoidable.

Crystal Lightning Cone: Perhaps the deadliest Phase 1 attack. Doryani places red crystals on the ground and fires a lightning beam that refracts off them, creating a wide (~120 degrees) cone of lethal lightning damage.

How to handle the Crystal Lightning Cone:

As soon as you see the crystals or hear Doryani mention "The Power of the Vaal" (though this cue isn't always consistent), run away at least 6 meters or dodge sideways at a 30-degree angle around the boss.

This attack can instantly kill if you're caught in the cone.

Additional Mechanics:

Central Lightning Turret: Doryani summons a rotating turret in the arena's center that shoots lightning beams. It lasts about 20 seconds and deals moderate damage. Dodge the beams if possible, but don't risk bigger hits trying to avoid these.

Five Lightning Traps: Triggered by the vocal cues "Five Moves Ahead" or "The Best Laid Plans." Doryani plants five traps on the ground that detonate when stepped on. Surprisingly, you want to trigger them quickly to clear the arena and prevent movement restriction.

Phase 2 - Doryani's Triumph (The Crab Robot)

Once Phase 1 ends, Doryani transforms into a hulking mechanical crab that significantly ups the pressure with heavy-hitting physical and elemental attacks.

General Tips:

Doryani's robot is slow and clumsy, giving you chances to evade many attacks.

This phase demands careful movement and reaction to arm signals.

Key Rules to Survive:

Watch His Arms:

When Doryani raises one arm, dodge toward the raised arm's side on your screen. For example, if the right arm lifts, dodge right.

This tactic avoids most one-arm attacks, which tend to affect where you were when the animation started, plus areas near that arm.

Two-Armed Slam = Run:

When both arms raise, prepare to evade a massive slam.

This attack deals heavy damage in two quick hits, often fatal if you get hit. Do not try to tank or endure this attack.

Crab Disco Laser:

Starting at about 75% boss health, Doryani unleashes a sweeping lightning laser.

The laser rotates clockwise or counterclockwise around the arena; run in the opposite direction to minimize damage.

Dodge rolling through the laser can reduce the damage significantly.

Running with the laser's sweep will trap you and cause lethal damage.

Ground Circles = Instant Move:

Doryani occasionally spawns large AoE circles on the ground, signaling incoming slams or other area damage.

Stop all actions immediately and get out of the circle, even if it means interrupting powerful skills.

These AoEs hit very hard and can easily one-shot.

Voice Cues and Player Awareness

Doryani has many voice lines during the fight, but unlike other bosses, most of his lines are flavor text rather than precise warnings. The exceptions are:

"Five Moves Ahead" / "The Best Laid Plans" signal the lightning traps.

Occasional cues before the Crystal Lightning Cone, but not reliable.

Don't rely solely on voice cues; instead, watch visual and positional telegraphs closely.

Summary: Mastering Doryani

Doryani's fight rewards players who:

Maintain high lightning and fire resistance,

Learn to recognize attack patterns,

Prioritize smart positioning and timely dodges,

Use flasks and defensive cooldowns effectively.

Although tough, especially in Phase 2, Doryani is manageable with a steady build and patient playstyle. His devastating attacks are heavily telegraphed, so keeping calm and observing the fight beats rushing or panicking.

If you managed Act 2's Jamanra, consider yourself ready - Doryani is a challenging but fair test of your POE 2 skills. With persistence, timing, and the right gear, you will claim victory over the Royal Thaumaturge and his terrifying mechanical form.

Lastly, when it comes to gearing up or trading for improvements, reliable sources of POE 2 currency and POE 2 items can greatly speed up your progress. Investing in the right gear and currency through the in-game economy or trusted community trading hubs will help you push through tough encounters like Doryani and beyond.