As you make your way through Act 1 of Path of Exile 2 and search for a way to aid The Hooded One who you just rescued from the Grelwood, you’ll make your way to the Cemetery of the Eternals, a place full of undead and spirits that you’ll need to navigate your way past before you can open the gate. Keep reading to learn how to tackle one of the bosses in this quest, Draven, the Eternal Praetor.

Table of Contents¶

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Draven, the Eternal Praetor Location¶

As mentioned above, you’ll need to explore two mausoleums and take out the bosses that reside inside if you wish to create the key that opens the Memorial Gate and the way forward. Draven inhabits the Mausoleum of the Praetor dungeon in the Cemetery of the Eternals, a Level 8 dungeon. The cemetery itself isn’t overly large, so you shouldn’t have too many issues locating it, just make sure you’re around the recommended level of 8 by the time you reach there. If you have a way of enhancing your Lightning resistance, this is also a good thing to do before heading to the Mausoleum.

Once you enter the dungeon, you’ll need to make your way around the edges until you reach a large chamber in the center, the Checkpoint will give you a clue that you’re in the right direction. The skeletons in this area will use lightning-based attacks against you, so that’s where the resistance will come in handy if you have it. Before you head to the Praetor though, don’t forget to look for some stairs down that leads to the Forgotten Riches point of interest on the map, you’ll get some Gold and a yellow chest you can loot.

Draven Boss Strategy¶

The rather large arena should give you some clues on what to expect going in, Draven will use attacks that cover a large area so you’re going to need to be ready to dodge constantly throughout the battle while looking for your openings. As with most bosses, you’ll find a whole host of attacks that Draven can use against you, and you can read about those below:

Spirit Bolts¶

Draven will swipe his sword in an arc, shooting out bolts of spiritual energy in that same arc. If you’re close, you need to dodge around to the back of him to avoid it, otherwise, look for gaps in between the bolts to safely avoid it. The cue for this attack is when Draven shouts “Cut down!”. If he has absorbed three spirits, he will shoot three waves of this attack out at once.

Sword Combo¶

Draven’s melee combo is a four-hit swing in quick succession, as soon as you see him approach and make his first swing, dodge away from him and keep your distance. As melee, don’t go charging back in until he has finished the fourth hit or else you’re going to suffer heavy damage.

Spirit Slash¶

Draven will raise his sword into the air and perform a vertical slash into the ground, this shoots a line AoE that will then shoot out from the sides. The best way to avoid this attack is by waiting for him to glow red and then getting behind him, this leaves him open for some free attacks.

Summon Asinia¶

Draven will summon Asinia to the battlefield, and, while she cannot be damaged, she will place large sigils around the arena that will explode shortly after. Keep on the move while these are being placed to avoid them, taking care to avoid any attacks that Draven launches your way at the same time.

Spirit Absorption¶

Multiple spirits will appear across the battlefield, and start moving toward Draven, any that he consumes will buff him and slightly modify his attacks. To prevent this, make sure you run into the spirits yourself so that they dissipate.

As far as bosses go, Draven isn’t as tough as he may look at first, his attacks that he uses are easy to avoid if you know they’re coming, and so long as you don’t let him absorb three Spirits, you should be able to put him down. One thing you should keep an eye out for is the hole in the middle of the arena. While you can’t fall in it, you can get stuck on it and it’s easy to do so while avoiding his many AoEs that he uses throughout the battle.

Once Draven is defeated, be sure to collect Draven’s Memorial Key Piece that drops and any other loot that may be useful. If this is the first boss you’ve killed in the Sorrow of the Stones quest, then you’ll need to kill Asinia for the other piece, otherwise, take both pieces to the gate and proceed forward.