Overview
The Coven is the boss encounter at the end of The Core region in Act 2, with 300 HP. It is a group encounter fought across a ritualistic arena featuring a large inverted pentagram with five candles, one on each point. The Coven fight is mechanically linked to the Tormentor encounter that follows, and is also connected to the Glowing Black Shard activation required to unlock The Rift.
Key Mechanics
Candle Ritual
The Coven spends its turns lighting the five candles arranged on the pentagram. Each candle has 50 HP and grants massive buffs to the Tormentor boss that spawns after the ritual completes. The more candles that remain lit when the Tormentor appears, the more abilities and power it gains. Extinguishing or destroying candles before the ritual completes is the single most important objective in this fight.
Extinguishing Candles
Water and Wind element abilities can extinguish candles instantly without needing to deal the full 50 damage, making Druid and Mage classes nearly essential for this encounter. Creating a puddle of water on a candle's tile is equally effective. The Coven cannot reclaim extinguished candles. Prioritise the top two candles first, as removing the extra turn buff they grant makes the subsequent Tormentor fight significantly easier.
Tormentor Transition
After all four Coven bodies have risen, the ritual summons the Tormentor, who then kills The Coven. The Tormentor gains additional abilities for each candle that was not destroyed or extinguished. See the Tormentor Boss Guide for the second phase of this encounter.
Glowing Black Shard
If you have the Glowing Black Shard charged to full power, it can be used to instantly kill The Coven during this encounter. This skips the candle phase entirely and results in the Tormentor spawning with minimal buffs. If The Rift unlock is your objective, bring the charged shard.
Strategy
1. Prioritise extinguishing candles over dealing damage to The Coven itself. Use Water or Wind abilities for instant candle removal, or deal 50 damage to destroy them manually.
2. Extinguish the top two candles first to remove the extra turn buff from the Tormentor.
3. Use AoE abilities when two or more Coven members cluster together to maximise efficiency while also managing candle positions.
4. Maintain a healer actively running each round: with multiple enemies attacking simultaneously, passive healing is insufficient.
5. If you have the charged Glowing Black Shard, use it immediately to skip the ritual mechanics entirely.