Overview
The Throbbing King is the boss of the Throbbing Domain, a secret zone unlocked by completing Guillotina’s quest chain and delivering the three dropped quest items to their locations. He is one of the hardest fights in Act 1 content and represents the culmination of the Guillotina progression arc. The fight has two distinct phases with very different mechanics, and the transition between them catches unprepared teams off-guard.
Phase 1: The Throne
Follow Orders Tile Mechanic
This is the fight’s defining mechanic. Each round, The Throbbing King marks tiles on the board as either safe or unsafe. At the end of the round, tentacles erupt from every unsafe tile and deal heavy damage to any cat standing there. This is not avoidable through defensive stats: if you are on an unsafe tile when tentacles trigger, you take full damage regardless of Brace or resistances. Following the tile pattern perfectly is the only defence.
Tether Ensnare
The Throbbing King shoots tethering projectiles that wrap around a unit, preventing movement and ability use until the unit takes damage or spends a basic attack action breaking free. A tethered healer during a tentacle phase is extremely dangerous because they cannot move off an unsafe tile.
Clot Spawning
He periodically vomits out innards that form small harmless-looking poo or clot objects on the board. If left alone, these clots grow into larger threats that add to the pressure on your party. Prioritise destroying clots in the early stages before they mature, especially during rounds when no tiles are currently unsafe.
Phase 2: Off the Throne
When his Phase 1 HP is depleted, The Throbbing King leaves his throne with lower HP but significantly higher mobility. He can reposition much faster than in Phase 1.
Piercing Vomit Blasts
His primary Phase 2 attack is a vomit blast that travels in a straight line, piercing through every unit it touches and applying Bleed to each. A line of three cats in the path of a vomit blast all take damage and receive bleed stacks simultaneously. Never stand in a straight line with other cats in Phase 2.
Recommended Team Composition
High mobility is essential for Phase 1 tile survival: cats that can reposition quickly to safe tiles every round are far safer than slow, heavily-armoured tanks. Ranged damage dealers work well since they can maintain distance while following the tile pattern. A healer is mandatory for the overall fight length. Bleed-cleanse abilities are extremely valuable in Phase 2.
Strategy
1. Phase 1: Read the tile pattern every round before moving any cat. Identify all unsafe tiles, then move every cat to a confirmed safe position as the first priority before committing to any offensive action.
2. Destroy clots during safe-tile windows rather than letting them mature.
3. If a cat gets tethered on an unsafe tile, immediately break the tether with a basic attack before tentacles trigger.
4. Phase 2: Never stand in a line. Keep cats spread horizontally and at variable distances to avoid getting hit by piercing vomit blasts.
5. Stack DoT effects (bleed, poison) rather than relying on burst damage in Phase 2, as his reduced HP makes sustained damage efficient.