The Prisoner's Strengths and Weaknesses

The Prisoner is incredibly durable, with strong resistance to Path of Exile 2 Currency physical and fire damage - making him a nightmare for melee builds. However, he's notably weak to cold damage, which gives spellcasters a major edge.

Best Counters:

Frostbolt - consistent ranged pressure.
Glacial Cascade - burst AoE and stun potential.
Cold Snap - control through chill and freeze effects.

If your spell power feels too low, use Path of Exile 2 Currency to craft or upgrade a wand with +Cold Skill Levels or Increased Spell Damage.

How to Beat The Prisoner

The key to defeating The Prisoner lies in mastering his attack patterns and timing your dodges correctly. He fights with a mixture of melee swings and area-of-effect attacks that punish players who stay in front of him for too long. If you're a melee fighter, stay to his sides or back whenever possible. Ranged and spellcasting characters should maintain medium distance, ready to reposition whenever they signal an incoming AoE.

Here are the attacks to watch out for:

1. Frost Nova

The Prisoner slams the ground with both fists, creating a massive ring of frost that expands outward. Anyone caught in it will take heavy cold damage and suffer a movement speed reduction.

Tip: When you see the icy glow gather around him, roll or dash straight through the expanding ring - not away from it. This reduces the window of exposure and minimizes the damage taken.

2. Waves of Oppression

This is one of The Prisoner's most dangerous abilities. He plants his feet, raises his arms, and begins summoning waves of dark red energy that spread across the arena in intervals. If you hear him shout, "You can hide, but you cannot run!", this attack is about to begin.

The waves are lethal at mid and long range, meaning you'll need to rush directly toward him when he starts the chant. Stay close until both waves have passed. If you linger at range, the energy surges can deal devastating damage before you have a chance to heal.

3. Blood Nova

When The Prisoner's health drops below 25%, he enters his enraged phase. During this stage, his Frost Nova evolves into Blood Nova - an attack that deals physical damage over time and inflicts a slow if you're caught in the red aura.

Just like with Frost Nova, the best strategy is to roll through the attack's ring, keeping your movement tight and deliberate. If you get clipped, use a flask or buy POE 2 Orbs regeneration skill immediately to counteract the damage-over-time effect.