How To Defeat The Harbinger Of Hatred In Last Epoch
If you've made it deep into the endgame of Last Epoch, you already know the grind gets real. And if you're aiming to take down the Harbinger of Hatred, one of the nastiest bosses introduced in Patch 1.1, you're in for a serious challenge. This monster isn't your typical boss fight. It's a brutal tank that hits like a freight train, blending heavy physical attacks with devastating void magic.
Don't worry though. I'm a long-time Last Epoch player, and I'm here to walk you through exactly how to defeat the Harbinger of Hatred in Last Epoch. Whether you're a fresh empowered timeline grinder or a veteran Void Knight main, let's break it down.
Where To Find The Harbinger Of Hatred in Last Epoch
First things first: you won't just stumble into this fight. To even encounter the Harbinger of Hatred, you need to:
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Beat Rahyeh, the final boss in The Black Sun timeline.
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Crank up the corruption in the Monolith to at least 100.
Corruption is key here. Normal Monoliths cap at 50 corruption, so you’ll have to empower them first. That means clearing the Spirits of Fire, The Last Ruin, and The Age of Winter timelines, then unlocking empowered monoliths via the chest at the central island.
Once empowered, build up your corruption in The Black Sun timeline. Harbinger first appears at 100 corruption, and you'll find more Harbingers at every 25 corruption milestone (125, 150, 175, and so on) up to 300.
Quick tip: the higher your corruption, the better the loot — but the harder the encounters. You’ll want to be strong and ready to move fast.
Preparing Your Gear and Echo Modifiers
No joke: preparation makes or breaks your fight with the Harbinger of Hatred. Here’s what you need to prioritize:
Recommended Gear
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Void Resistance: The Harbinger throws out a lot of void damage. Stack that void resistance as high as you can.
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Movement Speed and Mobility Skills: This boss telegraphs most of its big attacks. If you can move fast, you can dodge and reposition.
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Health and Armor: You’re facing a tank archetype. Expect heavy physical damage and come loaded with high health and armor values.
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Endurance: Boost your endurance threshold and reduction. It'll save your bacon during those brutal AoE slams.
Choosing Echo Modifiers
Modifiers matter more than you think when pushing to the boss:
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Avoid anything that increases enemy crit chance or dodge chance.
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Take modifiers that buff rares (they don’t affect bosses). That way you’re getting extra rewards without making the Harbinger itself any harder.
Strategy To Defeat The Harbinger Of Hatred
Now, the real meat: how to actually defeat the Harbinger of Hatred in Last Epoch.
Before you even face the Harbinger, you have to kill Rahyeh — the same Rahyeh you've fought before in Black Sun. Pay close attention during Rahyeh's fight because the Harbinger inherits some of Rahyeh’s void attacks after you drop him.
The Harbinger is built for endurance. It soaks up massive damage and throws down punishing AoE attacks. You won’t win by standing still and face-tanking it. Instead, you've gotta stay mobile, dodge smart, and pick your damage windows carefully.
Understanding Harbinger Mechanics
The Harbinger’s abilities fall into two buckets: Tank skills and Void skills (from Rahyeh).
Tank Skills:
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Tank Slam: A frontal cone slam. Watch for the hammer raise, sidestep.
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Massive Tank Slam: Larger AoE slam with a red indicator. When you see red, move fast.
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Tank Echo Slam: Echoes perform line attacks. Find the safe spots between the lines.
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Tank Void Combo: Three slashes, then a slam. Back off during the slashes, jump back in after the slam.
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Tank Void Orbs: Summons lingering orbs. Always be moving.
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Tank Void Portal Blast: Portal opens; hammer slams out. Don’t stand in front of portals.
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Tank Void Rush: A charge attack. Dodge sideways, not backward.
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Tank Void Turrets: Deploys shooting orbs. Stay clear of their firing lanes.
Rahyeh-Inspired Void Skills:
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Void Slam: Big area slam with delay. If you see the ground marked, get out.
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Void Meteors: Random meteors. Stay on the move nonstop.
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Void Flares: Pie-shaped void blasts. Move opposite the blast direction.
If you memorize these tells, you'll already be halfway to victory.
Best Tips For Success
1. Play patient: Don't get greedy trying to burst damage during high-risk phases. Harbinger punishes that hard.
2. Maximize uptime during windows: After a slam or a missed rush, jump in and lay down as much damage as you can.
3. Bring stuns or slows if your build allows: Some slows can make dodging easier, but don't overcommit to unreliable CCs.
4. Prioritize survival over DPS: A longer fight is better than a short one where you die at 30% HP.
5. Use terrain when possible: In some versions of the Black Sun timeline, small ridges or structures can help you position out of turret lines.
Rewards For Defeating The Harbinger
Victory feels amazing — but the loot feels even better. After you beat the Harbinger of Hatred, you can snag some incredible rewards:
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World Splitter: One of the best two-handed axes for Void Knight builds.
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Harbinger's Needle: A consumable idol that boosts Gaze of Orobyss gain when killing empowered bosses.
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Harbinger Eye: Essential for summoning Aberroth, the pinnacle boss.
The Harbinger is one of the best sources for upgrading your endgame Void builds and stacking Gaze for serious corruption pushes.
Bonus Tip: Preparing Your Wallet
If you're trying to push fast into endgame and your gear just isn't cutting it yet, some players opt to buy Last Epoch gold to speed things up. Sites like PVPBank are popular choices. Just make sure you're being smart about any purchases and staying safe.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to defeat the Harbinger of Hatred in Last Epoch is no small feat, but trust me, it's worth it. It’s one of those fights that really tests your knowledge of the game’s mechanics, your build’s strengths, and your own ability to stay cool under pressure.
Stay moving, stay sharp, and respect the Harbinger’s attack patterns. Before you know it, you’ll have a World Splitter in your hands and be pushing higher corruption than ever.