Summoning a Boss
Summoning a boss takes three things: a key, a Community Fund that has reached the boss's tier, and a trip to the altar. This page walks the whole chain, from the hunt to the arena.
Earning essence
Boss essence drops from shades and wraiths in private Polis runs. The Polis level you pick decides which essence drops: low levels give essence for the easy bosses, high levels for the hard ones.
| Boss | Essence | Starts dropping at level | Best levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamia | Essence of Lamia | 1 | 1 to about 70 (fades out by the high 80s) |
| Echidna | Essence of Echidna | 60 | about 75 to 99 |
| Thanatos | Essence of Thanatos | 95 | 100 to 101 |
| Hephaestus | Essence of Hephaestus | 100 | 102 and up (all essence at 103) |
Neighbouring essences overlap at the edges of each range. For more on Polis levels, see Hunt Tiers & Boss Essence.
Forging a key
Collect 96 of one essence and it forges itself into that boss's key on the spot. You'll hear an anvil ring. One key, one summon.
| Boss | Key |
|---|---|
| Lamia | Lamia's Tear |
| Echidna | Echidna's Coil |
| Thanatos | Thanatos' Idol |
| Hephaestus | Hephaestus' Sigil |
Keys also come out of Mystery Boss Keys. There is no shop for keys any more: the Boss Shop was removed, and boss keys only drop. Keys stack like a normal item, and a split you make in your inventory or vault stays split.
Uber keys
The four Uber bosses use their own keys, separate relics that aren't forged from essence:
| Boss | Uber key |
|---|---|
| Lamia | Lamia's Weeping Mirror |
| Echidna | Echidna's Brood Knot |
| Thanatos | Thanatos' Unpaid Toll |
| Hephaestus | Hephaestus' Unquenched Brand |
Uber keys come from the Sacred Way. Erebus Crates no longer hold them.
Fund tier gates
Holding a key isn't enough. Each boss unlocks when the Community Fund reaches its tier. That's the only gate: there is no level or prestige requirement.
| Boss | Fund tier |
|---|---|
| Lamia | I |
| Echidna | II |
| Thanatos | III |
| Hephaestus | IV |
| Uber bosses (all four) | V |
Summoning at the altar
- Open
/bossand click a boss. This teleports you to its altar in the Boss Hub from anywhere. - Right-click the altar to open the summon menu.
- Place the matching key in the slot. Exactly one is used.
- Click Summon. You go straight into your own solo arena, and the boss spawns a few seconds later.
The same altars take uber keys: put one in instead of the normal key to summon that boss's Uber version (Fund tier V). Boss fights are solo, so nobody else can join your arena. See Boss Fight Mechanics.
Safety nets
Your key is refunded if the summon can't start (for example, all arenas are occupied) or if you close the altar menu before summoning. If the server restarts during your fight, you get your key back.
Kill rewards
Every boss kill pays the summoner Hunter XP for the Hunter tree:
| Boss | Hunter XP |
|---|---|
| Lamia | 500 |
| Echidna | 1,500 |
| Thanatos | 4,000 |
| Hephaestus | 8,000 |
For what the boss drops, see Boss Loot & Drop Announcements. Don't want to fight it yourself? Talos can spend your keys for you.
Version history
v4.0.0 (Map 4)
- The Boss Shop is gone. Boss keys now only drop.
- Boss essence drops by Polis level instead of the old T1 to T8 hunt tiers.
- Pressing Summon takes you straight into a solo arena. Parties are gone.
- If the server restarts during a boss fight, you get your boss key back.
- Boss kills pay Hunter XP instead of Hunter Points. Hephaestus pays 8,000, down from 10,000.
- Uber keys now come from the Sacred Way. Erebus Crates no longer hold them.
v3.0.21
- A boss key takes 96 essence to forge (it was 64, then briefly 128 from v3.0.18).
v3.0.0
- Summoning is now gated by the Community Fund tier alone: Lamia at tier I, Echidna at tier II, Thanatos at tier III, Hephaestus at tier IV. The player level and prestige gates are gone.
- Thanatos and Hephaestus each unlock one Fund tier earlier than before.
- The four Uber bosses are summoned at the same altars with their own separate Uber keys, from Fund tier V.
- Boss keys no longer force themselves back into one stack. Splitting a stack in your inventory or your vault sticks.
- Bosses can no longer be spawned outside their arenas. The altar key is the only summon path.
v2.0.0
- Boss keys now drop as an Epic instead of a Mythic.
- Shades and wraiths drop ~50% more boss essence across all tiers, and higher tiers now give fewer but stronger essences.
- Fixed Echidna and Lamia awarding swapped Hunter Points. Echidna now correctly gives 1,500 and Lamia 500.
- The Hunter-rank summon gate is replaced by a player-level gate (see Bosses Overview).