Dark and Darker is a brutal and challenging game to master in all aspects. Regardless if you delve into the dungeon for the best items to sell on the market, search for glorious combat, or want the best loot, all players will eventually go into the Inferno.
Taking a Red Portal will teleport you and your party deeper into the darkness of Dark and Darker, where stronger enemies, like the Ghost King, lie and wait in exchange for more valuable treasures and gear.
The Inferno is the most brutal area in Dark and Darker thus far, but you must defeat one of the game’s painfully challenging bosses for players who want the best loot. As of recent playtests, there are two bosses in the Inferno and one in the Goblin Cave solo mode. This guide will go over the Ghost King boss battle, his mechanics, and tips for defeating him.
Dark and Darker Ghost King Boss Overview
The Ghost King is one of the two bosses found in the Inferno if you choose to extract in Dark and Darker via a Red Portal. All recent Inferno maps have a massive boss room located in the center of the map, so if you want to have as much time as possible to fight any Inferno boss, it’s crucial to rush to the center of the map before the ring begins to close.
The Ghost King is a powerful melee & ranged hybrid boss in Dark and Darker. He specializes in AOE attacks and a stacking debuff that one-shots players if the fight drags on. The Ghost King is an elusive and powerful boss whose arena will slowly fill with ectoplasm, giving players less space to dodge around.
The Ghost King’s Moveset in Dark and Darker
Teleport Attack
The Ghost King will begin the fight by teleporting to the first player that has entered the room. There is a brief animation where the Ghost King vanishes and quickly reappears near the targeted player.
Players who continue moving will avoid this attack, but staying too close to the targeted area will take Magical True Damage. After the teleport is done, the Ghost King will leave a small gray and white puddle on the ground, which is crucial to avoid.
The puddle left behind from the Teleport Attack will stay for a long time, so if this teleport targets you, attempt to run to one of the corners of the room to keep the puddles from stacking in the center of the arena.
Lastly, standing in this puddle will give you at least four stacks of the Curse of Chilling for every second you are within the AOE.
Curse of Chilling
The Ghost King has a debuff applied by taking damage from any of their abilities. The Curse of Chilling increases your damage taken from the Ghost King. All of their attacks or abilities typically have low base damage (except for one ability), so this stacking debuff makes all of their attacks slowly deal more damage throughout the fight.
Currently, there is only one way to remove this debuff, and that’s with a Cleric using the Cleanse spell. The Cleanse spell typically doesn’t have much use in Dark and Darker, but it’s extremely helpful when fighting the Ghost King.
Related Guide: How to Defeat a Cave Troll in Dark and Darker
Scream
The Scream attack is the Ghost King’s second most common attack. The Ghost King takes pause and lets out a haunting Scream. The Scream attack is global and cannot be avoided unless you are outside the boss’s room. Taking damage from the Scream attack also applies to one stack of the Curse of Chilling, but the base damage of the Scream is fairly low.
Orb Volley
The Ghost King also has one ranged spell attack, where they spit out a volley of three orbs that deal roughly 30 Magical True Damage each. Getting struck by at least one of the orbs will continue to add stacks of the Curse. These Orbs are easy to dodge the further you are away from the boss, but being in melee range, you can simply duck to avoid this attack.
Soul Drain
Soul Drain is the Ghost King’s second most deadly attack. After a short animation, the Ghost King gains a small barrier, then starts chasing a player. If a player comes too close to the Ghost King during their pursuit, Ghost King roots the player in place and siphons their health.
This attack will easily one-shot a player, regardless of how many stacks they have. Classes with healing options, such as a Fighter build with Second Wind, can survive this attack but will have a lot of Curse stacks if they survive.
Earthquake
Earthquake is the Ghost King’s most deadly ability and will easily end the fight if players aren’t prepared. Every so often the Ghost King will teleport to the center of the room and launch themself into the air while spawning Death Skulls.
After the Death Skulls spawn, the Ghost King’s Crown will emit white sparks, then they slam themself into the ground, dealing over 150 Physical Damage to everyone in the room.
The Ghost King’s Earthquake can be avoided by jumping in place right as the sparks emit from his crown. Mistiming this critical jump will likely one-shot anyone who misses the timing. Even with a Cleric’s Barrier and drinking a Potion of Protection barely helps mitigate the damage.
Although having both shields does help, any Curse of Chilling stacks may offset the shield because of the damage increase.
Although the Earthquake ability has an over one-minute cooldown, the Ghost King will not repeat this ability constantly.
High Roller
In High Roller difficulty, the Ghost King doesn’t gain any additional moves. However, the Ghost King still benefits from a 50% damage increase in High Roller.
Fighting the Ghost King in Dark and Darker
Bring lots of healing potions, bandages, and a Cleric for this encounter. Whoever enters the arena first will prompt the Ghost King to teleport to them first. Whoever is the initial target, move directly to the left or right to place the first puddle out of the center of the arena.
How to Deal with Orb Volleys
Whenever the Ghost King begins to fire their Orb Volley, if you are in melee, crouch to avoid the projectiles, and ranged classes can sidestep the orbs once they spread out.
Take Advantage of the Ghost King’s Scream Attack Animation
Whenever the Ghost King performs their Scream attack, remember that the damage is unavoidable and will also guarantee everyone gains a stack of the Curse of Chilling. The Screaming animation is the safest stage to deal damage to the boss, especially for melee classes.
If You are Being Soul Drained, Run!
Whenever the Ghost King gains a shield or shifts their gaze towards a player, run in case they begin to cast Soul Drain. Whoever is being fixated during Soul Drain must sheath their weapon and run as far away from the Ghost King as possible until the chase ends.
If a player is rooted, the Ghost King will begin their Soul Drain ability, but a Cleric can help keep the player alive with healing spells like Holy Light or Sanctuary. Potions and Bandages take too long to use, thus will not save you from Soul Drain.
Dealing with Earthquakes from the Ghost King in Dark and Darker
Lastly, it will begin charging its Earthquake attack when The Ghost King jumps into the air. This attack will one-shot lightly armored classes, regardless of how many stacks of Curse of Chilling you have. Pay close attention to the Ghost King’s crown.
Whenever it sparks, you must immediately jump. Do not wait for the boss to start diving toward the ground to jump; otherwise, you will die or suffer severe damage.
If you survive the Earthquake, take care of any Death Skulls in the room before they begin to charge and scatter around the arena.
More Tips and Tricks for Defeating the Ghost King in Dark and Darker
- Thanks to their reliable long-range damage, rangers are among the best classes for fighting the Ghost King.
- Rangers & Wizards are great for avoiding the Ghost King’s Soul Drain since they stay in the backline for the entire fight.
- Wizard’s Haste Spell is exceptionally beneficial for helping slow melee classes escape bad situations or reposition away from the pools left behind by the Teleport Attack. Consider taking a strong wizard build into battle if you plan to go into the inferno and may face the Ghost King in Dark and Darker.
- Clerics are a necessity for this fight. Their healing spells can save players caught in the Soul Drain, and they have the Cleanse spell, which removes all stacks of Curse of Chilling.
- The Curse of Chilling’s icon is located next to other class buffs and debuffs. Keep track of how many stacks of the Curse you obtain to indicate how much extra damage the Ghost King will deal with their abilities.
- If you have a Cleric, call out how many stacks of Curse of Chilling you have. Use the Cleanse spell whenever a player gets between 5-10 stacks of Curse of Chilling.
- Barbarians can use the War Cry skill to boost themself and nearby allies’ HP by 25% for 7 seconds. Using War Cry before Earthquake or Soul Drain can save your team, thanks to the HP boost.
Conclusion for Fighting the Ghost King Boss in Dark and Darker
That’s our breakdown of how to defeat the Ghost King boss in Dark and Darker. The Ghost King boss is tough and adds a lot of mechanics typically seen in MMOs like Final Fantasy 14, World Of Warcraft, or Destiny 2, which brings an interesting perspective to these fights since the rest of Dark and Darker doesn’t have these mechanics.
The Ghost King is undoubtedly a brutal fight, requiring good AOE placement, debuff management, and avoiding two one-shot abilities. Moreover, he is definitely one of the more challenging bosses in Dark and Darker and requires precise timing to defeat.
If you enjoyed our guide and want to learn more about the bosses, check out our guide on how to defeat the Lich boss in Dark and Darker, who also resides in the Inferno.
For now, Good Hunting!
