Outduel Count Geonor and he’ll appeal to his wife for aid, and when that fails he’ll abandon what’s left of his honor and humanity in a desperate last bid to seize victory from the jaws of defeat. Finish this fight and vanquish Geonor, the Putrid Wolf with the help of these boss strategies in Path of Exile 2!

Page Breakdown¶

Geonor, the Putrid Wolf Location¶

In the depths of Ogham Manor you’ll find Count Geonor, using the beleaguered labor at his disposal to dig for… whatever his madness compels him to seek out. Upon your intrusion he’ll attempt to finish by sword what the noose left unfinished. Whittle his health down and realizing he doesn’t have the power to defeat you with his swordsmanship and shapeshifting alone, he’ll combine the two, turning into a monstrosity - Geonor, the Putrid Wolf. This is different from the wolf form he used during the previous fight, as the form he adopts here is even more monstrous; hexapedal, vaguely like a centaur in that it bears arms above its front wolf legs, but without the humanity of a centaur’s upper half.

Geonor, the Putrid Wolf Boss Strategy¶

As mentioned above, Geonor, the Putrid Wolf is an aberrant mix of both of the forms you fought during the Count Geonor stage of the fight - mostly wolf, but sporting arms now so it can wield its sword, too. You’ll see a few returning attacks, but most of Geonor, the Putrid’s Wolf’s attacks are new. New or old, these attacks are covered below:

Greatsword Sweep¶

Same as last fight, Geonor will swing his greatsword in a wide arc, covering considerable ground, dealing heavy damage and possibly freezing all foes within range. While this attack is almost identical to the last fight, there is one important difference - there is no “tell” this time. Geonor won’t only perform it after a charge, but he does seem to use it as a retaliatory attack against opponents who are behind him.

Lupine Smash¶

Another returning move from the first fight with Count Geonor, this one is identical - perhaps not surprising considering Geonor’s permanent transformation into a lupine monstrosity. He’ll leap into the air and a massive AoE reticle will appear on the ground - escape it before Geonor smashes back down in a burst of blood, dealing heavy damage.

Mist Onslaught¶

One of Geonor’s more annoying, prolonged attacks, this is honestly somewhere in the grey area between a proper boss attack and a separate phase of the fight. Geonor will summon a ring of mist to shroud the perimeter of the arena, leaving a small, relatively clear area in the center where you’ll likely be inclined to seek shelter. As you do you’ll be assailed by waves of werewolves and the odd probing charge by Geonor himself, but the former are relatively weak and the latter’s attacks are infrequent enough that you should have time to recover.

Pillars of Ice and Blood¶

A constant threat you’ll need to avoid during this fight are pillars of ice and blood that Geonor can summon. These appear as thin lines of light projecting up from the ground which persist for a moment before erupting in a small AoE. Individually easy to dodge, Geonor will conjure several of these at a time in successive waves, so you’ll need to keep moving and be wary during these attacks, as they deal heavy damage. The difference between the two - aside from color - is mostly a matter of the type of damage dealt.

Frost Breath¶

Geonor will breath a cone of cold at you. The range is medium but the spread is surprisingly narrow, and Geonor will remain focused forward and locked in place during the attack - this should be more of an opportunity to deal damage to Geonor more than an attack you need to be wary of.

Glacial Spike Field¶

Geonor will stab his sword into the ground, causing patches of frost to appear on the ground around Geonor, slowly spreading outward. Make your way to the edge of the arena, as after this attack charges ice spikes will spread out from Geonor, affecting most of the arena.

Geonor, the Putrid Wolf is a mix of the first two forms with new attacks and the ability to switch between sword swings, powerful charged attacks and fast offensives without having to change form to let you know what sort of attacks are coming. Like in the first stage of the fight, many of Geonor’s attacks can freeze, and you’ll have to stay on your toes to dodge Geonor’s attacks and deal whatever damage you can when the opportunity presents itself. Keep moving, dodge frequently, and watch out for those “Pillars of Ice and Blood”, as they’re one of Geonor’s few attacks that force you to keep moving and persistently avoid damage spikes.

Once Geonor, the Putrid Wolf is defeated you’ll get some scenes and have to chat with The Hooded One before you can move on to Act 2.