The boss fight: the Archmage
The Archmage rules over the Astral Observatory, an archipelago of stone islands hanging above the void. He never lets anyone near: he teleports, pushes back, changes stance every turn and rains meteors on the glyphs he draws. Everything he prepares can be seen a turn in advance — and when he channels his shower, he is exposed.
In short
- Where — in the menu, the PvE selector, then the free boss or the boss of the week, solo, in a duo or in a trio.
- Glyphs — his Meteor Shower lays glyphs; at the start of his next turn, each one takes a meteor that hits every tile 2 tiles away or less.
- Channeling — until the meteors fall, he is immobile, visible, without his Shield and loses 25% resistance: that is the moment to strike.
- Altars — two altars ignite: 2 turns later, every other island is pounded. Get to an island whose altar is burning.
- Stages — below 70% then below 40% of his HP, he becomes more dangerous.
- Limit — 50 turns at most: what counts for the leaderboard is the damage dealt.
The Archmage and the Astral Observatory
The Archmage fights alone: no court, no protection. He has 10,000 HP, whether you are solo, two or three, and his action points let him shoot, push back and lay his glyphs in the same turn.
| Heroes | Archmage’s HP | AP | MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 10 000 | 14 | 5 |
| Duo | 10 000 | 14 | 5 |
| Trio | 10 000 | 14 | 5 |
His spells
| Spell | AP | Range | Per turn | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcane Bolt | 4 | 1 – 7 | 1 | 90 to 120 ranged damage on a single target, in line of sight. Once per turn. |
| Shockwave | 3 | 1 – 2 | 1 | 50 to 70 damage at 2 tiles or less, and the target is pushed back 3 tiles. |
| Transposition | 2 | 2 – 8 | 1 | Teleports to a free tile up to 8 tiles away, no line of sight. Every other turn. |
| Meteor Shower | 4 | self | 1 | Lays glyphs under every hero, near them and all over the map. At the start of his next turn, a meteor strikes each one: 140 to 170 damage on the tile and every tile 2 tiles away or less. He CHANNELS until then: immobile, visible, without a shield and less resistant. Every other turn. |
The glyphs and the Meteor Shower
Every other turn, the Archmage casts his Meteor Shower. A glyph appears under every hero, others near them, others at random. Each glyph is surrounded by its impact zone, in orange: every tile 2 tiles away or less. At the start of the Archmage’s next turn, a meteor falls on each one and deals 140 to 170 damage to everything in its zone — two overlapping zones hit twice. He has nothing to fear from them.
So you have a whole turn to get out of the orange zones. Almost always, a safe tile is within reach: look at the map before attacking.
Channeling: his window
As long as his Shower has not fallen, the Archmage channels. He can neither walk nor teleport, he becomes visible again if he was hidden, he loses his stance’s Shield, and his resistance drops by 25%. His health bar announces it: “Channeling: vulnerable”. It is the only moment when heroes in melee range can reach him for sure — provided they end their turn outside the orange zones.
His stances
At the start of each of his turns, he takes a random stance, never the same one twice in a row. It lasts until his next turn, and his health bar shows it.
| Stance | Effect | At the following stages |
|---|---|---|
| Arcane Shield | +40% resistance until his next turn | +50 % |
| Arcane Fury | +35% damage until his next turn | +45 % |
| Shadow veil | Invisible until his next turn: he cannot be targeted | — |
| Haste | +3 MP during his turn | — |
The altars and the cataclysm
Each island of the Observatory holds an altar, and every tile of the map belongs to the nearest altar. Every 4 turns of the Archmage, two altars ignite: a great flame and a column of light mark them, and every other island is covered by a red veil. 2 turns later, the cataclysm strikes the islands whose altars are out: 300 to 350 damage to everyone on them, except him. The countdown shows in his health bar.
Three stages
The weaker he gets, the more dangerous he is. When his HP drop below a threshold, a wave pushes every hero back 2 tiles and the new stage shows in his health bar.
| Tier | HP left | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| On guard | 70 to 100% | Cataclysm every 4 turns, 2 altars spared, 4 random glyphs, one stance at a time |
| Astral Awakening | 40 to 70% | Cataclysm every 3 turns; Shield +50%, Fury +45% |
| Last Breath | below 40% | Cataclysm every 3 turns; a single altar spared; 8 random glyphs; 2 stances at once; Shield +50%, Fury +45% |
The Astral Observatory
Five floating islands, linked by three-tile bridges: the Archmage’s island at the top, the heroes’ at the bottom, two islands on the sides and the dais in the centre. The void does not block line of sight: you shoot from one island to another. And the edge of an island is not a wall: a hero pushed against the void stops at the edge, with no collision damage. The Archmage moves from island to island by teleporting; the heroes have to take the bridges.
How to beat him
- Read the map before acting: orange glyph zones, red veil on threatened islands. Ending your turn inside costs far more than one spell less.
- Strike when he channels: he no longer flees, he takes more damage. Get in range the turn before.
- Follow the columns of light: as soon as two altars ignite, head for a safe island — it sometimes takes two turns to get there.
- Watch his stance: under Arcane Shield, save your big hits; under Shadow veil, he is invisible until his turn.
- Spread out: his glyphs appear under every hero; a tight group offers overlapping zones.
The boss of the week
The Archmage is the weekly boss until Monday at midnight: the free boss and its paid version are both played against him. Its rewards — ranking, prize pool and loot — are detailed on the Loot page.
Frequently asked questions
How do you avoid the Archmage’s meteors?
Each glyph is surrounded by its impact zone, in orange. End your turn outside every zone: the meteor only falls at the start of the Archmage’s next turn.
When should you attack the Archmage?
When he channels his Meteor Shower: he stays immobile and visible, loses his Shield and part of his resistance until the meteors fall.
What happens when two altars ignite?
Two turns later, every island whose altar is out is pounded. Get to an island whose altar is burning before the countdown ends.
Does the Archmage get stronger during the fight?
Yes: below 70% of his HP, then below 40%, he moves up a stage. His cataclysms become more frequent, his stances stronger, and at the last stage he takes two stances at once.
Does the void block line of sight?
No. You see and shoot across the void, from one island to another. Only walls and obstacles block line of sight.