In Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt, the jungle shudders beneath the footsteps of a new apex predator—the Verdant Tyrant. Found deep within the primal biome of Virdal’s Maw, this massive boss encounter serves as both a mechanical and thematic climax of the Hunt league’s savage ecology. In this guide, we’ll explore how to access this deadly fight, the mechanics of the boss encounter, build considerations, and POE2 Currency loot incentives that make facing the Verdant Tyrant worth the risk.

Unlocking the Maw of the Verdant Tyrant

To challenge the Verdant Tyrant, players must:

Complete all 8 Jungle Hunts across the Dawn of the Hunt campaign. These Hunts pit you against elite predator bosses that drop Hunter's Sigils.

Combine 3 Hunter's Sigils with a special map fragment—Fanged Totem of the Alpha—in your Huntwork Station.

This fusion creates a Virdal Offering, which can be used to open a Verdant Lair Portal at the Hunt Obelisk.

Note: You’ll need at least one character capable of handling Tier 10+ encounters before attempting the Maw.

Area Overview: Virdal’s Maw

Upon entering the instance, you’re dropped into a foggy, overgrown canyon filled with vines, poison spores, and residual blood from previous prey. There are no regular mobs—only a winding approach to the Tyrant’s den with scattered traps and growths that shoot spore mines.

Tips:

Movement skills like Flame Dash or Leap Slam help avoid environmental hazards.

Remove ailments quickly. Poison resistance and corruption immunity are vital here.

Boss Fight Mechanics: Verdant Tyrant

The Verdant Tyrant is a titanic plant-beast hybrid with multiple phases, each more dangerous than the last. The fight demands quick reflexes, positional awareness, and high DPS uptime.

Phase 1 – Territorial Onslaught

Root Slam: A slow wind-up slam dealing massive physical and poison damage in a cone. Sidestep this—never tank it.

Feral Charge: Locks onto the player’s location and barrels forward. Use mobility skills to juke or bait into vines to stun the Tyrant briefly.

Thorn Volley: Fires dozens of poison thorns in a radial burst.

Counter: Stand at medium range to avoid overlapping hits.

Phase 2 – The Maw Opens (75% HP)

The Tyrant retreats and summons Verdant Offshoots—mini-boss vines that tether to it for healing.

Focus fire on the tethers first; if three remain active for 10 seconds, the Tyrant fully regenerates 15% HP.

Terrain is now flooded with toxic brambles that cause stacking poison damage.

Bring Flask of Binding Purity (removes poison and grants ailment immunity briefly).

Use area-clearing skills like Fireball or Lightning Arc to kill offshoots quickly.

Phase 3 – Wrath of the Wild (30% HP)

The Tyrant enrages, doubling attack speed and gaining Maw Swallow—a 2-second animation where it devours players in melee range for near-instant death.

Stay at range or kite around rock pillars. Summons and totems can distract the boss.

The arena shifts with periodic spore storms—green clouds that reduce visibility and suppress regeneration.

Build Considerations

Recommended Defenses

75% Poison Resistance (with overcap for exposure effects).

Chaos Damage Reduction (via Pantheon and gear mods).

High Evasion or Block to avoid Root Slam or Thorn Volley.

Optimal Builds

Cold DoT Occultist (Vortex + Creeping Frost): Great for controlling adds and sustaining through poison.

Summon Carrion Golem Necromancer: Excellent at drawing aggro, safe against Maw Swallow, and effective during the add phase.

Ballista Totem Deadeye (Lightning Arrow): High uptime with safe, ranged damage during Phase 3.

Avoid melee-heavy builds unless you have high burst and know how to disengage quickly—Maw Swallow punishes close-range tunnel vision.

Loot and Rewards

Defeating the Verdant Tyrant rewards:

Thorn-Linked Vestige (unique chest with spore-activated defenses and thorns).

Maw-Etched Fang (new dagger with increased poison duration and chaos penetration).

Wild Hunt Remnants (crafting currency used to add “predator” modifiers to gear).

Alpha’s Heart (rare boss-exclusive jewel: +25% damage while affected by poison, but reduces flask duration).

Each clear also drops Verdant Spores, which can be traded for league-unique cosmetics and buy POE2 Currency legacy Hunt recipes.

Final Tips and Strategy Recap

Pre-buff: Load up on poison immunity and chaos mitigation.

Movement: Always be repositioning. Static players die quickly here.

Add Management: Phase 2 is a DPS check—kill the offshoots fast.

Endurance: Phase 3 is chaos—keep distance, use flasks wisely, and don’t get greedy.

Conclusion

The Maw of the Verdant Tyrant is one of the most thrilling and punishing boss encounters in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. It rewards mastery over jungle-themed hazards, prioritizes smart positioning, and offers some of the best chaos-based loot in the game. Whether you're farming for powerful new uniques or looking to test your mettle, this apex predator fight should not be missed.

Ready your flasks, sharpen your steel, and enter the Maw—nature does not show mercy.