The key challenge here is patience. The Harbinger soaks up huge amounts of damage and punishes reckless DPS. Instead, you'll need to Last Epoch gold weave attacks in between telegraphed slams while staying mobile to dodge AoEs.

Mechanics and Counters

The Harbinger uses a mix of tank archetype abilities and void magic inherited from Rahyeh. Here's a breakdown of the most important mechanics and how to counter them:

Tank Abilities

Tank Slam: A cone-shaped ground slam. Watch for the hammer lift and sidestep.

Massive Tank Slam: A large AoE with a red telegraph. Move out immediately.

Echo Slam: Sends out waves of physical and void damage in lines. Stand between the lines to stay safe.

Void Combo: A three-hit slash sequence ending in a slam. Back away until the sequence ends.

Void Orbs: Summons lingering orbs that detonate on contact. Keep moving to avoid them.

Void Portal Blast: Creates a portal before thrusting a hammer through. Step to the side to dodge.

Void Rush: A forward charge attack. Dodge laterally.

Void Turrets: Deploys stationary orbs firing projectiles in straight lines. Position yourself outside their firing lanes.

Borrowed from Rahyeh

Void Slam: A delayed AoE slam-watch ground indicators and reposition.

Void Meteors: Random meteor strikes-keep moving.

Void Flares: Cone-shaped void blasts-move away from the targeted wedge.

The Harbinger chains these abilities together, especially as its health gets lower. Staying disciplined with movement is the difference between victory and a quick wipe.

Strategy Tips

Don't Be Greedy: Resist the temptation to overcommit on DPS. The Harbinger punishes players who ignore telegraphs.

Manage Positioning: Avoid getting boxed in by turrets or orbs-always think two moves ahead.

Save Cooldowns: Keep defensive or mobility skills for the hardest-hitting abilities like Echo Slams or Meteors.

Kill Windows: Learn when the Harbinger pauses after big abilities-those are your safe moments to unload damage.

Think of the fight as a marathon, not a sprint. If you survive, you'll eventually wear it down.

Rewards

Defeating the Harbinger of Hatred is not just about bragging rights-it's also lucrative.

Exclusive Uniques: Certain items only drop here, offering build-defining effects.

High-Tier Blessings: Empowered timeline bosses grant some of the strongest blessings in the game, scaling with corruption.

Gaze of Orobyss Stacks: Killing the Harbinger contributes to the Gaze mechanic, boosting the corruption gained when defeating the Shade of Orobyss in future runs.

These rewards make the Harbinger an essential boss to buy Last Epoch gold farm if you're pushing deeper into Last Epoch's endgame progression.