At the end of Act 4 of Diablo IV, you will have the opportunity to face an old acquaintance. The damsel of anguish is back, with a very different fight than Diablo II. Check out a video of the fight, with tips and tricks to send her back to Hell.

Andariel was the boss of the first act of Diablo 2, and his attacks were mostly based on poison. Suffice to say that the fight no longer has much to do with Diablo 4. The appearance of the damsel of anguish has not changed too much, even if she is a little more dressed, and she has to drag a pillory and chains at the beginning of the fight.

Preparations

Before going to face the boss, or if you block on it, a few simple actions should greatly tip the balance in your favor:

• Consume an Elixir that provides a solid survivability boost, such as a bonus to armor or max life. You will get it by completing certain quests, or on the bodies of enemies on rare occasions. If not, go see the Alchemist in town, there's a good chance you can make this elixir with the components you have on hand, if you took the time to collect the plants you you have crossed paths.

• Modify your skills, which normally doesn't cost too much if you only modify a few points. Remove your area damage skills and replace them, where possible, with skills that are more effective against a single target. This will depend on your class and your build. An example: remove the Fireball Enchantment in Sorcerer, and put Firebolt or Chain Lightning.

• You can also incorporate defensive and/or mobility abilities, like the Necromancer's Blood Mist, or the Barbarian's Leap.

• Asking friends for help, or grouping up with other players in the area, is a very viable option to make combat much easier.

• Gaining a few extra levels and reaping Renown rewards before facing Andariel can make all the difference.

• If it is not already the case, pass the difficulty in World Level 1, it only influences the amount of experience and D4 gold received, moreover, it is only to a small extent.

How To Fight Andariel?

The abilities used by Andarielle change as her health decreases. The arrows under his health bar indicate when to expect new attacks.

First phase

Andarielle mainly uses two abilities:

• Triple Waves of Shadow: 3 long red bands appear on the ground, then a wave of shadow is emitted by Andariel. Being in the area of effect is very painful, and you will be blinded if you stay inside. By default, it's very easy to avoid with a simple dodge, but its second ability is going to complicate things.

• Idol of Anguish: Statues full of chains will constantly spawn throughout the area. You can ignore them most of the time, they are not directly dangerous, especially if they did not appear next to you. If an idol spawns nearby, they'll chain you up, preventing you from moving away from them unless you use an ability with an unstoppable effect (like Teleport), or directly destroy the idol. It's not difficult, but the warp can prevent you from dodging the shadow wave if you go the wrong way. Even chained, you can dodge the wave, as long as you don't try to get too far from the statue.

• Shadow Balls: When Andarielle's life is reduced by about a third, she will disappear in the sandstorm. Dozens of homing shadow balls will then chase you. Run in an arc and dodge the balls laterally to limit the damage, while waiting for the boss to reappear.

Second phase

Andariel destroys the pillory that held her, and her claws come out of her back. However, it should not be confused with Kerrigan. During this new phase, Andariel's attacks change. She no longer uses the triple shadow wave. Instead, she attacks in melee, as well as with her chains. Chained idols will continue to hinder your movements.

• Sweep: Inspired by Kratos, the boss turns in your direction and sweeps a large cone-shaped area. You can dodge it by being at a very long distance, or on the contrary, by being in a scrum and dodging on the sides, or in its back.

• Chain blow: Andarielle gives a big vertical blow with the chain, which crushes everything in front of her. It really hurts a lot, so make sure you never stand directly in front of her when she prepares a powerful attack.

Rewards

A legendary item is guaranteed in case of victory, as well as a handful of other items. You will get a High Fact, and the opportunity to move on to Act 5.