Diablo 4 Season 9’s improvements have continued to bring the game into the best state it has been in since launch. However, despite Diablo 4 overhauling the Lair Boss ladder in Season 8, it still leaves something to be desired in Season 9. As the game marches towards its next expansion in 2026, Diablo 4 feels noticeably light on Lair Bosses, a problem that is easily remedied with one boss that already exists within the game.
With the rework of the post-game boss system, Diablo 4 has created a greater endgame challenge as players push past the tiers of Lair Bosses in pursuit of the pinnacle boss, Belial. However, it can be somewhat tedious to farm the same lower-tier bosses repeatedly for the materials necessary to move up Diablo 4‘s boss ladder. This could be improved with a wider variety of bosses in the Initiate and Greater Boss tiers, and Elias would fit that bill perfectly since his fight is begging for a rematch after the main campaign showdown.
Elias, Fallen Horadrim Would Be the Perfect New Lair Boss for Diablo 4
Diablo 4 Needs More Lair Bosses
As a major part of Diablo 4‘s endgame content, players are going to be spending a lot of time farming Lair Bosses for Diablo 4‘s rare Mythic gear needed to complete many builds. Defeating lower-tier bosses and earning the materials necessary to reap the rewards of higher-tier bosses can be as tiresome as it is rewarding when seeing the same enemy over and over again. The list of Lair Bosses currently available to fight in Diablo 4 is shorter than expected after 9 seasons, with plenty of room for more to be added in the future:
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Initiate Lair Bosses
- Echo of Varshan
- Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint
- The Beast in the Ice
- Lord Zir
- Urivar (DLC Exclusive)
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Greater Lair Bosses
- Andariel
- Duriel
- Harbinger of Hatred (DLC Exclusive)
- Exalted Lair Bosses
Diablo 4‘s current Lair Boss offerings include five Initiate Bosses, three Greater Bosses, and one Exalted Boss. While this seems like a solid lineup at face value, two of these bosses are exclusive to the Vessel of Hatred DLC, meaning base game players only have four Initiate Bosses and two Greater Bosses to battle. Adding another boss to the Great Lair Boss tier would break up the monotony of farming Andariel and Duriel that base game Diablo 4 players must face, and Elias already has the ideal boss fight design for this purpose.
The Main Campaign Boss Fight Against Elias Could Just Be a Taste of His Tormented Power
The structure of the Elias fight from Diablo 4‘s main campaign is ideal for a Greater Lair Boss. The battle is split into three sections, where players team up with Lorath to fight Elias, Master of the Triune. After he is defeated, players will have to delve further into Elias’ chamber to face off against Elias, Fallen Horadrim over the course of three more phases, with each phase requiring players to follow the boss to a new arena. This structure falls in line with other Greater Lair Bosses, which also have multiple phases, but adds the twist of having to chase down the boss to a new location before the next phase can begin, offering more room for the difficulty to be ramped up between each encounter.
While Lorath accompanies the player in this fight during the main campaign, removing his presence for a Lair Boss fight would help increase the difficulty. Other campaign bosses have become Lair Bosses, like Andariel and Duriel, and even Astaroth has returned as an endgame boss in the new Escalating Nightmares of Season 9. With the precedent already set by these foes, it seems like Elias is primed for a return to Diablo 4 in a big way, potentially upping the challenge of his fight with new tricks.
Diablo 4
9/10
- Released
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June 6, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine
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