Harbinger of Hatred Lair Boss Guide (Season 8)

Harbinger of Hatred is a Greater Lair Boss with its own unique loot pool. To earn rewards, you will need to defeat him while managing several tricky mechanics. You can adjust the world tier to make the encounter easier or more challenging. Higher Torment tiers will improve your chances at better loot.

How to Summon Harbinger of Hatred

To summon the Harbinger of Hatred, you will need 4 Abhorrent Hearts, which can drop from defeating Urivar. This boss is part of the Vessel of Hatred expansion and can only be challenged if you own it.

Once you have the required materials, head to Harbinger’s Den in Nahantu, which is located to the west of Kurast. You can travel directly to the dungeon by right-clicking. Fight your way through, and use the altar to summon the Harbinger. You will need the materials to unlock his hoard once you have defeated him.

Preparations

• Boost Your Survivability: The Harbinger of Hatred uses a deadly mix of elemental and physical damage. If your character has not yet reached the defensive caps, use elixirs that increase Armor, Resistances, or Maximum Life. These can be crafted using materials gathered throughout the world.
• Play a Build You Trust: Bring a build with strong single-target damage and survivability. If unsure, check out our Boss Tier list for suggestions.

Boss Mechanics

The Harbinger of Hatred deals significant poison and fire damage. In addition to his regular attacks, he uses the following abilities:

• Desiccation Pools: Red and black pools spawn on the ground. Avoid these pools, as they deal poison damage and will make the fight much harder if you step into them. Be mindful of your positioning when the Harbinger spawns these pools.

• Harbinger Scream: The Harbinger lets out a powerful scream, sending out projectiles in a cone shape in front of him. These projectiles deal extreme damage, so you need to dodge or move away as soon as he begins to channel his scream. There will be enough time for you to react before the projectiles are launched.

• Blood Portals: Portals will spawn in the arena, and the Harbinger will disappear for a brief period. During this time, wolves spawn from the portals and charge toward designated locations, leaving fire attacks on the floor. Make sure to avoid crossing paths with the wolves as they move and stay clear of the fire lines. You can destroy the small portals using your skills, but the larger portals require light balls.

• Akarat Lion Form (Light Balls): After a certain phase of the fight, the Harbinger will transform into Akarat’s Lion form. In this phase, he spawns light balls that can be picked up and thrown at the portals or at the Harbinger himself. These light balls are crucial for closing the portals and damaging the boss. Use any key attack to pick up and throw the light balls to deal significant damage and disrupt the portals.

Loot Table

To get your loot, you will need to use the required materials to open the reward chest or “hoard” after the fight. The first Unique dropped is guaranteed to come from the boss-specific loot table below. Any additional Uniques have a 50% chance to come from the general Unique pool instead.

If you are playing in a group, each additional party member increases the chance of an extra Unique dropping by 33%.

The loot table will be added when confirmed.

For more information on Uniques, Mythic Uniques, and how to farm them, check out our guides below:

Greater Lair Bosses are challenging endgame bosses that will test your skills and gear, and the Harbinger of Hatred is no exception! But he is also a rewarding fight and has a chance to drop some of the best items in the game.

Belial Ambush Encounter

After defeating a Lair Boss, there is a small chance that Belial will ambush you. This unexpected encounter brings its own set of challenges, as Belial uses a mix of Blood and Poison magic that you will need to avoid.

Defeating this smaller form of Belial will grant you a second round of loot from the Lair Boss you just killed without requiring any additional materials. He will also drop the Betrayer’s Husk, the item needed to challenge Belial’s Exalted Lair Boss form.

To learn more about the ambush mechanics and how to deal with them, check out our Belial guide.