HYXXIS – THE BROOD MOTHER

OVERVIEW

Hyxxis, the Brood Mother, is among the game’s simpler Bosses to understand – but that makes her no less deadly.

With her Crush and Manaburn Corruptions, plus multiple wide-ranging Skills that can lay waste to overly-aggressive Invokers, this is one mama you don’t wanna mess with.

While frailer than other Bosses, she can easily immobilize and dispatch Invokers caught by her Embryonic Sacs, which quickly drain the Invoker's HP – taking them out of the game for 10 seconds in the process. You can't break free from the Ensacment, and only Tanks can endure and survive it; anyone else will be taken out of the fight permanently.

When starting out, try to bring 2 Tanks for Hyxxis to target with her Ensacment, so you can rotate between them and prevent your other Invokers from getting sac'd. And you'll also need a healer to recover their HP once the sac bursts.

Hyxxis also lays Brood eggs periodically during battle. Fail to destroy those eggs, and her children will spawn – and you'll be fighting a war on multiple fronts.

Bring Tanks able to command her attention, healers to keep those Tanks in the fight, and speedy Attackers who can whittle away the Mother, and her Brood’s, health before they gobble you up for dinner.

DO

✓ Bring Tanks and a dedicated healer

✓ Stay out of the goo!

✓ Break the Brood Eggs

✓ Use Invokers or Relics with Crush and Manaburn Tolerances

DON'T

✕ Forget to bring a Tank. Or two. Seriously.

✕ Ignore the Brood Eggs. Failing to destroy the eggs will mean four new targets to deal with.

✕ Stop moving. Stay still and Hyxxis will lock you down with Ensacment or Crush Corruption.

✕ Bring Crowd Control. Hyxxis is immune.

SKILL BREAKDOWN

Combo Attack #1

Attacks 1 enemy from a distance of 20m, dealing N damage.

 

Combo Attack #2

Attacks 2 enemies from a distance of 20m, dealing N damage per hit.

Combo Attack #3

Attacks all enemies in a 15m radius, dealing N damage per hit.

Skill 1 – Ensacment

Hyxxis encases an unlucky target in an embryonic sac.

Targets 1 enemy from a distance of 15m. Encases the target in an Embryonic Sac for 10s.

The Embryonic Sac ticks 1 time every 1s. Each tick damages the target by 10% of their current HP if the target is a Tank. Each tick damages the target by 10% of their MAX HP if the target is not a Tank.  Encased targets cannot be targeted or otherwise interacted with.

After the Embryonic Sac ends, casts a [Sludge] debuff on the target, lasting 8s. Hyxxis will not target enemies under [Sludge] debuffs.

Encased targets cannot be targeted or otherwise interacted with. Enemies killed while Encased cannot be revived.

Prioritizes Tank Invokers. This attack instantly kills Titans.

  • TIP #1: Bring a Tank! Or two! If a non-Tank Invoker gets hit with Ensacment, it’s basically game over for them. They will take 100% of their MAX HP over the 10 seconds they’re encased, and then cannot be revived. Always have a Tank Invoker to draw Hyxxis’ fire, as they will only take 10% of their current HP – which means they can never be killed by this Skill.

  • TIP #2: Swap between your Tanks. When your first Tank is freed from their sticky prison, have your healer restore their HP immediately while the other takes the brunt of the next Ensacment. Careful juggling of your Tanks and healers will ensure you can squash this bug.

 

Skill 2 – Parastis

Hyxxis spits squirts of acid at all enemies, dissolving their mana.

Attacks all enemies 2 times from a distance of 20m, dealing N damage per hit. 

The first hit casts Crush Corruption on each target, lasting 5s. Targets under Crush Corruption take 100% more damage.

The second hit casts 1 stack of Manaburn Corruption on each target. The Manaburn Corruption ticks 1 time every 10s. Each tick damages the target by 0.5% of their MAX HP. Each stack of Manaburn Corruption decreases the target's Mana Gen by 3%.

  • TIP #1: This is a double dose of Corruption – you need a double dose of Tolerance. First, that Crush Corruption is going to stun you and make you take double damage – then that doubled-up hit of Manaburn is going to stack on top and cause you to lose a serious amount of HP in a single hit. You'll need both Tolerances here to fully counter this Skill.

Skill 3 – Dreadscutter

Hyxxis tramples everything in her path.

Tramples through a 20x8m path towards the furthest enemy in a 20m radius, damaging each enemy hit, dealing N damage per hit. Casts a [Stun] debuff on each target, lasting 3s.

  • TIP #1: This attack is slow. Really slow. So long as you aren’t Crushed or stuck by Ensacment, you should be able to move your Invokers out of Hyxxis’ path with no issue – either while she’s charging up or lumbering along. Just keep an eye on who is your furthest Invoker from the Brood Mother.

Skill 4 – Probosis

Hyxxis regurgitates a toxic, acidic vomit that melts flesh and steel.

Regurgitates, creating a 180°, 14m Acid Puddle in front of Hyxxis, lasting 6s. The zone ticks 1 time every 3s. Each tick deals N damage to all enemies in the area.

  • TIP #1: Get behind Hyxxis! It should go without saying but when you see the giant red semi-circle, run behind the Brood Mother so you stay out of danger, but in range to keep up the attack.

 

  • TIP #2: Stay out of the goo! The acid puddle lingers for 6 seconds once it appears, so don’t go wading in – unless you want to take unnecessary damage.

Skill 5 – Scudbirth

Hyxxis performs nature's greatest miracle, birthing new horrors.

Casts a [Shield] on Hyxxis, lasting 10s, equal to 30% of Hyxxis' MAX HP. Then, Hyxxis moves to her nesting point.

Then, Hyxxis births 4 Brood Eggs. The Brood Eggs hatch after 10s, spawning Slinks.

  • TIP #1: Take a breather when she’s moving. Use the time Hyxxis takes to reposition to heal your party, gather them up, and get positioned to take out the Brood Eggs as they appear.

 

  • TIP #2: AOE Skills are your friend. When Hyxxis unleashes her brood, they emerge in a semi-circle shape around her back. With a powerful AOE attack, you can take out the four Brood Eggs in one fell swoop.

Passive – Sludger

Decreases the cooldown of the Ensacment Skill by 1s every time a [Burn] or [Bleed] debuff is cast on Hyxxis.

CORRUPTIONS

Hyxxis has two Corruptions: one Damage Corruption (Manaburn), and one Control Corruption (Crush).

Each of Hyxxis’ attacks will deal extra damage as Manaburn Damage, which is not decreased by your Invokers’ DEF Stat.

DAMAGE CORRUPTION –  MANABURN

Manaburn Corruption

  • Each stack of Manaburn damages the target by a percentage of their MAX HP every tick. Each stack also decreases the target's Mana Gen. Infinite duration.

Manaburn Tolerance

Manaburn Corruption is a damage-over-time effect that damages the recipient by a percentage of their MAX HP every tick. It also decreases the target's Mana Gen by a certain percentage. Manaburn Corruption has an infinite duration and cannot be removed. Manaburn Corruption stacks additively, so each stack of Manaburn directly increases the damage per tick along with the Mana Gen reduction.

Bosses with Manaburn Corruption also deal direct Manaburn damage from their Skills, in addition to their regular damage. Direct Manaburn damage ignores the target's DEF stat, and can only be decreased by the target's Manaburn Tolerance.

Increasing an Invoker's Manaburn Tolerance will decrease all Manaburn damage by the Invoker's Tolerance percentage, along with decreasing the effects of the Mana Gen reduction.

CONTROL CORRUPTION – CRUSH 

Crush Corruption

  • Stuns the target, making them unable to move or use Skills. Increases all damage taken by +100%.
     

Crush Tolerance 

Not only does Crush Corruption stun the target, taking them out of the battle for a long time, but it also causes the target to take double damage, from all sources of damage - whether that's a direct hit from a Boss, or damage from a Burn or other debuff.

Increasing an Invoker's Crush Tolerance decreases the duration of Crush Corruption and its effects by the Tolerance percentage, reducing the time you are stunned and take double damage. Increasing Crush Tolerance will significantly reduce the amount of damage an Invoker takes throughout a battle with a Boss with Crush Corruption.

STRATEGY

Hyxxis excels at separating your party, immobilizing them and then unleashing powerful wide-area attacks while they’re sitting ducks.

First and foremost, you need to bring a Tank with you. Hyxxis’ Ensacment Skill is a death sentence to non-Tanks, dealing 10% of a non-Tank’s MAX HP over 10 seconds. Do the math – that’s one dead Invoker. Plus, any Invokers killed while encased cannot be revived, permanently removing them for the duration of the fight.

However, Hyxxis does prioritize Tanks with this Skill, and they only take 10% of their current HP while caught in her web. So bring a Tank with high MAX HP, and they’ll be able to keep their fellow teammates out of the Brood Mother’s clutches. Just make sure to keep their HP topped up or better yet, have a second Tank to trade off taking instances of Ensacment.

Hyxxis’ second skill, Parasitis, is a double whammy – inflicting both Crush and Manaburn Corruption. The Crush Corruption is particularly deadly as it locks Invokers in place and ensures they take double damage while they are immobilized. As it hits all enemies within its radius, you need to ensure your Tanks can regain movement and become the priority target of Ensacment, or else you’ll be saying bye bye to one of your other Invokers.

As for Hyxxis’ Skill 3, Dreadscutter, and Skill 4, Probosis, these are both slow-moving attacks with long wind-ups. As long as you aren’t trapped by Ensacment or stunned by Crush Corruption, you should always be able to move out of the way of these attacks. Make sure to spread your Invokers out when Hyxxis starts lumbering forward with Dreadscutter, so you’re not all caught in a line.

Finally, Skill 5 sees Hyxxis attempting to summon her brood to draw your attention away from her. Once these Brood Eggs spawn following her reposition, take them out ASAP. One powerful AOE attack should do the trick, and means no dealing with pesky Slinks. If you don’t manage to destroy the Brood Eggs before they hatch, they’ll continually chip away at your team with their ranged Combo Attack, which gets faster with each hit. Just imagine how annoying they’ll be if you’re stunned, them slowly whittling your health down while their mother moves to deliver the killing blow. Horrible.

So, how do you exterminate this spider and her brood? Bring Tanks to draw her attention away from your squishier Invokers, and healers to keep those Tanks in the fight. With Tanks taking up most of her attention, Ranged Attackers can stay safely out of range of Hyxxis’ attacks and maximize their DPS to squish this spider.

When Hyxxis lays her Brood Eggs, quickly shift your attention to destroying them before they hatch. Powerful AoE attacks or Titan Invokations should do the trick, and allow you to focus on the Brood Mother. 

Good luck!