Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Heiron

Or should l say world boss tour? Not counting the bosses at the ends of instances or campaigns, these are the baddest of the baddies, the top tier of PvE opponents. Some are beyond huge and make your heart stop the first time you stumble upon them; others are just average and innocuous-looking yet can wipe the floor with you when they sneeze. As vicious and imposing as they are, they often hold the most coveted loot.

Not only is the loot sought after by just about every Daeva and his daggie, but these behemoths only spawn randomly. In order to even have the chance to defeat them (and thereby snag the gold goodies), you must have a fair bit of luck to catch them when they are active and roaming the lands. That, and find them when they aren't being camped by others who also want those same goodies.

So where are these bosses and how can you get your wings on them (or avoid them, as the case may be)? Whether you want to sneak a peek at one of these mega-mobs without getting eaten or you want to strategize a way to defeat them and hoard some loot, Wings Over Atreia will introduce you to the highest-level named mobs in Atreia for your oggling or slicing-and-dicing pleasure. Today begins a series of articles highlighting the who, where, what, and even some how of Aion's world bosses.

Glide on past the cut to delve into the world bosses in Heiron.

While more commonly known by the moniker "world boss," named mobs are actually classified by NCsoft into two different categories -- hero and legendary. According to NCsoft, a hero-grade monster "is designed to be defeated by a full group, and may sometimes require an Alliance." In real terms, this means if you are a Cleric, you can easily solo it. This level of monsters also often has adds that guard it or spawn during the battle.

The highest (and hardest) tier of named mob is legendary-grade. These are defined on the Aion PowerWiki as "monsters [that] can only be defeated by an Alliance." This time, it's not fooling! There are only a few legendaries around, and some legions have alts secreted away near the spawn points to check on spawns throughout the day. If a legion hasn't rushed in and claimed it quietly, you can often see the LFG channel light up with requests for people to come and assist with taking the boss down.

Low man on the totem pole

One lower-level world boss that is often overlooked is Dedrun the Sentinel, a hero-grade level 43 agrint in the Decayed Grove near the Heiron Observatory. Overlooked might be putting it mildly; I honestly haven't even seen this guy. He can drop a blue chest piece, an earring, or one of two blue weapons (a staff or a bow).

Dishella, while only a normal-grade monster (level 41 mudthorn), drops a gold belt and is heavily camped. Since he meets the criteria of coveted loot and being camped, he is included on this list. Instead of a boss, though, he is more like middle-management.

Spanking the monkey

Of all the bosses in Heiron, two are most known for causing insta-panic the first time an unsuspecting Daeva bumps into them while running through the jungle -- Gojira and Takun the Terrible (both level 47). When your Daeva doesn't even reach the height of a mob's ankle and you have to pan way up to see its face, you can just imagine the "comments" that slip out upon that first meeting! While these two don't normally cross paths, if you make them break their normal patrol route, you can occasionally find them battling it out together. These two can be fought easily with a small group and can also be soloed.

Another easily soloable boss (if you are a Cleric, that is) is Spirit King Agro (43). Although he doesn't seem to drop much that is considered worthwhile anymore, you will still find this large earth spirit being camped and killed when he spawns. Hey, loot is loot! All three of these are considered hero-grade.

I need a hero

One of the most heavily camped mobs (which is also soloable by guess who?) is Medeus the Vile (45). Medeus' Heart is a highly prized and sought-after gold orb. Count yourself lucky if you find him spawned and not camped, but don't waste too much time waiting for companions -- he will be snatched quickly. Sadly, I have watched as someone stole him from a trio that had started to fight him and dragged him into the guards in order to get a solo kill.

Another hero-grade boss is Chieftain Kunpapa (42) in the insane krall area of Kishar Village. This guy is a pain to get to as the insane krall like to switch aggro randomly and there are many stealthed mobs. He can drop blue items -- both chest and legs as well as a spear, greatsword, or sword. Not many go out of their way to farm this boss.

Have fun stormin' the castle, er circle!

Storm Circle is a relatively small area to have four world bosses. Even better, these bosses are easier to get to than the Indratu ones since you can just fly through open air and land in safe places. The annoying part is that all of the mobs here are friendly to the Asmodians, who of course are more than happy to come and harass you while you are fighting a boss. Ulan, Exedil, and Hallion (all 49) are hero-grade bosses who can be soloed by a level 55 Cleric with a bit of difficulty (and a lot of time), or they can be easily killed with a friend or two. If you are closer to level 50, plan on having a fuller group.

The final boss in Storm Circle is Bollvig Blackheart (50). With his legendary status, do not underestimate him. Unlike other world bosses that spawn randomly, Bollvig can always be found in place; however, if he is surrounded by a bubble, he is not vulnerable. Bollvig is one that takes multiple Daevas to vanquish. A couple of hints: Use the rock pillar to your advantage to LOS (line-of-sight) him, and do not, I repeat, DO NOT pop your wings while fighting him. Having him reset is really, really not fun! The loot can be worth it if you get a drop -- the dagger is still wanted by level 55s, and Bollvig's jerkin disenchanted into four level 87 enchantment stones for me (not until Miragent's replaced it as my chest piece, that is!).

Fantasy Islands

If you have ever tried to navigate out to the bosses Guardian Vingeveu, Bulwark Jeshuchi, and Watcher Zapiel (levels 46, 47, and 48 respectively) on the Island of Eternity using the invisible bridges, you might be begging to hear Tattoo calling for "ze plane, ze plane!" to hop a ride out there. If you don't yet know the path by instinct (and there are many turns and angles -- falling off is quite easy), wait until 2 p.m. game time when small lights will appear at every turn on the bridges. Follow them carefully and you will make it out to the islands and have your chance to engage these bosses. Of course, each boss is on a different isle, so be prepared to make the journey across the divide more than once. These three kerubs used to be heavily camped for their weapon drops; however, now their weapon can be obtained by completing the alliance repeatable quest Into Eternity.

In Indratu

Now there are world bosses, and there are world bosses. Deputy Hanuman is a world boss. Weighing in with 3.78 million hit points, this guy takes you, your friends, and a few strangers shanghaied off the street to defeat. Deep in the Nute Warrens, he is also a pain-and-a-half to get to. He is a veritable piñata of possible loot drops, but one of the highest-grade is the chest piece to a full set of gold armor. Each class of armor has a distinct name: phoenix for cloth; white tiger's for leather; soaring for chain; and ebon shell for plate.

There are four other bosses in the labyrinth of the cave: High Priest Yatri (47), Commander Gitimuka (48), Scout Dehavi (46), and High Mage Brashuna (47). While Hanuman drops the chest piece, these guys drop the other pieces. The only catch is you have to find them within the maze!

Whether you are a casual hunter in it for the thrill of the fight or a serious contender with an eye only for a certain piece of loot, Heiron has a plethora of world bosses to choose from when you get the urge to test your mettle against the big mobs. Do you have any fun stories about encounters with a world boss in Heiron? Please share in the comments below!

Soaring through the Aionosphere, MJ Guthrie touches down weekly to bring you Wings Over Atreia. Featuring tips, guides, and general snippets of life in Aion, the column is better than Tutty-on-a-stick, ackackackackackack! Have a suggestion to share? No need to bribe a Shugo -- just send mail to mj@massively.com.