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It’s been a decade since the last mainline entry in the Diablo franchise, and so far, Diablo 4 does not disappoint. Despite some significant setbacks about server stability and dungeon randomness the Diablo 4 beta has thus far been well received. There are many exciting quests, battles, and dungeons in the beta that players are eagerly exploring to gain an understanding of this reimagined world of Sanctuary.
By far the most impressive boss fight in the beta is the fight against Ashava, the Pestilent. This monstrosity is so challenging that it requires a larger party size, and it only spawns at specific times.
Location of Ashava, the Pestilent World Boss
The fight against Ashava, the Pestilent takes place in an area called The Crucible in the Eastern part of the Fractured Peaks. The closest waypoint is at the Bear Tribe Camp.
When the event is about to start, an icon will appear on the map with a timer. The times of this world boss fight are already scheduled, but Blizzard did make two last-minute changes during the Early Access Beta. Players should keep an eye out for announcements from Blizzard in case they need to do it again.
Requirements for the Ashava, the Pestilent Fight
Defeating Ashava, the Pestilent can technically be completed by anyone. Players don’t need to have accomplished anything beforehand. That said, the fight should be taken on with characters that are at or about level 25. Otherwise, there won’t be enough DPS to take it down.
How to Beat Ashava, the Pestilent
Players looking for the biggest, baddest boss in the Diablo 4 beta need look no further than Ashava, The Pestilent. It’s impossible to take this boss down with a typical group of four. Instead, the boss spawns in an area that creates shards, which are instances of the zone that allow up to twelve people at a time to take on Ashava together. Players simply show up to the location to join in. They’ll be sorted into a shard with other players automatically.
There are two simple ways players can give themselves the best chance to win against the Ashava, the Pestilent World Boss:
- Show up early. Players should get into The Crucible zone while the timer has at least 10 minutes left. That way they can have a look around at the players they were sorted with. If even a handful of the other players are below level 20, that shard probably won’t win the fight. Players can get into a different shard by running out of the zone, waiting a few seconds, and then running back in.
- Lower the World Tier. The probability of being randomly sorted into a group of well-geared level 25’s that can take down Ashava at World Tier 2–with only one chance–is rather low. Players wanting a better chance of success will find it in World Tier 1.
Apart from those two factors, the best way a player can prepare to take on Ashava is to learn its attack pattern. Ashava doesn’t have a lot of moves, but the ones it does have are deadly. The following lists all of Ashava’s attacks along with how to avoid them.
Frost Swipe
Possibly Ashava’s most deadly attack, the Frost Swipe covers a large area and inflicts a ridiculous amount of Frost damage. It also deals significant damage over time that’ll take multiple potions to heal through. Standing at Ashava’s feet or well out of the swipe are both safe options. Keep in mind that Ashava always does this attack twice, but not always in similar directions. Sometimes it alternates direction, and sometimes it continues in the same direction.
Frost Rake
This attack comes in two parts. First, Ashava slams down its giant claws into the area in front of it. Then, it rakes backward to destroy anything on either side. Getting hit by this causes massive direct damage and damage over time. It can be avoided by staying in the center of Ashava’s back feet.
Plague Belch
With Plague Belch, Ashava spews vile plague juice in a cloud in front of it. It deals significant damage over time and leaves a large puddle of plague juice on the ground. Avoid the puddle as much as possible, but dodging through it to avoid going all the way around is somewhat survivable.
The Noob Squasher
The Noob Squasher is the easiest move to spot and has a generous time window to escape. Ashava raises up its enormous fist, waits a second, and then slams it down in the area indicated by the yellow circle. It isn’t Ashava’s most devastating attack, but it can one-shot characters with low armor.
Ashava Chomp
Players would do well to avoid standing around in front of Ashava. When it detects a player in front of it, it chomps down at them. Ashava’s Chomp does deal devastating damage, but it isn’t a guaranteed one hit kill. Players should stay at Ashava’s feet or sides, so they don’t become a target for this attack.
Ashava doesn’t have much mobility. It can’t charge around the field at will. However, Ashava can leap across the field every so often. Other than the leap, Ashava is a slow-moving target. Achieving victory is a matter of avoiding the attacks and maintaining high DPS over a long stretch of time. If players can do that, they’ll bring down Ashava, the Pestilent and earn their spoils.
Diablo 4 launches June 6 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.