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To beat The Prisoner in Path of Exile 2, damage it to 50%, 25%, and 10% health, then use an arena ballista at each stagger to interrupt its healing. The boss becomes immune during these moments, so stop attacking and fire a ballista’s piercing bolt quickly. It gains abilities after each shot, making it important to watch its attacks as well as your health bar.
Where to find The Prisoner
The Prisoner is in Solitary Confinement, below the Abandoned Prison in Act 4. After defeating the boss, speak with The Hooded One and return to town to continue the quest route. See the PoE2DB encounter page and the Solitary Confinement area guide for area and progression details.
Solitary Confinement is listed as a level 47 area. Its lower floors can flood and slow movement while you are submerged; that is a traversal condition, not a documented modifier for the boss arena.
How the ballista mechanic works
At 50%, 25%, and 10% health, The Prisoner staggers and becomes immune to ordinary damage. It begins regenerating after a short delay. Use one of the ballistas around the arena edge and hit the boss with its piercing bolt to stop the heal. The timing window is short, so stay close enough to reach a ballista promptly. The Game8 boss guide also recommends fighting near the arena walls for this reason.
#1 Best Overall
- Damage The Prisoner until it reaches a health threshold and staggers.
- Move to a nearby arena-edge ballista and interact with it.
- Fire the piercing bolt at The Prisoner as soon as possible to interrupt regeneration.
- Return to attacking, watching for the new abilities it gains after the shot.
- Repeat at the next two thresholds, then finish the fight.
Attacks and hazards to watch for
The encounter is themed around physical and cold damage. The Prisoner’s documented hazards include expanding rings that inflict chill and Corrupted Blood, and a red circle that lets the boss leech life from targets inside it. Move out of marked areas and avoid lingering in hazards as they expand. The community wiki’s Prisoner page warns that its information may be incomplete, so these hazards should not be treated as a complete move list.
No specific resistance value, class, build, or gear requirement is established as necessary to win. Prepare to withstand physical and cold damage, and prioritize recognizing telegraphs and reaching a ballista during each stagger.
Rank #2
- Officially Licensed Artwork from POE2
- Machine Washable
- Smooth, Easy-Glide surface
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If The Prisoner keeps healing
First check whether the ballista bolt connected during the stagger window, and make sure you have moved out of any life-leech circle. A player thread on the official Path of Exile forum reports regeneration in encounters involving companions or totems, as well as reports after ballista use without companions. These are player reports, not a developer diagnosis or confirmation of a current, widespread issue. Companion interactions are one possible troubleshooting lead, not a confirmed cause or fix.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Officially Licensed Artwork from POE2
- Machine Washable
- Smooth, Easy-Glide surface
- Printed at 300 Dots Per Inch
Rank #4
- Magic Duel Deck Venser vs. Koth (englisch)
Rank #3
- Officially Licensed Artwork from POE2
- Machine Washable
- Smooth, Easy-Glide surface
- Printed at 300 Dots Per Inch
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