How to find and navigate the Molten Vault in Path of Exile 2 – Destructoid

In Path of Exile 2, reaching The Molten Vault can be a bit tricky due to the sheer size of the area leading up to it. The real challenge lies in locating it, but there are a few tips that can make your journey a lot smoother.

How to find The Molten Vault in Path of Exile 2

The Molten Vault is an optional side area located in The Drowned City location on the map. It contains one of the hardest pre-endgame bosses you can encounter and is challenging in general to get through due to the tight confinements and relatively powerful enemies.

First, you need to head to The Drowned City. The campaign eventually takes you there, so you can’t miss it. The Drowned City is full of undead enemies, including hags that instantly kill you if you stand still too long, so you’ll need to be careful as you navigate the area. The scenery of this area offers no substantial notable locations, so everything looks the same and drowns together. This is what makes it tasking to pinpoint the entrance to The Molten Vault.

Most maps and areas in Path of Exile 2 are randomly generated, meaning each time you enter one, you’ll encounter different variants (thus layouts) of the same area. I won’t be able to give you an exact location of The Molten Vault because of this. However, what I can tell you is that the entrance tends to be near the edges of the map, often following dead-end paths. There’s also a checkpoint next to the vault entrance, and you’ll see it before you see the actual entryway.

Since you’re looking for dead-end pathways, I recommend sticking to the outskirts of the map as much as you can. You won’t be able to the entire time, as The Drowned City is like a small labyrinth, but as long you’re reaching the endpoint of the outskirt-focused routes, you’ll eventually find the Molten Vault. Make sure you’re using your map so you don’t backtrack through areas and routes you’ve already explored.

How to navigate The Molten Vault in Path of Exile 2

Despite how taxing it can be to locate The Molten Vault, once you’re inside, it’s actually very straightforward to run through it. Compared to most areas in Path of Exile 2, the Molten Vault is relatively small. Its randomness factor is also reduced, as no matter which variation of the area you get, there’s always one central route that leads directly to the boss at the end.

The central route is one big square, leading from the entrance of the vault, up north, and then back down south to where the boss is waiting for you. The ordination of this square may look a bit different and, quite frankly, odd if you’re looking at your map, but the reason this route exists is the boss encounter takes up a significant amount of the area’s space, and thus, doesn’t change from map variations.

The Molten Vault features machines of the Vaal Empire, which are some of the most deadly enemies in all of Path of Exile 2. Add in the extremely close-quarter nature of the vault, and you’ll quickly realize you need to be careful as you progress through it. You’ll know you’ve reached the end of the vault when you reach The Aureduct—the location of the boss: Mektul, the Forgemaster.

How to defeat Mekthul, the Forgemaster in Path of Exile 2

Mekthul, the Forgemaster is one of the hardest bosses in the campaign purely because he has a timer attached. When you enter The Aureduct using the elevator nearby, the fight will begin with lava spilling out from his initial location. This lava will flow toward you as you fight Mekthul. Your job is to kill him before the lava reaches the end. If you don’t, you’ll die. This means the Mekthul, the Forgemaster encounter is a DPS race.

So how do you kill him in time? Your character needs to be sufficiently built with enough damage output. I recommend using ranged and cold damage, as both these things will make defeating him much easier. Melee is not advised.

On occasion, Mekthul will spawn rock constructs and lava waves to impend your ability to attack him. Avoid these, and keep up as much DPS pressure as possible. The most difficult portion of this fight is simply having the damage to kill him before you run out of space. Mekthul’s mechanics are best summarized as “avoid the thing on the ground.” If you’ve got the damage and can dodge, you should have no problem defeating him.