The Abyss Raid Argos stands as a significant Tier 3 endgame challenge in Lost Ark, offering valuable rewards like Tier 3 Accessories, Ability Stones, Cards, and essential crafting materials. Successfully navigating this multi-phase encounter is key to character progression. This guide delves into the intricate mechanics and strategies required to conquer the first two phases of the Argos Abyss Raid, providing a clear path to victory for your party.
Phase 1
Required Item Level: 1370
Phase 1 of the Argos fight primarily emphasizes individual awareness and quick reactions. While coordination is always beneficial, understanding Argos’s fundamental attack patterns and personal elemental assignments is paramount for survival and efficient damage output. Players will receive either a Sun (yellow) or Moon (purple) elemental affinity at the start, dictating safe zones and crucial mechanic responses.
Basic Attack Patterns
Argos employs several signature attacks in Phase 1, each requiring specific responses based on your current elemental alignment. Identifying these patterns quickly and reacting appropriately will minimize damage taken and ensure your party stays in the fight.
Sun/Moon Circle
Early in the engagement, all party members will be assigned either a Sun (yellow) or Moon (purple) elemental circle beneath their character. This elemental affinity is crucial for navigating several of Argos’s large-scale attacks. When Argos executes a wide area-of-effect (AoE) attack, it will be distinctly colored either yellow or purple. If you possess the matching elemental affinity, you can safely stand within the colored zone, taking no damage. Conversely, if your affinity does not match the attack’s color, you must quickly move out of the AoE to avoid substantial harm. Remaining vigilant about your assigned element and the attack’s color is vital for survival during this mechanic.
Sun/Moon Ring
Argos frequently performs a double-ring attack, manifesting as two concentric circles around its position. These rings will also be colored either Sun or Moon. To safely navigate this ability, players must move into the ring that corresponds to their elemental affinity. A key aspect of this pattern is Argos’s tendency to alternate the safe zone’s position between casts; for example, if the Moon element was safe in the outer ring during one instance, it might be safe in the inner ring the next time. This requires constant observation and quick repositioning, ensuring you always align with the correct colored ring to mitigate incoming damage.
Orbs Pattern
During the battle, Argos will periodically summon several glowing orbs that scatter across the arena. These orbs are also imbued with either Sun or Moon energy, matching the elemental affinities of party members. It is critical for players to collect orbs that match their assigned element. However, there’s a strict limit: each player can only collect one orb. Attempting to gather a second orb will result in a significant amount of damage, potentially fatal. If matching orbs are not collected by the appropriate elemental party members within a short timeframe, they will explode, dealing heavy damage to the entire group. Coordinated collection ensures this mechanic is resolved safely.
Pizza Pattern
Argos will occasionally roar and create a radial attack, dividing the circular arena into several ‘slices,’ reminiscent of a pizza. These sections will be alternately colored yellow (Sun) and purple (Moon). When this pattern occurs, players must swiftly identify the slice corresponding to their current elemental affinity and move into it to find a safe zone. Argos typically executes this radial attack in a sequence of two to three rapid bursts, rotating the safe and dangerous zones with each pulse. This demands fast footwork and spatial awareness, as staying in a mismatched slice will result in considerable damage from the elemental energy.
Ring Pattern
A notable attack involves Argos summoning a vast, elemental ring that encompasses a large portion of the battlefield. If a player’s elemental affinity is *opposite* to the color of this ring, they will begin accumulating a debuff meter above their character. Allowing this meter to fill completely will result in extremely high damage, often leading to immediate incapacitation. To counter this, affected players must quickly exit the ring’s area to purge the accumulating debuff. Once the meter resets, they can re-enter the ring if necessary. This mechanic tests a player’s responsiveness to avoid a devastating burst of elemental energy.
Safe Zones
One of Phase 1’s most critical mechanics involves Argos creating eight designated safe zones around the arena. These zones are spatially arranged: Moon-aligned safe zones are always closer to Argos, while Sun-aligned safe zones are located further away. Parties should pre-assign positions for each member to ensure quick and orderly occupation of these spots. Once players are in their assigned safe zones, Argos will manifest a visible timer dial directly beneath it. It’s imperative that all party members cease attacking during this period and wait for the dial to complete its cycle. Upon its expiration, a significant elemental exchange occurs, and all players’ elemental affinities will flip; Sun becomes Moon, and Moon becomes Sun, requiring continued awareness of your new elemental status.
Phase 2
Required Item Level: 1385
Phase 2 of the Argos Abyss Raid demands exceptional teamwork and communication. The encounter becomes more complex, introducing split parties and mini-boss mechanics in addition to Argos’s evolving attack patterns. Success in this phase hinges on coordinating specialized roles and executing mechanics flawlessly across two distinct combat zones.
Two Parties
Almost immediately after Phase 2 commences, your eight-person raid team will be divided into two distinct four-player parties: one designated as the Sun party and the other as the Moon party. This elemental assignment is permanent for the remainder of Phase 2. The Sun party will be instantly teleported to a separate area known as the Sky Garden to confront a specific mini-boss, while the Moon party remains in the main arena to continue battling Argos. For optimal strategy, the Sun party should consist of characters equipped with high destruction capabilities and everyone bringing destruction bombs. The Moon party, conversely, benefits from high damage-per-second (DPS) classes and characters with strong stagger abilities, such as Berserkers or Sorcerers, to effectively manage Argos’s mechanics and health pool.
Argos Attack Patterns
While the Moon party engages Argos, they will encounter several familiar attack patterns from Phase 1, such as the radial ‘pizza’ attack. However, Argos also introduces new abilities unique to Phase 2. One notable addition is a “rock pattern,” where projectiles or hazards are sent out from the boss. These projectiles are generally avoidable by maintaining continuous movement, often simply by running in a straight line or maintaining a consistent circle around Argos. Beyond these, Argos retains its elemental circle and ring attacks, requiring the Moon party to stay attuned to their permanent Moon elemental affinity for safe positioning. Adapting to both recurring and new threats is essential for the Moon party’s survival.
Sun Mini-Boss Attack Pattern
The Sun party, teleported to the Sky Garden, faces a distinct mini-boss with its own set of mechanics. This creature generally has straightforward attacks, including a long-reaching tail swipe that can be dodged by staying aware of its wind-up. More dangerously, the mini-boss will spawn green projectiles, both from the ground and descending from above. Being struck by these projectiles not only inflicts damage but accumulating two hits will result in a stun, leaving players vulnerable. The most crucial mechanic involves exposing a weak point: once the mini-boss is knocked down, a vulnerable spot becomes targetable. The Sun party must unleash all their destruction skills and bombs to break this weak point as rapidly as possible. Failure to destroy it within the very short window causes the mini-boss to become empowered, significantly increasing its damage and making the fight far more challenging.
Laser Signal from Argos – Communications Are Important
A critical cross-party mechanic initiates when Argos seats itself and fires a distinctive laser into the sky, simultaneously spawning a timer dial beneath it. This signifies a communication-intensive phase. Immediately, one member of the Sun party must navigate to the upper-right edge of their Sky Garden arena and gaze over the precipice. From this vantage point, a specific pattern will be visible only to them. This pattern must be relayed verbally to the Moon party fighting Argos in the main arena, as incorrect execution will lead to a party-wide annihilation. Six distinct patterns exist, each dictating a different action or positioning for the Moon party to perform before Argos’s dial timer expires.
- Pattern 1 (Arrow): Indicates the Moon party must gather at a specific location on the map, typically the top-left, until the dial finishes.
- Pattern 2 (Center Circle): Directs the Moon party to stand within the central circle of Argos’s arena.
- Pattern 3 (Outer Area): Requires the Moon party to position themselves in the outermost ring of the arena.
- Pattern 4 (Sun in Center): Means the Sun party must assemble in the center of their own arena when Argos’s dial completes.
- Pattern 5 (Orbs): Spawns multiple orbs around Argos in the Moon party’s arena; they must collect all before the timer runs out.
- Pattern 6 (Four Circles): Creates four elemental circles at the map’s corners in the Moon party’s arena. Members must occupy these, absorb stacks, then hit Argos to transfer them until the dial turns purple.
These pattern mechanics continue until the Sun party successfully defeats their mini-boss, at which point they are transported back to the main arena to rejoin the Moon party against Argos.
Moon Mini-Boss Attack Pattern
Following the Sun party’s return, the Moon party is then teleported to face their own mini-boss. The primary goal here is to defeat the boss as quickly as possible. The most crucial threshold is to burst the boss down to 70% health within 90 seconds. Failing this rapid damage output will trigger a devastating party-wipe mechanic. If the Moon party struggles with damage, the Sun party can destroy totems scattered across the main arena (visible on the minimap) to prevent the wipe and remove a movement speed debuff from the Moon party. Additionally, if a red pillar appears above a player, four safe spots will spawn; each party member must quickly occupy one within three seconds to avoid a high-damage shockwave. The Moon mini-boss will periodically burrow, summoning a smaller, less damaging sub-boss. This sub-boss has a stagger bar that, once depleted, makes it highly vulnerable to damage, allowing for its rapid defeat. After the sub-boss falls, the main Moon mini-boss reappears, providing a crucial window for concentrated burst damage. This cycle repeats when the main boss reaches 30% health. Once the Moon mini-boss is vanquished, both parties reunite in the main arena for the final confrontation with a weakened Argos, typically requiring only a few more attacks to secure victory.
Stages You Go Through in Phase 2:
- All players initially engage Argos together for a brief period.
- The Sun party is teleported to the Sky Garden to battle their mini-boss.
- Upon defeating their mini-boss, the Sun party returns to the main arena to assist with Argos.
- Subsequently, the Moon party is teleported to fight the Moon mini-boss.
- After their mini-boss is defeated, the Moon party rejoins the rest of the team.
- All eight players then collectively face Argos for the final stretch of the encounter until its defeat.
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