By the time you hit Act One’s Treacherous Ground quest, you’ll probably find yourself poking around the Vile Nest. It’s cramped, dark, and a bit claustrophobic, and that’s before you even clock the hulking worm boss waiting for you. The Devourer’s already cluttering up the place with bits of its body lying around, so there’s barely room to breathe. If you’re not moving constantly, you’re toast.

One minute it’s towering over you, the next it’s gone underground and a red-black flash lights up beneath your feet. That circle means trouble — in about two seconds the worm bursts up and deals enough damage to one-shot careless players. Keep your eyes peeled and never stick around for “just one more hit.” It’s not worth your life. Good movement skills or a knack for weaving out of danger will make things way easier, and if you’ve got gear from PoE 2 Items early on, that extra resilience helps too.

When you start chipping away at its health, don’t be fooled by how big and fleshy it looks. Pure physical damage barely scratches it, so melee bruisers and bow users might feel like they’re hitting a brick wall. The real crack in its armour comes from elemental hits — fire, cold, lightning, whatever you can throw.

If you’re running a physical build, there’s no shame in swapping in a weapon with elemental bonuses or slotting a support gem that converts some of your output. This little tweak can turn a slog into a fast burn. Honestly, leaning into elemental damage this early pays off across the board; you’ll clear mobs faster, loot drops come more often, and your stash fills with more currency before you know it.

Don’t waste time hitting the tail when it swings into view. It’s basically a trick to pull your attention away from the head, and damage done there won’t touch the main health pool.

Think of it as just another hazard alongside the burrow strikes. And then you’ve got the larvae — tiny, annoying, and capable of messing with your positioning. Ranged players should pick them off before they clog your sightlines. Melee fighters can usually swat them away while swinging at the head, but letting a swarm build up around you is asking to get boxed in. The key here is simple: keep your focus locked on the head, manage the adds, and dodge when you see danger coming.

Finally, dropping the boss nets you some gold and a handful of useful loot. The real treat comes when you hand the quest in to Renly — he forks over an Uncut Support Gem. That’s a huge boost in the early game, whether you slot it right away or flip it to get yourself cheap PoE 2 Items from a trade. If you want a smooth win here, remember three things: move like your life depends on it, let elemental damage do the heavy lifting, and never get baited into swinging at that useless tail.