Astranyx the Dark Fae turns your own champions against you. The safest strategy is to enter the boss round with key skills ready, take the first turn, defeat the Mirror Copies immediately, then control Astranyx’s Turn Meter until she dies .
Quick answer
Save your Turn Meter boost, crowd control, Decrease DEF, and AoE damage for the third round. Open with a fast booster such as Deacon, High Khatun, Eostrid, Lyssandra, or Arbiter; control or nuke the Mirror Copies before they act; then use Decrease SPD and several Turn Meter reduction champions against Astranyx. Avoid building an excessively tanky team because the boss copies those same stats.
Astranyx the Dark Fae mechanics
Astranyx creates Mirror Copies with your champions’ stats, gear, auras, and blessings. Your strongest champions therefore become the first threat. If the copies survive, they can use the same control, revival, protection, and damage skills that make your original team powerful.
| Mechanic | What it does | How to counter it |
|---|---|---|
| Fae Mirror | At the start of the boss battle, Astranyx gains Perfect Veil and summons copies of your entire team. She repeats this when Dark Energy reaches five. | Enter the round with important skills ready and defeat or control every copy before it acts. |
| Dark Abduction | Banishes one champion, creates its Mirror Copy, places True Fear on your team, and increases Dark Energy. | Limit Astranyx’s turns with Decrease SPD and Turn Meter reduction. |
| Faerie Storm | Attacks all enemies and brings every living ally into the attack. Damage rises for each living ally. | Remove the Mirror Copies quickly so the team attack is weaker. |
| Dark Tendrils | Attacks all champions. Its buff steal, Turn Meter steal, True Fear chance, and healing become stronger depending on your team’s affinities. | Prevent turns where possible and review affinities if the boss repeatedly steals buffs, fears the team, or heals. |
| Perfect Veil | Makes Astranyx difficult to target while Mirror Copies remain alive. | Clear the copies first; they are already the immediate danger. |
| Almighty Persistence | Reduces all Turn Meter depletion used against Astranyx by 50%. | Layer several Turn Meter skills and Decrease SPD instead of relying on one controller. |
How to beat Dark Fae step by step
Save skills in wave two
Use the AI preset to restrict your opening skills during the second wave. Your booster, controller, debuffer, and nuker must enter the boss round off cooldown.
Take the first turn
Open with a Speed or Turn Meter boost. A Speed aura gives your original team a larger safety margin before the Mirror Copies can cut in.
Control the copies
Stun, Freeze, reduce Turn Meter, or place another reliable control effect on the copies. This creates time for your damage dealer to act.
Remove every copy
Place Decrease DEF if necessary and use a strong AoE nuke or an extra-turn killer. Do not leave revivers, controllers, or damage dealers alive.
Lock Astranyx’s Turn Meter
Apply Decrease SPD and rotate multiple Turn Meter reductions. Despite the 50% reduction penalty, layered control can prevent most boss turns.
Finish with direct damage
Use Enemy MAX HP attacks, Decrease DEF, Weaken, or a strong single-target damage dealer while your controllers keep Astranyx from using Dark Abduction.
How to defeat the Mirror Copies
AoE nuke strategy
Boost Turn Meter, place control or Decrease DEF, and eliminate all copies with one or two AoE attacks. This is the simplest approach when your nuker is properly built.
Extra-turn killer strategy
Champions such as Hurndig, Hordin, or Relickeeper can kill one copy and continue taking turns. This can improve consistency when the correct skill is reserved for the boss round.
Control-first strategy
If one nuke is insufficient, Stun or Freeze the copies first. Archmage Hellmut, Yakarl, and similar controllers can stop them while the team finishes the job.
Build consideration
Avoid unnecessary Stoneskin, Swift Parry, excessive Resistance, or multiple tanky revivers. Astranyx copies these strengths and can turn them against you.
Best champions for Dark Fae
The best champions perform at least one of four roles: win the opening speed race, control the Mirror Copies, reduce Astranyx’s Turn Meter, or deal strong boss damage.
| Champion | Main role | Why they work | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alure | Turn Meter Clone control | Her three-hit A1 reduces Turn Meter on critical hits. Once the copies are gone, all hits target Astranyx. | Epic |
| Deacon Armstrong | Speed aura Turn Meter | Boosts ally Turn Meter, reduces enemy Turn Meter, places Decrease DEF, and provides a useful aura. | Epic |
| High Khatun | Speed aura Budget boost | An accessible login champion who helps the original team move before its copies. | Epic |
| Lyssandra | Turn Meter Speed | Combines Speed support with powerful Turn Meter manipulation for both the copies and the boss. | Legendary |
| Eostrid Dreamsong | Boost Decrease SPD | Boosts the team, reduces enemy Turn Meter, and applies Decrease SPD and Weaken. | Legendary |
| Coldheart | MAX HP damage Turn Meter | Heartseeker combines large boss damage with a major Turn Meter reduction when it lands. | Void Rare |
| Armiger | Turn Meter Budget | An accessible controller whose A1 reduces Turn Meter on critical hits and whose A2 deals Enemy MAX HP damage. | Uncommon |
| Gnut | Boss damage Turn Meter | Combines multi-hit Enemy MAX HP damage, Weaken, Decrease ATK, and repeated Turn Meter reduction. | Legendary |
| Royal Guard | MAX HP damage Decrease SPD | Adds Enemy MAX HP damage, Decrease DEF, Decrease SPD, and useful Turn Meter control. | Epic |
| Archmage Hellmut / Yakarl | Clone control Speed | Control the Mirror Copies before they can use your own team’s strongest abilities. | Epic / Legendary |
| Hurndig / Hordin / Relickeeper | Clone killer Extra turns | Can continue taking turns after a kill, allowing one champion to clear multiple copies. | Legendary / Epic |
| Whisper | Single-target damage Extra turns | Delivers strong boss damage and can chain extra turns when Decrease DEF and Weaken are active. | Void Epic |
Best Dark Fae team compositions
High Khatun + Warmaiden + Kael + Armiger + Coldheart
- High Khatun supplies the Speed aura and opening boost.
- Warmaiden places AoE Decrease DEF on the copies.
- Kael clears the copies with AoE damage.
- Armiger and Coldheart control Astranyx’s Turn Meter.
Deacon + Archmage Hellmut + Fylja + Alure + Royal Guard
- Deacon wins the opening speed race and places Decrease DEF.
- Archmage controls the Mirror Copies.
- Fylja helps remove copies and manipulate Turn Meter.
- Alure locks down Astranyx.
- Royal Guard provides boss damage and Decrease SPD.
Eostrid + Gnut + Alure + Whisper + Lyssandra
- Eostrid and Lyssandra control the opening turn order.
- Alure maintains repeated Turn Meter reduction.
- Gnut combines boss damage with extra control.
- Whisper finishes Astranyx through chained attacks.
Speed lead/booster + clone control + clone killer + Turn Meter controller + boss damage
- The booster should act first in the boss round.
- The controller or nuker must prevent every dangerous copy from acting.
- Use at least two sources of boss Turn Meter control when possible.
Stats, speed order, and AI setup
Recommended turn order
- Speed booster: increases your Turn Meter or reduces the copies’ Turn Meter.
- Controller or debuffer: controls copies or places Decrease DEF.
- Clone killer: removes all Mirror Copies.
- Boss controllers: reduce Astranyx’s Turn Meter and place Decrease SPD.
- Damage dealer: finishes the boss before another mirror cycle.
Stat priorities
- Speed: tune champions in the exact order required by the opening sequence.
- Accuracy: controllers must meet the requirement for the specific floor.
- Crit Rate: Alure and Armiger require critical hits for consistent Turn Meter reduction.
- Damage: the clone killer needs enough damage to clear your copied team reliably.
AI preset for consistent farming
In round two, disable the skills required for the boss opening. In round three, prioritize the Turn Meter boost, control or Decrease DEF, and clone-killing skill. After the copies die, prioritize Decrease SPD and Turn Meter reduction. Test several runs because cooldown timing can change when wave enemies die earlier than expected.
Common mistakes
Using key skills in wave two
The team reaches Astranyx with the opening boost or nuke on cooldown, allowing the Mirror Copies to act first.
Building copies that are too tanky
Excessive HP, DEF, Resistance, Stoneskin, or several revivers make your own mirrored team much harder to defeat.
Bringing only one Turn Meter controller
Astranyx reduces Turn Meter depletion by 50%. One skill rarely maintains control for the entire fight.
Leaving one copy alive
A surviving controller or reviver can reverse the fight, while every living ally also strengthens Faerie Storm.
Ignoring Decrease SPD
Turn Meter reductions create larger gaps when Astranyx gains Turn Meter more slowly between your champions’ turns.
Ignoring team affinities
Magic, Force, Void, and Spirit champions strengthen different parts of Dark Tendrils if Astranyx gets a turn.
Dark Fae rewards
Astranyx drops Fae Sphere materials used to craft Lethal artifacts in the Forge. The four-piece Lethal set provides 10% Critical Rate and ignores 25% of enemy DEF, making Dark Fae one of the most valuable Doom Tower bosses to farm for damage-focused builds.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to beat Dark Fae?
Save your important skills for round three, boost Turn Meter, control or nuke the Mirror Copies before they act, then keep Astranyx under Decrease SPD and repeated Turn Meter reduction.
Why do my Mirror Copies go first?
Your team may be entering the boss round without the correct Speed order or with the Turn Meter boost on cooldown. Use a Speed aura, tune the booster to act first, and reserve the opening skill in the AI preset.
Who is the best champion for Dark Fae?
Alure is one of the strongest controllers because her three-hit A1 can repeatedly reduce Astranyx’s Turn Meter. She still needs 100% Crit Rate, sufficient Accuracy, and support for the Mirror Copies.
Are Coldheart and Armiger good against Dark Fae?
Yes. Both combine Enemy MAX HP damage with Turn Meter control. Coldheart provides a large depletion, while Armiger can reduce Turn Meter repeatedly through his A1.
Should I bring a reviver against Dark Fae?
A reviver can provide insurance, but Astranyx will copy that champion. For consistent farming, speed control and immediate clone removal are usually safer than multiple tanky revivers.
What Accuracy is needed for Dark Fae?
The requirement depends on the exact Doom Tower floor and difficulty. Check the boss Resistance for the stage and build a safe Accuracy margin rather than using one number for every floor.
