Borgoth the Scarab King is a protection and control check. Any champion who attacks without a Shield triggers an immediate counterattack, while the boss reduces incoming damage until your team destroys enough of his MAX HP. The reliable solution is permanent Shield coverage, Decrease Turn Meter, and either Destroy MAX HP or Poison damage.
Quick answer
The safest way to beat Scarab King
Make your Shield champion the fastest member of the team and keep every attacker shielded before every hit. Use Metalshaper, Valkyrie, Miscreated Monster, Mithrala, or Bloodshield accessories. Then control Borgoth’s Turn Meter with Armiger, Alure, or Coldheart.
Place a damage dealer in a Destroy Set or use a Decrease MAX HP skill until Borgoth has lost more than 30% of his MAX HP. This removes the damage reduction from Spectral Horror. Alternatively, use a durable Poison strategy with Urost, Mithrala, Toragi, Tomb Lord, or Gnishak.
Core order: Shield first → attack only while shielded → reduce Turn Meter → destroy at least 30% MAX HP → finish with direct damage or Poisons.
Boss mechanics
Why Borgoth counterattacks and takes so little damage
Borgoth appears in the first and third Doom Tower rotations and in selected Cursed City stages. The fight combines mandatory Shield coverage, MAX HP destruction, buff control, and Turn Meter management.
| Mechanic | What it does | How to answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Madness Fog | Attacks the whole team and can place Decrease ATK and Decrease SPD. Unshielded champions receive an additional hit that can place Provoke. | Keep Shields active and use Resistance or cleansing on the support champions who maintain the rotation. |
| Vile Absorption | Attacks every champion and adds one extra hit for every buff on that target. Extra hits steal buffs from unshielded champions or remove buffs from shielded champions, then place True Fear or Fear. | Avoid unnecessary buff stacks. Keep the essential Shield active and prevent the boss from taking turns whenever possible. |
| Spectral Horror | Reduces incoming damage by 90% while less than 10% MAX HP is destroyed, 60% between 10% and 20%, 30% between 20% and 30%, and 0% after more than 30% is destroyed. | Use Destroy gear or direct Decrease MAX HP skills. Poison teams can bypass the need for a fast shell-breaking phase, but the fight may take longer. |
| Easy Prey | Counterattacks whenever Borgoth is attacked by a champion without a Shield. | Apply an AoE Shield before the first attack and maintain full uptime. Bloodshield accessories can provide individual Shields after dealing damage. |
| Almighty Persistence | Reduces all Turn Meter reduction effects used against Borgoth by 50%. | Bring several Turn Meter reductions, high Speed, enough Accuracy, and multi-hit A1 champions such as Alure. |
| Almighty Strength | Limits damage from enemy-MAX-HP-based skills to 10% of the boss’s MAX HP per hit. | Coldheart and similar champions still help, but they cannot remove the entire health bar with one attack. |
| Almighty Immunity | Makes Borgoth immune to control debuffs, cooldown manipulation, HP exchange, and HP balancing. | Use Turn Meter reduction, Decrease SPD, Decrease ATK, Poison, HP Burn, and Decrease MAX HP rather than hard crowd control. |
A Shield Set alone is not enough for a long fight. It protects the opening turns, but you still need a skill, passive, or Bloodshield accessory that refreshes Shields throughout the battle.
Battle plan
How to beat Scarab King step by step
Make the Shield provider fastest
Your Shield must be active before any other champion attacks. Metalshaper is a strong budget option because a booked Shield skill can maintain continuous coverage when correctly speed-tuned.
Do not attack unshielded
If the first champion hits without protection, Borgoth immediately counterattacks. Use a team Shield, Shield Set for the opening, or Bloodshield accessories.
Reduce Turn Meter repeatedly
Borgoth cuts Turn Meter reduction in half, so one controller is rarely enough. Combine Armiger, Alure, Coldheart, Elfguard, or another reliable A1 controller.
Destroy his MAX HP
Place Armiger or another consistent damage dealer in a complete Destroy Set. Borgoth becomes progressively less resistant as his MAX HP falls.
Keep only useful protection
Vile Absorption adds an extra hit for every buff on each champion. Large buff stacks make the attack more dangerous and give Borgoth more effects to remove or steal.
Switch to full damage
After more than 30% of Borgoth’s MAX HP is destroyed, Spectral Horror no longer reduces direct damage. Continue Turn Meter control and finish the run safely.
Three viable approaches
Destroy, Poison, or solo sustain
Shield and Destroy
This is the standard progression strategy. Maintain an AoE Shield, keep Borgoth’s Turn Meter low, and use a Destroy Set or Decrease MAX HP skill until his damage reduction disappears.
- Works with accessible champions.
- Easy to understand and tune.
- Requires reliable Shield uptime on all five champions.
Bloodshield and Poison
Bloodshield accessories allow individual champions to create a Shield when they deal damage. Poison then reduces Borgoth’s health without relying entirely on direct damage through Spectral Horror.
- Excellent for Urost, Mithrala, Toragi, Tomb Lord, and Gnishak.
- Needs Accuracy and strong sustain.
- Can be slower than a tuned Destroy team.
Solo champion
A solo build uses self-healing, Poison or Destroy damage, high Resistance, and a self-Shield or Bloodshield accessory. Urost, Vergis, Mithrala, Toragi, and Skull Lord Var-Gall are proven specialists.
- Saves four team slots after the waves.
- Often reliable on Auto once tuned.
- Higher Hard floors remain demanding stat checks.
Champion selection
Best champions for Borgoth the Scarab King
Select champions by role. A high-rated damage dealer without a Shield will trigger counterattacks, while a modest Rare with the correct Shield or Turn Meter skill may be far more valuable. Compare additional options in the Inteleria Doom Tower ratings .
| Champion | Main role | Why the champion works |
|---|---|---|
| Metalshaper | Budget team Shield | His short-cooldown AoE Shield can provide permanent coverage when booked and made faster than the rest of the team. |
| Valkyrie | Large Shield / protection | Provides a durable team Shield and strong defensive scaling. Tune her to protect everyone before they attack. |
| Mithrala Lifebane | Shield / Poison / solo | Brings Shield, Strengthen, Poison, and exceptionally high Resistance through her passive. She can support a team or clear Borgoth in a specialist solo build. |
| Miscreated Monster | Shield / sustain | Creates a team Shield based on damage dealt and provides useful wave control before the boss. |
| Armiger | Turn Meter / Destroy damage | An accessible Uncommon whose A1 reduces Turn Meter on critical hits. In a Destroy Set, repeated attacks also break Borgoth’s MAX HP protection. |
| Alure | Turn Meter control | Her triple-hit A1 can apply several Turn Meter reductions. Build 100% C.RATE, high Speed, and enough Accuracy for the selected stage. |
| Coldheart | Turn Meter / MAX HP damage | Heartseeker combines enemy-MAX-HP damage with a major Turn Meter reduction. She still needs Shield coverage and sufficient Accuracy. |
| Urost the Soulcage | Poison / solo | Places Poisons when attacked and becomes harder to kill as Poisons activate. Regeneration gear, high HP, and enough Accuracy make him one of the safest solo options. |
| Vergis | Self-Shield / solo | Provides his own protection and recovery. Destroy or Toxic gear can turn him into a reliable, although usually slow, solo farmer. |
| Skull Lord Var-Gall | Decrease MAX HP / solo | Can reduce the enemy’s MAX HP through his passive while surviving in a defensive regeneration build with Shield support from an accessory. |
| Toragi the Frog | Poison / sustain | Can place Poisons when attacked and heal himself. A Bloodshield accessory and Regeneration gear enable specialist solo builds. |
| Gnishak Verminlord | Bomb to Poison damage | His detonated Bombs create protected Poisons, supplying steady damage in a durable Bloodshield and Regeneration setup. |
Team examples
Best Scarab King team templates
These teams show the required roles. Replace champions only with alternatives that preserve Shield uptime, Turn Meter control, and the chosen damage method.
Metalshaper · Armiger in Destroy Set · Alure or Elfguard · High Khatun · healer or second Armiger
Metalshaper acts first and maintains Shields. The remaining champions reduce Turn Meter repeatedly while Armiger destroys MAX HP. High Khatun supplies Speed, but her skills must be preset so the rotation remains stable.
Valkyrie or Miscreated Monster · Armiger in Destroy Set · Alure · Coldheart · Scyl of the Drakes
This team combines a strong Shield, several Turn Meter reductions, Destroy damage, healing, and revival. Confirm that the Shield provider always acts before every attacker.
Mithrala Lifebane · Urost or Toragi · Tomb Lord or Gnishak · healer · Turn Meter controller
Equip the active attackers with Bloodshield accessories where possible. Poisons provide most of the damage, while Mithrala adds protection and Resistance.
Metalshaper · Alure · Armiger · Coldheart · second Armiger or another A1 Turn Meter controller
This composition aims to prevent Borgoth from taking a turn. It requires high Speed, 100% C.RATE where the skills require critical hits, sufficient Accuracy, and carefully configured AI presets.
Solo strategy
How to solo Scarab King
Urost Poison solo
Urost is one of the most reliable specialists. His passive can place Poison when he is attacked, and his MAX HP increases as Poisons activate. He can therefore let Borgoth attack while growing harder to kill and dealing damage without depending on the shell-breaking phase.
- Use Regeneration with Immortal or another sustain combination.
- Prioritize HP, DEF, Accuracy, and the stage-specific Resistance requirement.
- A Bloodshield accessory prevents Easy Prey counterattacks after Urost attacks.
- Low or moderate Speed can work because much of his damage comes from being attacked.
Vergis Destroy or Toxic solo
Vergis uses self-protection, healing, and defensive scaling to survive a long fight. A Destroy Set gradually removes Borgoth’s damage reduction; a Toxic Set uses Poison to shorten the health bar instead.
- Prioritize HP, DEF, Speed, and Resistance.
- Use a Bloodshield accessory if the build cannot guarantee a Shield before every attack.
- Bring wave-clearing allies and allow them to die at the boss if Vergis cannot clear the waves alone.
- Expect a slower run than a full Turn Meter control team.
Mithrala, Toragi, Tomb Lord, Gnishak, Skull Lord Var-Gall, and other self-sustaining Poison champions can also solo Borgoth when equipped with the correct Bloodshield, Regeneration, Accuracy, and Resistance setup.
Build priorities
Stats and gear for a reliable clear
Stats
- Speed: the Shield provider must act before all attackers and cycle the Shield before it expires.
- Accuracy: required for Turn Meter reduction, Poison, Decrease SPD, and other useful debuffs.
- C.RATE: Armiger and Alure need critical hits for their A1 Turn Meter effects; build them to 100% where possible.
- Resistance: protects Shield providers, solo champions, and healers from Decrease SPD, Provoke, buff theft, and Fear.
- HP and DEF: important for long runs and for surviving an occasional failed Turn Meter reduction.
Useful sets and accessories
- Destroy: reduces Borgoth’s MAX HP and progressively removes Spectral Horror’s damage reduction.
- Bloodshield accessory: creates a Shield from damage dealt and enables many solo or Poison builds.
- Regeneration: supplies the healing needed by solo champions and long-duration teams.
- Perception: adds Speed and Accuracy for Turn Meter controllers and Poison champions.
- Immortal: adds HP and passive healing to durable solo builds.
- Toxic: gives a self-sustaining solo champion another source of Poison damage.
Compare other options in the Raid artifact set tier list .
Do not copy one fixed Speed or Accuracy number across every floor. Borgoth’s affinity and stats change by rotation, difficulty, and stage.
Troubleshooting
Common reasons Scarab King teams fail
First attack happens unshielded
Borgoth immediately counterattacks through Easy Prey. Make the Shield provider fastest or use the correct Bloodshield accessory.
Shield expires between turns
A strong Shield with a long cooldown may be worse than a smaller Shield with permanent uptime. Speed-tune the provider and book the skill if necessary.
Incomplete Destroy Set
The Destroy effect requires the complete set. Three pieces do not activate it, so Borgoth’s MAX HP and damage reduction remain unchanged.
Too little Turn Meter control
Borgoth halves Turn Meter reductions. Bring multiple controllers or enough Speed to cycle the same skills more frequently.
Too many buffs
Vile Absorption gains extra hits for every buff on the target. Keep Shield and only the support effects that are worth the additional hits.
Wrong affinity or weak hits
Weak hits can prevent critical-hit or debuff-based Turn Meter effects. Check the boss affinity on the specific floor before choosing the controller.
Why farm this boss
Scarab King rewards
After the first clear, Borgoth stages can be farmed with Silver Keys. The boss drops Scarab Claws used in the Forge to craft the Untouchable Artifact Set.
Untouchable is a four-piece set that grants Immunity for two turns and 40 Resistance. It is useful for champions who must resist early control or debuffs in Arena and other content.
Frequently asked questions
Scarab King FAQ
Why does Scarab King counterattack every hit?
Borgoth counterattacks whenever he is attacked by a champion without a Shield. Apply an AoE Shield before anyone attacks or equip appropriate champions with Bloodshield accessories.
How much of Borgoth’s MAX HP must I destroy?
Destroy more than 30% of his MAX HP to remove all damage reduction from Spectral Horror. The reduction falls in stages at 10%, 20%, and 30%.
Does Turn Meter reduction work on Scarab King?
Yes, but Borgoth reduces every Turn Meter reduction effect by 50%. Use several fast, accurate controllers rather than relying on one occasional skill.
Is Armiger good against Scarab King?
Yes. Armiger is one of the best accessible options because his A1 reduces Turn Meter on a critical hit. A complete Destroy Set lets those repeated attacks also reduce Borgoth’s MAX HP.
Can Poison kill Scarab King without Destroy gear?
Yes. Poison can defeat Borgoth without first removing all of Spectral Horror’s direct-damage reduction. Urost, Mithrala, Toragi, Tomb Lord, and Gnishak are strong Poison options.
Who can solo Borgoth?
Urost, Vergis, Mithrala, Toragi, Tomb Lord, Gnishak, and Skull Lord Var-Gall can solo suitable stages with specialized sustain gear, enough Accuracy and Resistance, and reliable Shield coverage.
