The Heresiarch is a boss enemy encountered in Hexen. He is fought twice in the game - Once at the end of Heresiarch's Seminary, and a second time in the the Gibbet.
Overview[]
The Heresiarch is one of Korax's top ranked servants and the administrator of his newfound religious cult. He is a rather tall demon with red skin who wears black robes with purple patterns and the symbol of the Serpent Riders on the chest. He also possesses great mastery over the arcane arts and is able to manipulate the very essence of mana at will; this takes the form of three magical cubes that circle above his head.
The Heresiarch is first seen at the end of the original Heretic episodes, observing Corvus as he leaves the Crystal Domes.
Attacks & Strategy[]
As a master of magic, the heresiarch possesses a repertoire of spells in combat:
- He shoots a stream of purple magic missiles at the player in a more or less straight line. These missiles, as opposed to those of the dark bishop, do not seek the player, but are released in much more numbers and have a small blast radius.
- A defensive spell, which consists of a pair of purple spheres that circle around him. This shield lasts 15 seconds and as long as it is active, the heresiarch is immune to most attacks and deflects projectiles shot at him. He will cast this spell again automatically after it dissipates, so it's very important to use this brief window of vulnerability to attack him.
- He summons a pair of fireballs that bounce on the floor and chase the player. They are rather persistent and cannot be reflected using discs of repulsion.
- After dropping below 50% health, he will summon dark bishops to aid him in battle.
With 5000 hit points and great offensive and defensive capabilities, the heresiarch is a formidable opponent. The player must not hesitate in using the most powerful artifacts and weapons at his disposal. Keep in constant movement to avoid his attacks and watch for his shield to drop, then attack him with your fourth weapon. Rinse and repeat, collecting mana that may have been left on the map.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The only damage his shield cannot block is that from the cleric's and mage's flechettes.
- The only missiles he cannot reflect are the sapphire wand, arc of death and firestorm.
- Upon death, the magic cubes floating above his head will fall and bounce on the floor. After a couple of seconds, they will explode, dealing damage in a rather large blast radius. The player must run away from them as soon as possible.
- The Heresiarch was the original design for Korax, the second Serpent Rider, implied by his appearance at the end of Heretic. This idea was scrapped for unknown reasons.
- The fact that he can summon Dark Bishops, just as D'Sparil could summon his Disciples, further implies this connection.
| Hexen - Enemies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Afrit • Ettin • Centaur • Slaughtaur • Chaos Serpent • Stalker • Wendigo • Dark Bishop • Reiver • Pig | ||
| Boss | Death Wyvern • Heresiarch • Zedek • Menelkir • Traductus • Korax | ||