The Chimney isn’t your average Remnant 2 boss. It’s more of an environmental challenge you’ll need to overcome. But like any boss in the game, it can be just as challenging.
Here’s how to defeat the Chimney in Remnant 2.
The Chimney mechanics in Remnant 2
We can’t really call the Chimney a “boss,” per se, but it follows a similar pattern as any boss: You interact with an object or enter an area, and the game then cuts off your escape and tries to kill you. You’ll need to play this area very strategically and know all of its mechanics if you’re to come out on the other side alive.
As soon as you interact with the crystal in the middle of the room, it will begin to descend. You’ll need to run down the spiral staircase surrounding the center crystal. You can’t run faster than the crystal; it moves rather slowly but has two horizontal “levels” that pancake the player. If you try to speed your way through the dungeon, the crystal will kill you. If you wait too long, it will kill you. Be aware of your pacing, and if the air around you begins to fill with purple lightning-like effects, either slow down or speed up based on the crystal’s location.
You’ll notice smaller crystals lining the staircase. Occasionally, these crystals will emit a shock that does quite a bit of damage. They charge up, however, and make audio cues that you can use to plan your positioning. If one crystal is close to being fully charged, get away from it. You can also shoot it to destroy it, preventing it from harming you.
As you’re making your way down the chamber, monsters will pop out of the wall. Depending on your situation, you may not need to kill them; the crystals also do damage to these enemies. The big bloaters that appear later on in the dungeon, however, will need to be killed before you get near them. These creatures have a decent amount of health and release a Root gas that will slow you down, so don’t wait too long to get rid of them and try to avoid getting close to them when they die.
Once you get about halfway through the dungeon, the crystal will stop moving. If you follow the pathway set for you, you’ll eventually cross a Root bridge and find yourself in the middle of the chamber next to the crystal. Looking at the crystal, there are two bright red bulbs that are blocking the crystal from moving downwards. You’ll need to shoot these bulbs and break the Root blocking the crystal, as shown in the video below (timestamp 1:47). After you do so, a hole will appear in the platform, allowing you to jump down to the next area.
When you get close to the bottom of the chamber, you’ll need to destroy more of the Root blocking the center crystal’s path. After doing so, the crystal seems to slow down, lingering toward the bottom of its path while a horde of monsters spawns on the bottom level. You need to stay alive and continue avoiding or destroying the discharging crystals that surround the center crystal.
Once the center crystal hits the bottom of its path, it will explode, sending a shockwave outwards and killing any monsters nearby. The Chimney will automatically be marked as “quest complete.”
Tips and tricks for defeating the Chimney
Knowing how the dungeon works is all well and great, but it may not be enough to make your way through the dungeon safely. Here are some tips and tricks for defeating the Chimney in Remnant 2.
- Always keep a close eye on the crystal and use its positioning to make decisions about if you have time to fight monsters or not. You might want to consider pushing ahead so you have enough time to defeat the bloated monsters that will slow you down.
- Don’t destroy the smaller crystals lining the staircase just because you can. Instead, try to use the smaller crystals to your advantage to defeat any monsters in your path. But be sure to listen closely to the audio cues so you don’t get zapped. I ended up not wasting any time shooting crystals, instead using them to my advantage.
- After the halfway point, be on the lookout for the bloated monsters and try to kill them before you get to them. I recommend using a strong weapon that can quickly dispense of these creatures. I waltzed into this fight with the Cube Gun, which you can get from defeating the Labyrinth Sentinel, as well as the Royal Hunting Bow from winning the Postulant’s Parlor chess game. Both of my weapons were heavily upgraded, though, so be sure to visit Ward 13 if you’re due for some fine-tuning.
- If you get zapped by the crystals, you may be inflicted with the Overloaded effect, which creates a “time bomb” effect. A charge-like effect will surround your character, so if you’re low health, be sure to heal before this effect kills you. You might also want to stock up on Ethereal Orbs from Dr. Norah at Ward 13 to cure the status condition before it hurts you.
Rewards for defeating the Chimney: What to do with the Heart Seed
Once you beat the dungeon, you’ll receive 500 Scrap. You can also approach the center of the Chimney where the crystal was. Interact with the item in the middle and your character will pick up the Heart Seed crafting material.
Before you leave the area, you may also notice a few treasure indicators on the map. One will be a purple item, but when you approach its location on the map, you won’t be able to find it. Don’t worry, though. This item isn’t glitched, you just need to shoot it down so you can pick it up. It can be tough to find, but to shoot the item down, you’ll need to backtrack a bit through the spiral staircase until you’re on the Root bridge. Look toward the item’s indicator on the map and you should see a Root bulb you can shoot.
Related: Remnant 2: How to get the purple item in the Chimney
After you’ve collected all the loot, you can take the Heart Seed to Ava McCabe at Ward 13 to create the Soulbinder weapon mod. This item fires a projectile that then attaches to an enemy and deals 40 damage. Nearby enemies will become “bound” to the primary target and any damage dealt to the primary target will be shared with the bound enemies. This effect lasts 15 seconds.
In addition to the Heart Seed, you’ll need five Lumenite Crystal and 650 Scrap to craft the mod.
