You’re wandering through the jagged, wind-swept terrain of Path of Exile 2, and suddenly, the air gets heavy. If you played the first game, you remember Garukhan, Queen of the Winds. She was a bit of a glass cannon—fast, annoying, but manageable. Well, forget her. The Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 encounter is a whole different beast, and honestly, it’s one of the best examples of how Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has evolved their boss design for the sequel.
It’s not just a "kill the monster" moment anymore. It’s a dance. A chaotic, frustrating, beautiful dance where if you trip once, you’re basically a pancake.
Path of Exile 2 isn't just PoE 1 with a fresh coat of paint. It’s a ground-up rebuild. When GGG showed off the Vastiri Desert regions, people lost their minds over the Sisters. These aren’t just recycled assets. They represent the new "Twin Boss" philosophy that GGG is leaning into, where enemies actually coordinate their attacks instead of just standing near each other and hitting you at the same time.
Why the Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 Fight Feels So Different
Most ARPG bosses have a "tell." You see a red circle, you move. Simple. But the Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 fight uses the game's new physics engine to mess with your head. One sister might be grounded, swinging a massive polearm with sweeping arcs that cover half the arena, while the other is literally riding the wind, dropping down for high-velocity stabs.
The coordination is what kills you.
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I’ve watched enough gameplay footage and developer deep dives to notice a pattern: they bait you. The grounded sister will lock you into a defensive position, forcing you to use your dodge roll (which, thank God, we finally have as a dedicated mechanic). Just as your stamina bar hits that awkward low point, the aerial sister initiates a dive bomb. It’s mean. It’s also brilliant.
Breaking Down the Mechanics (And Why You’ll Probably Die)
Let’s talk about the wind. In the original PoE, wind was basically just a visual effect or a slow debuff. In the Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 encounter, the environment is your biggest enemy. Sandstorms kick up, obscuring your vision. This isn't just a filter on the screen; it actually hides the startup animations of their big hits.
You have to listen.
The sound design in PoE2 is doing heavy lifting here. You’ll hear the whistle of the wind sharpen right before a dash attack. If you’re playing with the sound off or blasting a podcast, you’re going to have a rough time. The sisters utilize a "tag-team" health gate system. You can’t just focus-fire one and ignore the other. If you get one sister too low, the other becomes enraged, her attacks gaining massive AOE (Area of Effect) and speed. You sort of have to whittle them down together, which is a nightmare for single-target builds that lack splash damage.
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The Role of the New Dodge Roll
If you try to play this like PoE 1—just standing there and clicking until the thing dies—you will lose. The Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 are designed to be "souls-lite" in their precision. The dodge roll has i-frames (invincibility frames), and you need every single one of them.
There’s this specific move where they create a vacuum in the center of the arena. It pulls you in while the grounded sister starts a spinning cyclone. In the old game, you’d just Flame Dash out. Here, you have to time your rolls against the pull of the wind. It’s tactile. It feels heavy. Honestly, it's kinda stressful, but in the way that makes you want to try again immediately after dying.
Realism and Lore: Who Are They?
We know from Vastiri lore that Garukhan wasn't exactly a lonely goddess. The Maraketh people have deep roots in this land, and the "Sisters" represent a more primal, vengeful side of the wind spirits. They aren't just monsters; they are protectors of the desert's secrets.
Jonathan Rogers and the team at GGG have been vocal about making every boss encounter feel like a "micro-story." When you fight the Sisters of Garukhan PoE2, you aren't just clearing a map. You’re interrupting a ritual or trespassing on sacred ground. The arena itself—littered with the bones of giant desert creatures and half-buried Maraketh architecture—tells you that these sisters have been winning these fights for a long time.
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Gearing Up for the Encounter
What should you actually do when you face them? First, check your movement speed. While PoE2 is slower than the zoom-zoom meta of the current live game, being sluggish is a death sentence here.
- Prioritize Physical and Lightning Mitigation: A lot of their "wind" damage is actually converted physical damage or has a shock component.
- Stamina Management: Don't spam your dodge roll. If you’re caught with zero stamina when the "Sunder" style wind-slam happens, you’re done.
- Crowd Control: While you can’t "stun" them in the traditional sense easily, using skills that slow their animation speed (like frost-based spells) gives you those precious extra milliseconds to react.
The Sisters of Garukhan PoE2 aren't just another checkbox on your way to the endgame. They are a skill check. They want to know if you’ve actually learned how to play this game, or if you’re still trying to play the old one.
Actionable Steps for Your First Run
When the beta or full release drops and you find yourself staring down these two, keep your head. Don't panic-roll. Watch the sister in the air more than the one on the ground; the aerial one is usually the one that delivers the killing blow.
Focus on learning the audio cues. The "shimmer" sound means a dash is coming. The "low rumble" means the sandstorm is about to thicken. If you can master the rhythm of the wind, you’ll take them down. If not, well, the desert is always looking for more bones.
Start practicing your positioning now. In Path of Exile 2, your character's physical location matters more than your DPS numbers ever will. If you can stay on the move and keep both sisters in your line of sight, you've already won half the battle. Gear for survivability, respect the wind, and don't let the sand blind you to the sisters' deadly coordination.