The Scourge Matron, one of the defining bosses in Path of Exile 2’s Act 5, awaits players deep within the crumbling Temple Ruins—a once-holy site now overrun by corruption and POE2 Currency blood-hardened horrors. As an apex predator of the Scourge breed, the Matron is a swift, venomous threat with layered mechanics and a punishing enrage phase. Defeating her requires more than just raw damage—you’ll need to read her patterns, manage her hatchlings, and survive her lethal toxin storms.

This guide breaks down how to locate her, prepare for the fight, understand her attack patterns, and execute a clean kill.

1. Reaching the Temple Ruins

The Temple Ruins become accessible in Act 5 after completing the quest “Echoes of the Fallen Star.” Once the Temple Grounds are breached, players follow a linear path through Corrupted Monks, Scourge Creepers, and Vile Devotees until reaching the inner sanctum, marked by crimson roots and Scourge nests.

To access the Scourge Matron's chamber, players must:

Complete the side objective “Purify the Font” to deactivate the blood seals.

Defeat the Carrion Acolytes guarding the last hall.

Step onto the Webbed Altar, triggering the boss room lockdown and initiating the encounter.

2. Overview: Who is the Scourge Matron?

The Scourge Matron is a hybrid boss: part demonic insect, part corrupted priestess. She uses chaos and physical damage, applies rapid poisons, and can overwhelm unprepared players with adds and terrain control.

Key Traits:

High movement speed with blink-strike capabilities.

Summons swarms of Scourgelings that can mob players.

Switches between Brood Phase (summons and area control) and Predator Phase (lethal aggression).

Has an Enrage Mechanic at 25% HP that speeds her up drastically.

3. Recommended Build Considerations

Resistances and Defense

Chaos Resistance is vital. Aim for at least +40% by Act 5.

Stack Evasion or Block to dodge rapid attacks.

Bring antibleed and antipoison flasks, ideally with Immunity modifiers.

Life regen and Leech are highly effective during swarm waves.

Ideal Skills

For Melee Builds:

Whirlwind Slash, Slam of Ancients, or Void Cleave for AoE and burst.

Molten Shell or Steelskin to soak spike damage.

For Spellcasters:

Chain Lightning, Storm Spire, or Blight Nova for targeting both boss and adds.

Use Flame Dash or Frostblink to reposition quickly.

For Minion Builds:

Summons work well to soak aggro, but keep mobility high. Bring Skeletons or Carrion Golems for distraction and poison immune tanking.

4. Phase Breakdown & Tactics

Phase 1: Broodmother Emergence (100%–75%)

She begins by crawling from her cocoon, launching Venom Bolts in an arc and setting egg sacs around the room.

Mechanics:

Venom Bolt Volley: Arcing projectiles that leave poison pools.

Egg Burst: Periodic hatching of 6–8 Scourgelings.

Web Lash: A telegraphed strike that immobilizes players for 1.5s if hit.

Strategy:

Focus early damage to prevent multiple egg sacs from spawning.

Destroy egg sacs when safe—they explode in chaos bursts.

Ranged builds should kite in a clockwise circle, keeping out of poison pools.

Tip: Use terrain corners to bait Web Lash and blink out of it. It can’t pierce terrain.

Phase 2: Matron’s Fury (75%–25%)

The Matron sheds her carapace and gains speed, new attacks, and terrain control. The chamber is now littered with egg husks and lingering poison.

New Mechanics:

Shadow Pounce: She disappears and leaps onto the furthest player after a delay.

Toxic Spiral: Creates a spinning poison storm that rotates around the center.

Summon Elite Scourgelings: Two large adds with heavy melee attacks.

Strategy:

Keep moving. Shadow Pounce is deadly if you’re immobile.

Lure Elite Scourgelings away from the Matron—tank them separately or kite.

Damage windows are during her Spiral cooldown—drop all burst skills here.

Tip: Minions can body-block Pounce if well-positioned. Use Stone Golems or Skeleton Warriors.

Phase 3: Enraged Predator (25%–0%)

She emits a piercing shriek, increasing her attack speed and unleashing Toxic Rainfall—falling projectiles that deal heavy chaos damage in small AoEs.

Enrage Mechanics:

Double Cast Speed

Random Target Dash

Toxic Rainfall every 5 seconds

Dispel Area: Destroys all totems/minions in a radius every 10 seconds.

Strategy:

Stay mobile—predict dash patterns and blink diagonally.

Drop DoTs or traps during brief pauses between Rainfall waves.

Save flasks and Guard skills for this phase only.

Tip: If you're playing HC (hardcore), don’t try to finish in melee unless you have multiple movement skills or block-based defense. Range outperforms in this phase.

5. Rewards and Drops

Upon defeat, the Scourge Matron drops:

Scourge Matron's Fang (Unique Dagger) – Poison on hit, 30% increased chaos DoT.

Cocooned Heart (Amulet) – +Chaos Res, Life Leech from DoT.

Temple Key Fragment – Used later in Act 7 to access the Scourge Womb.

Matron's Silk Skin (Rare Armor) – High evasion, chance to poison attackers.

Chance to drop Corrupted Rare Jewel with chaos-related implicits.

Final Tips

Enter the fight with full flasks and cooldowns. Pre-load Guard skills if possible.

Assign a player to focus on add control if in co-op.

Take advantage of map geometry—pillars block Web Lash and cheap POE2 Currency Toxic Rainfall.

Don’t rush her final phase. Staying alive is the only victory condition.

The Scourge Matron sets a bar for boss fights in Path of Exile 2—a test of both agility and awareness. Mastering her pattern will prepare you for even deadlier Scourge threats in later Acts. Keep your flask hand steady and your feet moving—she doesn’t show mercy.