Khari Crossing is where a lot of early Path of Exile 2 runs suddenly stop feeling casual. You walk in thinking it’s just another side fight, then Akthi and Anundr start layering pressure from two different angles and the whole arena turns ugly fast. It’s tied to Clearing the Way, and even if it’s optional on paper, most players won’t want to leave a Book of Specialisation behind. In a game where every point matters almost as much as finding a Mirror of Kalandra, that reward is worth the trouble if you handle the fight the right way.
Why Anundr needs to go first
The biggest mistake people make here is attacking Akthi just because she’s the one constantly on top of them. That feels natural, sure, but it makes the fight harder. Anundr is the real problem early on. He controls space, and that’s what gets players killed. The worm keeps dropping quicksand and poison zones that cut off movement and punish every slow reaction. If you let him stay alive too long, the arena shrinks bit by bit until dodging becomes a mess. Burn Anundr down first and the whole fight settles. Once the ground stops working against you, Akthi is much easier to read and much easier to punish.
How to move without getting boxed in
You’ll want to stay mobile from the first second. Not panicked. Just active. Circle in wide loops instead of running straight across the arena, because straight lines make it easier for Akthi to catch you when she dives or burrows. Try to keep both bosses on screen as often as you can. If Akthi disappears for even a moment, assume she’s setting up something nasty. When the ground starts shifting under you, move sideways right away. That one habit saves a ton of health. Her venom shots aren’t the scary part by themselves, but they become dangerous when quicksand slows you and Anundr fills the floor with hazards.
What matters before and during the fight
This isn’t really a raw damage check, not in the usual sense. It’s more about whether your setup lets you keep moving while staying calm. A decent movement skill helps a lot, and so does a flask setup that gives either recovery or a speed boost when things get cramped. If your resistances are shaky, you’ll feel it here. Poison and chip damage add up faster than people expect in the early acts. Also, don’t get greedy when you finally see an opening. Hit, reposition, reset. A lot of deaths happen because players think they’ve got control, stand still for one extra cast or combo, and get clipped by a tail swipe or a bad patch of ground.
Once the arena calms down
After Anundr drops, the fight changes completely. Akthi still hits hard, but now it feels like an actual duel instead of a scramble for safe space. Watch the stinger slam, respect the burrow, and don’t rush just because the second phase feels cleaner. If you treat it like a patience test, you’ll usually come out fine. It’s one of those early PoE 2 fights that quietly teaches good habits for later bosses, and that lesson is probably more valuable than people realise when they’re busy thinking about gear upgrades or checking prices for Divine Orb buy options in between runs.