Dungeon Siege II: Broken World - Boss - Zaramoth Reborn

Fantasy game art from Dungeon Siege II: Broken World.

Zaramoth the Unmaker, an Utgard Giant of unmatched power, was the last great Emperor of Aranna. Zaramoth's innate command of magical energy was so absolute that once he established control, he limited access to magic across all of Aranna, effectively neutering all other mages. Zaramoth's reign ended when his Sword met Azunai the Defender's Shield in battle and triggered the first cataclysm, killing themselves and everyone else on the battlefield. However, when Zaramoth's body died, his soul retreated into his legendary Sword, to await the time when he could be reborn and again control the world. And so, over a thousand years later, the Overmage harnessed the immense magical energy the Dryads collected to raise the Sword and join his soul to Zaramoth's. As Zaramoth Reborn, he gained both the physical form and power of his former emperor, becoming the strongest being in all Aranna.

Zaramoth Reborn can use many Powers that heroes have access to, with no "cooldown" time in between (which heroes are normally subject to). These powers, and some powers unique to him, can be used repeatedly, and often in devastating sequence. For example, Zaramoth Reborn occasionally uses a variant Gravity Stone effect to drag heroes closer, then a quick Whirling Strike that hits a wide radius hard and repulses foes. While this made for an exciting battle, it was also somewhat dull visually as there wasn't really any new fantasy art, and certainly nothing as spectacular as the Rogue Mages in the early game. When his health is reduced to 75%, 50%, or 25%, he immediately teleports back to the centre of the chamber and becomes momentarily invulnerable. While in this state, he remains there and unleashes a trio of long-range wide-area fire, lightning, and cold attacks. Each time he is hurt, the invulnerability lasts longer and his special attack sequence extends (e.g., at 50% health, he unleashes two rows of icicles followed by a second ring of fire). This sudden teleportation can result in curious animation effects: For example in one of our shots, Zaramoth Reborn teleported in the split-second that a Take Aim power was used. The already-launched projectile was redirected, and the projectile (a large blade) U-turned in its flight to head for him at the centre of the chamber.