This page provides strategies for defeating the Den Mother, the boss of the Light’s Watch dungeon in Diablo 4.
(1 of 2) The !Den Mother dwells in the !Light’s Watch dungeon,
The !Den Mother dwells in the !Light’s Watch dungeon, (left), which can be found north of Margrave. (right)
Where to Find the Den Mother in Diablo 4¶
The 
Den Mother is the dungeon boss for the 
Light’s Watch dungeon, which might seem a bit odd at first, given that the initial enemies you’ll be facing are marauders and other sorts of violent - but human - riff-raff. To advance through the dungeon you must defeat two Watchman enemies - elite brutes named Grek Grauk (who possessed the Chilling Wind and Shock Lance traits) and Rak Hunde (who possessed the Waller and Explosive traits), after which Watchman Lead Sou (Teleporter, Vampiric, Summoner) will spawn and attack, dropping the 
Watchman’s Key when defeated. This allows you to open the Watchman’s Gate, beyond which you’ll be ambushed by 
Wargs, Prowlers, 
Volkodlak. This marks a bit of a change in the sort of enemy you’ll be fighting going forward.
Fight your way through the marauders and mutts and advance to reach the “Light’s War Room”, which is where the Den Mother dwells.
(1 of 2) The !Den Mother’s basic attack is a Claw Swipe, which deals little damage, but multiple hits add up.
The !Den Mother’s basic attack is a Claw Swipe, which deals little damage, but multiple hits add up. (left), More dangerous is the !Den Mother’s Charge and Flurry, which… does what the name says - she’ll charge forward and unleash a rapid flurry of claw swipes. Save your dodge for this one. (right)
Den Mother - Attacks¶
Almost exclusively a melee opponent, the Den Mother makes up for her lack of variety and raw damage output with tenacity. She may not have much in the way of ranged options, and she doesn’t pack a whole lot of power behind most of her attacks, but she attacks often and relentlessly, and is quite capable of hounding opponents. Pun intended. Her attacks are as follows:
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Claw Swipe: As generic as attacks get, the humble
Claw Swipe is the Den Mother’s basic attack, and the one she’ll use most often, spending a great deal of time stalking her prey to get within range for this low-damage swipe. The only thing that makes this attack remotely threatening is the rapidity with which she’ll use it. The Barbarian can easily trade blows with the Den Mother while she uses this attack, while other classes should expend some effort to keep their distance, but a lapse in judgment will be met with a slight reprimand, not a respawn. -
Charge and
Flurry: One of the Den Mother’s more dangerous attacks (it’s a low bar), she’ll telegraph this by rearing back for a moment before charging forward and rapidly raking with her claws. Low damage each hit, but she can cover a fair amount of ground and those scratches add up quickly. If you can’t avoid the charge, at least have a dodge ready so you can limit you exposure to her flurry.
(1 of 2) The !Den Mother will pound the ground,
The !Den Mother will pound the ground, (left), creating a series of red miasma across the arena. (right)
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Miasma Slams: The Den Mother will pound the ground repeatedly, hands glowing with reddish energy when they connect. A moment later, red miasma pools will appear, dealing significant damage over time if you step in them. More of an area denial/nuisance attack than anything else, the damage you’ll sustain if you don’t watch your step is noteworthy.
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Stealth and Ambush: The Den Mother can cloak herself in shadows, momentarily disappearing before reappearing, likely while launching an attack.
- Howl of Summoning: When reduced to 50% of her health, the Den Mother will howl summoning a pack of “!Winter Hunter” wargs in a circle around the player. These mutts will proceed to leap at you in unison, perhaps knocking you down and dealing significant damage.
Den Mother - Strategy¶
The Den Mother isn’t an overwhelmingly powerful foe - her Claw Swipes aren’t terribly threatening unless she hits you with a lot of them, and even then, only if you forget how to use potions and/or are underleveled. Most melee characters should be able to trade blows with the Den Mother, while ranged characters should play hit-and-run, soaking the odd hit without too much worry.
The two attacks you have to watch out for are her Charge and Flurry, which she telegraphs (just save up a dodge so you can get out of the way and limit your exposure to her attacks) and her Miasma Slams, which coat the battlefield in pools of red miasma. Melee characters should avoid the slams and any pools created, but otherwise shouldn’t be too bothered by this attack, while ranged characters will find the miasma a nuisance they have to avoid while striving to keep the Den Mother at range. You also need to be wary of her ability to summon Winter Hunters - if you happen to get ambushed and knocked down on a pool of miasma, things could get ugly. Her Stealth and Ambush attack is more of a novelty than a legitimate threat
(1 of 3) This is a fairly standard fight for ranged characters - pelt the !Den Mother from afar and keep your distance.
While avoiding those aforementioned attacks, just whittle down the Den Mother’s health bar. She’ll get more aggressive the lower her health falls, so save your most powerful attacks for when her health bar is under 33% to finish the fight quickly when she’s at her most dangerous.
Defeating the Den Mother will clear the Light’s Watch and unlock the 
Aspect of Conflagration .
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