Completing all Artifacts and reaching Level 100 unlocks access to The Herald Vault. By interacting with the Artifact Tome, the player receives the crystal required to enter the vault and face The Herald, the final boss of Vault Hunters.
Herald Fight
The Herald fight is divided into a normal stance and four unique phases, each inspired by the powers of the Vault Gods. After the Herald’s HP is depleted during normal stance, he shifts into one of the phases. Once a phase is completed, the Herald returns to his normal stance, repeating the cycle until all phases have been overcome.
Each phase introduces unique mechanics and requires different strategies to progress.
Phases
Normal Stance: The Herald performs melee and heavy melee attacks, dealing consistent damage while frequently knocking players back.
Wendarr Phase: A time-based mechanic where hourglass blocks spawn. These must be destroyed before the Herald fully absorbs their power. If absorption succeeds, he unleashes a devastating arena-wide attack, whose damage scales with the number of absorbed hourglasses. After the attack, the Herald becomes vulnerable and stunned with a yellow HP bar. Depleting this bar forces him back into his normal stance. Failure to do so causes the phase to repeat.
Velara Phase: A wave-based mechanic. The Herald summons waves of Vault Mobs (including Dungeon Mobs, Assassins, etc.). Defeating all waves depletes his HP and returns him to his normal stance.
Tenos Phase: The most dangerous phase. The Herald takes flight, hurling powerful magic attacks that inflict slowing effects and heavy damage. In the arena center, floating catalysts appear, each symbolizing a type of vault chest (e.g., Gilded Chest). Matching chests spawn around the arena, some of which contain inhibitors. Inhibitors must be thrown into the corresponding floating catalysts to damge the Herald. This mechanic must be completed four times, with each round increasing the number of catalysts required.
Idona Phase: The Herald enters a rage, gaining increased HP, speed and dealing way higher damage. Blood orbs are spawned that inflict heavy bleeding damage over time. Completing this phase results in the defeat of The Herald.
Trophy Rewards
Defeating the Herald grants a trophy based on completion time, functioning as a speedrun ranking:
| Icon | Trophy | Defeat Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Platinum | 00:00 – 12:00 |
|
Gold | 12:00 – 18:00 |
|
Silver | 18:00 – 25:00 |
|
Bronze | 25:00 – 1:20:00 |
Specific Attack Patterns and Damage numbers can be found on the Herald Stats page.