When you get on the rock outcrop and are out of the lake you can easily kill the dragonkin from there without taking a hit, it wont come that far but it will start to walk away but comes back when the next arrows hit and it is a very easy kill compared to fighting it in the lake of rot itself. When the poison from the serpent arrows proc the boss fight starts and you'll see its health bar, but you're far enough away from it be able to sprint to the blue line on the compass casting flame cleanse me when you need to as you go. You'll know you have found your range when you see it twitch when the arrows hit it through the magnified manual aim. There are some stone platforms in the lake where you can see the dragonkin soldier, you'll need to find one that's not too close but close enough to hit with your bow.

There is a ladder that gets you down to a rock outcrop and a scarab with a smithing stone, put a blue marker on the map there on the lowest point of the outcrop so you'll know exactly where to run with reduced visibility when the boss fight starts and be able to jump up out of the lake before it catches up to you.

Following natural progression through the lake you will raise a set of pillars where an alabaster lord spawns. I used the black bow +7 with serpent arrows, equipped arrow's sting and arrow's reach talismans. I had the mushroom set, immunising horn and mottled necklace +1 and flame cleanse me equipped to deal with the rot, without those I wouldn't have been as quick to try it.

So for the dragonkin soldier in a lake of scarlet rot I didn't give a fair fight a second thought. I don't cheese bosses unless the boss itself is a cheese designed to make me pull my hair out.

Diablo 2 ladder reset history