As referenced here, there are currently three different Uber boss battles available in Diablo 3. The first article in this series gave general knowledge and tips applicable to all of the battles. This article is the first of three describing the particulars of each fight.

The Realm of Discord is a bluish-tinted version of the lair of Leoric, the Skeleton King. In it, players will battle Uber versions of Maghda and the Skeleton King (aka Leoric). If successful, players have a chance of obtaining  a Writhing Spine, one of the three components needed to craft a Hellfire Ring.

In this writer’s opinion, this battle is not overly difficult IF approached in a disciplined manner. However, a willy-nilly approach will lead to a lot of frustration and failed attempts.

1. What to look out for:

• Maghda’s swarm of black flies, which she vomits towards players, is very powerful and can one or two-shot many players. You must take care to avoid being hit by these. Not only can they kill you, they can interrupt your resurrection of an downed player in a very nasty way, and can do so from a distance.

• The Skeleton King’s “slow walk” is a little glitchy for some people, but one thing is consistent for everyone: it hurts.  Watch out for his teleport. When he does teleport, he will sometimes appear to walk very slowly immediately after. Some people see an attack here, whereas some report that he only appears to be walking slowly. In any case, when this is occurring, you’d be well-served to avoid being within his melee range unless you are rather sturdy and can take a big hit. Even if you can take a wallop and survive, be mindful of the “adds.”

• The “adds,” which some refer to as minions or horde, are regular soldiers that both bosses spawn, exactly as they did in their respective events in the story line. Maghda’s adds only spawn when she is shielded    I’ve not yet determined what exactly causes the Skeleton King to spawn his, but the point is that they can combine with the bosses’ powerful attacks to make this fight harder than it needs to be if you are not quick on your feet. You need to recognize when you are about to be swarmed and avoid allowing that to happen at or near the same time that you are hit by a boss’ main attack. Similarly, the adds can greatly complicate the process of resurrecting fallen enemies.

• Don’t allow yourself to be “scissored” between the two bosses.  This theme runs through all of the boss fights.  In this case it’s due to the fact that arcane beams  + black flies + massive melee attack + random adds = bad.

2. How to Win

• If playing solo, it’s the same as any other battle in that you need enough DPS to whittle down the bosses and enough survivability to make it through the rough patches. I mainly play melee classes, but I imagine a Demon Hunter’s biggest challenge would be steering clear of the adds while still DPSing the bosses. If playing in a group, it’s best to have someone focus on adds while the others deal with the bosses.  However in either case I highly recommend that you focus on the bosses one at a time.

• Kill the Skeleton King first. Keeping the two apart is critical.  You do not want to be caught between the two bosses at close range (and thus subject to the full might of their hordes as well).  It seems to work best if one person keeps Maghda busy and separated, while the others focus on Leoric and the adds.  The sooner the Skeleton King is down, the better, because he spawns adds frequently, whereas Maghda’s appear to be tied to the quarter marks on her health bar.  Therefore, another good reason to leave her alone until Leoric dies is to keep her adds out of the game until you can focus on her and her adds alone.  Also, Maghda’s arcane sentry is not something you want to spawn anywhere near you when you’re already getting up close and personal with Leoric.

• Once Leoric is gone, Maghda can essentially be trapped in a corner and beaten to death, provided you can live through or avoid her arcane sentries.  She will shield herself and spawn adds every  time a quarter of her health is lost.  Knowing this, you can predict when the adds will appear and give yourself s little space.

These tips should prepare you for a winning foray into the Realm of Discord.  Happy hunting, and stay tuned for articles addressing the other Uber Boss battles.

Important: Many of the strategies and tips I share here were originally inspired by the people at the Diablo 3 Gold Secrets Forum. If you're serious about making the big bucks in Diablo 3, or just being the best players, you need to signup ASAP.