Crystal of Atlan: How To Beat HexChess Raid

Alright, let’s be real, reaching Level 60 in Crystal of Atlan already feels like a mini achievement. But that’s just the tutorial. Because the moment Hamlet shows up with his brooding monologues and kingdom-sized problems, you’re thrown headfirst into one of the game’s most theatrical and intense challenges yet: HexChess: Checkmate. This isn’t just any dungeon. It’s a full-on raid across a cursed chessboard, filled with elemental chaos, oversized bosses, and mechanics that will test every dodge, every iframe, and every bit of your patience. Whether you’re wiping on Ophelia’s black suns or tripping Leotids for the 100th time, trust me, I’ve been there. And I’ve put together this complete, no-BS guide to help you actually win.

How To Beat HexChess Raid

HexChess: Checkmate is Crystal of Atlan’s first major raid, unlocked at Level 60. You’ll join Hamlet (yes, that Hamlet) on a mission to reclaim the Forbidden Palace from Claudius the Usurper, by literally battling chess-themed bosses across a magical board. The raid is split into difficulty modes and each boss is styled after a chess piece: Pawn, Bishop, Knight, Rook, and the final duo, Queen & King.

You’ll choose a fate piece before entering (which gives you specific buffs), and each phase has different mechanics ranging from puzzles and tethers to ice prisons and meteor saves. This guide will walk you through each boss, mechanic, and strategy needed to claim victory, whether you’re playing solo or coordinating with a squad.

Dungeon Overview & Difficulty Modes

There are several ways to enter HexChess Raid:

• Via Jalm in Black Street (Rhine City)
• Via Hamlet in the Void (World Map)
• Or through Menu → Co-op Battle → Teleport to Jalm

Once you’re in, you can select your difficulty:

Solo Mode

• Unlocks at Level 60
• Costs 4x Strategist’s Code
• Can only be played alone
• Refunded 2–1 Codes if failed
• Fewer rewards than other modes

Story Mode (4-Player)

• Unlocks at Level 60
• 6x Strategist’s Code
• Players split into two sides. So, make sure you choose the side you’re more comfortable with:
  • Left side fights the Bishop
  • Right side fights the Knight
• Fail refund: 4 or 2 Codes
• Moderate challenge and solid drops

Elite Mode (4+ Players)

• Unlocks after Story mode
• Costs 10x Strategist’s Code
• More punishing mechanics and higher Nullification needed
• Higher-tier rewards
• Fail refund: 6 or 3 Codes

Note: You can earn Strategist’s Codes from Abyss, Adventures, Void Realm, or buy them in the Trading House.

Fate Piece Buffs (Pick Wisely!)

At the start of the raid, you’ll choose one chess piece to represent you. These grant different “Fate Effects”:

• Pawn: Crit Rate & Crit DMG boost, stronger in final boss phase
• Knight: Increased movement speed & Skill DMG, best for early phases
• Chariot: Flat boost to DMG Resistance & Crit DMG, good all-rounder

Choose depending on your role and what part of the raid you’re best at. Knight’s early-game burst is perfect for Pawn Guards, while Pawn is great if you’re confident in making it to the King.

Raid Mechanics: Boss by Boss

First Encounter: Pawn Boss (HexChess Guard) – 1v1

This is your solo test. You’ll battle a Guard based on your chosen piece. The HexChess Guard is all about lightning-based attacks, stuns, and wide-area strikes that can leave you Paralyzed if you’re not careful.

Here’s what you’re dealing with:

• Electro Infliction builds up over time and will stun-lock you if you eat too many hits in a row. The gauge shows up near the bottom of your screen, keep it low by dodging or backing off.
• Vortex Slash pulls you in and sets up a huge AoE smack. You can dodge it by jumping early, but in phase two, even jumping won’t save you, you’ll need to get out of the zone entirely.
• Thunderous Wrath triggers a phase change with a nasty thunderstorm that hits eight times. Run to avoid the first seven, then dodge-roll out of the final blast zone. Bonus tip: try placing the early strikes in the middle of the room to leave space later.
• Piercing Thunder only shows up in phase two, watch for the Guard’s sword to flash, then sidestep fast to avoid getting impaled. If you get caught, use Special Recovery or pop Resonance ASAP to break out.
• If you win, you can teleport to help a teammate. But beware: Helping increases the boss’s HP & damage. Also, revives are limited:
  • 5 personal revives
  • 15 shared team revives

This fight is a skill check. Take your time learning the patterns and play smart. Don’t waste revives on early slip-ups.

Bishop Boss (Ophelia) – Fireball Puzzles & Shadows

Say hello to Ophelia, the elegant yet unhinged Bishop boss who’s basically a walking laser light show mixed with emotional trauma. She’s fast, flashy, and not afraid to spam you with chaos from every angle.

Here’s how to keep your cool (and your revives):

• She’ll start off by throwing giant projectiles and an Umbro beam your way. The beam’s fast, and she’ll teleport a lot, so keep moving and stay aware of your surroundings, especially when she spams homing missiles after zipping around the arena.
• Black Sun is her first major mechanic: she summons small suns that deal constant scorch damage over time. If her Umbro beam hits one of them? It transforms into a black hole that pulls you in and stacks Darkness buildup (which you really don’t want). Trust me, don’t let that happen.
• During her mid-phase tantrum, yes, that’s the word, she yells “Vermin! Feel the power of our royal bloodline!” and starts summoning suns like crazy. While she’s invulnerable, your only job is to destroy those mini-suns ASAP before the arena becomes a damage sponge.
• Later, she’ll shout “Feel… my anguish!” and go full emo. The arena darkens, and she summons shadow mobs you can’t hurt directly. You’ve got to kite them into the miniature suns to dispel their shields, then take them down.

My tip? Assign roles, one person kites shadows, another breaks suns. Don’t play hero if your HP’s low. And please… communicate. Nothing’s worse than everyone running in circles while Ophelia cackles in the background.

Knight Boss (Leotids) – Tethers & Tripping

Leotids is a boss that really wants to play tug-of-war, and if you don’t play it right, he wins. His whole gimmick revolves around his Tripping Rope, and while it might sound silly, trust me, this knight-horse hybrid hits like a truck if you mess it up.

Let’s break it down:

• Tripping Rope is his signature move. He’ll tether two random players who are within 10 meters of each other. While tethered, you’re basically pain-sharing twins, any damage one takes, the other eats too. The rope also keeps you magnetically locked in range.
  • But here’s the trick: If you and your tether buddy space out to 5 meters, the rope glows green. That’s your window. When Leotids gets the green glow on his hooves and charges through the rope, he trips, falls on his shiny metal face, and you get a 7-second damage window. That’s your moment, go wild on him.
• Doomsday is his flashy AOE nuke. He casts a dome around himself that explodes, then rains fire from the sky. The flames linger, so bad positioning early = flaming disaster later. Keep moving and don’t bunch up. Call out flame drops if your team’s panicking, we’ve all been there.
• Phantom Charge is the chaos phase. He dashes around and sends ghost clones charging at everyone. Then, he comes crashing in with a final strike that covers the whole arena. It’s hectic.
  • Best strategy? Watch for the real Leotids, dodge the phantoms, and if you get the Tripping Rope tether during this, bait the trip before his final move to stop the whole sequence cold. Super satisfying when you pull it off.

Leotids rewards timing, teamwork, and chill nerves under pressure. So, if you’re playing with randoms, good luck. And if you’re with friends, make sure to coordinate who’s handling the tether trip.

Rook Boss (Polones) – Wheels & Fire Trails

Polones is the kind of boss that makes you wish your team had a little group huddle before entering the arena. This hulking mechanical menace will punish disorganized teams, but if you can sync up, he’s honestly one of the most fun and manageable fights in the raid.

Let’s roll into it:

• Turning Wheels is the heart of the fight. At a certain point, Polones will shake off his giant wheels and scatter them around the arena. Your job? Smash those wheels, grab the “Wheelpower” inside, and return it to Polones. Simple, right? Well… not exactly. If even one wheel gets left behind too long, Polones loses his cool, enters a berserk state, and starts hitting like he’s tired of your excuses. Everyone needs to do their part, no lone heroes here.
• Flaming Chariot is his aggressive chase phase. He’ll lock onto a poor soul (probably you, if you have aggro karma) and charge full speed while leaving a trail of fire. The flame lingers for a while, so whoever gets targeted better run smart. Don’t zigzag through the middle like a maniac, lead him to the outer edges so you don’t toast your teammates’ paths. You’d be surprised how many runs wipe because someone panic-sprinted through the middle.
• Wheel Restraint is a nasty crowd-control move. He rains down wheels from above that trap players in place. If you get caught, you’re stuck until someone frees you. If your teammates get caught, go break them out immediately. Don’t wait. This phase is a massive DPS check, and having even one player immobilized can mess things up fast.

Polones is one of those bosses that tests your team’s coordination more than mechanics. It’s not about fancy dodges or crazy DPS, it’s about doing the objective fast and clean. So shout out to every random queue teammate who actually grabs a wheel and doesn’t wander off. You’re the real MVPs.

Next up? Queen and King. And trust me, it’s the ultimate checkmate.

Queen & King Boss (Claudius & Meradia) – The Ultimate Checkmate

Welcome to the final showdown. This is where Crystal of Atlan stops playing nice and throws everything it’s got at you. Meradia and Claudius aren’t just bosses, they’re a final exam on every mechanic you’ve learned so far, complete with ice prisons, firestorms, and even a lightning chess showdown. It’s dramatic, it’s chaotic, and honestly? It’s pretty epic.

• Phase One – The Queen, Meradia: Meradia is all about ice control, using teleporting swordplay and wide AoEs to lock players down and punish sloppy movement.
  • Frozen Sweep: Meradia slashes in a full-circle motion, sending out Ice Waves in all directions. This attack covers a lot of ground, but if you time your movement right, it’s avoidable. Stay mobile and don’t get greedy with your DPS window.
  • Frost AoE (Ice Prison Mechanic): She teleports to the center and unleashes an arena-wide Ice Wave. If you get caught, you’ll be frozen solid.
    • Your only way out? Wait for falling fireballs, lure them to your location, and use them to break yourself free. While the team handles that, someone should break Meradia’s shield, doing so stuns her and opens up a much-needed damage phase.
      • The Queen freezes everyone except one player, and that player must:
        • Kite meteors into frozen allies to unfreeze them
        • Stick close as a group, 1 meteor can free everyone at once
  • Once Meradia is down, don’t breathe easy yet, the real fight begins.
• Phase Two – The King, Claudius the Usurper: Claudius enters with a flaming entrance and a vengeance. His entire kit is designed around area denial and keeping you on your toes. Burn damage, AoEs, and shield phases will test your awareness and coordination.
  • Magma Fissure: Claudius smashes the ground with his staff, triggering magma eruptions beneath players and at key spots on the arena. Stand still for too long and you’ll get roasted. Keep moving and watch your step.
  • Fire Shield (Tag-Team Phase): Claudius becomes temporarily immune with a fiery barrier, and surprise, Meradia’s back. She resumes teleporting and casting ice waves. Yep, you’ll need to survive both bosses at the same time. Avoid overlapping AoEs, coordinate shield breaks, and don’t let panic set in.
• Phase Three – Icicle Guidance: Once Meradia is “defeated” again, icicles appear and start tracking you. This isn’t bad news though, they can be lured into Claudius to break his Fire Shield. Meanwhile, Claudius starts hurling homing fireballs, just to make sure you’re not too comfortable.
  • This phase is all about positioning and precision. Bait the icicles, dodge the fireballs, and keep Claudius exposed.
• Phase Four – Pawn Promotion: Because fighting two monarchs wasn’t dramatic enough, you now become a literal Pawn in a final cinematic twist.
  • A wheeled robot charges at you, but don’t worry, Hamlet arrives to help. You get transformed into a lightning-powered Pawn, and now it’s time to face the King’s Guard.
  • The Guard is no pushover: he swings with 360° lightning slashes and AoEs. Defeat him, and you earn your promotion to Queen, unlocking new, devastating skills. You’ll need these new powers to shatter Claudius’ reinforced shield.
• Final Phase – One Last Dance: Just when you think you’ve won, Meradia returns again, removing your Queen status. She now summons falling ice swords while Claudius resumes magma fissures and fireball spam. You’ll need to survive the onslaught of fire and ice, take Meradia down permanently, and prep for the final hit.
  • Crown Cyclone: Claudius attaches his crown to his staff and conjures a cyclone of fire, with non-stop fireballs raining down. This is your last chance. Dodge like your life depends on it, because it does, and unload everything you’ve got.

Claudius and Meradia feel less like a boss fight and more like a stage performance with fatalities. You’ll need patience, reflexes, and solid teamwork to survive the tag-team mechanics, bait attacks, and use each transformation to your advantage.

And once you finally land that last blow… it’s all worth it. You didn’t just win a fight. You just survived a royal gauntlet. Now take a bow. You’ve earned it.

Nullification Requirement

Each boss needs a certain Nullification stat. Without it, you’ll:

• Take constant damage
• Be unable to claim rewards

Fix this by upgrading gear through other modes before tackling Elite difficulty.

Praying for Loot

Use HexChess Desiriums to pray for better gear drops.

• You pray for a specific item
• The prayer ends once you get that item
• This is optional, but super useful for targeting BIS gear

Rewards Breakdown

• Claim Limit:
  • Once/day per boss
  • 3x/week max
  • 18x/week across all characters
• Modes:
  • Solo: fewer rewards
  • Story: decent
  • Elite: best loot
• Gold cap: 1,000,000 per week

Wrap-Up: You Made It, Grandmaster

If you’re reading this part, congrats, you survived HexChess. Or at least you now know how to. This raid isn’t just a test of your character level; it’s a check on your patience, reflexes, team coordination, and maybe even your sanity (looking at you, Leotids).

From the solo guard duels to the royal tag-team finale, every fight here teaches you something new. And once it all clicks, when you dodge the fireballs, bait the ice meteors, trip the knight, and promote from pawn to queen, it feels awesome. That final checkmate against Claudius and Meradia? Pure satisfaction.

Now go out there, make your moves count, and remember: in HexChess, the board might be deadly, but victory? It’s yours for the taking. See you on the battlefield, I’ll be the one panic-dodging firestorms in the corner. Up next, if you’re feeling like flexing on real players instead of raid bosses, check out our guide on the Best PvP Classes in Crystal of Atlan. Because sometimes, melting your enemies in the arena is just more satisfying than dodging fireballs and shadow beams. Just saying.