If you’ve played First Descendant any time in 2026, you’ve probably hit the wall that is The Hanged Man void boss fight. I spent three straight evenings last week wiping with random parties, burning through dozens of revives and rare ammo, before I figured out the exact rhythm to beat him consistently. This guide breaks down every step of how to fight the hanged man first descendant, from pre-fight prep to phase-specific counters that work for both solo and party runs. You don’t need fully maxed out legendaries to clear this, either – I’ve tested these strategies with blue-tier gear and a random pickup group, and we got the clear on our first try.
What You Need to Prepare Before You Fight The Hanged Man in First Descendant
The biggest mistake most players make before even loading into the fight is showing up undergeared or with the wrong loadout. As of the 2026 First Descendant mid-season update, The Hanged Man has a 30% higher void damage output than he did at launch, so cutting corners on prep will almost always lead to a wipe. First, make sure you hit the minimum character level of 35 – any lower, and even his lightest melee attack will one-shot you, even with full legendary armor. You also need void resistance of at least 40% to survive the periodic void AoE blasts he triggers every 60 seconds throughout the fight. If you’re running with a party, assign clear roles before you queue up: one tank to draw his aggro, two DPS players to focus on weak points, and one support to keep the group healed and buffed.
If you don’t have armor-piercing rounds, you can buy them from the central hub vendor for 500 silver each, or farm them from lower-tier void missions in 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t waste your time trying to run this fight with a standard ammo build – I tried that on my first four runs, and I was running out of bullets halfway through phase 2 every single time.
Phase 1 Attack Patterns and Simple Counterplay
Phase 1 starts as soon as you load into the arena, and The Hanged Man is chained to the gallows platform at the center of the map. He only has three main attacks in this phase, so they’re easy to learn once you know what to look for. His first attack is a swinging chain that reaches 80% of the map, and you’ll see a red line marking its path two seconds before it swings. All you have to do is dodge behind one of the four stone pillars around the arena to avoid taking damage. His second attack is a burst of 8 void projectiles that track the nearest player, so if you’re the one being targeted, run in a zig-zag pattern until they dissipate.
The only way to deal full damage in phase 1 is to hit the weak point on his right wrist shackle. Any shots to his torso, legs or head will only deal 10% of their normal damage, so it’s a waste of ammo to aim anywhere else. He also summons 4 small void minions every 45 seconds, so make sure you take them out quickly before they swarm your group. For solo players, you can save your secondary weapon shots for the minions, so you don’t waste your primary armor-piercing rounds on low-health mobs.
How to Survive Phase 2 of The Hanged Man Boss Fight
Phase 2 triggers when you get his health down to 50%, and he breaks free of his chains to jump down to the arena floor. This is where most groups wipe, because his attack pattern gets way more aggressive, and he adds a new curse mechanic that can take out your entire party in 10 seconds if you don’t handle it right. This is the hardest part of learning how to fight the hanged man first descendant, but it gets way easier after you do it two or three times. First, his weak point shifts to the glowing red scar on his chest, so adjust your aim immediately when the phase starts. His melee attacks deal 70% of your maximum health in damage, so the tank should always keep his back turned to the rest of the group to avoid anyone else getting hit by stray swings.
The curse mechanic triggers every 30 seconds, where one random party member gets marked with a glowing purple icon above their head. Never stack with other party members when you have the curse, because it spreads to anyone within 10 feet of you, and multiple curses at once are almost impossible to clear. To get rid of the curse, you have to stand under the glowing blue gallows lantern at the edge of the arena for 2 full seconds. Don’t wait until the last second to do this – if you leave it too late, you’ll get one-shot before you reach the lantern. For solo players, the lantern will light up 5 seconds before the curse triggers, so you can head that way early to avoid wasting time.
Common Mistakes That Will Make You Wipe Instantly
Even if you know all the attack patterns, small mistakes can cost you the clear, especially if you’re playing with random parties. The first and most common mistake is using ultimate abilities during phase 1. Don’t use your ultimate ability until phase 2 starts, because phase 1 has way fewer damage windows, and you’ll get way more value out of your ultimate when he’s moving around the arena in phase 2. I’ve seen so many DPS players burn their ultimates as soon as the fight starts, then have nothing left to burn through his phase 2 health bar when it matters most. If you can avoid these small errors, you’ll be way ahead of most players learning how to fight the hanged man first descendant.
Another common mistake is ignoring the minions that spawn in phase 2. As of the 2026 spring update, these minions heal The Hanged Man for 2% of his maximum health every time they reach him, so if you leave them alone for a minute, he’ll regenerate all the health you just burned through. If you’re in a party, assign one DPS player to clear minions every 30 seconds, so they never get close enough to heal him. If you’re playing solo, keep one eye on the minion spawn points at the edges of the arena, and take them out with a quick secondary weapon burst whenever they pop up. You also don’t want to stand in the red void pools that appear after he does his chain swing attack – they tick 20% of your health per second, and they stay on the ground for 15 seconds, so they can easily trap you if you’re not paying attention.
At the end of the day, learning how to fight the hanged man first descendant is all about pattern recognition and proper prep, not just having the best gear in the game. I’ve used these strategies to clear the fight 12 times in 2026 so far, both with coordinated guild groups and random pickup players, and we only wiped once because someone forgot to clear their curse. If you test these tips on your next run, you’ll likely get the clear on your first or second try, and you’ll walk away with some of the best mid-game crafting drops available in 2026. If you have any extra tips that work for your playstyle, drop them in the comments below to help other players out.