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Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen
May 23, 2026 at 04:45 PM
Added internal wikilinks
Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen are summoned enemy types encountered during the Hexe Marie boss fight in the Smoking Lands. Officially labeled as Hexe Earthen Warriors in the game's combat UI, they are ceramic automatons that Hexe Marie conjures from the mysterious urns scattered throughout her arena. These minions serve as both distractions and genuine threats, forcing players to split their attention between dealing with waves of adds and attacking the boss herself.
Both variants share a ceramic and pottery-based composition. They resemble scarecrows with tilted jugs perched on their heads, giving them an eerie, almost ritualistic appearance that fits the dark magic atmosphere of the Smoking Lands. Their bodies are constructed from clay, stone, and fired pottery, which becomes apparent when they are destroyed. Explosive arrows blast them apart into chunks of crockery, scattering ceramic fragments across the battlefield.
The arena itself is an urn stockpile area littered with mysterious urns and pottery, creating a haunting atmosphere that extends the ceramic motif of the minions themselves. The urns serve as both set dressing and the source from which Hexe Marie draws her earthen warriors.
Hexe Marie summons two distinct variants during the boss fight, each requiring a different tactical response:
Type | Description | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
Urn Soldiers | Multiple stone soldiers with urn-shaped heads. They spawn in groups and swarm the player, functioning as distractions and chip-damage dealers. Individually weak, but dangerous when they pile up alongside Hexe Marie's crow attacks. | Moderate (dangerous in numbers) |
Urn Swordsman | A singular, more formidable minion composed of stacked clay pot pieces. Significantly stronger and more durable than Urn Soldiers, with heavier attacks that can stagger the player. Moves slowly compared to the lesser minions, but hits much harder. | High (priority target) |
Hexe Marie summons these minions in waves throughout both phases of the boss fight. The summoning pattern escalates as the fight progresses:
Phase | HP Bar | Summoning Pattern | Boss Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Blue | Primarily groups of Urn Soldiers | Hexe Marie maintains a defensive stance, attacking from range with Crow Swarm and Crow Barrage while minions distract the player |
Transition | Cutscene | Dialogue plays where the witch attempts to deceive Kliff and asks him to join her cause | Brief pause before Phase 2 begins |
Phase 2 | Red | Urn Swordsmen appear alongside Urn Soldiers, significantly increasing pressure | Hexe Marie uses Relocate more frequently and gains Crow Storm (dark magic-infused crows descending from the sky) |
Allowing minions to accumulate is one of the most common causes of death during the Hexe Marie encounter. A swarm of Urn Soldiers can pin the player in place while the Urn Swordsman delivers a heavy blow, or while Hexe Marie channels her Crow Storm attack from range. Keeping the battlefield clear of adds is essential for survival.
Understanding the boss's own abilities is critical to managing the minions effectively, since she coordinates her attacks with her summons:
Ability | Description |
|---|---|
Summon Urn Soldiers | Conjures a group of Urn Soldiers from the urns in the arena |
Summon Urn Swordsman | Conjures a single powerful Urn Swordsman (Phase 2 primarily) |
Crow Swarm | Quick crow strikes that target the player's position |
Wide area-of-effect crow attack covering a large section of the arena | |
Relocate | Transforms into a murder of crows and reappears elsewhere in the arena, avoiding damage |
Crow Storm (Phase 2) | Dark magic-infused crows descend from the sky across the arena |
Explosive arrows are the primary counter against both variants. A single explosive arrow can shatter multiple Urn Soldiers in a cluster, blasting them into chunks of crockery. Use Precision Focus slow-motion archery to unload a rapid flurry of explosive arrows at grouped minions.
Ice arrows can immobilize and freeze swarms of Urn Soldiers, buying time to deal with the Urn Swordsman or to focus damage on Hexe Marie during a vulnerability window.
Always prioritize the Urn Swordsman when both types are present. The Swordsman's heavy attacks can stagger the player and create openings for Hexe Marie's most dangerous abilities. Despite being slower, its high damage output makes it the greater threat.
Clear all minions before committing to sustained damage on Hexe Marie. Getting caught mid-combo by a group of Urn Soldiers while the boss is channeling Crow Barrage is extremely punishing.
Fire-based attacks deal bonus damage to both variants, consistent with their clay and pottery composition. This aligns with Hexe Marie's own lore: she was nearly burned alive as a child and still fears fire, making fire a thematic weakness for both the boss and her creations.
Use back slides to evade crow attacks from Hexe Marie while repositioning to deal with newly spawned minion groups.
Hexe Marie, titled the "Follower of Darkness," is a shadowy figure who defied the sacred laws of a sanctuary. She "dared to break forbidden taboos and infused darkness even into her own child," and was nearly burned to death by the townspeople of her village. She now remains within her urn-filled sanctuary in the Smoking Lands, steeped in wrath and vile curses. The Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen are physical manifestations of her dark magic, animated clay constructs that serve her will.
Hexe Marie is also a character from Black Desert Online, where she is known as "the deadliest Witch in history." Pearl Abyss has not confirmed the exact relationship between the two versions of the character, but the thematic connections between the games are intentional.
Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen appear exclusively during the Hexe Marie boss battle in the Smoking Lands. They do not appear as regular enemies elsewhere in Pywel. Hexe Marie also deploys magic mines during the fight that explode and deal damage over time, adding another hazard layer on top of her summoned minions. For full boss strategy details, see the dedicated Hexe Marie article.
