Opening slams and body crushes
The opening descriptive stage centers on heavy slams and crushes telegraphed by the body pulling together.
Boss GuideConfirmed
The Monolith
Unfound Path Guardian
The Monolith is an Unfound Path Guardian fought in Obsidian Vault. Its body-state changes telegraph crushing slams, laser pressure, spinning attacks, and rotating arena beams as the encounter escalates.
- Campaign Major Boss
- Unfound Path Guardian
- The Unfound Path
At a glance
Quick Facts
Class
Campaign Major Boss
Progression Group
Unfound Path Guardian
Region
The Unfound Path
Area
Obsidian Vault
World Entry
Central Unfound Path network — Monolith branch
Pre-fight Checkpoint
Obsidian Vault
Where to Find The Monolith
Region
The Unfound Path
Area
Obsidian Vault
World Entry
Central Unfound Path network — Monolith branch
Internal Pre-fight Checkpoint
Obsidian Vault
Brether’s Court is an intermediate Beacon on the route through this branch; Obsidian Vault is the practical pre-fight Beacon.
After activating Obsidian Vault, return to the surface and take the right-side descent into the arena.
How to Reach The Monolith
First visit
Recommended First-time Route
Take the Monolith branch from the central network, pass through Brether’s Court, and descend through the vault route to activate Obsidian Vault before approaching the arena.
From the central Unfound Path network, take the Monolith branch and use its Stone Portal.
Follow the route to Brether’s Court and activate the intermediate Beacon.
Use the wall switch to open the gate and continue to the elevator and descending route.
Reach Obsidian Vault and activate the pre-fight Beacon.
Return to the surface and take the right-side descent.
Follow the descent into The Monolith’s arena.
After the fight, continue through the branch and sever its corrupted core.
Arena Trigger
Return to the surface from Obsidian Vault and follow the right-side descent.
Brether’s Court is an intermediate stop. Activate Obsidian Vault before making the final descent.
How to Beat The Monolith
The Monolith escalates through observable body-state changes. The descriptive stages below track how its slams, lasers, spinning body, and rotating beams build during the fight.
Keep enough space to read when the body pulls together, preserve camera awareness during laser pressure, and avoid crossing rotating beams without a clear path.
Fight structure
Phases
Laser escalation and repeated slams
Laser pressure joins the repeated body slams, requiring more lateral movement and wider camera awareness.
Final spinning-body, aerial-drop, and rotating-beam escalation
The closing descriptive stage combines a flattened spinning-body sequence, aerial drops, and rotating arena beams.
Readable cues
Attacks & Counters
Body crush and slam
- Cue
- The Monolith’s body pulls together before a heavy crush or slam.
- Safe response
- Create distance before the body closes and wait for the impact to clear.
Tracking or fan laser
- Cue
- A laser line begins tracking or spreading across the arena.
- Safe response
- Move laterally through the pressure while keeping the boss and arena edge visible.
Flattened spinning-body sequence
- Cue
- The body flattens before spinning across the available space.
- Safe response
- Clear the sequence’s path and avoid chasing the boss while it is moving.
Rotating arena beams
- Cue
- Beams rotate through the arena during the later escalation.
- Safe response
- Keep the beams in view and move with the pattern rather than crossing it repeatedly.
Decision framework
Core Strategy
- Recognize each body-state change before committing to an attack.
- Keep enough space to clear the body crush and slam sequences.
- Preserve camera awareness when tracking lasers and rotating beams overlap with the boss.
- Avoid unnecessary crossings of the rotating beam pattern.
Rewards & Outcomes
Monolith Fragment
Awarded for defeating The Monolith and can be traded for 5,000 coins.
Praise him!
Awarded for defeating The Monolith.
Monolith branch core
Continue through the branch after the fight and sever its corrupted core to complete this Guardian branch.
Patch Context
Balance Patch 1
Balance Patch 1 historically reduced The Monolith’s base damage by 19% and maximum health by 10%, and retimed some attacks.
Week 1 Update
The PC / Steam Week 1 Update improved laser and spin consistency, reduced attack spam, refined animations and hitboxes, and fixed a double-damage hit.
The Monolith FAQ
Where is The Monolith?
The Monolith is in Obsidian Vault in The Unfound Path. Follow its branch through Brether’s Court and activate Obsidian Vault before taking the surface descent to the arena.
Which Beacon should you use before The Monolith?
Use Obsidian Vault for later attempts. Brether’s Court is an intermediate Beacon on the first-time route, not the final checkpoint.
How many phases does The Monolith have?
The fight is best read through observable escalations rather than a fixed official phase count: opening body slams, increasing laser pressure, then spinning and rotating-beam patterns.
How do you handle The Monolith’s rotating beams?
Keep the beam pattern visible and move with it. Avoid repeatedly crossing the beams while also tracking the boss’s body state.
What does The Monolith drop?
Defeating The Monolith awards Monolith Fragment, which can be traded for 5,000 coins. The branch core is a separate progression outcome reached after the fight.
What do you do after defeating The Monolith?
Continue through the branch and sever its corrupted core. Each severed Guardian core removes one tendril from the central barrier.
Sources & Verification
Research reviewed 2026-09-02 against the August 20 Balance Patch 1.