Gatekeeper Pinopi is the first Nightmare boss most AION 2 players fight. You face this level 45 Varian alone in the Root Cellar, and it hits hard enough to punish anyone who stands in its cones. Its moveset is small, though, and every attack has a clear tell. Once you learn which way to dodge, Pinopi turns into a steady source of Phantasmal Fragments across 10 challenge stages.
Quick answer: Dodge forward through Pinopi’s swipes, grab and slam, then hit it from behind. Keep Defiance ready to break the grab. Stage 1 recommends 1,000 combat power and stage 10 recommends 1,600.
Gatekeeper Pinopi recommended combat power by stage
Pinopi is a tier 1 boss challenge set in the Root Cellar. In the regular game it shows up as both an elite and a hero-rank Varian, with a level range of 27 to 45. The Nightmare version is the level 45 hero. You start at stage 1 and unlock each higher stage by clearing the one before it. The recommended combat power climbs in steps of 50 until stage 7, then in steps of 100.
| Stage | Recommended combat power |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 1,050 |
| 3 | 1,100 |
| 4 | 1,150 |
| 5 | 1,200 |
| 6 | 1,250 |
| 7 | 1,300 |
| 8 | 1,400 |
| 9 | 1,500 |
| 10 | 1,600 |
Pinopi shares this exact ladder with Fafnir’s Poison Blood and Wraith Giselle, so if you can clear any of those three at a given stage, you have the numbers for the other two.
Gatekeeper Pinopi attacks and how to dodge them
Pinopi has a habit that’s easy to exploit. Most of its damage lands in front of it, so dodging toward the boss and through it usually moves you out of danger and puts you at its back. That’s also where you want to be dealing damage.
| Attack | Tell | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Double Swipe | Cone forms in front | Dodge forward, attack from behind |
| Grab Attack | Very fast cone toward you | Dodge forward, or cleanse after |
| Ground Slam | Windmilling arms | Dodge toward the boss |
| Rotating Fists | Spinning arms while walking | Tank it or back off |
| Pull | Right arm cocks back | Dodge as the arm draws back |
| Uproot | Fist slams the floor | Keep moving, avoid the roots |
Double Swipe and Ground Slam
Both are frontal attacks you can handle the same way. Double Swipe is two claw strikes aimed wherever you’re standing, and a cone telegraph shows you where they’ll land. Ground Slam starts with both arms swinging in a windmill motion and ends with a small, heavy-damage circle on the floor in front of Pinopi. In both cases, a dodge toward the boss clears the danger zone completely.
Grab Attack
The grab is the move that kills most first attempts. Its cone appears and resolves much faster than the swipe’s, so you need to react the moment you see it. A forward dodge avoids it. If it connects, there’s no way to wriggle out mid-animation, and you’re left incapacitated once it finishes. That debuff is what a cleanse skill like Defiance is for.
Rotating Fists
Pinopi spins its arms and walks forward, hitting anyone close by. The hits are light. If your gear is comfortably above the stage’s recommended combat power, you can stand in it and keep attacking. If your health bar can’t take it, walk away and come back once the spin ends.
Pull
Stand too far away and Pinopi drags you back into melee range. Ranged players will see this one most often. Watch the right arm, because the pull comes as soon as it’s cocked back, and a well-timed dodge cancels it.
Uproot
Uproot isn’t part of Pinopi’s opening rotation. It’s added once the boss has lost some health. Pinopi punches the ground and sends up roots that follow your position. Getting hit roots you in place for a moment, and that makes the next roots much harder to escape, so don’t let the first one land.
Breaking Pinopi’s grab with Defiance
Every class in AION 2 gets Defiance as a regular active skill at level 16. Any other skill that clears status effects works against the grab as well. Defiance stands out because every class has it and it does more than cleanse.
- You lose Stun, then Knockdown; Airborne and Grab are cleared, as are Frost and Fear.
- Gives you Tenacity, which makes you immune to status effects, for 5 seconds.
- Has a 60-second cooldown that cooldown reduction can’t shorten.
- At skill level 8, restores 1,000 Stamina plus some HP on use (20% for most classes, 10% for Cleric and Chanter).
- At skill level 12, Tenacity lasts 2 seconds longer. At skill level 16, it also adds 50% PvE damage tolerance.
With a full minute between uses, don’t spend Defiance on a stray hit. Save it for the grab, where the incapacitate would otherwise leave you open to Pinopi’s next attack.
Gatekeeper Pinopi rewards and what clearing stage 10 unlocks
Defeating a Pinopi earns Phantasmal Fragments, the currency used in the Nightmare Shop. Each stage offers a one-time reward for its first clear and a smaller reward on repeat runs; both payouts rise at higher stages. Once you’ve claimed a stage’s first-clear reward, replaying it earns only the repeatable payout. Finishing a higher stage also awards the first-clear rewards for any lower stages you bypassed.
Nightmare attempts are only used up when you kill the boss. If you die, you keep the attempt, so you can leave, upgrade your gear and try the same stage again. A win brings up the Nightmare Dungeon Complete screen with your challenge stage, clear time and rewards. That’s how you know the clear counted.
Pushing Pinopi to stage 10 is also a progression requirement. Clear both Gatekeeper Pinopi and Furious Feruk on stage 10 and Fortress Guardian Notun opens up. Notun is a tier 1 challenge in the Destruction Archon Underground Fortress, and its recommended combat power runs from 1,700 to 2,300. Your fragments can also buy Statue: Gatekeeper Pinopi from the Nightmare Shop to display in your Pantheon.
