Lineage 2M: How to Conquer Zaken the Pirate King

Zaken the Pirate King is one of the most iconic raid bosses in L2M Diamonds, feared for his unpredictable attack patterns, powerful area-of-effect abilities, and the chaotic nature of his multi-stage boss room. Whether you're hunting him for high-end equipment, rare crafting materials, or simply aiming to complete your clan’s weekly raid cycle, defeating Zaken requires strategy, awareness, preparation, and precise team coordination.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to defeat Zaken efficiently, including recommended levels, party composition, mechanics, positioning, and loot expectations. With the right approach, even this storm-summoning pirate lord won’t stand between you and his treasure.

1. Who Is Zaken the Pirate King?

Zaken is a long-standing boss from the Lineage franchise, known for his cursed ghost-sailor aesthetic and devastating close-quarters combat abilities. In Lineage 2M, he appears as a world/instance raid with unique environmental mechanics inside his haunted ship.

Why Players Hunt Him

Rare pirate-themed weapons and armor

Enchant scrolls and high-value materials

High-tier accessories

Clan contribution rewards

Chance at legendary drops

The fight is challenging, but organized parties can bring him down reliably with the right plan.

2. Recommended Level, Gear, and Class Preparation

Zaken is designed for coordinated groups—walking in under-leveled or under-geared is a fast track to being thrown overboard.

Recommended Level

Level 55+ for standard raids

Level 60+ for smooth, consistent clears

Lower levels can join, but they must rely heavily on support and survivability

Recommended Gear

A-tier armor and weapons

Enchantments +5 to +7 (minimum)

Accessories with magic resistance

Potions and elixirs with HP/MP regen

Most importantly, bring curse resistance and damage mitigation items, as Zaken relies heavily on debuffs and sustained chip damage.

3. Optimal Party Composition

Zaken is technically doable with various setups, but some compositions offer much higher stability.

Best Party Setup

2–3 Tanks (Main tank + off-tanks)

2 Healers or 1 strong healer + 1 support buffer

4–6 DPS (Magic or ranged DPS preferred)

1–2 Crowd Control / debuff specialists

The fight becomes much easier with balanced DPS and consistent healing.

Key Roles

Tank: Holds aggro, positions Zaken, and absorbs storms/cleaves

Healer: Sustain the group and remove curses

DPS: Burst during windows, stay mobile

Support: Add party-wide buffs and control adds

Without enough healing, Zaken’s dots and curses overwhelm weaker players.

4. Zaken’s Mechanics and Phases

Zaken is a multi-phase boss with environmental hazards. Understanding these phases is critical.

Phase 1: The Ghost Crew Awakens

When the fight begins, Zaken summons ghost sailors that roam the ship.

What to Watch For

Adds swarm the backline

Random fear effects

Curse stacks from ghost sailors

Strategy

Tanks gather adds as quickly as possible

CC classes stun, freeze, or bind ghost sailors

DPS focus on clearing adds before touching Zaken

Healers focus on cleansing fear and curse debuffs

Clearing these adds prevents chaos later in the fight.

Phase 2: Zaken Joins the Battle

Once the ghost crew is under control, Zaken becomes fully aggressive.

Zaken’s Key Abilities

Wide Cleave Slash – A frontal cone with high damage

Storm Summon – Creates lightning zones around the ship

Cursed Blood Spray – Applies stacking DoT

Teleport + Ambush – Zaken disappears and reappears behind a player

Ship Shake – Minor AoE knockback around the deck

This phase is the heart of the battle.

Strategy

Keep Zaken facing away from the group

Spread out to avoid chain lightning from storm zones

Use defensive cooldowns when he teleports to the backline

Healers remove curse stacks early

DPS attack while avoiding storms—never tunnel-vision

Positioning is the biggest factor here.

Phase 3: The Thunderstorm Phase

At around 50% HP, Zaken triggers a massive environmental shift.

What Happens

Lightning storms cover large areas of the ship

Ghost sailors return with higher damage

Zaken’s cleave becomes stronger

Knockback frequency increases

Strategy

Off-tanks peel off ghost sailors from healers

DPS prioritize clearing adds to maintain control

Avoid the ship edges—knockbacks can kill you instantly

Stay within healer range

Communication is key here. If your group panics, wipes happen fast.

Phase 4: Final Berserk Mode

At 20% HP, Zaken goes berserk.

What Changes

Faster teleporting

Stronger burst damage

Storms appear more frequently

He starts ignoring some crowd-control abilities

Strategy

Save burst cooldowns for this phase

Maintain maximum uptime on Zaken while avoiding storms

Tanks must react fast to aggro drops

Healers should rotate big cooldowns to prevent party collapse

Many groups wipe here if they’re unprepared. Stay calm and coordinate.

5. Advanced Tactics for an Easier Kill

1. Control Ghost Sailors Quickly

Leaving them alive makes the healing load impossible. Assign specific players to add control.

2. Use Corners to Absorb Cleaves

Tanks can position Zaken slightly diagonally to reduce cleave coverage on the party.

3. Mark Safe Zones During Storms

Some static objects cast shadows that protect against lightning pulses.

4. Adjust Accordingly When Zaken Teleports

He typically reappears near:

Healers

Lowest-HP players

Backline DPS

Have designated players ready to intercept his ambush.

5. Keep Your Camera Zoomed Out

Zaken’s fight is chaotic—better awareness lowers avoidable deaths.

6. Consumables and Buffs (Don’t Ignore These!)

Mandatory Potions

HP potions (large)

CP potions

MP regen potions

Anti-Curse potions

Useful Food/Buff Items

Physical defense food

Magic resistant food

Accuracy or crit food for DPS

Movement speed buffs

Clan Buffs

If your clan controls a fortress or castle, raid buffs can significantly increase survivability and damage.

7. Best Classes for Fighting Zaken

While any class can participate, some shine more than others.

Top Tanks

Knight

Paladin

Temple Knight

Their aggro control and defensive cooldowns make them ideal.

Top Healers

Elder

Shillien Elder

Strong healing and supportive buffs make these classes essential.

Top DPS

Sorcerer (burst damage)

Spellsinger (mobility)

Hawkeye / Phantom Ranger (safe ranged damage)

Warlord (AOE for clearing sailors)

Magic DPS perform exceptionally well because they can maintain uptime safely.

8. Loot You Can Expect From Zaken

Zaken drops some of the most sought-after early-to-mid endgame items.

Possible Drops

Zaken’s Earring (extremely valuable)

Pirate King weapons

Rare crafting materials

Enchant scrolls

High-grade armor pieces

Accessory upgrades

Zaken’s Earring

This is the most iconic drop and offers:

Magic resistance

Damage reduction

Increased survivability in PvP

Even if it doesn’t drop, the raid is worth running for materials alone.

9. How to Maximize Your Chances of Success

1. Run With a Clan

Clans are the backbone of Lineage 2M raiding. Organized groups clear Zaken consistently.

2. Assign Raid Leaders

One person calls storm rotations, teleport tracking, and target priority.

3. Set Voice Communication

Discord or clan VOIP dramatically improves success rates.

4. Practice the First 2 Phases

Mastering the early phases reduces chaos later in the fight.

5. Avoid Greedy Damage

Zaken punishes players who chase DPS without awareness.

10. Repeated Farming Strategy (For Weekly Raids)

If your clan wants to farm Zaken weekly:

Week 1–2

Learn adds and positioning

Practice avoiding storms

Focus on survival

Week 3–4

Commit more damage cooldowns

Work on minimizing add spawns

Improve movement patterns

After Week 4

Clean kills should take 10–15 minutes

Expect strong loot flow

Farm for multiple Earrings for clan members

Consistent clears will dramatically boost your clan’s power.

Conclusion

Zaken the Pirate King is one of the most electrifying and chaotic raid bosses in L2M Diamonds for sale, blending add management, environmental hazards, and high-pressure burst phases into one unforgettable encounter. But with the right preparation—balanced parties, strong positioning, rapid add control, and disciplined execution—you can conquer him reliably and claim his legendary treasures.

Mastering Zaken is a major milestone for any adventurer or clan, and once you secure his drops, you’ll be far better equipped for the even greater challenges that Lineage 2M has to offer.