Defending the Grove

[adamsafran]

Wondering if folks have general feedback/ideas on defending the Grove from the goblin attack. The Druids have locked themselves away so no 'recruiting' them. I've done it a couple of times to having most of the tieflings slaughtered.

Do folks have general guidance on how to do the fight and tips for minimizing casualties on things and good tactics for how to fight it through and prepping for it? Playing the game to muck around wiht Patch 8 and seeing how well I do in it to help me get a feel for things.

Don't havea well setup/equipped party and the last save is right before the fight so no immediate way to top off or get new equipment.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Just use explosive barrels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUn3XI3kKbg

[IRMcG]

Yeah, Kill Minthara in the goblin camp :P Managed to get through it without too many losses (3 IIRC, including Zevlor).

Using the rally horn to buff all the allies helps a little, taking out the barrel thrower stops the enemy getting behind you but isn't easy (he's a big boy). Shoot the oil barrels out front and set them alight, same for the goblin suicide bombers (hold/grease and similar is handy for this).

Don't bring in the Ogres, the Tieflings start shooting them and they go hostile :)

Or cheese it and drag barrels out to all the places you know they're going to spawn and make every fight boringly easy.

[SpacePoon]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

Just use explosive barrels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUn3XI3kKbg

No barrelmancy is basically using a boring cheat code. The battle can be done without that creatively bankrupt mechanic.

Alpha strike Minthara. The biggest threat is spiders jumping up the wall. Which you can be ready for when they land. Just blow all your consumables. Basic aoes near the gate should take care of the rest.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Originally posted by SpacePoon:

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

Just use explosive barrels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUn3XI3kKbg

No barrelmancy is basically using a boring cheat code. The battle can be done without that creatively bankrupt mechanic.

Alpha strike Minthara. The biggest threat is spiders jumping up the wall. Which you can be ready for when they land. Just blow all your consumables. Basic aoes near the gate should take care of the rest.

It's not cheating, it's how Larian expects you to win at fights.

[SpacePoon]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

it's how Larian expects you to win at fights.

Uh no it's not. EA can easily be completed without touching barrel of boring.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Originally posted by SpacePoon:

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

it's how Larian expects you to win at fights.

Uh no it's not. EA can easily be completed without touching barrel of boring.

Uh yes it is.

[SpacePoon]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

Uh yes it is.

Prove it.

[Hub]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

It's not cheating, it's how Larian expects you to win at fights.

No, it is ONE way Larian expects you to win at fights

[KingOfFriedChicken]

Panda loves barrels! but if you dont wanna do that you can always weaken them before the fight, that would help some. taking out some of the leaders in stealth.
But if you dont wanna (or cant cuz your saved here in this case) there are some over looked good spells that can help. Ive never actually "defended" the grove i usually take the fight to the goblins lol But ice spells or create water then freezing it in a choke point can keep foes tripped up. the Grease spell works wonders as well plus you can light it up. A silence bubble to prevent other spells casting (should work anyway) A knock back eldrich blast to keep things that jump up and push them back down.

Whats your party setup like? who you packing in terms of classes sub classes and stuff if its a full or partial custom party?

[adamsafran]

Full party - everyone's at level 4 but with pretty basic equipment. My char's a rogue. Everyone's at the default level/setup. No one has anything high end as far as equipment goes.

Trying defending the grove for change of pace as just the last time played went to stealth fight my way through the enemy leaders so wanted to try something different.

[adamsafran]

Fine with using some of the barrels but figure cheesing the fight makes it not as fun and wanna see how well I do with playing it out full combat wise. I've tended to have my mains be Laz'iel and Shadowheart. Since I'm a Rogue don't use the vampire and found the wizard far too squishy to take out on things.

[SnarkOne]

Throw a grease bottle near the choke of the gate, position everyone next to the fire next to the horn & don't forget to blow it for extra 8 bonus hp. Dip your weapon in fire, focus both the sappers & the Ogre throwing the goblins. If a goblin or spider manage to climb on top, let the thieflings/zevlor take care of it... Just shoot until turn 3 or 4 when there's a bunch of goblins & bugbears smashing at the gate. Use the 3 hidden barrels in front of the gate to blow them up.

With the shoot from highground with fire arrows & throwing different bombs tactic, it should take you about 8 turns to clear the majority or all of them, if the enemy doesn't get a few D20 crits

[adamsafran]

Thanks!

[Metallicus]

I don’t understand how anyone can not enjoy things blowing up. It is so satisfying for me!

[KingOfFriedChicken]

You can for sure do the encounter without barrels, but the spells you have available might be a bit tricky to work with. If you have haste potions or other potions they are always an option. If you are a base rogue not an arcane trickster I useally use one of my bonus actions in an area where no sight is on me, sneak and sneak attack with bow and special arrows, potions can also be thrown with a rogue this will heal anyone you hit or give them the effects.

Bless could be quite useful on your party or anyone that is a melee range ally. I like to experiment with less used spells see what I can get to work. There is a holy ray spell that hits quite hard but has a small AoE fun fact you can re cast it to move it each turn, I was surprised by how useful it was when I knew you could move it (you may not have it though)

Using potion of hill giants on lazeal makes her quite the tanky high str monster as well.

If you have someone like wyll and set him up to use summons they might have 9hpish but are quite strong regardless, crowd control is often the best tactic with spell casters and keeping them in back, using spells like Web, or concentrating a DoT spell on a stronger foe and pulling them back after that, using their remaining spells as either backup healing or spamming a long range attack with a bow or cantrip. Spells like darkness that can block range attacks from coming up the hill, stuff like that.

Consider other items like grease bottles, water bottles, arrows, coat weapons in poison, scrolls that you have picked up looting if you still have them. Use the barrels in the fight but dont bring new ones into it, I find that totally fair personally. If you have candles you can free action drop them at your feet light them if they are out and dip your weapon in them lol (it's a bit cheese but less so then moving barrels into place)

A ranger with a spider pet can cover fields all over in web by shooting it around even! (You probably dont have this, but it's a good idea to test each thing you can do at some point to find it's best uses) I'm really into the tactics portion if these games so if you can get a guy to walk into webs for example then you can use a 2nd character to cast cloud of daggers while they move slow thru it and something like shove, knockback arrows, or eldritch blast to push them back into it if they make it thru lol