WTF is this boss design

[Yisi]

So I loved this game so far, but I have to rant about this boss fight with Grym here.

It's been around 10+ tries and I watched about 2 videos and read 2 guides on how to beat him. It. is. not. working.
What is this tactic even. Having a boss fight where you just skip your whole party's first three turns without doing anything hoping he will walk right on the forge spot is just garbage boss design in my opinion. Second of all, guides said it needs 2 slams with the forge to beat him which is just wrong.
Also he just one shots everything if he comes near any companion so yeah I'm close to quitting because this boss fight is just pure trash. What am I supposed to do? Half my group is useless because it keeps missing shots or they don't have Misty Steps or Disengage ... and the other half dies in one hit.
I've managed to get 2 slams down, but like I said. 3 is needed apparently and after the second the thing just falls apart and I die.

[Coldhands]

If you attack him, he’ll mark the attacker as a priority target and go after them. Use that to kite him under the piston. Make sure the lava keeps flowing so Grym stays superheated, otherwise nothing can hurt him.
Don’t try to kill Grym with melee until you’ve hit him twice with the piston (if even then), and when you do, use bludgeoning weapons.
Remember you can shoot both the piston lever and lava crank to activate them from a distance.

[Valandryl]

Why are you even using the forge ? Let him stay Where he spawns and bash him with blunt weapons. Place a character next to the valve and open it when boss stops being overheated.

[Ksundheit]

He really isn't that big of a deal. Just have two characters that are able to tank while you bash his face in and have one guy on the valve.

[DDkiki]

He is easy tho? Either use forge's hammer and you dont even need to attack it except for aggroing with tankiest member or smash it to get achievement for not using a hammer.

Killed it with half-dead party without spell slots on 1st blind run(never got into forge during EA), without using hammer, so its not that hard. Just use bludgeoning weapons with barbs/fighters, heal and buff with casters if they are unable to damage atm, there are many things you can do with characters other that doing actual damage, like remember you can throw potions, use grenades and scrolls.

[PocketYoda]

Does hold person work under the hammer?

[Yisi]

Originally posted by Coldhands:

If you attack him, he’ll mark the attacker as a priority target and go after them. Use that to kite him under the piston. Make sure the lava keeps flowing so Grym stays superheated, otherwise nothing can hurt him.
Don’t try to kill Grym with melee until you’ve hit him twice with the piston (if even then), and when you do, use bludgeoning weapons.
Remember you can shoot both the piston lever and lava crank to activate them from a distance.

Yes I've been trying to do that. Either the lava runs out in a bad moment, or Superheated runs out when he is close to the forge, or my attacks are missing so he Prime Targets the wrong companion, the list goes on.

[Yisi]

Originally posted by DDkiki:

He is easy tho? Either use forge's hammer and you dont even need to attack it except for aggroing with tankiest member or smash it to get achievement for not using a hammer.

Killed it with half-dead party without spell slots on 1st blind run(never got into forge during EA), without using hammer, so its not that hard. Just use bludgeoning weapons with barbs/fighters, heal and buff with casters if they are unable to damage atm, there are many things you can do with characters other that doing actual damage, like remember you can throw potions, use grenades and scrolls.

The only companions in my party using Bludgeoning Weapons are my cleric and my Wizard. So yeah. Not really very tanky. Don't know whats there to tank anyway when he hits for like 20-30 and then follows with a big ass range AOE that hits for another 10-15. Not much to tank there that's literally 3/4 of my party dead in one of his turns

[BeautifulFlowerField]

Separate your party before triggering the fight. Have a party member directly across from him (with the anvil between the two) attack him with a ranged attack, he should move directly onto the anvil on his next turn. Leave one party member next to the lava lever you could also stick a mage hand there. Use high percentage attacks - precision strike from battlemaster maneuver, see if you have equipment that has a better attack roll but less damage, elixir of hill giant strength or oil of accuracy can drastically improve hit chance with weapons as can the magic weapon spell, magic missile scrolls, various grenades will do guaranteed hits and so do AoE spells, you can use AoE arrows for guaranteed hits to proc his ability, you should have a ton of options to deal with the hit% issue just need to make some adjustments. Sacred Flame cantrip generally has a good chance to hit on anything.

So just have your party at a distance (on the platforms) surrounding the hammer, one at the lever, and just use the other three to draw him in the direction that will lead him into the anvil. This is a specific time when cantrips like true strike can be useful, or any ability you have that can lead to advantage on attacks. Is everyone with a green or blue ranged weapon? At this point in the game that should definitely be the case, you shouldn't have any common equips anymore.

[dmfan79]

To damage the boss using the forge, you need to make sure the debuff given by the contact with the lava is active. Else the boss will be invulnerable.

[Coldhands]

Originally posted by Yisi:

Originally posted by Coldhands:

If you attack him, he’ll mark the attacker as a priority target and go after them. Use that to kite him under the piston. Make sure the lava keeps flowing so Grym stays superheated, otherwise nothing can hurt him.
Don’t try to kill Grym with melee until you’ve hit him twice with the piston (if even then), and when you do, use bludgeoning weapons.
Remember you can shoot both the piston lever and lava crank to activate them from a distance.

Yes I've been trying to do that. Either the lava runs out in a bad moment, or Superheated runs out when he is close to the forge, or my attacks are missing so he Prime Targets the wrong companion, the list goes on.

If you keep your party so there’s always somebody in bow/cantrip shot of the lava crank, you can always keep superheated up when you need it.

[Sir_Baldur]

I beat him in three turn.

Position tank at the platform where he emerges from.

Position Rogue or second tank next to your first tank

Any caster can just stand on another platform and buff or chill.

Shadowheart or other character the the wheel to open the door.
(this character never moves - just reactivates the fire as soon as it cools down & casts healing word or any other buff on allies)

Equip all blunt weapons.
Haste potions on warriors/rogues.

Open the door.

While the golem is super heated, it will go to attack the two tanks. Make sure your tank is the LAST character to hit the golem. Whomever gets the last hit - will be targeted next.

Keep him in the heat by having the tank hit him last.

Golem won't last very long.

[Recjawjind]

Gryms guaranteed targeting means this fight is 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, a pure tactics thing.

[DDkiki]

Originally posted by Yisi:

Originally posted by DDkiki:

He is easy tho? Either use forge's hammer and you dont even need to attack it except for aggroing with tankiest member or smash it to get achievement for not using a hammer.

Killed it with half-dead party without spell slots on 1st blind run(never got into forge during EA), without using hammer, so its not that hard. Just use bludgeoning weapons with barbs/fighters, heal and buff with casters if they are unable to damage atm, there are many things you can do with characters other that doing actual damage, like remember you can throw potions, use grenades and scrolls.

The only companions in my party using Bludgeoning Weapons are my cleric and my Wizard. So yeah. Not really very tanky. Don't know whats there to tank anyway when he hits for like 20-30 and then follows with a big ass range AOE that hits for another 10-15. Not much to tank there that's literally 3/4 of my party dead in one of his turns

Always have weapons of different damage type prepared for your melee characters, iirc i used warhammer from that hobgoblin chief on Grym with my Karlach, who was using hill giant potion and was enlarged by Gale. While my archer Tav was shooting valve and throwing pots around and Shart using healing words what applied buffs on Karlach. It took like 3-4 or so turns to smash it to pieces.

[DDkiki]

Originally posted by Recjawjind:

Gryms guaranteed targeting means this fight is 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, a pure tactics thing.

This. Any struggles during this fight is lack of tactics and failing party management.

[Kronk]

It's essentially a puzzle boss.

Stuff like this is very common in normal TTRPGs as well. I've used them a few times in my games. If you did enough exploring in the underdark and areas leading up to the boss, you would know exactly how to deal with him which it sound like you've done. All I had to do is split my party and have one person in each corner safe from the lava. Then you just kind of pass him back and forth between people hitting with the hammer. Easy as that. Two hits with the hammer while grym is superheated should do it.

In my personal opinion, the boss design is extremely good. It forces the player to use tactics and actually explore/read rather then just running at it like a gremlin trying to brute force it. It's the whole point of puzzles to begin with. Can you still brute force it? Of course! But it's going to be painful. Very little difference in this then in dealing with a vampire lord in usual DnD where unless you kill them in a few specific ways, they just respawn in a couple hours/days.