HM Bosses I Stopped Fearing

[Marshal Dunnik]

The first time I won my Golden Dice, I played it safe: some optional bosses skipped, some were taken down with a bit of cheese. But in subsequent Honour Mode runs, I've learned not to fear certain bosses. Here are six.

Mrykul

Often described as one of the most difficult fights in the game, the Lord of Bones doesn't scare me anymore - in part because of Protection from Good and Evil, which is the first tip to avoid his Frightened reaction. Save up scrolls. Also save up Necrotic Resistance potions. But the most important thing is to bring somebody who can swing the Doom Hammer, as it effectively allows you to ignore the Necromites. In my case, this was Bae'zel as a Battlemaster Fighter (spam Disarm), but obviously a Paladin is a great choice too, Minty or your Tav. My Tav tends to be a ranged Swords Bard, which for once is actually underpowered in this fight, a 5th wheel. All my Tav does is chip in some damage (with Ne'er Misser) and shoot Darkness arrows on Myrkul to Blind him. Almost any other Tav would be better for this fight, so this strategy effectively three-mans it.

My other two go-to party members are a hasted Gale as a Magic Missile machine gun (with Psychic Spark) and Karlach as a Tavern Brawler Monk (spam Stagger). As usual, I use Scratch to free Alyin, and kill the Mind Flayer ASAP. Since the Doom Hammer basically removes the Necromites from the fight, I talk Ketheric into un-aliveing himself and enter phase 2 immediately.

Orin

The first time I killed her in HM I cheesed it by chucking her into the abyss while Invisible, with the rest of the party back at camp. But a Hasted Gale with Level 6 MM x2 spam quickly eats her Invulnerability stacks, with the extra bolts chipping in damage. Then just find some combination to kill her in 1-2 rounds, there are ofc many ways to build a nova round team. A Paladin, BM Fighter, TB Monk are some of my go-tos. My Swords Bard-Fighter Tav is a little better here: hasted to spam Roaring Thunder arrows, to knock the cultists off (they're almost more of a pain to deal with than Orin). Orin may do a ton of damage but she doesn't have all that many hit points. By Level 12, you ought to have enough damage to deal with her in 1-2 rounds.

Cazador

Cazador probably got the biggest boss buff in the history of the game, with his nasty Necrotic aura and that bat swarm that can knock you off the platform. Many players suggest not bringing Astarion at all, or leave him in the back, and start the fight without the intro dialogue. I'm here to tell you you can absolutely bring Astarion and have the fight play out as normal. Have Scratch or Gale (or your Tav) using Dimension Door free him in Round 1. Astarion will be a #1 target throughout the fight, so building him in a way that maximises his durability is key (I gave him the Tough feat for more HP) as well as getting him heals.

Otherwise, the key is standing on the Ritual Sources. With most or all of them gone, the fight is fairly trivial. The Vampire Lord will often just spam Blight, like some low level undead mob. The rest of your party should be ranged attackers, just blow Cazador up and then chip away at his minions. Some way to quickly dispose of the bats via Spirit Guardians or MM is useful. You should of course cast Daylight. You should be able to muster enough minions. In my case I had 5 minions stand on Ritual Sources (including Shovel, who remained Invisible on top of one the entire fight, no murderizing him for him this time).

Saravok

A fight that is utterly trivialised with the Helm of Arcane Acuity and the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel. My Swords Bard killed the Echo of Sendai in one round, then Hold Person (at 90%) on poor Sarevok. Despite his combat prowess, he's just a big dumb human. He was dead in the first round: Gale once again as MM spammer, Bae'zel as BM Fighter and Karlach as a TB Monk. Hold Person and melee crits is so much damage you may think its unfair, but remember the enemies in the game do it to us!

Autie Ethel

I tend to wait until Level 6 but even at 5 it's doable. There's two ways to do this fight, the way its intended - the hard way - and the easy way, with Silence, probably the most game-breaking spell in the game. Just walk into her hut, drop Silence on her, and go to town. Once again TB Monk and BM Fighter works for me, but once again how you build a nova round team is up to you. With Silence up, she can't do anything, and Volo's eye pops her out of Invis. If you can slow her or knock her down, she can't get to the door fast enough. The fight can be settled upstairs in 1 round, allowing for a leisurely stroll through the rest of her lair to save Mayrina. I've heard some say this method doesn't work all the time, so prepare to fight her normally, but in about 5 HM attempts each time I've managed to trap and kill her upstairs.

Nere

Getting Elder Brithvar and his goons on your side is easy enough. The rest is Hold Person on Nere. No gear assists for Hold Person here, I just bring 3 party members who can cast it. It usually works on the first round, then I send a brawler in to finish the job. I tend to position Gale on the gantry above, from up there the entire battlefield is within range, including Nere. You should fight him after you visit the Adamantine Forge, assuming you party could use the upgrades. Speaking of, bonus boss: Illusion is all you need to kill Grym: just lure it under the hammer and fire an arrow at the lever from the platform above. This can be done solo. The whelps will attack Grym.

Hope this helps!

What are some fights you once feared but don't anymore?

[PDX MM]

My first HM win was as a dark urge who completely embraced my destiny. I was quite surprised that the single hardest fight for me that ended my first run was Orin. I never have feared her in slayer form but wow can she bring the pain in human form. I was over leveled both times I fought the hag but she will always have my respect.

[causality]

Originally posted by Marshal Dunnik:

The first time I won my Golden Dice, I played it safe: some optional bosses skipped, some were taken down with a bit of cheese. But in subsequent Honour Mode runs, I've learned not to fear certain bosses. Here are six.

Mrykul

Often described as one of the most difficult fights in the game, the Lord of Bones doesn't scare me anymore - in part because of Protection from Good and Evil, which is the first tip to avoid his Frightened reaction. Save up scrolls. Also save up Necrotic Resistance potions. But the most important thing is to bring somebody who can swing the Doom Hammer, as it effectively allows you to ignore the Necromites. In my case, this was Bae'zel as a Battlemaster Fighter (spam Disarm), but obviously a Paladin is a great choice too, Minty or your Tav. My Tav tends to be a ranged Swords Bard, which for once is actually underpowered in this fight, a 4th wheel. All my Tav does is chip in some damage (with Ne'er Misser) and shoot Darkness arrows on Myrkul to Blind him. Almost any other Tav would be better for this fight, so this strategy effectively three-mans it.

My other two go-to party members are a hasted Gale as a Magic Missile machine gun (with Psychic Spark) and Karlach as a Tavern Brawler Monk (spam Stagger). As usual, I use Scratch to free Alyin, and kill the Mind Flayer ASAP. Since the Doom Hammer basically removes the Necromites from the fight, I talk Ketheric into un-aliveing himself and enter phase 2 immediately.

Orin

The first time I killed her in HM I cheesed it by chucking her into the abyss while Invisible, with the rest of the party back at camp. But a Hasted Gale with Level 6 MM x2 spam quickly eats her Invulnerability stacks, with the extra bolts chipping in damage. Then just find some combination to kill her in 1-2 rounds, there are ofc many ways to build a nova round team. A Paladin, BM Fighter, TB Monk are some of my go-tos. My Swords Bard-Fighter Tav is a little better here: hasted to spam Roaring Thunder arrows, to knock the cultists off (they're almost more of a pain to deal with than Orin). Orin may do a ton of damage but she doesn't have all that many hit points. By Level 12, you ought to have enough damage to deal with her in 1-2 rounds.

Cazador

Cazador probably got the biggest boss buff in the history of the game, with his nasty Necrotic aura and that bat swarm that can knock you off the platform. Many players suggest not bringing Astarion at all, or leave him in the back, and start the fight without the intro dialogue. I'm here to tell you you can absolutely bring Astarion and have the fight play out as normal. Have Scratch or Gale (or your Tav) using Dimension Door free him in Round 1. Astarion will be a #1 target throughout the fight, so building him in a way that maximises his durability is key (I gave him the Tough feat for more HP) as well as getting him heals.

Otherwise, the key is standing on the Ritual Sources. With most or all of them gone, the fight is fairly trivial. The Vampire Lord will often just spam Blight, like some low level undead mob. The rest of your party should be ranged attackers, just blow Cazador up and then chip away at his minions. Some way to quickly dispose of the bats via Spirit Guardians or MM is useful. You should of course cast Daylight. You should be able to muster enough minions. In my case I had 5 minions stand on Ritual Sources (including Shovel, who remained Invisible on top of one the entire fight, no murderizing him for him this time).

Saravok

A fight that is utterly trivialised with the Helm of Arcane Acuity and the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel. My Swords Bard killed the Echo of Sendai in one round, then Hold Person (at 90%) on poor Sarevok. Despite his combat prowess, he's just a big dumb human. He was dead in the first round: Gale once again as MM spammer, Bae'zel as BM Fighter and Karlach as a TB Monk. Hold Person and melee crits is so much damage you may think its unfair, but remember the enemies in the game do it to us!

Autie Ethel

I tend to wait until Level 6 but even at 5 it's doable. There's two ways to do this fight, the way its intended - the hard way - and the easy way, with Silence, probably the most game-breaking spell in the game. Just walk into her hut, drop Silence on her, and go to town. Once again TB Monk and BM Fighter works for me, but once again how you build a nova round team is up to you. With Silence up, she can't do anything, and Volo's eye pops her out of Invis. If you can slow her or knock her down, she can't get to the door fast enough. The fight can be settled upstairs in 1 round, allowing for a leisurely stroll through the rest of her lair to save Mayrina. I've heard some say this method doesn't work all the time, so prepare to fight her normally, but in about 5 HM attempts each time I've managed to trap and kill her upstairs.

Nere

Getting Elder Brithvar and his goons on your side is easy enough. The rest is Hold Person on Nere. No gear assists for Hold Person here, I just bring 3 party members who can cast it. It usually works on the first round, then I send a brawler in to finish the job. I tend to position Gale on the gantry above, from up there the entire battlefield is within range, including Nere. You should fight him after you visit the Adamantine Forge, assuming you party could use the upgrades. Speaking of, bonus boss: Illusion is all you need to kill Grym: just lure it under the hammer and fire an arrow at the lever from the platform above. This can be done solo. The whelps will attack Grym.

Hope this helps!

What are some fights you once feared but don't anymore?

I mean if you're using broken things like Larian's homebrew Tavern Brawler then you don't really have to fear anything lol.

[Thorak]

I wouldn't say tavern brawler monk/thrower is stronger than a battlemaster archer with multi arrows, or a tempest cleric using chain lightning scrolls/markoheshkir.

There are some things I would consider as "cheese", but simply using a feat the way it's intended to be used is not one of them.

Perma sanctuary with moonlight, barrelmancy, lifting Gortash up and throwing him off a cliff on the other hand...

[pirate135246]

"A fight that is utterly trivialised with the Helm of Arcane Acuity and the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel" uh congrats? i guess lmao

[Thorak]

You really don't need any tricks even for honor mode. I just completed it with the worst party I have played so far:
1) Gale as main, pure evocation wizard focused om magic missiles.
2) Shadowheart, pure life cleric.
3) Karlach as wildheart melee barbarian.
4) Laezel -> Jaheira as pure gloom stalker ranger.

No multiclassing. No figher, no sorcererer. No cheese. No summons (except allies in the brain fight but I could likely completed it without them as well). Killed myrkul at lvl 8 without tavern brawler or doom hammer (used a normal +1 hammer). No protection from evil either, I used calm emotions on my whole party (casted by Shadowheart). Spammed lightning bold on a wet myrkul with a haste potion.

There are many ways to complete the game and once you learn the fights it is very easy even on honor mode.

My next run will be honour mode but with only 2 characters without summons or cheese and we'll see if I can complete it.

[KRON]

In my HM run the only bosses I feard were the Thorms, because I never fought them before my HM run since all of them can be defeated through dialogue.