Drezen Retriever

[Zagreus]

So, I might be missing something, but this thing feels out of place and just bad to fight. I'm not inexperienced, I've run up against this thing a few times now and it always leaves me just annoyed, not satisfied.

It's got saves so high that you have to pretty much hope it rolls a 1. It's got a DR that even Regill with a few stacks of Unrelenting Assault pretty much only tickles it. Adding planar stuff doesn't help. Blasters don't do much because of a very difficult to his Spell resistance. The only way I can think of doing anything reliably, are Archers with Clustered Shots. Too bad that it deals so much damage that your frontline won't hold more than 3 rounds.

What I'm getting at is that it seems like an encounter you have to build around from the start and it seems like a pretty mean spot to put it so late in the siege. Am I missing something obvious?

[Immortal Reaver]

Regil's Smite Chaos bypasses DR.
I remember spamming Glitterdust and it worked on 3rd try. Conjuration spells do not target SR and I used them mostly until act 3.

You can also get 3 keys from Dretches (in tavern, jail and temple), go to right around the wall and find room with lever that will open the gates, and bypass siege of the gates and with that also the Retriever.

[Immortal Reaver]

Originally posted by Zagreus:

As in, literally the next boss is way easier. I don't understand the reasoning behind putting an enemy like that here and feel like I'm missing something.

Dunno about that, unless you run away (in TB mode you also need to win intiative) the fire damage will destroy your party, it deals so much damage, not even Resist Fire is enough, for backline not even making save to halve damage is enough.
If you survive it is easier because lvl 15 allies are there to take aggro.

[Zagreus]

Ah okay, thanks. That honestly helps

[Zagreus]

Originally posted by Immortal Reaver:

Originally posted by Zagreus:

As in, literally the next boss is way easier. I don't understand the reasoning behind putting an enemy like that here and feel like I'm missing something.

Dunno about that, unless you run away (in TB mode you also need to win intiative) the fire damage will destroy your party, it deals so much damage, not even Resist Fire is enough, for backline not even making save to halve damage is enough.
If you survive it is easier because lvl 15 allies are there to take aggro.

Yeah, I had to reload and redo the fight. I had too much dice luck the first time, that's why I took it down.

[Babbles]

Originally posted by Immortal Reaver:

Regil's Smite Chaos bypasses DR.
I remember spamming Glitterdust and it worked on 3rd try. Conjuration spells do not target SR and I used them mostly until act 3.

You can also get 3 keys from Dretches (in tavern, jail and temple), go to right around the wall and find room with lever that will open the gates, and bypass siege of the gates and with that also the Retriever.

Yeah - 3 keys, Balor, then inside, ignore false banner, get real banner, get level 3 mythic - then go back outside and clean up if you can be bothered.

There are a few beeline situations like this:

Grey Garrison: Stairwell north west of level 1, then kill Jeslyn for key, then on to Minagho.
Vescovar Swarm: All the loot is rubbish, just beeline the Queen.
Lost Chapel: Run straight to Nukeleth, all the other stuff is there if you com back later, including Arueleshae's opener.
Drezen: As above.
Wintersun: Go kill the Chieftan, everything else will wait for more levels later.

[Zagreus]

Genuine question, where is this shortcut? Because I got all 3 keys, got to the secret door, but all I found in there were a bunch of Incubi guarding a lever that opened the main gate. I still had to force myself past that Retriever. I couldn't find any other way

[Babbles]

Originally posted by Zagreus:

Genuine question, where is this shortcut? Because I got all 3 keys, got to the secret door, but all I found in there were a bunch of Incubi guarding a lever that opened the main gate. I still had to force myself past that Retriever. I couldn't find any other way

Oh, yeah you have to kill the Incubi, sorry, it seems easier than that metal monster - don't be afraid to reload a couple of times to try each solution, it is a computer game, after all :)

It isn't like you have to re-roll a new character with a back story the DM agrees on and start from level 1 again :)

[Zagreus]

True and fair enough. What I meant though is that the only thing of interest I see in that Incubus hallway is the lever that opens the gate next to the Retriever. Nothing that circumvents that fight.

Also to clarify, I got past it thanks to some of the tips here. So genuinely thanks for that. I'm just honestly curious if there is a way around it for potential future playthroughs

[Yannir]

I'm confused. Did Retrievers get a buff in the latest patch or something? I've done this many times and Retrievers, the spider-demon things, are usually the least of my problems.

[thunda]

Originally posted by Yannir:

I'm confused. Did Retrievers get a buff in the latest patch or something? I've done this many times and Retrievers, the spider-demon things, are usually the least of my problems.

They didnt. I'm on my 5th solo playthrough (Shifter/Mutawarrior) and the Drezen Retriever was one of the easiest foes in Drezen. Though it did one-shot me with the perma petrification the first time lmao.