Cannot pass defend the defender's heart

[K1773R]

I recently got back into this game and I am having trouble with this mission when you have to defend the tavern.

So first of all I understand this game with respect to other tactical rpgs I've played has a lot of micro-management. But I do not think it is even virtually possible to parse enough damage with my current squad and build (hunter lvl3) to pass this mission. Kind of a bummer.

I have 3 ranged, 1 pet, 3 melee. The melee are useless, including the pet, because they get flanked immediately and/or devoured by the countless mobs. So I use them as much as I can at the start by making them go up the stairs to the kill some of the enemies climbing the wall. After thats done, they stay behind the guards in front of the tavern.

When the big demon ♥♥♥♥♥♥ comes, I am at 9 tavern defenses and all my two tank melee's are down. I cannot push out to chill the alchemist fire throwers, as then I'll just get targeted and they die immediately. At this point, within 20 seconds he just wrecks the remaining defenses.

There isn't much else I can do- is this one of those missions you are supposed to fail?

[Schlumpsha]

No, you're not supposed to fail the defense battle. Although failing it doesn't mean it's game over for you. You'll be a bit in a disadvantage once you enter act 2 and must deal with the crusade mode. But that's all.

Quickest way to win the Defender's Heart battle is to ignore all units except the Arsonists, then deal with the minotaur. Some well placed Grease/Entangle spells and movement enhancing buffs like Expeditious Retreat will also help.

[dszombiex]

Well, you're not SUPPOSED to fail it but you CAN fail it. That's one possible outcome.

I think an important concept that isn't very well communicated by the game is that it expects you to have a variety of tools to solve the combat puzzles it throws at you. And they are puzzles. For example if you come across a situation where an enemy seems to have impossibly high Armor Class, the game is telegraphing that you need to use a different tool to solve that puzzle rather than physical attacks. If you created a party that doesn't have that deep toolbox to solve these puzzles it can suck immensely.

Specifically regarding the fight you're talking about, some magic capable characters casting grease or web at the points where enemy fodder units are spawning in at tends to make this fight much much easier.

[K1773R]

it is literally not possible. I have 3 magic casters, I can cast daze and sleep for cc. But that is about it. I literally do not think I can pass this because there are just too many enemies. I honestly don't understand how it would be even possible without being a few levels higher, even with other classes.

[dszombiex]

Originally posted by K1773R:

it is literally not possible. I have 3 magic casters, I can cast daze and sleep for cc. But that is about it. I literally do not think I can pass this because there are just too many enemies. I honestly don't understand how it would be even possible without being a few levels higher, even with other classes.

I mean, you can just watch people do it on YouTube. What level are you? It's possible you may have missed content and be under leveled.

[K1773R]

Originally posted by dszombiex:

Originally posted by K1773R:

it is literally not possible. I have 3 magic casters, I can cast daze and sleep for cc. But that is about it. I literally do not think I can pass this because there are just too many enemies. I honestly don't understand how it would be even possible without being a few levels higher, even with other classes.

I mean, you can just watch people do it on YouTube. What level are you? It's possible you may have missed content and be under leveled.

Hunter level 3

[dszombiex]

Originally posted by K1773R:

Originally posted by dszombiex:

I mean, you can just watch people do it on YouTube. What level are you? It's possible you may have missed content and be under leveled.

Hunter level 3

Yeah, you may have missed a few things. I'm usually 5 when I do it.

[K1773R]

Originally posted by dszombiex:

Originally posted by K1773R:

Hunter level 3

Yeah, you may have missed a few things. I'm usually 5 when I do it.

well the thing Is I don't understand if there is a timer in the game. Can I go out of the walls and complete the other tasks or will I risk getting everyone killed?

[dszombiex]

Originally posted by K1773R:

Originally posted by dszombiex:

Yeah, you may have missed a few things. I'm usually 5 when I do it.

well the thing Is I don't understand if there is a timer in the game. Can I go out of the walls and complete the other tasks or will I risk getting everyone killed?

For this specific event, it happens after 3ish in game days. Depending on how hard of a time you're having and how much you have to rest after reaching the Defender's Heart after the underground, you may not have time to do much at all or lots of stuff. Try to get as much done as possible with as little rest as possible.

EDIT: If the time comes and you're not at the tavern, a messenger will come looking for you and come get you when it's time to defend. Don't ignore him.

[Schlumpsha]

It is also possible to evade the whole Defender's Heart situation altogether as long as you find a way into the Gray Garrison before the messanger finds you. Tho that requires as little rests as possible in early act 1.

[MOK]

I just now went through this battle successfully at level 3.
I think I could've done better, and I can see a lot of ways to do this, but in my case here's what was key in my battle:

1) Ember puts stuff to sleep. Sleepy things get Coup De Grace. Color spray is also really effective on all the trash spam if you can keep them clustered at chokepoints, and also yields coup de grace kills.

2) Tanky Boar pet with mage armor and health potions doing an epic holding action at the top of the stairs for a looooong time.

3) Focus fire the bombers. Really, focus fire anything, if the bombers aren't there - spreading damage across multiple targets is no good.

4) I didn't fight the things that will murder me, like the Mino. Or even the little goat dude that climbs in half way. Don't play to bosses strengths.

5) Related, when I saw a setup to shut me down, I stopped what I was doing and avoid it.
When I saw the little farting jerks, it was them I was scared of more than the minotaur. I ran away to avoid getting hit by their Nauseous purple cloud. I let the NPC's line eat those casts, and didn't move in until I knew there wasn't going to be another cloud.

5) Set up and dunk. I cast Pit as the little jerks moved in as a group along with the minotaur. They pretty much all fell in, which bought a lot of time to clean out the trash and prepare. When the pit expired, spat them out, Ember put the Mino straight to sleep. I took a couple turns surrounding it without waking him, did a coup that does insufficient damage, but then he ate a half dozen attacks of opportunity when he got up.

6) Cold iron Javelin on Wendy did quite a bit of work. Sneak attacks from rogue face did a lot of work. Everyone else's damage was quite low, but they did their part to waste the trash spam's attacks, and keep them bottled up in the north.

[Rodso]

ive played the opening act of the game several times(in an effort to find a class i like dam you owlcat to many options) and ive never had the defenders heart battle proc

[Immortal Reaver]

You also need to only kill arsonists and demons. You can avoid damaging mobs and they will beeline it to defence line with Irabeth.

[Soul]

I play on normal mode and am usually level 6 when I do the tavern defense.....

also I play with turn based mode and use selective grease in key locations before starting the event.... I drop 1 selective grease right outside both gates and one on the top of the stairs where enemies spawn in.... and then talk to irabeth to start the event... cause grease lasts for minutes long it will be up the whole fight and then some.... whole event is finished for me somewhere below 30 rounds.... one regular haste and rebuff one extended haste is enough to have up for whole fight

[Gralzeim]

Yeah you can have Woljiff at that point and he knows Grease by default, his DCs definitely fall off later in the game (better to focus his spellcasting on buffs, primarily), but that early on him casting grease can be useful.

Also yeah definitely don't get bogged down trying to kill Every Enemy, that'll waste your limited resources (healing spells and potions, your party's HP, any offensive spells you throw at them, etc). Save them for the Arsonists and the Minotaur at the end. Once all of those are dead you have won the fight.

Regarding the Minotaur, yeah, it's big and intimidating, but here's a tip: its will save is low.

[Dave]

Strategy on Unfair (applicable to any lower difficulty):

1. You can do this fight at level 4-5 (I do it at lvl 5 usually). Level 3 is a lot more difficult but doable with the right strategy

2. You are NOT supposed to send your tank in the middle. Irabeth and all the soldiers do not move an inch, so they help ONLY if enemies come to them. So you put your tank in the middle of the guards, helping them, and let them kill any1 who comes

3. There are 4 specific enemies you must kill personally, that will make you lose the battle if not handled in time. You need to focus ONLY on them.

-- Arsonists. They ignore everything and throw bombs. I usually kill them with Lann (archer) or Seelah (mounted pala/monk). Since they don't fight back handling them is fast and easy

-- Glaive wielding cultists. They have reach, so one of them can kill the entire squad of npc guards cos they can't reach him and they do not move an inch. You wait for them (they coem 1-2 at the time TWICE during the battle), then move your tank out of the guards group, intercepting and killing him. Always close to the guards so they can keep killing the other normal enemies

-- Schir. Same as above. he has reach, so the NPC guards are useless not being able to move and reach him. Same strategy. MOve a little to get his attention and tank/kill him

-- Minotaur. Guess what? Same problem (reach) and same strategy

You need delay poison communal, or a single dretch is all it is needed to make you lose the fight