The Hobgoblin Battle of Act 1
To the north is a cave being attacked by a party of hobgoblins and hyenas. Do not engage the attackers or approach the cave entrance. To the east of the cave is another entrance. It is a long, booby-trapped tunnel. Enter the tunnel, disarm the traps, and position your party halfway between the eastern entrance and the cave. Send one party member to talk to the defenders and begin the battle. Have them leave the cave and rejoin your party as quickly as possible. The hobgoblins will begin approaching the tunnel’s eastern entrance in piecemeal fashion. When they stop arriving, have one party member approach to the tunnel entrance to coax more of them out. A few attackers elect to remain inside the cave. Guide your party through the tunnel’s eastern entrance and approach the cave mouth. Kill the survivors. Inside the cave is a black chest. If it remains unopened, some Zhent traders to the west will reward you afterwards.
The Battle of Emerald Grove Act 1
The best way to defend the Emerald Grove is to destroy the Goblin Camp first. If you want anything the Zhent traders are offering inside the camp, I suggest you buy from them first before starting your attack. Near the entrance and throughout the camp are drums that summon reinforcements and a scrying eye in Minthara’s office. Take those out and douse any open flames that could unintentionally ignite your grease. Venture as far back inside the goblin camp as possible. You’ll end up in the prison area. Halsin is there in the guise of a bear. Kill everyone and wipe out the goblin children before they can summon help. Halsin reveals himself and will join your camp. Conquer the camp room by room. Sparing Volo means he will join your camp. Saving him in Act 3 will net you eight smoke powder barrels. Most of the combat is straightforward and uncomplicated. Halsin recommends killing the goblin’s three leaders: True Soul Gut, Minthara, and Dror Ragzlin. True Sol Gut won’t help you with your tadpole problem. The best approach is to initiate combat up in the rafters, fall back, and wipe them out as they ascend the ladders. Only Dror Ragzlin presents any kind of challenge. The best approach is to congest the doorway leading to his chamber with furniture and smoke powder barrels. Add some oil barrels too for extra comedic value. Draw them to the entrance using a ranged attack. When enough of them are congested inside in the doorway, light it up. By this time, Minthara remains your only problem. She’s with another minion in her office and very easy to take down. Outside, you have to clear the courtyard, the balcony area, and the area surrounding the camp’s outer gate. If you thought that was bad, try defending the Grove along its outer walls instead. Night and day.
The Githyanki Creche Act 1
Most of the battles inside the creche can be greatly simplified using furniture. There are three areas this is especially true: the room where the tadpole removal is performed, the training room, the commander’s office, and the arena occupied by the Inquisitor. Clog the entrances with as many chests and other obstacles as possible. Force your attackers to work around them. Use ranged attacks in the meantime. The commander’s office is an excellent example of what is possible. If you fully block the open stairway ahead of the commander’s desk and attack her assistant from outside of the office, the commander and her assistant make piecemeal attacks as they leave the office. The wolves were unable to find a way past the blocked stairway and stayed near the desk until we dispatched them. They just stood there, did nothing, and died from our ranged attacks.
The Underdark Forge Act 1
Near the forge is a boss named Grym. He’s essentially a huge robot with 300 hp. Using carefully placed smoke powder barrels where Grym would emerge, I managed to knock off 100 hp before combat began. I’m sure you could do better. If you separate your party and surround Grym, you can keep the big dummy busy by drawing him near one party member who attacked him and then divert him toward another party member who attacks him before he does any damage. Grym is dim. Grym is toast.
The Murder Tribunal Act 3
If you approach Sarevok Anchev via Candulhallow’s Tombstones and don’t want to bother with that storyline, your first order of business is to draw the three guardians away from the tribunal antechamber without speaking to them. Grease is a must here. They will clumsily trudge forward after being baited and not amount to much combat wise. Even Sarevok and the three Echoes aren’t much of a challenge. If you position your party on the platform that overlooks the tribunal, you can bait them and force them to ascend the platform before they attack you. Unfortunately, you can’t do a lot of preparation here because getting too close will trigger a cinematic. Enter the chamber, go to the right, ascend the platform, and snipe an echo.
The Wyrm Dragon Act 3
Use elixirs of lightening before you take on the dragon. A straightforward fight otherwise.
Mystic Carrion Act 3
If you side with Thrumbo, you can end Mystic Carrion’s immortality by pursuing that storyline. If you don’t side with him, you can find Mystic Carrion’s heart in the basement beneath Philgrave’s Mansion. Either way, use elixirs of necrotic resistance before battle and Shadowheart’s Create Water spell to remove nausea. Otherwise, the battle will become a horrible mess. I was shocked. I had just beaten Raphael and thought I could easily take on anything.
