Overview
A run-down on each monster found in the game and how to defeat them.
Introduction
Hi there. I just wrote up this little guide to help those who are struggling with certain monsters. Thanks to the design of the game, there are way to exploit each monster so that you barely get a scratch! Hope it helps!
Good Luck in the Dungeon!
General Tips
All monsters appear to share similar sight and tracking abilities, but their behaviour will vary once they sight you. All monsters can see you on any of the cardinal directions (i.e. north, east, south and west) up to about five squares away. Diagonal sight is more unpredictable, though all monsters will see you if you enter a square directly diagonal to them.
- In addition, monsters will ALWAYS see you in squares adjacent, but not diagonal to them, even if you are invisible. This includes grates and portcullises, but not solid doors and fake walls.
Once sighted, monsters will track you for several squares. You can lose a pursuing creature by creating distance and/or breaking line-of-sight. Due to how far the game renders, a monster will lose track of you once you are far enough away that they are outside the view distance of the game.
The common technique when fighting that I strongly recommend using is the Grim-Step. Cos has written an excellent guide on it and I will refer to it often when fighting with the denizens of Mount Grimrock.
Giant Snail
- Slow
- Low-Damage
Cons
- Rarely alone
- Quick Bite Attack
The giant snail is the first enemy you will encounter. They are slow and predictable and easy to deal with, but be careful as they often come in numbers. Due to their slow-moving nature, you can easily deal with them by backtracking as you can get a couple of hits on them as they move into a square adjacent to you. Be careful and quick on your feet though, as their attack is quicker than you might expect. Otherwise, your standard Grim-Step is effective.
Their movement pattern is predictable. They will move into a square adjacent to you, turn, and attack. They occasionally ‘hesitate’ when deciding which square to move into when they are diagonally adjacent to you and may turn a few times before moving.
They don’t have much Protection or Evade, and have a small, but decent health pool. It will take several strikes from inexperienced adventurers to deal with them. They only have a melee attack, but they can attack rapidly every few seconds, dealing a moderate amount of damage over a short period of time.
Herder
- Slow
- Vulnerable to Ice and Fire
Cons
- Tough for low-level characters
- Posion Resistant
The most common evolution of herder, these creatures shamble around slowly and attack anything that comes into sight. They aren’t much more of a threat than the Snails. Their melee attacks deal more damage per hit, but they are slightly slower.
They move similar to snails, but are much less likely to hesitate when moving from a diagonal square.
With a slightly larger health pool, all Herders are vulnerable to Ice and Fire attacks. They are slightly resistant to poison. With little Protection or Evade, they are easy targets of the Grim-Step.
Spore Herder
- Weak
Cons
- Fast Moving
- Ranged
- Attacks may Poison a character
These miniature Herders are much faster than the usual breeds and present a decent threat early in the game. They nearly always appear with other Herders and provide long-range support by shooting poison bolts at potential threats. They also appear in pairs in later levels, however, they still only shoot a single poison bolt.
They will use their poison bolt regardless of range. The bolt is slow-moving so make sure you have room to dodge.
Often charging ahead, they can be easily lured away from their slower brethren and dealt with safely. They have the lowest health of the Herders and can often be destroyed in a single hit by higher-level characters. Either way, it’s a good idea to deal with these first as their poison effect will whittle your party’s health long after their dead. It is preferable to get in close as you can use the Grim-Step to prevent them getting a bolt off.
Elder Herder
- Slow Moving
Cons
- Damage Resistant
- Immune to Posion
- Can Attack from any direction
This beast of a Herder is unique in that it can use a poison gas attack in any cardinal direction, regardless of its facing direction. For this reason, the Elder poses the biggest threat in close quarter combat.
They have the biggest health pool of the Herders and are completely immune to poison attacks. Their hardened growth provides them addition Protection. Take advantage of their slow movement and attack with ranged weapons.
If you have to attack in close combat, use the Grim-Step, but DO NOT move into a square adjacent to them. Their Poison Gas attack is almost instantaneous and remains in the square for several seconds, causing additional damage if you enter it again while doing the Grim-Step. Instead, wait for the Elder to move and attack it on the square it is moving into and then step aside before it finishes moving. If you delay, it may have a chance to attack.
Undead Soldier
- Slow Moving
- Low-Damage
Cons
- Immune to Posion
- Can appear in groups of four
Just because they’re dead, doesn’t mean they won’t fulfil their duty. These once-human guards continue to roam the corridors of Grimrock. While not a very threatening enemy, they often patrol in groups, sometimes in a formation of four. Either way, it’s easy to deal with them, just watch out for flanking enemies and their supporting Archers.
Their spear attack is weak but quick and their shield helps protect them from harm. The old Grim-Step will help you here, just avoid coming face-to-face as they often get a quick stab in. When in a formation of four, it’s a good idea to use Area-Of-Effect attacks as it will hit all four of the unit, rather than just the front two as melee attacks do. Poison attacks don’t work on them, because they’re already dead.
Undead Archer
- Weak
Cons
- Immune to Posion
- Ranged
Archers are often found supporting Soldiers or shooting at you from across pits. Unlike other enemies, these are the first pure ranged enemy. They will avoid melee combat and use hit-and-run tactics to keep you distracted. Archers come in singles or pairs.
Their Frost Arrows do a moderate amount of damage and taking them out should be your priority. Thanks to their erratic movement, they are hard to pin down and for once, the Grim-Step won’t help here. Get in close and dodge their arrows. Watch for the firing animation; you only get a few moments to move aside before they fire.
Crowern
- Weak
- Slow to turn
Cons
- Fast Moving
- High-Damage
One of the first flying creatures that you will encounter, these beasts are fast, but predictable. They can fly over any ground-based hazards so they can attack from angles you might not anticipate. Fortunately, their wings make a lot of noise, so you can usually hear when they are around.
They are vulnerable to most attacks, but still have a decent health pool. Be careful when attacking them with ranged weapons that you don’t kill the beast while it’s over a pit, otherwise you’ll have to drop down to fetch your ammunition.
Keep your distance as they can dart forward and attack with amazing speed and a nasty amount of damage, but they are slow to turn. Use this to your advantage and avoid attacking head-on. Instead, use the Grim-Step to attack them while they turn.
There is a mutated Crowern seen on later levels that has developed the ability to fire electrical bolts from great distances. These versions are more durable and their melee attacks deal even more damage. Oh, and they’re almost immune to electrical damage.
Giant Spider
- Haha, no. These things are from hell itself
Cons
- Fast
- Rarely alone
- Attacks may Poison
If you don’t have Arachnophobia you soon will, because these things will terrify even the bravest adventurer. This Nightmare Fuel is both fast and ferocious, with an attack that has a good chance of poisoning its victim. If you hear their skittering, take care and watch your back, they never hunt alone.
You should attack at range, but their speed means they’ll force you into melee at some point. Try and force combat into a corridor or lure a single spider away from the rest. The Grim-Step works well when dealing with a single spider, but you’ll quickly get cornered with multiple spiders around. Spiders almost always ‘hesitate’ when deciding which square to move into when they are diagonally adjacent to you and will turn rapidly many times before moving. You’ll need quick reflexes to land an attack while Grim-Stepping. Avoid attacking their front, as their attack is fast and has a chance to poison.
Have antidotes handy when fighting spiders or wear poison-resistant armour. Fire magic is effective against spiders as they don’t have much Protection. They don’t have an impressive health pool, but you’ll find they’ll Evade many of your attacks.
Giant Crab
- Slow Moving
- Vulnerable to Lightning
Cons
- Can side-step
- High Damage
- Strong Protection
A beast of incomparable horror. You’ll learn to hate these monstrosities. The Giant Crab litters the mid to lower levels and are a dangerous foe. You’ll find them in all sorts of places and often hiding in the secret rooms of the mountain.
Aside from its high damage attack, the Giant Crab has the ability to sidestep. This means it is difficult to not end be face-to-face and near impossible for Rogues to get a Backstab. A hard shell deflects all but the most damaging attacks, making unskilled weapons useless. Their claws are not fast, but they’re quick enough to make engaging head-on dangerous.
Using the Grim-Step, avoid walking in front of them and attack from the side. Crabs will often ‘hesitate’ for longer periods before moving, so take the initiative and move to their side and attack. It’s uncommon to encounter a single Giant Crab, so be aware of your surroundings. Getting cornered by Giant Crabs is a death sentence, even for higher level characters. If outnumbered, take the fight to a corridor and backtrack. Lightning attacks are very effective against them, so put some points into Air Magic for your Mage.
Uggardian
- Vulnerable to Ice
Cons
- Immune to Fire
- Avoids melee combat
- Flying
Fire Spirits summoned from Mages long passed, these guardians continue their duty ever-vigilant. Not only can they fly over hazards, they’re very good at dodging ranged attacks.
Uggardians use fireball attack regardless of distance. In open areas, it’s easy to dodge the slow-moving projectile, but the real danger is in the corridors they often patrol. It can be difficult to get into melee range without taking a fireball to the face, so take advantage of corners.
Their movement pattern is still somewhat predictable, and you can manipulate them into moving into areas where you can deal with them. Firstly, Uggardians will almost always move sideways to be in line with you, even through walls. This can make coaxing them down hallways difficult if they are in a room. In a hallway, they will move to the last place they saw you, even into melee range.
Deal with them at range if you can, but their armour is tough and will reduce the damage of ranged weapons. They are completely immune to fire attacks, but vulnerable to ice. Use a Frost Bolt as this has a chance of freezing them, allowing you to move into melee range. Once you’re in an open area, use the Grim-Step to deal with them easily.
Tentacle
- Can’t move
Cons
- Attacks may Restrain
- Doesn’t appear until adjacent
These crappy tentacles are a nuisance rather than a hazard. They’re not even any good for Hentai. They spring out of grates in the floor and strike with a decent amount of damage. Their attacks also have a chance of ‘Restraining’ a character, leaving them unable to take actions for a short period of time.
Because they hide, you’ll need to engage in melee combat. They are easy to deal with because you can attack them during their emerging animation and then back away before they are ready to attack. If you’re lucky, they’ll even stay up afterwards allowing you to get a ranged attack off.
Slime
- Slow Moving
- Glows bright green
Cons
- Can attack in any direction
- Can attack through grates
- Doesn’t need to turn
- High health
- Attacks may Disease
This glowing green blob is surprisingly durable and extremely dangerous to low-level characters. Don’t be fooled by their appearance. Even though they clearly have a turning animation, they have no front or back side. They can attack and move in any direction at any time and cannot be Backstabbed. Their splash attack even hits through grates.
These things are a nightmare to deal with. Not only do their attacks do quite a bit of damage, they also sometimes cause Disease, which prevents natural healing for a time. On top of that, you’ll often encounter them in tight hallways with little room to escape. Your best bet is to tank them one at a time and then run back to the nearest Crystal of Life to heal.
If you manage to get them into an area where you can Grim-Step, then the same rules as the Elder Herder apply here. DO NOT move into a square adjacent to them. They can attack with surprising speed. Wait for the Slime to move and attack it on the square it is moving into and then step aside before it finishes moving. If you delay, it may have a chance to attack.
Scavenger
- Weak
Cons
- Often in groups
- Fast Moving
These small, lizard-like critters are quick on their feet and their bite is FAR worse than their bark. Fortunately they are fragile little things and go down easily in a few solid hits.
Because they often hunt in groups as well as coming in singles and pairs, most of the time you’ll find yourself surrounded, so the Grim-Step is difficult to use. Your best bet is to back into a corner or better yet a tunnel and deal with them one at a time head-on. If you have a strong melee fighter in your group, you shouldn’t have too much issue. If you’ve invested in ranged combat, try and pick them off from a distance.
Tunnel Ogre
- Slow Moving
- Predictable
Cons
- Tough
- High damage
These behemoths are a force to be reckoned with. Armed with a mighty stone club, they can kill a character in just a few hits. Thankfully, they are slow, but not as dumb as they look.
Ogres will attack in front of them with a hard-hitting blow. NEVER engage in front-on combat. Instead keep your distance and use ranged attacks. When you’re more than two squares in front of him, he will charge at you. While not as damaging as his club attack, he can cover a lot of distance very quickly. Alternatively, you can use this to manipulate him into wider areas or hit him as he runs past you. Be careful when attacking his right side. He can do a quick right-hand swing which can deal lots of damage.
He has a large health pool, and will take many hits to bring down. Use the Grim-Step or a torero (bullfighter) technique and watch that right side swing!
Shrakk Torr
- Weak
Cons
- Very Fast
- Attacks may Disease
Basically a giant fly, these things are the fastest creature you’ll meet. They can cover several squares in the blink of an eye and attack in rapid succession. Fortunately they are rather weak.
Their attacks don’t do much damage, but they can strike once or twice a second. In addition, a character may become ‘Diseased’ when bitten. The easiest way to deal with these nasty things is to tank them as quickly as possible. They won’t last long against some strong melee attacks.
Goromorg
- Slow Moving
- Weak in Melee
Cons
- Protected by a Magic Shield
- Can open doors
- Uses a variety of Magic
Guardians of Grimrock, these hooded figures pose one of the biggest threats in the game. They use a variety of magic attacks, can open any door that has a chain and their magic shield offers complete protection. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are immortal though. The shield can only take so much damage before it fails, leaving the Goromorg vulnerable.
These things are weak in melee combat, so get close and Grim-Step. They can cast their spells with amazing speed though, so don’t walk in front of them. For example, they may use the Ice Shard attack which hits you almost instantly if you are within its four square range. Like the Giant Crab, they can side-step and often ‘hesitate’ before moving. If you want to deal with them faster, step to their side and get a few hits in.
Ice Lizard
- Slow Moving
- Predictable
Cons
- Immune to Ice
- Quiet
- High Damage
These giant lizards are perhaps the most dangerous predators in Grimrock. They are protected by a hardy skin and their teeth are quite pointy. If you do defeat one though, you are rewarded with a juicy steak, which is also one of the most filling food items in the game.
They’re pretty quiet, but they still have a distinctive grunt and step sound that you should keep an ear out for. Don’t let these things corner you either, you’ll be their next meal quicker than you can blink. They have complete immunity to Ice damage, but are vulnerable to lightning.
The best way to deal with Ice Lizards is to lead one away to an area where you can Grim-Step. Their predictable movement makes them more of a chore than a challenge. They will always turn and move in as few moves as possible. You can square dance with them forever if you want, but if you’ve got better things to do then just keep hitting them until they die. With that said, don’t get cocky with them either. Don’t try and get behind them for extra hits as you might find yourself bitten.
Warden
- Slow Moving
- Predictable
Cons
- Massive Damage
- High Health
- Fast Side Attack
These colossal titans of iron are perhaps the most dangerous enemy in the game. They have a massive amount of health and a swing of their twin flails will outright kill any squishier characters. They behave exactly the same as the Tunnel Ogre, but they can do a fast side-swing in either direction as opposed to the right side for Ogres.
Because they also have a charge attack, use it to lure them away from other enemies or deal with others first. You need all your attention when fighting a Warden, as a single moment of distraction can lead to the death of one of your party. Use the Grim-Step with care and don’t delay when moving away otherwise you’ll be hit by their side-swing. Because they are so slow to turn and move, they will always take the fewest moves to get next to you, as with the Ice Lizards. Unlike the Ice Lizards, they are slow enough that you CAN get behind them and get a Backstab in. Keep dancing with them until they die.
It takes about a minute to kill a single Warden unless you’ve got a character’s skill up to max. I used an Unarmed fighter with a rank of 50 and could deal about 30-50 damage per normal hit, extra if a special move was used.
Credits
Thanks to Almost Human Games for making Legend of GrimRock. It’s a really awesome game that completely satisfied my Dungeon Crawling itch.
Thanks to everyone at the Legend of Grimrock Wiki Page[grimrock.wikia.com] from where I stole all the pictures because I couldn’t be bothered getting my own.
Thanks to you for reading this slog of text.
P.S. I didn’t include the final boss because I didn’t want spoilers and it’s not really that difficult to fight it. For a final boss, I can think of a hundred ways to ‘defeat’ it. I don’t really get why it’s so dangerous that it needed a whole Mountain Dungeon to lock it up.