General Graardor

General Graardor (called Bandos Boss in Quick Chat) is currently the sixth strongest monster in RuneScape and is only preceded by K'ril Tsutsaroth, Nomad, TzTok-Jad, the Spirit Beast and the Corporeal Beast in combat level, and is therefore the fifth highest attackable creature.

In the FunOrb game Armies of Gielinor, in the Bandos army side, it shows an ourg with the image of General Graardor or (Bandos Boss), which was the first time he was referred to as a member of the race. Reldo confirmed this in issue 39 of Postbag from the Hedge. Prior to 6 May 2009, General Graardor dropped big bones instead of ourg bones when killed.

Prior to the release of The Chosen Commander quest on 17 March 2009, Graardor referred to Bandos as the "Big High War God." He now refers to him by name, in keeping with the idea that "Big High War God" is a term used only by the goblin race. However, he can still say "Big High War God"

General Graardor is wearing a type of leopard printed tassets, which is a basic cream colour when on a player.

Early history
Details regarding General Graardor's history are virtually impossible to find. The ourg race, of which Graardor is a part, was brought to Gielinor from Yu'biusk in the early Third Age along with ogres, goblins, and orks. However, it is likely that Graardor was born some time during the God Wars.

Graardor, during the late Third Age, was one of Bandos's most favoured soldiers. Like many ourgs, such as Yokrad and Blorgak, his talents earned him many leadership positions in Bandos's army. His strategic military tactics, as well as his simple physical strength, made him an ideal leader. Graardor's physical strength was such that he eventually learned to fight both with weaponry and with his bare hands.

Guthixian campaign
Most of Graardor's accomplishments during the God Wars have been long-forgotten. As seen in the FunOrb strategy game Armies of Gielinor, Graardor is known to have actively participated in the Bandosians' efforts to repel Guthixian forces in what is now the Wilderness, in what would have been the late Third Age. Given the game's approach to Canon, certain elements of Graardor's role in the game may not be canonical.

Graardor appears in both the "God Wars" and "End of An Age" levels, and in both features as a prominent enemy of the player, who commands Bandos's forces. During the "God Wars" level, which is set in the North-West Wilderness, Graardor commands the Bandosian army in what gradually becomes an all-out five-way battle between the forces of Bandos, Saradomin, Armadyl, Zamorak, and Guthix. Other key Third Age leaders such as Pazuzu, Wingman Skree, and Brother Constantius were amongst those whom Graardor faced.

Graardor also makes an appearance in the game's final level, "End of An Age." The level represents one of the God Wars' final battles, during which many forces clashed with the Guthixian army. Graardor, Commander Zilyana, Dag'eth, and other Third Age leaders are amongst those present. Although Guthix is ultimately victorious during the battle, Graardor and a number of other leaders evidently managed to escape, and later re-emerged.

The Godsword
Graardor's last task in Bandos's forces came in the late Third Age, when a hasty alliance between Bandos, Saradomin, and Armadyl fought against Zamorak in what is now called the God Wars Dungeon of Troll Country. The battle was evidently fought in an effort to claim the Godsword, an extremely powerful weapon crafted by the Icyene.

Although initially the battle was fought only between Zamorak and the Alliance, distrust between the Gods' armies quickly led to the conflict erupting into four-way chaos. Graardor, content with this, oversaw the construction of a rudimentary base of operations in an offshoot of the cave. This fortress, now known as "Bandos's Stronghold," served to house both Graardor and troops rotating out of combat in the main chamber. Graardor himself was placed under the protection of Goblin Sergeants Strongstack, Steelwill, and Grimspike.

During the course of the fighting, a spell cast by an unknown army backfired upon the entire cavern, freezing the entire cave perfectly in place. Graardor was amongst those left imprisoned. Very shortly after this occurred, the god Guthix established the Edicts of Guthix, preventing the direct involvement of any deity in Gielinor. The departure of the world's Gods and the subsequent end of the God Wars meant that the cavern was forgotten, and Graardor would remain imprisoned with its populace for more than 2,000 years to come.

In the recent Fifth Age, investigations by both the dwarven explorer Nestor Peregrine and the Asgarnian Temple Knights nearly resulted in the cave's (and Graardor's) rediscovery. In 169, tectonic movement in the neighbouring Wilderness caused large portions of the cave to defrost, eventually leading to the release of most of the cavern's population. Unaware that the God Wars have ended, Graardor and the rest of the battle's leaders have resumed the battle for the godsword once again.

Appearances outside the God Wars Dungeon


General Graardor makes brief cameo appearances throughout both RuneScape media and the game itself. He is like a logo to RuneScape.


 * General Graardor makes an appearance on the main menu as a picture for the French servers release. He can be also seen on the Members' benefit page, and is included in Postbag from the Hedge Issue 39's top ten most powerful monsters.
 * Graardor is one of several in-game characters to feature on a set of downloadable RuneScape Duel Cards.
 * During the 2009 Easter Event and 2010 Easter event, while sorting the defected nuts, players could also find various other objects. One of these was a Graardor plush toy; in the 2010 event the squirrel Big Ben mentions that they arrived as part of a shipping error.
 * A poster depicting General Graardor can be purchased from the Jagex Store. Shortly before the release of The Chosen Commander, a t-shirt depicting the face of Bandos was also made available; however, its appearance was nearly identical to that of Graardor. He also appears on 12-month RuneScape membership cards.
 * A computer wallpaper depicting Graardor can be found on the Official RuneScape Website.
 * Graardor features in various Armies of Gielinor adverts sometimes seen on the Funorb website. In it, he is shown punching towards the viewer before the game's logo appears.
 * In December 2009, the Jagex Store was temporarily taken down while parts of the site were re-worked. When visiting the website, the only accessible page featured a picture of General Graardor, along with the message "Coming This December."
 * On the official RuneFest website, Graardor can be seen on a panel offering event tickets.
 * A puzzle box featuring Graardor can be obtained during Treasure Trails.

Bodyguards

 * Sergeant Strongstack (Melee).
 * Sergeant Steelwill (Magic).
 * Sergeant Grimspike (Ranged).

Quotes
When in battle, General Graardor says many quotes to do with defeating the characters that dare to venture deep enough to kill him, these quotes are:


 * "Death to our enemies!".
 * "Brargh!".
 * "Break their bones!".
 * "For the glory of Bandos!.
 * "Split their skulls!".
 * "We feast on the bones of our enemies tonight!".
 * "CHAAARGE!".
 * "Crush them underfoot!".
 * "All glory to Bandos!".
 * "GRAAAAAAAAAR!".

Strategy
General Graardor is the most popular of the four God Wars bosses to kill, as he is arguably the easiest, but players should not take him too lightly. Players must kill 40 minions of Bandos in the God Wars Dungeon before they can fight him. The easiest method is killing 40 goblins. To enter Bandos's Stronghold, players must have at least 70 Strength and a hammer (or a volatile hammer or a sacred clay hammer or a golden hammer).

Graardor must be killed first, in order to neutralise his minions. If a minion is killed before Graardor, it will respawn shortly and resuming attacking players.

Team strategy


The General should never be underestimated. Not only does he have very high Defence, he can hit up to 605 with Melee, and uses a Ranged attack that hits everyone in the room, which hits up to 355 lifepoints.

A team of at least three people as well as a tank (i.e. a player with high Defence and good armour to take Graardor's blows) is highly recommended. To make it easier for everyone, the tank should have at least 80 defence and 80 Constitution (800+ lifepoints).

Although his Range attack can farcast he only uses it in Melee range. However, if there are multiple players in the room, his ranged attack hits everybody no matter where they are as long as Graardor hits at least ONE person.

All players should use the Protect From Ranged Prayer, except for the player directly being attacked, who should use the Protect From Melee Prayer. The player being directly attacked should watch his or her health very carefully, as he/she can still be hit by Graardor's Ranged attack. All players should be careful of Graardor's bodyguards, as one uses Melee, one uses Ranged, and one uses Magic.

Note: Due to a Summoning update, tanking at Bandos has been found quite difficult. When a player's familiar attacks General Graardor, he will switch to the player and back again several times, making him a dangerous opponent. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a glitch, simply a side effect of the Summoning update of the Menagerie, Familiar Controls and Butlers update of 18 August 2009. Mod Emilee has confirmed that no changes have been made to the Bandos Godwars Dungeon.



Solo strategy


General Graardor can be soloed with Ranged or Melee at a very high level. Magic is not recommended. If a player wishes to kill General Graardor and get a couple of kills, they should have 85+ Defence, 80+ Magic (for Defence against Steelwill and Graardor), 67+ Summoning (for War Tortoise with extra food inside) and 85+ in their offensive stats (either Ranged or Attack and Strength). Levels lower than this will make it hard to even get one kill.

General Graardor aided by his Bandos armour, has very high ranged defence and surprising very high Magic defence as well. This makes Melee the most popular option as he is weak to slash. Ranged is second only if the player has diamond bolts(e) or Dragon bolts(e).

Graardor often hits very high with his Melee attacks So protect from melee is a must.. His second attack is a Magical Ranged attack similar to that of Waterfiends. When he uses this attack he slams both fists on the ground and a shock-wave hits the player, inflicting up to 355 damage if not using Protect from Ranged. Furthermore, this attack's emote may not always show - take necessary precautions if you notice the General suddenly "stops" attacking, as he most likely is actually casting his Magical Ranged attack. This is due to a graphical glitch.

Another note is that although this attack is "Ranged", he can only use it within his melee range.attack. Solo players can effectively run around the corners of the room to avoid both his melee and ranged attack. This does NOT work in teams however as the attack is multi-target and will reach anyone regardless of their distance as long as the attack is activated. One of the best armour combination is to wear Karil's Top and Verac's Skirt, as this gives a more balanced Ranged and Magic Defence, whilst benefiting the prayer stat also. Another option is to wear Zamorak D'hide with Bandos tassets. This makes it easy for kill counts but offers much less magic defence than Karils.

As Graador is weak to slash, the best weapon to use would be an Abbysal whip or a Godsword of any variety. Higher level players who have access to Chaotic weapons should consider using them as they are much stronger and effective.

A secondary weapon for special attack is optional. If the player chooses a whip, an Enhanced Excalibur is a useful for the defence and healing. On the offensive end-Dragon Claws are very powerful, but very risky choice of side-arm as it has a high price. If the player chooses a Godsword, an Armadyl or Saradomin one is recommended. Bandos Godsword is also useful for its special attack. Korasi sword is also an option.

If the player chooses not to bring Bandos Armour, a granite mace can be used for KC for the boss. Another option is to use the Bandos Pool after completing As A First Resort. This comes in handy since Bandos followers will not attack players whilst they wield it. If a player does not have any of the above, every monster will attack them. If the player needs to see in the room, they can head far north in the Bandos Area, specifically where the four hobgoblins are.

A beast of burden, such as a spirit terrorbird, war tortoise or pack yak is a great help in solo tasks. The higher the level of the familiar, the better your chances of a longer stay are. If you do not bring a familiar of any kind, expect a short stay. A Ring of life is helpful for beginners for insurance against death but not guaranteed to work. Also a one click teleport such as a house tablet is highly recommended.

You want to attack the General first, obviously. After he is dealt with, you should get the mage out of the picture - attack Steelwill. After that, kill Grimspike, as his Ranged attacks quickly add up. Keep Protect From Melee on, or for the higher levelled players, Soul Split flick, and kill Strongstack last. This prevents you being caught without Melee protection on if you are too slow to kill the Sergeants when Graardor respawns. If you do not get a good loot from Graardor, you still have a (very small) chance of getting loot from the other three Sergeants.

Recommended equipment
The best setup for soloing is written in bold, with the exception of the ring.
 * Helmet: Verac's helmet/Helmet of neitiznot/Torag's helmet/Fighter hat/Guthan's helm (especially if tanking)
 * Neck: Amulet of fury/Amulet of glory.
 * Torso: Bandos chestplate/Karil's leathertop/Zamorak d'hide/Guthan's platebody (especially if tanking)
 * Legs: Bandos Tassets/Verac's Plateskirt/Torag's platelegs/Guthan's chainskirt (especially if tanking)
 * Boots: Dragon boots/Rune boots/Rock climbing boots/Bandos Boots
 * Cape: Fire cape/Soul Wars cape/Skill cape(trimmed)/Obsidian cape/Ava's accumulator(only if ranging).
 * Side/spec weapon: Dragon claws/Dragon halberd/Enhanced excalibur.
 * Weapon: Chaotic longsword/Chaotic rapier/Godsword (Bandos, Saradomin, or Armadyl -recommended) /Abyssal whip (if 90+ Attack, use a whip and shield instead of a godsword)/guthan's warspear (especially if tanking)
 * Shield: Divine spirit shield/Elysian spirit shield/Chaotic kiteshield/Dragonfire shield/Farseer kiteshield/Toktz-ket-xil/Dragon Defender/Granite shield/Dragon sq shield/Crystal shield.
 * Gloves: Barrows gloves/Dragon gloves.
 * Ring:Onyx ring (i)/Dragonstone ring (i)/Diamond ring (i)/Berserker ring (i)/Berserker ring/Warrior ring (i)/Warrior ring
 * Arrows: If using a bow, Rune arrows or Dragon arrows; if using a Crossbow, Ruby bolts (e) and Diamond bolts (e) (Ruby for first half of health, then Diamond for rest), Dragon bolts (e) (very effective special attack) or Onyx bolts (e) can do the trick.
 * Bow: If ranging, Dark bow/ Chaotic crossbow/ Rune crossbow (highly recommended).

100% Drop

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Runes

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Weapons

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Armour

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Gems and Ores

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Other

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 * 1) Contrary to popular belief, a gem does not count as a drop reset at all.

Trivia
When you start the quest Rag and Bone Man quest, not only General Graador, but the generals will drop a Goblin skull, even though they're orks.