General Graardor/Strategies/Hard mode

Introduction

In hard mode, General Graardor deals more damage and has 100,000 health rather than 40,000. In addition, he has the following abilities:

• "Graardor mad!" - Graardor mindlessly launches his fists into the area his target was, dealing heavy damage for some seconds. Moving away from that area will result in taking no damage.
• "Graardor protect." - Graardor puts himself in a defensive stance. Two ticks after saying this, damage inflicted on him is reduced by half and his attackers will suffer reflect damage which can deal low or high damage depending on the hit.
• "Graardor smash!" - By far Graardor's most dangerous ability, he will pummel the ground rapidly, dealing damage. Shortly afterwards, rocks from the ceiling above will crash onto the arena, dealing damage anywhere from 600-1400 per rock. The rock has an area of effect radius of 3x3 and many rocks fall during the duration of the ability. It should be noted that the more players there are in the arena, more rocks will fall and can result in a quick death.

Strategy

It is recommended to use Ranged or Magic, because by remaining at a distance from General Graardor, you will avoid his Melee attacks and thus most of his damage. Ranged has the advantage of greater resistance to Graardor's Ranged attacks, and Magic has the advantages of Dragon Breath and Metamorphosis, which unlike Snipe and Death's Swiftness may be used while running around the room.

Begin the fight in one of the room's corners. This will lure Graardor to the edge of the room, and from there, you may follow the room's perimeter, outside of his Melee distance. Alternate attacking while running around the room from corner to corner. Surge may be used to gain distance, but is not necessary and can be saved to deal with Graardor's specials. Note that it is easy to receive a Melee hit when turning a corner, but Soul Split should help to counter this.

Fragmentation Shot and Combust should be prioritised throughout the fight because Graardor's continued movement will cause him extra damage. Beware when using abilities that lock your movement such as Snipe or Asphyxiate, because Graardor will be able to catch up to you. Similarly, Death's Swiftness and Sunshine are not recommended because you will not be able to stay in the shroud. If using a damage-boosting ultimate, use Metamorphosis.

After the boss and minions are dead and you are waiting for the next spawn, wait in the corner of the room.

Tips for Graardor's Specials

Graardor's specials only seem to occur when he enters Melee distance. Although the focus is in preventing this by running from corner to corner, these specials are not always detrimental, as they can give time to heal or unleash stronger, time-consuming abilities.

• "Grarrdor mad!" - Because Graardor will remain stationary, after you are out of his attack range, there is time to use the thresholds Rapid Fire or Asphyxiate, which are interrupted upon the player's moving. The same applies for the basic ability Snipe. Despite the danger in this attack, handling it successfully will increase kill speeds.
• "Graardor protect." If using a combo attack such as the thresholds listed above, click the ground to stop attacking. You can use this time to Soul Split one of the minions or to use a defensive ability.
• "Graardor smash!" The rocks roughly follow the player, so following the room's side helps to prolong injury. Using Surge to quickly turn a corner or to escape from Graardor's ongoing Melee attacks is highly recommended. Note that if you used Surge previously when luring Graardor around the room, this option will not be available to you.

With high-level equipment, Soul Split, and proper luring and technique, the "Graardor smash!" special will be the only reason to use food.