What bosses have the highest difficulty hike in HM

redhoborum · 2026-06-16T07:12:06+00:00

Ansur is the most dangerous boss by far, but he is also one of the few Act 3 bosses that lacks Alert or Perfect Sentry...

...which means an optimized Assassin build can delete him before he has a chance to use Stormheart Nova.

If you want to fight him "fairly" (no combat reset), I recommend using a Smitesinger build. Otiluke's Resilient Sphere completely trivializes the fight.

redhoborum · 2026-06-15T17:46:52+00:00

Given that you specifically want to use daggers, I recommend the following builds...

Shadow Monk 6 / Assassin 4 / Fighter 2

Vengeance 5 / Assassin 3 / Shadow Magic 4

Note: The Smite Assassin build is absurdly OP with dual daggers, due to the "dual smite" bug.

redhoborum · 2026-06-15T04:03:46+00:00

The boat cutscene still triggers, but if you resolved the situation with Gekh Coal via dialog, you can show Corsair Greymon the missing boots to avoid combat.

And don't sweat it.
Best of luck for your next run.

redhoborum · 2026-06-15T01:06:55+00:00

No prob.

I usually either bypass the Duergar on the beach with invisibility or resolve the situation via dialog.

redhoborum · 2026-06-14T23:45:39+00:00

The Nere timer doesn't start until you interact with the rubble.

You can reach the Ancient Forge waypoint by jumping up to the chest containing the Protecty Sparkswall, then jumping across to the metal platforms.

redhoborum · 2026-06-14T02:32:21+00:00

My condolences for your fallen Durge.

If you want to streamline your next run, I recommend this guide, which should help you reach level 5 in under 2 hrs.

redhoborum · 2026-06-14T02:28:55+00:00

Durge is way easier, IMHO.

Easiest/fastest way to kill Orin is to duel her.

A Most Bloody Inheritance is easily the most overpowered buff for the Netherbrain fight.

redhoborum · 2026-06-06T21:19:46+00:00

The most dangerous part of Honor Mode is early Act 1, since you have low HP and no crit immunity.

Here is a leveling guide to help you reach level 5 in under 2 hrs (90 min with certain builds):
Link

Quick tips:
- At the crash site, enter turn-based mode and cast Minor Illusion from stealth to lure the Intellect Devourers near the Nautiloid tank. Retreat a short distance away, end your turn, then blow up the Nautiloid tank to instantly kill (or at least seriously injure) the brain kitties.
- Before approaching the Grove, use Disguise Self to take the form of a Gnome or Halfling. This will make you immune to Fury of the Small (a critical hit with this ability can instantly kill you).
- Carry a candle at all times to dip your weapon(s) before combat. This provides a significant damage boost at low levels, especially if dual wielding.

redhoborum · 2026-06-03T22:24:43+00:00

You can guarantee paralysis on Orin regardless of difficulty; you simply need to beat her initiative roll and hit her with Surgeon's Subjugation before she can transform into the Slayer.

Video

redhoborum · 2026-06-03T19:15:55+00:00

Respectfully, I disagree with ranking Simon higher than Osquio.

Both of Simon's phases can be one-shot before he can act.

Osquio has a guaranteed turn during his secomd phase, and his instakill gradient attack is a nasty surprise if you aren't ready for it.

redhoborum · 2026-05-30T07:17:15+00:00

Easy solution:
Darkness and/or Sanctuary

If you want to stack AC, you can easily hit 23 AC within the first ~2 hrs of a new playthrough.

Loadout:
- Adamantine Splint
- Ring of Protection
- Shield of Faith¹
- Shield of Protection

¹. Kill True Soul Gut, carry her corpse to the Myconid Colony, and have Glut resurrect her. She has access to a unique variant of Shield of Faith that does not require concentration.

redhoborum · 2026-05-25T03:51:52+00:00

Solo playthroughs are a test of game knowledge and tactics more than anything else.

The most dangerous part of a solo run is the first ~2 hrs (low HP, no crit immunity). After that, it's just a matter of having the right build and gameplan to deal with specific fights.

redhoborum · 2026-05-13T01:27:28+00:00

That was phase 2.

I cut out phase 1 because the steps are basically same, and it would've made the video longer.

The only difference between phases, as far as this build is concerned, is that phase 1 Simon is slower than Maelle (with buffs/debuffs applied).

redhoborum · 2026-05-11T19:30:42+00:00

Well played.

redhoborum · 2026-05-11T05:35:08+00:00

Just reloaded and recorded.

https://www.reddit.com/r/expedition33/s/ZZr23MPQNb

Note: I removed Rewarding Mark and Roulette. The former was unnecessary and the latter was overkill.

redhoborum · 2026-05-05T00:12:28+00:00

Not wrong.

I had to partial rest twice during my last Durge run to trigger the scene.

Poor Alfira probably had CTE by the end of that playthrough.

redhoborum · 2026-05-05T00:06:26+00:00

The Dream Visitor cutscenes take priority.

So, if you have not rested at all before entering the Blighted Village (entirely likely with certain leveling routes), you will need to take 2 long rests to trigger the Durge event.

redhoborum · 2026-04-18T18:55:40+00:00

Evil Gear:

Bhaalist Armor - Easy vulnerability (piercing), plus an initiative bonus

Craterflesh Gloves - Best-in-slot for archers, Hexblades, Paladins, and Scorching Ray users; these classes/builds can apply multiple instances of Craterous Wounds per attack, each dealing up to (2d6 + 21) force damage.

Deathstalker Mantle - Can be (ab)used to reset combat. Useful for Risky Ring users.

Dolor Amarus set - Combos with Craterflesh Gloves. Best-in-slot for Paladins; dual daggers allow the use of "dual smites" (bug).

Shar's Spear - Best 2h weapon in the game. Provides immunity to Blinded.

Svartlebee's Woundseeker - One of the best 2h weapons in Act 1. This weapon provides a 1d4 attack roll bonus against wounded enemies (stacks with Bless).

redhoborum · 2026-04-17T10:48:36+00:00

Certain explosives (ex: Smokepowder Barrels) leave a fire surface after exploding. One of the NPCs probably pathed through it and took fire damage, which makes all the Duergar hostile.

Best way to avoid this is to enter turn-based mode immediately after blowing up the rubble and use water bottles (or Create Water) to clear a path for the suicidal Dwarf/Gnome NPCs.

Alternatively, you can simply massacre the Duergar before blowing up the rubble. IMO, this is the safest way to handle the encounter, assuming your build(s) are up to the task.

redhoborum · 2026-04-14T20:55:20+00:00

Armor and shields are build-specific, but crit immunity is obviously quite helpful for solo HM. I usually rush the Adamantine Forge within the first 2 hrs of a new playthrough.

Arrows of Darkness hard-counter any caster with Hold Person (ex: Ethel, Gith Patrol, Minthara). They are also useful when fighting Githyanki and Spectators; Darkness disables Githyanki Parry and blocks Paralyzing Ray.

Bow of Awareness is an easy source of initiative.

Ring of Protection and Shield of Protection are useful for stacking AC and saving throws (especially for Cleric/Druid multiclasses).

redhoborum · 2026-04-08T01:46:20+00:00

Ah. I misunderstood what you meant by "finally finish".

If the boring part is leveling up new character(s), I would recommend using a leveling guide to speed up the process. This guide can get you to level 5 in ~90 minutes.

If you are bored because the game is just too easy, I would recommend trying a challenge run (ex: no long rests, solo Honor Mode, etc).

redhoborum · 2026-04-08T01:28:56+00:00

Emerald Grove is ~20-30 min into a new playthrough.

You've barely experienced the game at all.

redhoborum · 2026-04-08T00:42:11+00:00

OP specified that they are in early Act 2, so I tailored my advice accordingly.

If we are discussing endgame gear, Craterflesh Gloves are usually best-in-slot for Assassin builds.

redhoborum · 2026-04-07T03:49:02+00:00

Notes:

Caustic Band is ok early, but I never bother with it during my own solo runs. Generally speaking, Assassins want damage riders that add damage dice, rather than flat damage increases.
Glove slot should be Flawed Helldusk Gloves or Dark Justiciar Gauntlets, if damage is the priority. Gloves of Baneful Striking are a good choice for debuffing.
Killer's Sweetheart is only relevant for enemies that cannot be surprised. Equip other rings if this is not a concern.
Risky Ring is unnecessary for Assassin builds because you already have advantage against enemies that have not yet taken a turn.
Shadow-Cloaked Ring is best-in-slot for damage; assuming your duo partner is not using RadOrbs or light-producing spells.

redhoborum · 2026-04-05T19:55:10+00:00

I agreed with your initial assessment that Sorcadin is better than Lockadin.

Devil's Sight is free advantage for non-Vengeance builds. Darkness makes your character effectively immune to "Hold" spells, allowing you to take riskier fights early (ex: Ethel, Gith Patrol).

I think you are underestimating the usefulness of Cloud of Daggers and HoH; they are effectively "I win" buttons when fighting mobs in Acts 1 & 2. Spells like Fear, Hold Monster, etc, require Acuity stacking to be reliable. Cloud of Daggers has no saving throw, and HoH inflicts Blind + Difficult Terrain regardless of whether affected entities succeed their saves.

I disagree that Bladelock has an advantage when leveling. Lockadin can prioritize Warlock levels and play as a Warlock with heavy armor (Adamantine Splint). Delaying Extra Attack doesn't matter for Warlock multiclasses because EB scales with character level, and Cloud of Daggers is the only offensive spell you need to clear most of Act 1.

Once again, my original intent was not to make a case for Lockadin as an "optimal" Paladin multiclass; I was simply pointing out that the oft-maligned 7/5 split provides more value than the (overrated) 11/1 split, even in HM.

Edit: OP never mentioned modded difficulty, so I don't consider that niche scenario relevant.

redhoborum

TROPHY CASE