Act 1
Difficulty: 🟢 Easy · 🟡 Medium · 🔴 Hard · ⚫ BOSS — see the general encounter notes for the full legend, the pre-fight ritual checklist, and the run-killer mistakes list.
🟢 Easy
| Encounter | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beach scavengers | Wreckage Beach | 2 Intellect Devourers + 2-3 thugs. Devourers grapple → Devour Brains can kill on low INT. Take the cliff path for high ground, burn devourers first. |
| Grove gate goblins | Druid Grove entrance | Tieflings + Aradin’s mercs are already engaged. Don’t shoot Zevlor or the tieflings — clean up only the goblins after they fall. |
| Mirkon’s harpies (4) | Beach south of Grove | Luring Song charms party members into walking off the cliff. Pull from the upper ledge one at a time; bring a non-charmable summon (Mage Hand baiting doesn’t work — use Find Familiar) or stack Wisdom-save chars. |
| Kagha’s snake | Druid Grove inner sanctum | Showing the Idol of Silvanus or persuading Kagha ends it peacefully — same XP, plus saves Arabella’s life and tiefling standing. |
| Roadside paladins | Risen Road | Anders + 3 paladins, lvl 3. Persuade them Karlach is good to skip the fight; otherwise pull onto the bridge chokepoint and shove off the ledge for easy kills. |
| Crashed nautiloid bandits | Wreckage Beach | Robbers looting the crash. Approach from above for surprise + height advantage. Trivial fight. |
| Dank Crypt skeletons | Wreckage Beach | 3-4 skeletons + a couple of sarcophagi traps. Bunch them in the corridor doorway with Cloud of Daggers / Grease. Loot Withers’ sarcophagus afterward — he becomes your camp resurrector. |
| Apothecary basement | Blighted Village | 3 zombies, one chest with the Necromancy of Thay. Turning one page permanently grants Speak with Dead as a free ritual (no slot); turning all three adds the Forbidden Knowledge passive. Easy ranged fight from the stairs. |
| Hollyphant rescue (Cleric of Tyr) | Risen Road | Anders’ party claims to hunt a tiefling. Insight flags him as a Banite imposter — Persuasion ends it without combat. Same combat as Roadside Paladins if it kicks off. |
| Smuggler’s hideout | Blighted Village windmill | 3-4 bandits in the basement. Stealth-open the trapdoor for a free surprise round; chest holds gold + a +1 weapon. |
| Worg pen | Goblin Camp | One worg in a cage. Speak with Animals to talk it into a stand-down for XP/approval, OR pull it solo. Don’t trigger the nearby goblin patrol while you fight. |
| Goblin patrols | Goblin Camp outskirts | Groups of 3-4. Pull individually with Astarion or a Hide-capable scout. Stay away from the drum towers — alarm aggros the entire camp. |
🟡 Medium
| Encounter | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owlbear cave (Mama Owlbear) | NW of Blighted Village | Lvl 4+. Engage from the cave-mouth ledge — she can’t reach, you free-cast. Watch for Multiattack + Knock Prone; a prone melee usually dies next round. Spare the cub during the kill cutscene → find it later at the Goblin Camp, talk it down (“I have a camp”), then Persuasion/Intimidation DC 10 on the goblins. Adopt at camp via Animal Handling / Nature / Medicine / Survival DC 10 (or Speak with Animals DC 5). |
| Risen Road gnoll camp (Flind) | Risen Road | Snipe Flind first from the south cliff — without their leader, the gnolls become an Easy fight. She casts Hold Person and buffs the pack, so prioritize her. |
| Bulette ambush | Underdark | Burrows + emerges = surprise round on whoever’s clumped. Spread the party 6m+ before triggering. Falling rocks add bludgeoning damage — don’t stand in the tunnels. |
| Spectator | Underdark / Selûnite Outpost | Silence on the head disables Confusion / Paralyzing rays and Magic Missile. Counterspell its Fear ray if you can’t get adjacent. Magic resistance = bring Magic Missile to bypass attack rolls. |
| Hook Horrors | Underdark | Heavy multiattack from melee. Stay on elevation (the bridges, ledges) and kite. Vulnerable to nothing notable — pure attrition; carry healing. |
| Sussur Tree guardians (duergar) | Underdark | The Sussur Bloom suppresses all spellcasting in its aura. Bring melee + ranged weapons; pre-cast Mage Armor/Aid before entering. Pluck the bloom for the Sussur Daggers crafting later. |
| Goblin Camp drum trap | Shattered Sanctum | Not a fight per se — but breaking the drum alarms the entire camp. Walk past, or shove the drummer off the catwalk silently. |
| Crusher’s followers | Goblin Camp | Crusher demands you kiss his foot. Decline → fight him + ~5 goblins. Drop his Boots of Crushing Underbrush (lvl 4 jump distance) — worth the fight. Pull him onto the nearby cliff for shove kills. |
| Druid Grove defense | Grove (if you raid with goblins) | DON’T pick this path in honour mode — locks out tiefling refugees, Halsin recruitment, Last Light reception. Massive content gate. |
🔴 Hard
| Encounter | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phase Spider Matriarch | Whispering Depths | ⚠️ Top run-killer of Act 1. Burn egg sacs FIRST with Fire Bolt before engaging — each unhatched sac is 4 more spiderlings. Chokepoint at the entrance ledge — don’t drop into her arena. She paralyzes (Con save); bring Lesser Restoration. Hold Person doesn’t work (Monstrosity). Smokepowder bomb off the web platform = instant kill. |
| Bulette in deep Underdark | Below Selûnite Outpost | Deadly Leap charge can one-shot squishies. Spread the party; keep Astarion/Gale behind cover. Open with Hold Monster (works — it’s a Monstrosity) or shove off the cliff if positioned. |
| Spectator + minions | Selûnite Outpost | Spectator summons 2-3 constructs. Silence on the Spectator first, then AoE the constructs. Layer Counterspell on its Fear ray (the only ranged threat once silenced). |
| Drider | Underdark | Web traps + Poison Spray + Multiattack with longbow and scimitars. Concentrate fire — Hold Monster lands (heightened only). Burn webs with Fire Bolt before engaging. |
| Fall of Halsin / Worg Pens | Goblin Camp | If you free Halsin by force: ~6 goblins + Halsin (bear ally, friendly). Manageable but loud — alerts adjacent patrols. Stealth approach + Halsin’s bear form opens the encounter clean. |
⚫ BOSS
| Encounter | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Priestess Gut | Shattered Sanctum (Goblin Camp) | Easiest of 3 leaders. Isolate in her chambers (“consecrate” ritual). Hold Person works. Drops Amulet of Misty Step. |
| Dror Ragzlin | Shattered Sanctum throne room | Hobgoblin warlord + 4-6 guards. Chokepoint doorway with Cloud of Daggers. Break drum FIRST. |
| Minthara | Goblin Camp courtyard | Drow paladin + 4 cultists. Pre-position on ramparts. Hold Person → auto-crits. Destroy bridge for insta-kill (loses loot). |
| True Soul Nere | Grymforge collapsed tunnel | Timed — 2 long rests max. Persuade duergar to help (DC 15). Shove into lava. Drops Disintegrating Night Walkers. |
| Grym (Adamantine Forge) | Grymforge depths | Puzzle boss. Immune to all except Bludgeoning. Lure onto center platform → hammer. Superheated by lava = vulnerable. |
| Auntie Ethel | Riverside Teahouse → Hag’s Lair | ⚠️ Not marked BOSS but acts like one. Clones, illusions, Mayrina in burning cage. Magic Missile reveals real Ethel. Non-Lethal Masked Thralls. Bargain for +1 stat Hair. |
| Githyanki Inquisitor | Crèche Y’llek, Inquisitor’s Chamber | Inquisitor + 2 warriors + spectral swords. Disarming Attack removes his weapon. Counterspell Planar Binding summons. Hold Person works (all humanoids). |