Bosses

The 3 main bosses often have very strong equipment dropped upon being defeated, including rings - therefore many players will switch to 2 shining rings and 3 rabbits feet before delivering the killing blow. Defeating them in the obsidian tower represents a popular farming strategy along with the Mini-Bosses and Monster Champions, as well as fighting them directly from the fortress - however this approach is less efficient than it once was as of April 2023 because it returns you to the dungeon instead of the Camp like it did in prior versions.

The main bosses (Forgotten Keeper, King of Bones and Grim Paladin) of the “normal mode” may be fought directly from the fortress, after reaching them once. Each time they are beaten, their level will increase by 1, up to a maximum of 30. A mid game hero (stats and skills around 25, fortress around 3/4 maxed) will generally be able to safely farm a level 30 grim paladin without too much danger; and an endgame hero (maxed) should be able to farm the level 30 grim paladin quickly and easily.

Note that the 3 main bosses may spawn between floors of the Obsidian Tower, if that option is enabled, along with the Mini-Bosses. In the Obsidian Tower, between-floor bosses scale with floor depth and reset upon returning to the fortress and re-entering the tower - therefore it is possible to fight the three main bosses at levels higher than 30 in the obsidian tower. Obsidian tower between-floor bosses increase 1 level per fight, and reset to 1 when you start at floor 1 of the obsidian again of the fortress with ANY HERO (if you are on floor 500 with warrior and fighting level 250 between-floor bosses, enter the tower on floor 1 with archer, your warrior’s between-floor bosses reset to level 1).

The primary advantage of fighting high level between-floor bosses (beyond the challenge of it) is that they can drop huge numbers of green currency crystals - particularly when they are one of the three below main bosses.

## The Forgotten Keeper

First of the three main bosses, the foul slime boss ruling the catacombs known as the Forgotten Keeper is no pushover. With high damage and speed, he can be a challenge for the new player, who may need to gain more in the 4 characteristics to beat him (ideally gaining stats somewhat evenly, rather than focusing only on the “primary” stat - a common error by new heroes). The protruding spikes in the arena (particularly at the bottom) may be used to defeat the forgotten keeper, particularly when paired with a defense-minded approach. It may be possible to lure him into fires. Beware - as a mutant, the forgotten keeper will heal from poison - so if your weapon has poison you may need to unequip it! The high speed of the forgotten keeper makes him challenging to fight for heroes that cannot heal, and those with low hit points.

Video of an early game strategy to dealing with the forgotten keeper (spike traps), courtesy ddkzjkskdr:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFIVZ9HfIAk&pp=ygUWRm9yZ290dHduIEtlZXBlciBmYWNpbA%3D%3D

## The King of Bones

The ghostly King of Bones (KOB) is an even tougher challenge for the early player. He is even more difficult to avoid than his slimey colleague: the KOB can phase through walls and is trickier to trap with spikes. Worse, his rotating spheres make him hard to attack at range. All this makes him a powerful “gatekeeper” to stop an early game player, who more often than not simply will need to keep getting stronger in order to defeat him. It is recommended to start in the catacombs and build up some good early game gear before facing him; some healing potions can be useful too. It is exceedingly difficult to fight him at range - his ghostly nature lets him close the distance rapidly, and his rotating spheres are powerful - you may have better luck simply rotating around him at near point blank range (making him miss), and dashing to avoid his attacks. Warriors and wizards can block/put up their shield to stop his attack. Like the forgotten keeper, he is particularly hard to fight for heroes that cannot self-heal in the midst of battle; and those with low hit points. The king of bones often reveals some decent rewards when defeated, including the cross of life Passive item.

## The Grim Paladin

Last of the three main bosses, the grim paladin shows the ultimate result of a hero who has descended to evil. Some fear that the merchant and mercenaries have become little different from this horror - although they are not as hostile as this dark knight…YET. Trading his humanity for power, the once noble grim paladin serves as the final boss of the normal campaign story mode of the game; after defeating this fallen hero and reaching floor 6 of borderlands, the player may exit to the camp, and partake in the legendary battles sure to ensure in the endless dungeons…

The grim paladin becomes larger and more monstrous as you fight him - revealing what he has become. In his initial human form, he is heavily armored - as he takes damage he will grow beyond his armor and sprout tentacles, delivering more damage. He has a “rapid attack” that can do extreme damage, potentially multi-instakilling the strongest hero - so if he pauses be ready to use your dash skill, because his speed is so great that the attack will begin to do damage before you even see it…! If farming the grim paladin you will want to have at least one cross of life, because this attack can sometimes instakill even the strongest hero unexpectedly. As a mutant, the grim paladin will heal from poison - so if your weapon has poison you may need to unequip it and fight him barehanded!

The most effective strategy to fighting the grim paladin typically involves staying at range if able, and circling behind the large blocks in the arena to avoid his knives, running and dashing away when he gets close. Beware when he throws his hammer - you may have to play “defense” and run away until it returns, as the hammer hits quite fast and can move through walls.

Alternatively you may fight him at point blank range, circling clockwise around him and using your dash skill towards him and slightly to the side when he attacks - this will keep you safe from his rapid attack and land you almost directly behind him, allowing you to hit him a time or two before dashing again. He will sometimes use an expanding smoke-like petrifaction cloud attack when heavily damaged- you can avoid this by dashing away from him, or simply ignore it if feasible by running up and attacking point blank…be aware that his armor gets very high when using this however, so if you are low in mana it may be best to simply wait for his attack to conclude - when you see him picking up his hammer and shield he is vulnerable again. His armor is weakest directly behind him, and he is stuck in place while using this attack, so presenting the optimal time to move to his rear.

A strong archer with eleven shot can farm the grim paladin point-blank very quickly, even on level 30. A strong necromancer with ascetism on one piece of gear can simply release breath of death at the beginning of battle and continue it without stopping the whole battle WITHOUT MOVING! - it may not even be necessary for a strong necromancer to watch the battle at all…

The grim paladin has some of the best equipment drops in the game, and represents an excellent farming opportunity for gems, ingots and Passive items, as well as all types of equipment including legendary and chaos-II Rings - even at level 30 (the highest a direct-fight boss will rise outside the obsidian tower). Wear two shining rings and 3 rabbits feet to maximize drops. The grim paladin will always have two chest Containers that are at least gold quality.