Octopath Traveler II Guide | How To Beat Grieving Golem

The Grieving Golem is one of the larger bosses located in Osvald's Chapter 4, below the underground, secretive facility below the Montwise Library. The powerful opponent has an interesting back story, as well as a heart-breaking fighting method. Compared to many bosses previously, the Grieving Golem has two opportunities wherein it changes its weaknesses, leaving you constantly adapting to strategies.

In addition, its ability to perform five acts per turn has the power to devastate an unprepared party. Beating this battle requires close planning, well-balanced party composition, and heavy utilization of shield-breaking abilities.

Knowing the Grieving Golem's Weak Points

One of the greatest challenges here lies in the capacity of the Golem to change two of its weaknesses while fighting. At first, it has weaknesses toward polearm, staff, wind, and light attacks. Having suffered some damage, it switches back and forth from sword, bow, ice, and darkness.

In phase three, it switches one time further, this time vulnerable to sword, dagger, axe, bow, and staff. It forces you to bring in party members who are able to deal with many types of damage or shift strategies midstream.

An enormous advantage lies in the reality that one weapon from Hikari will always work, so he proves invaluable while fighting. Osvald, while helpful, has limitations due to only being able to exploit the second phase's utilization of the ice weakness. Physical attacks remain best suited to break the shield, so warrior-type party members are exceedingly useful.

Ideal Party Setup and Jobs

Given the ever-changing downfalls, an adaptive party composition must be achieved. A combination of Thief and Warrior plays well together due to these two professions' capacity to get an arsenal of weapon categories that pound the vulnerable spots of the Golem repeatedly.

Throné, if played as an additional profession, makes an excellent addition due to consistent damage, shield-breaking, and general bashing. Having Hikari is also included, as abilities tear apart the enemy shield, slicing them. Having an Apothecary or Cleric added must also be included, as this allows you to heal wounds and support. Since the Golem has five possible moves per turn, party members get hammered one round.

A Cleric maintains the party's fighting capacity while also gaining time to heal back from crushing hits. Osvald contributes during the second phase by playing out the use of his ice spells, but other than that, he gets overwhelmed by the other party members' power.

Combat Patterns and Important Strikes

Combat starts, and the Golem has seven shields, which makes it very easy to smash. However, when it hits phase two, it has 14 shields, so it gets very hard to stagger. It is very essential to exploit flaws early enough and slay the boss before it gets to drop crushing hits.

During the battle, the Grieving Golem employs several risky moves. A little-known one involves the use of Dissolving Darkness, an assault that inflicts harm to one unit while also lowering HP, SP, or BP by three turns, lessening effectiveness. Shake Off and Wail are AoE (area-of-effect) melee strikes that damage the whole team, but Pulverize, as well as Pound, deal crushing single-hit hits that KO vulnerable party members.

In later turns of the battle, Grieving Golem has five acts per turn. If "A dark flame flares up" shows, it means that the next turn, the boss will release an aggressive onslaught. In an attempt to reduce the damage, you may use guard acts, healables, or even Guard.

Grieving Golem also employs Stampede, giving it an increased shield capacity to 14, lengthening the battle. At the very end, it builds Rampage, an AoE onslaught comprised of many hits that have the ability to devastate an unprepared party. Breaking the boss before it employs this ability is crucial to preventing the party from wiping.

Most Useful Strategies for Success

Victory requires you to attempt to break Grieving Golem's shields as many times as possible. Preventing it from landing several hits per turn keeps it vulnerable. Using the HP Thief skill by Throné or the Aggressive Slash skill by Hikari is an effective way to continue offense while still leaving the boss stunned. 

If possible, party members need to build up Boost Points (BP) and spend them on powerful acts during the opportune time to cause maximum damage. Survival, just like offense, plays a crucial role in this battle. Having enough healables, including the Olive of Life (L), may prove lifesaving when party members fall out.

Besides, support acts that boost evasion or reduce incoming damage allow you to negate the relentless onslaught by the Golem. Since darkness strikes form an essential weapon arsenal by the boss, employing equipment or abilities that resist darkness offers an added barrier.

Finally…

The Grieving Golem proves to be one of the most challenging missions Osvald has in Octopath Traveler II, demanding party balance, speed, and efficient shield-breaking. Because it has the power to change weaknesses and land multiple hits per turn, it proves one very tough opponent for beginners.

However, by applying an efficient party, efficient management, and focusing on finishing the boss as soon as possible, this battle could still be conquered. By remaining calm and applying the relevant skill, Osvald finally defeats the Grieving Golem, allowing him to progress further in the quest for revenge.

Also, check our OCTOPATH TRAVELER II Review and other articles listed below:

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