User:Chieftain Alex/Cold as Ice

Prove your worth once and for all by single-handedly defeating the mighty Glacial Griffon.

Objectives

 * Speak to Sif when you are ready to face the Glacial Griffon.
 * Destroy the Glacial Griffon and prove your valor to Sif. Earn your song!
 * See Sif Shadowhunter for your reward.

Reward

 * 500 Norn reputation points
 * Perfect Salvage Kit
 * Uses Remaining: 5
 * Uses Remaining: 5

Walkthrough
The Glacial Griffon is a level 28 spirit-spamming ritualist. There are several viable strategies to defeating him listed below.


 * Interupts will be difficult to use successfully after the cast times for spirits were reduced.
 * 55 builds can be effective, but beware of Bloodsong stealing half of your health & Dissonance interupting you.
 * Bring a self heal to help counter any damage you receive from the spirits.
 * Since the Glacial Griffon has natural health regeneration, skills or spells that cause degeneration are the key to countering his powerful self healing.
 * Many PvE skills apply a number of damaging conditions or provide an extra ally, for example:
 * Ebon Vanguard Assassin Support can knock down and be used as a meatshield for yourself.
 * Ebon Vanguard Sniper Support causes bleeding and has the potential to deal a massive amount of damage.
 * Summon Ruby Djinn inflicts burning.
 * Display the Norn title for the Health Benefit.

Primary or secondary Mesmer

 * Maintain Illusion of Pain on the griffon, following up with Cry of Pain.
 * Replenish your energy with Energy Drain.
 * Snare the griffon if it gets too close for comfort.

Primary Assassins

 * It is recommended to use the secondary necromancer guide rather than the more challenging dagger builds.


 * Move immediately to where the griffon lands, and use skills 1-4 in that order. Spam your four attacks when it turns hostile.
 * Kite when health gets low, and you try to pull the griffon away from the spirits once they have been re-cast so you can avoid dissonance. Maintain Critical Agility & Critical Defenses with Malicious Strike.
 * Death Blossom can be changed for Critical Strike at the cost of a longer recharge.

Primary Elementalist

 * When the griffon drops down, cast your enchantments to reduce the damage you take. Then cast Ebon Vanguard Sniper Support, "You Move Like a Dwarf!", Conjure Phantasm, and Conjure Nightmare on Glacial Griffon in that order.  Move away from the spirits to the other corner of the zone. Keep recasting the hexes.
 * Use "You Move Like a Dwarf!" whenever the griffon gets too close.


 * An additional tactic would be to use Glimmering Mark and snare skills.

Primary Monk

 * Equip 55hp armor.
 * Bring either Shield of Judgement or Spoil Victor. If you choose Shield of Judgement bring Blessed Aura & Stonesoul Strike. The bleeding will negate his natural regeneration.

Primary or Secondary Ranger

 * This is an example build with ideal skills for using the degeneration method. Although it works without an elite, Burning Arrow or Incendiary Arrows work well.
 * Cast your spirit at the top of the hill. Use all of your preparation skills, and then attack the Griffon using a longbow and your degeneration skills. Retreat to ensure the boss does not follow you back up the slope. Repeat until Griffon is dead.


 * These are the core skills that the build requires, you can obtain everything for free from Hero Skill Trainers & the Profession Changer except Poison Tip Signet.

Primary Dervish

 * Obtain a speed buff like Harrier's Haste or Featherfoot Grace for slot 5.
 * The technique is to use a degeneration skill on the griffon then to use Cry of Pain and then quickly run away from it. Repeat until it dies.
 * Bring a wand/staff or any weapon that can increase your energy. (Gwen's default weapons are fine).


 * Use a zealous scythe with an "I Have The Power" inscription. Just watch out for Shadowsong and Dissonance.
 * Banishing Strike would also work instead of Eremite's Sweep.

Primary or secondary Necromancer

 * There are 6 exploitable corpses on the ground near where the griffon spawns.


 * Skills you may also wish to bring are Mark of Pain, Ebon Battle Standard of Honor & a skill to inflict weakness such as Enfeebling Blood.
 * Move into range of the corpses & make some minions. Use your Barbs on the griffon, and Mark of Pain if you brought it. Minions benefit from the bonuses of the Standard, so set the ward up around the griffon. Use Death Nova on dying minions.
 * Other corpse exploitation skills such as Animate Flesh Golem, Animate Shambling Horror and Animate Vampiric Horror can be used instead of Aura of the Lich.
 * Consider bringing Great Dwarf Weapon to use on minions, the knock down will help the minions to bodyblock the Griffon.


 * Combine Animate Bone Minions with Spoil Victor. Use Death Nova as appropriate on dying minions. You will need at least one skill to finish off the griffon, consider "Finish Him!" & Ebon Vanguard Assassin Support.


 * Summon 6-8 minions while you wait for the Griffon to appear. Use Blood of the Master to heal your minions and lower your own health, then use Grenth’s Balance to quickly damage the Griffon and heal yourself. Repeat until Griffon dies.
 * Once he's too low on health for you to use Grenth's Balance on him any further, finish him off with whatever skills you brought.
 * Bring a self heal to use when the Grenth's Balance stops healing you.


 * Fill the first spot with an elite knockdown from your secondary profession.
 * When the Griffon spawns, use YMLaD, Necrosis, EVAS, Necrosis, "elite knockdown", Necrosis, and then repeat. This should chain the knockdowns to keep the griffon on the ground for most of the time.
 * Other skills should be heals or energy management like Signet of Lost Souls.

Primary or secondary Ritualist

 * Use the spirits before the griffon arrives. Use Painful Bond on the griffon and Warmonger's Weapon on yourself to interupt the griffon. Use your spirit destroying skill on any of the spirits it summons.
 * Variants include switching Shadowsong for Signet of Midnight, Consume Soul for Gaze of Fury, and Warmonger's Weapon for Dissonance.
 * Use Spirit Siphon, Essence Strike or Glyph of Lesser Energy for energy management.

Primary Warrior

 * Warriors can use a Grenth's Balance strategy. Bring Lion's Comfort or Healing Signet to keep your health up while your energy regenerates or to use after Grenth's Balance no longer serves a purpose.
 * Bring a finishing skill for use when the griffon's health goes below the Grenth's Balance threshold.

Auspicious Parry
 * Use Dwarven Stability on recharge throughout the fight. Chain Gladiator's & Bonetti's Defense to maintain constant block through the fight. Use both ripostes as often as you can. Use Signet of Infection after Deadly Riposte.
 * Take either 12 in Earth Magic - in which case bring Sliver armor, or 12 in Swordsmanship to deal damage with your weapon attacks.


 * Always keep 1 of the 3 block skills on.
 * Flee from the Griffon's spirits, use Bonetti's Defense to block them.

Primary Paragon

 * Stand at the top of the hill, use Poison Tip Signet, then Anthem of Flame & Signet of Agression. Use Barbed Spear on the Griffon and then retreat back up the hill with Natural Stride.
 * If the griffon gets too close, use Maiming Spear and continue running away until it is safe to use Troll Unguent.


 * Use Pain Inverter on the griffon, letting him attack you until your health is low, then use Grenth's Balance. Run around with "Fall Back" during the time Grenth's Balance is recharging. When it is recharged, let him attack you again and use Grenth's Balance again. Repeat this to nearly kill him and then use your Ebon Vanguard skills to finish him off.

Ebon Vanguard attacks only (any profession)

 * Bring any long range attack of your choice and some survival skills for yourself in the other slots.
 * Using the Assassin Support to distract the griffon's attention, followup with Sniper Support and then Signet of Infection. During this health degeneration stage you can feel free to attack from a distance.
 * Retreat should the griffon or spirits attack you. Use your self-healing ability to gain health anytime you aren't being attacked.

Bosses

 * 28 (30) Glacial Griffon → Ritual Lord

Initial dialogue
Sif Shadowhunter
 * "Are you ready to tackle a worthy quest, ? In the highest icy reaches live the glacial griffons. They are deadly and prey mostly on wolves, bears, and other large game. I have spread wolf carcasses around the village to attract one of these beasts. Your task is simple: single-handedly slay a glacial griffon. Only then will your deeds be worthy of song; only then will your fame rise to the level of a true Norn."


 * Yes I am ready.
 * ingame I am not ready.

Reward dialogue
Sif Shadowhunter
 * "What a welcome sight! I didn't expect you to return, . At least, not in one piece. Slaying the glacial griffon is a deed worthy of many songs, starting with this one.


 * Hail! Hail! Witness the skill!
 * Body parts stewn, fresh from the kill
 * , you are second to none
 * May your legend ring true from dusk 'til sun


 * Catchy, eh? Well... it's a work in progress."

Trivia

 * The quest name is a reference to the song "Cold As Ice" by Foreigner.

[Category:Rewards Norn reputation points]]