Guide to beating the Glacial Griffon

The Glacial Griffon is the boss that needs to be defeated to complete Cold as Ice. Many players have trouble beating her, especially if they are using a character with an unfamiliar profession. This guide is intended to offer general strategies and specific builds that allow a player to remain within the spirit of their primary profession.

Threats
The Glacial Griffon brings a combination of spirits that can shut down a wide variety of builds and deal plenty of damage. The spirits have long range and the Griffon uses the terrain to her best advantage.


 * Shadowsong shuts down attack-based characters;
 * Dissonance shuts down casters; and
 * Bloodsong deals steady damage that bypass protection skills.
 * Pain, which is, painful.
 * At melee range, the Griffon deals significant amounts of damage.

Vulnerabilities
The Griffon has no healing or energy management skills. Further, her frequent use of Ritual Lord means that she will end up killing herself, if you can block her natural regeneration.

General tactics

 * Take advantage of her lack of healing:
 * Health degeneration on its own might be enough.
 * Apply and maintain conditions to further lower her health.


 * Energy denial prevents her from renewing the spirits.
 * Bring your own spirits: the standard Spirit spammer works well.


 * Use a Longbow and attack at range.
 * Exploit the the various corpses in the area.


 * Interrupt her use of skills.

Profession-specific tactics/builds

 * Assassin

Maximize Dagger Mastery, Shadow Arts, and put 8 ranks into Critical Strikes and 4 in Deadly Arts. Start far away, use Deadly Paradox, wait briefly, and turn on Shadow Form. While invulnerable, attack the Griffon using the strike skill chain: Jagged Lotus Critical. Step aside briefly, then use Jagged again and escape using Viper's Defense and Dash. (Regardless, make sure you get away before SF wears off.) Even without Barbed or Poisonous daggers, the bleeding and poisoned conditions should overwhelm the Griffon's health regen and take her out within a few cycles.


 * Dervish

Use an Ebon Scythe and maximize Mysticism, Scythe Mastery, and put 11 in Earth Prayers. Cast the intervention spells before the battle and renew them as needed. Use Conviction if you are near the spirits, but try to pull the Griffon away from them and blind it with Ebon Dust Aura. Alternate between aura slicer and zealous sweep for attack skills when fighting the griffon in melee, waiting about 6 seconds between uses of an attack skill (which you can time by watching the recharge of the other one) in order to conserve energy but keep it blinded. When the griffon uses a spirit after attacking you in melee for a while, give it a quick whack with banishing strike and then run away. Use mystic regeneration as needed to heal, but if you need this very frequently, you're doing something wrong.


 * Elementalist

Max Water Magic and Energy Storage. Keep up your enchantments, avoiding the Griffon whenever Mist wears off. Even protected by Mist, you can lose damage to Bloodsong and be interrupted by Dissonance, so stay out of their reach by pulling the Griffon away from her main spirits. Your main damage will come from Vapor blade and Energy Blast; use them as the Griffon runs away (as long as you begin casting within spell range, you should be ok). At close range, spam Ice Spear while the others are recharging. Use your glyphs to manage your energy and health.


 * Mesmer

Take Fast Casting to 9, Inspiration Magic to 11, and boost your Illusion Magic as far as you can. Start out far away from the griffon. Use the mantra, approach, hex with the nightmare and phantasm, and run away. Wait for Dissonance to die before repeating. This applies -10 degeneration for 21 seconds at a time. This build could probably work for secondary mesmers.


 * Monk

Maximize Smiting and Protection and bring up Divine Favor to 11. Cast Retribution and Balthazar's spirit before the battle begins, and maintain them for the duration. Use Blessed Signet whenever you are otherwise unoccupied and spam the two reversal spells while trading hits. Castigation Signet manages your energy; if possible, use it when the Griffon is attack for maximum impact. The combination of retribution, reversal of damage, and shield of judgment can take chunks of the griffon's lifeline off in a hurry, so you don't necessarily need to immediately pull it again if it runs away.


 * Necromancer

Max Curses and Death Magic. Use Aura of the Lich as soon as the griffon shows up, and then barbs when she turns hostile. Keep barbs on it throughout the fight. Enfeeble and Insidious Parasite are in the build in case she gets out of first-gear and presents some opposition.


 * Paragon


 * Ranger

Max marksmanship and wilderness survival, and use a long- or flatbow. Stay far away from the Griffon most of the time. Use Read the Wind and Poison Tip Signet while out of range, approach, use hunter's shot, and run away. Wait (for the conditions to take effect), repeat. Poisoned and bleeding together are enough overcome her natural +3 health regeneration.


 * Ritualist

Maximize channeling and boost communing and spawning power to 11. Keep up Boon of Creation and Painful Bond. Summon your initial spirits before the Griffon becomes hostile and recast whenever needed. Use Gaze to instantly kill her spirits (and create your own).

As mentioned above, the standard SoS Spirit Spamming build works, but takes longer and requires more effort by the player.


 * Warrior

Maximize Swordsmanship and Tactics and boost strength to 11. Your main damage will come from the two riposte skills and Bonetti's will maintain your energy. Use the Rage to power up the adrenal skills. Be careful to maintain a blocking stance as often as possible. Since Defensive Stance and Bonetti's end when you use a skill, use Shield Stance or Frenzied Defense so that you can afford to use Healing Signet. Avoid fighting the Griffon near her spirits by pulling her away whenever possible; be careful not to pull too far or she will simply create another set. Your best opportunity to damage the Griffon comes right after she sets up the spirits if you can get her just far enough away.