Welcome to my third article in the series about the monster analysis and strategies in the world of Gloomhaven. After looking at Earth, Flame & Frost and then Night, Sun & Wind demons the time has come to have a closer look at a pretty common enemy in your adventures – Inox race!
As always I am bringing all the skills and abilities cards of the Gloomhaven opponents as well as some statistical analysis of what they can do plus how to deal with them. I hope you would find the format helpful and useful for your adventures in that fantastic world!
The Inox are a primitive and barbaric race, preferring to live in small nomadic tribes scattered across the wilderness. There they subsist through hunting and gather, scraping together a meager existence while fighting off the more dangerous creatures of the wilds. What they lack in intelligence and sophistication, they make up for with their superior strength and size, always eager to prove themselves in a challenge. And one should certainly take care in challenging an Inox. Their society does not pay much heed to ethics or morality. For the Inox, it is all about survival – kill or be killed. (courtesy https://www.cephalofair.com/)
The game presents three basic types of enemies you can meet from that race – Guard, Archer and Shaman. As we shall see, that triad will be pretty common also when other races / opponents are concerned and they will use the same abilities deck. So, without further ado, let us have a closer look at each type.
Other articled in the world of Gloomhaven: Strategy guide - Brute Strategy guide - Spellweaver Strategy guide - Doomstalker Strategy guide - Tinkerer Strategy guide – Soothsinger Most often errors and overlooked rules Monsters analysis & strategies – Earth, Flame and Frost demons Monsters analysis & strategies – Night, Sun and Wind demons
Inox Guard
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 15 |
| => maximum | 70 |
| => average | ~40 (average) |
| => varation | From 15 to 70 = 55 (average) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-6 |
| Hit points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 5-19 Elite: 9-23 |
| Weapon type | Melee |
| Specials | Retaliate |
Evaluation:
A pretty standard enemy. Not very slow, not very fast (moderate average initiative of 40) and pretty predictable (initiative variation 55) adversary – in that respect similar to other guards. The damage dealt is standard for Regular type and pretty nice for Elite. He has pretty high number of Hit Points which grow decently through levels but the best of his skills is of course Retaliate against whoever attacks him. Remember – that ability works even if Inox is disarmed or stunned and ignores all shields!
How to deal with them:
- As it is melee monster, immobilizing him and attacking from range is always a great idea.
- It is high Hit Points enemy, who has zero protection so all conditions which would speed up damage build up – like Poison or Wound – would help greatly as an average number of attacks to kill him will be higher then in case of less durable enemy.
- On the lower levels, that enemy is pretty slow (1-2 hex move). What is more, 3 out of 8 ability cards hampered it even more so you can really outpace that Guard and time your attack appropriately or, for example, take care of Archers first.
Inox Archer
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 14 |
| => maximum | 68 |
| => average | ~36 (quite fast) |
| => varation | From 14 to 68 = 54 (average) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-5 |
| Hit points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 5-15 Elite: 7-23 |
| Weapon type | Range |
| Specials | Wound |
Evaluation:
A surprisingly durable Archer, with lots of Hit Points and a very nasty ability from the level 4 onward – Wound. The character is quite fast (average initiative of 36 with moderate variation of it) with usual range of 3-4 hexes through majority of levels, growing to 5 for Elite on level 5 (excellent reach then!). The move is enough to close on enemy to have him in range or gain a distance to avoid disadvantage. Works best in group, with melee Guard in the front.
How to deal with them:
- A lot can depend on your group composition. In mainly melee build-up groups, the first thing is get to him – which might not be an easy task as he usually is screened by Guards. Still, it might be quite possible as Inox Guards are slow and you can outrun them, dealing with Archers first.
- In a group with range damage dealers, especially with The Angry Face, you can reach him and place adverse effects from distance.
- Another technique is to use pull to bring him to the front line (if possible, via traps 🙂 – especially before his turn and in a way he cannot retreat to safe / non-disadvantage location.
- Do not underestimate him – three archers shooting at 2 targets each can be a real nuisance.
Inox Shaman
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 08 |
| => maximum | 89 |
| => average | ~37 (fast) |
| => varation | From 08 to 89 = 81 (enormous) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-5 |
| Hit points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 4-16 Elite: 6-27 |
| Weapon type | Range |
| Specials | Healing, Immobilizing, Bless |
Evaluation:
I told you Inox class is very durable and high on Hit Points? That also applies to Shamans! Actually, the level 7 Elite Inox Shaman is a 27 HPs monster – most durable opponent in the whole race!
When you add a pretty fast initiative (average 37) with huge variance (81) you get very unpredictable, powerful enemy begin able to boost the allies (Bless, Heal), put and adverse condition on your group (Immobilize, Disarm, Curse) or quite simply hit you hard.
How to deal with them:
- In a larger Inox group that enemy should be your top priority. Whatever damage you do to Guards or Archers, Shamans can heal. Whatever you plan – can be checked by the de-buffs he can put on your group.
- Good idea is to Stun or Disarm him as soon as possible. That at least will neutralize them for a moment.
- As you want to get rid of Shamans ASAP, start eliminating them by using Wounds (will work every turn) and Poison (to get enough attack strength to inflict damage).
- In crowded rooms, when time is of essence, the bets option would be an instant kill, for example Scoundrel card Visage of the Inevitable. That one works only for normal enemies but is a non-lost card.
Summary
In this article I covered all normal Inox enemies you can encounter during your adventures in the world of Gloomhaven. Not to spoil the fun – but you might expect more once you progress with the story 🙂
All of them – Guards, Archers, Shamans – are definitely strong, high HP enemies, which can be problematic especially if attacking in group (that usually happens) and when you just learn the game and your characters are low level still. They are resilient, using combined arms attacks – Guards in melee, supported by Archers from range and being blessed and healed by Shamans. Still, they do not have shields, so hit them and hit them hard!
Good luck!
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