It is time for me to continue the new series of articles, where I am performing a detailed analysis of the most important & deadly enemies in the world of Frosthaven. The way I do it, is to present all the Monster Mats and Monster Ability Cards. You will be able to enlarge them in the new window and review – all in one place.
What is more, is that I am trying to analyze that data and create some interesting, statistical information. I am focusing on monsters health, initiative, attack potential as well as their special abilities. In the end I am also trying to create the full opponent’s evaluation with some suggested strategies to dela with them.
GLOOMHAVEN:
FROSTHAVEN:
All that effort for everybody who will be playing that great game to be better equipped and prepared when they will inevitably face those tough enemies. Truly, you will need that knowledge and those insights as adventures in Frosthaven are much more difficult and complicated to what you were used to in Gloomhaven.
Now, most prominent enemies in this game are of course Lurkers, Unfettered and Algoxes. We already covered the first two groups in below articles:
- Frosthaven Monsters Analysis & Strategies – Lurkers
- Frosthaven Monsters Analysis & Strategies – Unfettered
Today I am going to continue with the monster group the Frosthaven game is most famous for – Algoxes! Those huge furred creatures, inhabiting in large numbers the northern reaches, are extremely violent and dangerous – and not only to your company but to their compatriots too! There are different types of them, among which most prominent are:
- Guards
- Archers
- Scouts
- Priests
- Snowspeakers
- Icespeakers
Now, the first four ecomaps more or less known set of opponents like in Gloomhaven – we had Vermlings with Scouts and Shamans, we had Inoxes with Archers, Guards and Shamans, etc. We will focus on them first (Guard, Archer, Scout, Priest) so you have all the stats and ability cards presented, with plenty of numbers, evaluations and some information how to tackle them.
Only after that, in the next article, we shall jump to incredibly interesting creatures among this monster type: Snowspeakers & Icespeakers! Stay tuned!
Algox Guard
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 15 |
| => maximum | 70 |
| => average | ~40 (average) |
| => variation | From 15 to 70 = 55 (average) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 3-5 Elite: 4-7 |
| Hit points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 6-33 Elite: 10-47 |
| Weapon type | Melee |
| Specials | Strengthen Self |
Evaluation:
I believe you can call it one of the most simple, straightforward or even boring enemies – and not only among Algoxes, but all the enemies in the world of Frosthaven. It has average initiative, average range of movement, almost no special abilities (just Strengthen on one Ability Card), huge amounts of Hit Points, zero extra protection (Shield / Retaliate) but a decent punch. Lack of finesse and special tricks is largely compensated by its incredible vitality.
How to deal with them:
- As it is melee monster, immobilizing him and attacking from range is always a great idea.
- It is a 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.
- The high point enemy will be also a perfect target for the Brittle condition – it will really payoff to have a double damage and by no means it will be an overkill – those monsters can soak up a lot.
- Honestly, a brute-force approach, with as many attacks as possible, by as many characters as you may will inevitably succeed here.
Algox Archer
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 14 |
| => maximum | 64 |
| => average | ~36 (very fast!) |
| => variation | From 14 to 64 = 50 (average) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 3-5 Elite: 4-7 |
| Hit points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 4-22 Elite: 6-33 |
| Weapon type | Ranged |
| Specials | Immobilize |
Evaluation:
One of the more dangerous Algoxes – well, in all honesty, they all are, with exception of the Guard. Here we have a very quick (initiative-wise) enemy, with attack value identical to his Guard brother, but doing this all at a significant range thus being hard to easily catch. While lower on HPs than Guard, it still can reach 20’s or 30’s in the vitality – so they can survive long enough to get your group decimated. And they rarely travel alone, usually in packs.
How to deal with them:
- These are range enemies, so approaching them and forcing to shoot at you from the disadvantage is always a good idea.
- As in case of its compatriot, Guard, as an enemy with completely no protection (Shield / Retaliate) hitting him often, with whatever strength will work nicely.
- Observe that he has very limited move range. That means that you potentially can outrun him in large-map scenarios.
Algox Scout
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 29 |
| => maximum | 92 |
| => average | ~56 (average) |
| => variation | From 29 to 92 = 63 (large) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-7 |
| Hit Points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 7-33 Elite: 10-40 |
| Weapon type | Mix of melee (5) and Ranged (3) cards |
| Specials | Impair; Poison |
Evaluation:
You can see Scout as interesting combination of both Guard and Archer. He has five melee and three ranged attacks. His hit points are exactly between maximum for Archer and Guard. His initiative is average but his mobility is enormous – this is probably one of the farthest moving opponents in the game. To spice up that monster, two important abilities were added to it: poison (so his compatriots can get advantage of it) and impair (so characters cannot use or trigger any items).
How to deal with them:
- That tricky enemy might behave differently, depending on ability card:
- if he tries to attack in range – then get closer to him and force the disadvantage
- if he tries to attack in melee – then damaging & immobilizing from range is best option
- the tactics will really depend from turn to turn based on his behavior.
- He is very mobile, so there is no way to outrun him; rather try to get close and speed-up the demise process with usual poison & wound
- There is no need for finesse; just adapt your tactic from turn to turn to his changing ranged / melee behavior.
Algox Priest
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Initiative | |
| => minimum | 8 |
| => maximum | 89 |
| => average | ~37 (very fast) |
| => variation | From 8 to 89 = 81 (very large) |
| Damage (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-5 |
| Hit Points (lvl1-lvl7) | Regular: 5-27 Elite: 7-34 |
| Weapon type | Ranged |
| Specials | Shield; Pierce; Disarm; Immobilize |
Evaluation:
A completely unpredictable enemy, with several incredibly fast cards of initiative below 10 or as slow as initiative 89. So you never know if it will act quickly or slowly. All priest / shaman types of enemies usually have some very nasty tricks against your group – in this case Disarming, Immobilizing or Cursing you. Very dangerous and as Algox – unfortunately very vital, with added protection of Armor but also possibility to pierce during attack. Will be hard nut to crack.
How to deal with them:
- In a larger Algox groups that enemy should be your top priority. Whatever damage you do to Guards or Archers, Priests can heal. Whatever you plan – can be checked by the de-buffs it can put on your group.
- A lot can depend on your group composition. In mainly melee build-up groups, the first thing is to get to it – which might not be an easy task as it usually is screened by Guards. So jumping / running long distances will be a solution here and effort worth spent.
- Another technique is to use pull to bring it to the front line (if possible, via traps 🙂 – especially before its turn and in a way it cannot retreat to safe / non-disadvantage location.
- Additionally, use standard shield penetration tactics – the regular enemies can be dealt with by brute force, but elite need special approach: a perfect combo is the range attack using the Piercing Bow and possibly Eagle-Eye Goggles. That way you ignore shield and have advantage in the attack.
- Another tactic is use of wound condition. That will cripple the creature every turn, speeding up significantly its demise.
Summary
We had a lot of fun but also a lot of problems in our Frosthaven travels with Algoxes. They are relentless enemy, very vital, full of anger, energy and wish to do you harm. There is rarely any finesse in their behavior but honestly, they do not need it – witch such number of Hit Points they can simply immediately jump at you.
What is most interesting – and something I do not want to spoil – is the story behind their behavior and the internal squabbles between their various factions. But you will learn it as you progress through the campaign.
More analysis soon!
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