Gryphon

Description

A large, predatory beast with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. Impressive, aggressive, and ferocious, this is the apex predator on the Summerset Isles. As a hybrid of two known animals, expect combat both on the ground (lion form) and the air (eagle form).

Abilities

Lion Form

• Quick Attacks (Left and Right Talon Slices, Peck): The gryphon uses its razor-sharp talons or its beak to slice you. Dodge or block these attacks.
• Quick Attack Combo (Eviscerate): The gryphon begins to stand and charge, unleashing front claw attacks in sequential order that can stagger you. You can block each of the two charging talon strikes; doing so prevents the third part of the combo. If you do not interrupt the combo, the gryphon lunges, bringing its full weight down on you at close or medium ranges, stunning and knocking you down, after which it attempts to feast on your bowels. Be sure to crowd control (CC) break and interrupt this before the third part of the attack connects.
• Defensive Posture (Riposte): The gryphon rises on its hind legs and brings all of its weight down on close, frontal targets in a small AoE cone. Make sure you’re not in the cone.
• Movement (Vault): The gryphon jumps backward, using its wings to gain additional space between it and a current threat. Expect a rapid reverse jump.
• Summoning (Group Boss variant only): The boss gryphon summons two gryphons to aid it in battle.

Transitional Ability (Lion to Eagle)

• Taking Flight (Sudden Gust): The gryphon beats its powerful wings and creates a gust of wind, taking to low, stationary flight and dealing light damage. It then switches to Eagle form.

Eagle Form

• Quick Attacks (Left and Right Talon Swipes): The gryphon hovers and uses its rear talons to slash at the target below. Dodge or block these attacks.
• Line Attack (Cyclone): The gryphon quickly spins in the air, creating a large, fast-moving vortex that accelerates toward you, knocking you in the air, giving the gryphon a chance to cast “Aerial Pounce” on you. This is an AoE attack with the possibility of Knockup. Avoid this. A group boss variant can execute a Cyclone attack, but with the vortex persisting in the combat space, releasing smaller, traveling vortices, which you should avoid too.
• Upward Strike (Death from Above): The gryphon quickly flies toward you, unleashing a vicious AoE vertical strike with talons and claws. A group boss variant can affect numerous targets in a moderately sized radius at the end of the attack.
• Barrel Roll (Bird’s-Eye View): The gryphon repositions itself with a linear barrel roll, damaging targets along its path. This is more of a defensive attack, usually occurring once the gryphon has taken high damage in a short period of time. Avoid it. A group boss variant increases the speed of the barrel roll, and the roll releases small traveling vortices that damage and snare you (like the Cyclone attack).

Transitional Ability (Eagle to Lion)

• Quick Landing (Aerial Pounce): The gryphon hovers before suddenly flying toward you with immense speed. Nondirect targets are knocked back. You are knocked down and pinned under the gryphon if you don’t get out of the way of this knockdown and are stunned. Expect Lion Form attacks after the landing. The gryphon favors those struck by Cyclones. There is a group boss variant that increases the force of the landing, shredding the ground and sending debris flying as line attacks in front of the gryphon.