Want to farm Bandos gear or defeat General Graardor for your first God Wars Dungeon kill in OSRS? This complete guide walks you through everything from how to get there and what gear to bring, to solo and team fight strategies, loot value, and even advanced tactics for maximizing kills per hour.
Location: General Graardor’s Lair
General Graardor is located in the northwest corner of the God Wars Dungeon (GWD). To get there, you must brave the Trollheim region and meet certain requirements for entry.
Access Methods and Entry Requirements
To enter his lair, you’ll either need to kill 40 Bandos-aligned creatures in the dungeon or use an Ecumenical Key for instant access. Here are the key ways to access and prepare:
- Trollheim Teleport (requires Eadgar’s Ruse + 61 Magic)
- Games Necklace → Burthorpe → Dungeon path (needs climbing boots, stamina potions)
- Bring a hammer (or Dragon Warhammer/Elder Maul also works)
- Equip a Bandos + Zamorak item to avoid aggression
Prerequisites and Stats You Should Aim For
Fighting General Graardor isn’t something to attempt unprepared. While technically accessible with lower stats, having strong combat levels dramatically increases your success and efficiency.
Required and Recommended Stats
- 70 Strength (unboosted) to enter Bandos’ area
- 43+ Prayer for protection prayers (74+ Rigour is ideal)
- 80+ in Attack, Strength, Hitpoints for effective melee
- 80+ Ranged or 75–92 Magic for advanced builds
- Completion of key quests like Death Plateau, Desert Treasure, Kingdom Divided
Read More: CRK Boss Rush Guide: Best Teams & Hidden Synergies
Boss Mechanics: What to Expect from Graardor
Understanding how General Graardor and his minions attack is key to survival and efficient kills. He uses a combination of melee and ranged attacks that hit hard and often.
General Graardor’s Attacks
- Melee: A powerful punch with a max hit of 60; used 2/3 of the time.
- Ranged: Ground slam AoE (15–35 damage) used 1/3 of the time when in melee range.
His Bodyguards
Each minion uses a different combat style and targets players based on who last hit the boss or landed the killing blow.
- Sgt. Strongstack: Melee, flail attack (15 damage max)
- Sgt. Steelwill: Magic, yellow projectile (15 damage max)
- Sgt. Grimspike: Ranged, throws axe (21 damage max)
Solo Strategy Guide: Melee and Magic
Whether you’re an Ironman or just prefer soloing, General Graardor can be tackled alone using melee or magic. Solo fights require precision and efficient resource management.
Melee Solo Strategy
The most common solo method is the “2:1 Walk Under” technique — attack twice, then step under the boss to avoid his counterattack. This works well due to Graardor’s slow 6-tick attack speed.
- Use Protect from Melee at all times
- Eat under Graardor to avoid combo damage
- Use Blood Barrage or Bones to Peaches for healing
Recommended Gear Setup
- Torva Helm and Platelegs
- Osmumten’s Fang or Inquisitor’s Mace
- Amulet of Blood Fury
- Elysian Spirit Shield or Avernic Defender
- Infernal Cape, Primordial Boots, Barrows Gloves
- Lightbearer Ring
Magic Solo Strategy
If you’re high-level and prefer using spells, Ancient Magicks offer great control and healing. Freezing the boss with Ice Barrage lets you keep distance and heal using Blood Barrage.
- Freeze with Ice Barrage, follow up with Blood Barrage
- Use Protect from Melee if Graardor gets too close
Recommended Magic Gear Setup
- Tumeken’s Shadow or Kodai Wand
- Ancestral Robes
- Occult Necklace, Magus Ring
- Eternal Boots, Imbued God Cape
- War Blessing or equivalent
Team Strategy Guide
Bringing friends? Good news — General Graardor becomes much easier in groups. Coordination between tank and DPS roles can maximize kills and reduce supply usage.
Tank Role Explained
The tank draws Graardor’s initial aggro and eats most of the melee damage. They must stand near the spawn point and be the first to enter the room.
- Use high Ranged Defence gear like Justiciar with Ely
- Maintain Protect from Melee at all times
- Use Walk Under strategy to reduce hits taken
DPS Role Explained
DPS players stay behind the tank and focus on dealing damage safely. Wait for the tank to secure aggro before attacking.
- Use Protect from Magic or Ranged depending on minions
- Kill order after Graardor dies: Steelwill → Grimspike → Strongstack
- Consider using Guthan’s to heal on minions if needed
Advanced Tactics (Dolo and Trick Methods)
Veteran players often use “Dolo” (two-account) methods or unique game mechanics to gain an edge.
Dolo Method
One account tanks with Blood Barrage while the other goes full DPS mage. Use precise positioning to stack Graardor and minions and heal efficiently.
Item Drop Freeze Trick
Drop an item under Graardor’s spawn. When he targets a player, spam-click the item to “trap” him in place — allowing all team members to melee safely.
Loot and GP Per Hour
Killing Graardor is highly profitable, especially with his unique drop table. Here’s what you can expect:
Estimated Profits
- 179K per kill (with minions)
- 27 kills per hour with optimal strategy
- Around 4.1M GP/hour after supplies
Rare Drops
- Bandos Chestplate – 1/381 (~25.7M)
- Bandos Tassets – 1/381 (~17.5M)
- Bandos Hilt – 1/508 (~11.7M)
- Godsword Shards – 1/762 each
- Pet General Graardor – 1/5000
Other Drops and Food Sources
Besides rare drops, Graardor and his minions drop several helpful items that support extended trips.
- Always drops Big Bones
- Minions drop Shark, Chilli Potatoes, Kebabs
- Bones to Peaches extends trips — 32 HP per kill cycle
- Noted items: Magic logs, Coal, Adamantite, Nature Runes
Combat Achievement Tasks
There are 8 tasks tied to General Graardor in the Combat Achievements system, ranging from basic to grandmaster level.
Notable Tasks
- Ourg Freezer: Kill him while frozen
- Keep Away: Take zero damage in private instance
- General Showdown: Kill him after minions are dead
- Graardor Veteran: 100 total kills
Final Tips Before You Go
Here are some last-minute reminders to help make your Graardor trips smoother and more profitable.
- Always bring Bandos and Zamorak items for dungeon safety
- Use Vengeance Other to help tanks during team fights
- Drop excess food and juggle it to avoid despawn
- Slower weapons make you less likely to draw minion aggro
- Bring a teleport-to-house tab or max cape for emergency escapes
