This is one of the hardest fights in the Ruined Battlefield if you come upon it randomly and aren’t ready. However, if you follow my tips and prepare, the Shambling Mound is a breeze. Here’s how to beat the Shadow Cursed Shambling Moun in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Defeat the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound in BG3
There are three factors that make the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound dangerous. First, it’s a high HP brute that can one-shot characters with its Devour if they end up Restrained and affected by its Digestive Sap effect. The Needle Blights explode for massive melee AoE damage, which can one-shot your melee characters. Finally, the Mound’s Wretched Growth Legendary Action on Honour Mode deals 3d10 Necrotic damage and Entangle characters that end their turn within 5 meters of it.
The Easiest Way to Kill the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound
That said, the key to beating the Shambling Mound easily revolves around baiting the saplings and the Mound to a choke point and then killing one Needle Blight to blow it up and cause a chain reaction explosion. This is why I highly recommend you bring ranged characters to this fight like Rangers and Rogues or Sorcerers, Warlocks, and other blasters. We’ll especially need AoE movement-restraining effects from these spellcaster classes. I beat the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound like this.
Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound Boss Strategy
Stealth up to the Watchtower staircase chokehold where the Shambling Mound and its Needle Blights are. Bring at least two ranged damage characters and at least one tanky frontliner like a Paladin, Fighter, or Barbarian. Most of the damage in this fight is Piercing so Barbarian Rage resistance comes in handy. Save before approaching. If your party doesn’t notice all the Needle Blights, reload so you don’t get surprised.
While still in Stealth and before engaging the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound, position your frontliner in front of the stairway chokepoint from your side and pull your ranged damage characters away. Turn-based mode or Splitting the party is best for this. Start the fight by dropping an AoE movement-hampering effect on the chokepoint. I highly recommend Grease, Web, Entangle, Black Tentacles, or Hunger of Hadar.
Wait for the Needle Blights that explode on death to approach the chokepoint along with the Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound. They’ll walk into the AoE crowd-control and stop at your frontliner.
Once a few of the exploding Needle Blights gather up along with the Shambling Mound, drop some burst damage on one Needle Blight until it explodes which will cause a chain reaction and blow up all the other ones. This massive AOE damage explosion will drop the Shambling Mound to around 25% HP. Now it’s all a matter of clean-up as you finish the boss off along with the two to three Vine Blights left.
Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound Boss Patch 6 Tips
As of Patch 6, the Mound’s arena has had a few changes, but that doesn’t affect the strategy above. You can still do the chokepoint/Grease chain reaction combo to burst the boss down. Additionally, here are some generally useful tips for the boss:
Watch out for his Legendary Action called Wretched Growth, which deals Necrotic damage and Entangles characters that end their turn within 5 meters of it. Steer clear of approaching the boss within 5 meters or 16 feet. As I mentioned, either bring Bottles of Grease or classes and scrolls that can cast it or Web, Entangle (Druid), Black Tentacles, or Hunger of Hadar (Warlock).
Items that make you immune to movement-hampering effects are great here so I would bring an Elixir of Guileful Movement, Ring of Free Action, the Disintegrating Nightwalkers from Nere, or the Freedom of Movement spell. Needle Blights will surround your frontliner as they hold the line to group up the minions and the boss, so be sure to bring a Scroll of Resurrection as they might die from the explosion as well.
Watch out for the Digestive Sap effect. The Shadow Cursed Shambling Mound will insta-kill characters who are under this effect and Restrained. Ranged shots and spells are superior in this fight since melee attackers take damage when hitting the boss.
That’s how to beat the Shadow-Cursed Shambling Moun in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more BG3 guides, check out the best Honour mode classes or how to beat the game solo.
