Cavern Goblin Hunter

This guide shows how to beat the Cavern Goblin Hunter, a level 107 boss in the caverns. He fights from the three corners of a triangle-shaped arena and fires coloured arrows that you stop by swapping shields. It covers the arena, how the fight works, and the gear and shield swaps you need.

Level 107 with 3,000 health. Each extra player fighting him adds 80% more health, up to 30 extra players. All of his damage is Pierce (200). His attacks are Quick (150) and Heavy (120). Quick attacks are stopped by Deflect power, which is why a parry shield is your main shield. His armour is Slash 20, Lightning 40, Ice 70, Pierce 80 and Fire 100. Slash is his weakest armour and Fire is his strongest. He gives 1.25 times the normal combat XP.

The arena is shaped like a triangle. Each corner is a fighting area, and the corners are joined by bridges. The fight starts in one corner, and he moves to the next corner during the fight, so you will cross the bridges to follow him.

1. Start with your parry shield on. All of his normal attacks are parry attacks, so keep it on whenever you are just fighting him. 2. When you have done enough damage, he jumps to the next corner, going counter-clockwise. Cross the bridge to reach him. 3. After each jump he fires 3 special arrows at you. Each arrow is red or green. When an arrow is red, swap to your Defence shield. When it is green, swap back to your parry shield. 4. After his first jump he also starts dropping bombs that look like the cave collapsing. They show as red circles on the ground. Step out of them. A Defence shield blocks some of this damage, but the arrows matter more, so just keep moving. 5. After 3 jumps he is back in the corner where you started. Finish him off there.

Shields and shield swaps

Bring two shields: your best parry shield (it uses Evasion) and your best Defence shield. Keep the parry shield on, and only swap to the Defence shield for red arrows. These are the best shields in the game data for each job.

Armour

All of his damage is Pierce, so armour is ranked by Pierce armour. The top three for each slot are shown, best first. Gathering items such as the Ore Crate are left out. Needs is the skill level you need to wear it.

Weapons

A weapon's damage matters more than matching his weakest armour. These are the best one-handed weapons of any style against him, using the same damage maths as the Gear Planner. Every weapon is scored with 99 in every skill so they compare fairly. Slash hits him most often, but a stronger weapon of another type can still do more damage. Bows are left out because they are two-handed and you need your shields. The Gear Planner shows the best weapon for your exact level.

Jewellery and gems

The best weapons for this boss are all melee, so necks and rings are ranked by the melee damage they add. Necks and rings can hold a gem. Put a Power Gem in each one to raise your melee power. Skilling jewellery, such as the Fishers and Alchemists sets, is left out.

Watch the arrow colour, not the bombs. Getting the shield swap right on all 3 arrows matters more than dodging every red circle. The Bosses guide lists his rare drops and compares him with the other bosses.