Granado Espada – Grandice

During our first months in GE, we called Grandice the “impossible” RNPC since she’s so hard to get. Whenever we thought of who our final teams would be, we simply dismissed the idea of including Grandice. Back then, how was I to know that I’ll be killing the boss in the Room of the Dead…much less getting the Ring on my first try?

Christmas Day of 2008. around 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Santa (IAH Game Master) was giving away prizes to those who participated in the forum contest. The prizes ranged from Adelina the Pirate cards to 70,000 gpoints. Sadly, it was only then that I knew the existence of the said contest. A bit disappointed, I went to the 3rd floor of Skullic Dungeon to check if Ravyn (the boss) is alive.

I had only one key. It has been with me for ages. I don’t even remember where I got it. Anyway, when I used the key on the crystal skull at the end of the 3rd floor, it announced that the Room of the Dead has been opened. Great, possible competitors may arrive. Luckily, I was the only one who went in. It was my first time inside the area so I was surprised to find it so desolate and lifeless. Aptly named, I guess. I started bragging to my peers that I was in the room until…surprise! Ravyn spawned on top of me.

Instead of continuing with what happened, I’ll just detail the step-by-step process of getting Grandice (since most folks who read this will probably want to know more about that than my personal experience). Anyway, on to the guide.

• First, you should have completed the Ustiur Quests up to getting Romina’s card.
• The next step is to look for a clickable rock on a hill in Zona Quatro overlooking a rather large waterfall. To reach it, once you enter from Zona Tres turn left and follow that path, then turn right to climb a hill where you can see a waterfall. Walk towards the rock (you can click it but nothing will happen) and a message should appear saying that “You found a waterfall…”. Run around the rock until you get the message if it doesn’t appear immediately. Go back to Grandice and she should thank you for the discovery.

“Yeah, that’s one big rock! But forget that, let’s just report finding a waterfall in Zona Quatro…”

• Here begins the hard parts of the quest. You will need to get a key to the Room of the Dead by hunting in Skullic Dungeon or getting one from a Bellem’s box. The mini-bosses in Skullic Dungeon drop them though they’re quite rare. Some have reported getting one from regular mobs but it never happened to me yet.
• The rare key opens up a warp gate to the Room of the Dead via the Crystal Skull at the end of the 3rd floor of Skullic Dungeon. Inside, you will find a bunch of skeletons moving around, four non-moving skeletons, Ravyn, and Ravyn’s heart.
• Now, the first thing you will notice among those mentioned above is that only the heart can be attacked. Ravyn himself is not attackable as well as the four big skeletons around the heart. What you have to do is to attack the heart until a skeleton gets “unfrozen”. Kill the skeleton then go back to whacking at the heart. Repeat the process until all four skeletons are dead. Take note that you may have to stop and wait for the skeletons to get unfrozen if the heart is taking damage too quickly. If you’re soloing the boss, you can lure a skeleton to the starting point so you can solo it without Ravyn casting those annoying spells at you.

“Hah! Can’t touch this!”

• After killing all four skeletons, kill the heart. If you’re lucky, a message will appear saying “Ravyn, the Unholy has appeared” and the boss himself will say a few lines.
• Kill Ravyn (he’s a pushover) and pray that the Viscount Skull Ring drops. If not, get a key and try again in a few hours.

“Hey Ravyn! You do realize your guards are much stronger than you are, don’t you?”

• If you’re lucky and got the ring, return to Grandice and she will take it, shower you with praises as well as challenge you to a friendly duel.

“3 vs 1 is hardly fair. Much less against an old woman.”

• After beating her, she’ll give you her card. Quest complete!

Her character starts at level 60. She has 7 STR, 6 AGI, 9 HP (!), 5 DEX, 3 INT, and 4 CHA. Her stances are Bareknuckle, Plow Guard, Roof Guard, Tail Guard, and Sidewinder (Yes, all great sword stances).

The difficulty comes from getting two items, the key and the ring. I may have gotten it on my first try but I was just lucky. My friend, who I’m helping in getting the ring, is on his 5th try with no luck. We managed to have Ravyn appear twice but still no ring. Others have reported killing Ravyn 32 times without getting a ring. Still, I’m happy I got mine and on Christmas too! Life sure knows when to give a pleasant surprise.