With update 33 Ascending Tide, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online has received two additional dungeons. Among them is the dungeon Gram of the Shipbuilder. Here you will learn everything about the mechanics with tips from MeinMMO author MiezeMelli.
What kind of dungeon is this? You can find the Gram of the Shipbuilder in the Rift. You can expect not only the regular 3 bosses but also secret bosses that give you bonuses for the normal boss fights.
This guide describes the mechanics in Veteran Hardmode. The regular veteran mode is significantly easier, and in normal difficulty mode, you can ignore many mechanics. Generally, running around wildly does not provide any advantages against the bosses.
If you want to watch all the mechanics in a video, you can do so as well:
For everything about the new DLC, check out our ESO Special on Ascending Tide.
Important vocabulary you should know for this guide
- What is a synergy? A synergy can be activated with X (default binding). This triggers a specific effect. Here, it’s the crystals that summon a secret boss or the flames that you can pick up with the synergy. There are also abilities from allied players that you can synergize. This often activates a positive effect on you or an additional negative effect on the enemy.
- What is an execute? This refers to abilities that deal particularly high damage when the target has low health.
- What does it mean to spawn? This term comes from English and means “to appear” or “to show up”.
- What does the term cleave damage mean? This refers to damage that does not hit just the main target but also additional targets nearby.
- What does it mean to rez? To revive a player in the group with a soulstone.
- What does Rez-Ulti mean? This term is derived from the ultimate ability of the necromancer class. This ability revives all fallen group members.
- What is a taunt? This refers to a skill that taunts the enemy. This causes only the player who cast this skill to be attacked.
- What does HM mean? HM stands for hard mode.
- What does stacking mean? This means you and your group members stand in the same spot. This allows you to safely receive important buffs that the healer or tank casts on you. The same applies to AoE healing.
- What is a K.O. mechanic? Once this mechanic comes into play, the group will die. You must absolutely prevent this.
- What does dodging mean? This is the English term for the dodge roll in ESO. By default, you activate it by double-tapping your movement keys W, A, S, and D. However, you can adjust this control in the settings so that you only need to click once.
How to find secret bosses in the Gram of the Shipbuilder
You will reach the first secret boss when you enter one of the houses. You can always recognize the correct path by the ghost NPCs that will speak with you.
You will reach the room for the secret boss via a hatch to the icy cavern. There you will encounter Vanessa’s ghost again and shortly thereafter the twilight mother “Forgotten Virgin”.
After defeating this boss, you will receive a buff and can leave the room via a portal. You will find a secret boss before each boss. Pay attention to people in spirit form.
Here is an overview of the secret bosses:
- Forgotten Virgin – Buff: Protection of the Virgin
- Increases your maximum Magicka by 10%. If you have 10% or less health, you cast “Breakout,” which temporarily grants you a shield. “Breakout” has a cooldown of 30 seconds.
- Veiled Axe-Swinger – Buff: Veil of the Axe-Swinger
- Increases your maximum health by 10%. If you are hit by an attack that destroys at least 50% of your total health, you cast “Veiled,” which increases your healing done by 100% for 5 seconds. “Veiled” has a cooldown of 30 seconds.
- Storm-Cursed Sailor – Buff: Curse of the Storm
- Increases your maximum stamina by 10%. Your heavy attacks will inflict “Curse of the Storm,” causing you to deal an additional 6,000 lightning damage to your target.
The 1st Boss (Gram of the Shipbuilder) Foreman Bradiggan in ESO
For this boss, you should definitely play in a group composition with a tank, a healer, and two DPS. You will need a lot of healing during certain boss phases.
The mechanics of Foreman Bradiggan:
- Add Spawns: at around 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%, 5 ghosts (horrific seekers) and a ranged attacker spawn. Deal with these adds before continuing with the boss. The ranged attacker (skeleton flame thrower) needs to be interrupted when it uses its fire skill. You can recognize this by the red lines coming from it. If possible, the tank should pull this add (and the others) to the boss.
- Flesh Colossus: The Flesh Colossus deals nasty damage. Focus on it to finish it off quickly. During this phase, there is also a harmful area on each group member that needs to be healed strongly. These areas should not overlap, so don’t stack with anyone else.
- Soul Bomb: With this mechanic, an area appears on one group member. To minimize damage, you need to stack with exactly one other group member. No more than that should be in the area.
- Stunning Fear: AoE areas charge from the boss, which move quickly away from the boss once they are fully filled. You can avoid these areas if you are close to the boss. Alternatively, you can also dodge in other ways, but usually, that’s only possible if you are farther away from the boss.
Completing this boss in Veteran HM grants you the achievement: Collective Stabbing.
How to obtain the achievement “Short Route”
I strongly recommend not doing this achievement in hard mode.
In just one add phase, each player must pull the horrific seekers individually to one of the four tombstones located at the edge of the battle scene. Then you must kill them. You can tell if you succeeded by seeing if the raven leaves the tombstone and flies away.
The 2nd Boss Nazaray (Gram of the Shipbuilder) in ESO
For this boss, a fixed group composition is also important. The tank will occasionally need strong healing. You will also require high DPS at times to avoid a K.O. mechanic.
The mechanics of Nazaray:
- Unrestrained Kinship: Four “kin spirits” will appear. You must defeat two of them within a short time, or else they will leave behind a large AoE that will surely kill you. If you prevent two of these areas, one area will remain free for you.
- Slurper: This enemy deals heavy damage to the tank. The DPS should therefore focus on it.
- Tormenting Thunderbranch: The slurper casts this AoE, from which you should quickly move away.
- Numerous AoE areas: You must always move away from these areas. Blocking or dodging is too unreliable.
- Boss Shield: Nazaray will create areas that emit blue smoke. These temporarily grant the boss a shield. The tank should always move the boss out of these areas.
The Final Boss Captain Numirril (Gram of the Shipbuilder) in ESO
This boss requires self-healing from the DPS, focus damage on the adds, and kiting from the group members.
Here are the mechanics of Numirril:
- Surging: The boss creates multiple AoE areas that you must dodge consecutively, and they will follow you.
- Drowned Colossus: Focus on this add.
- Pursue: With this mechanic, the colossus charges at a random player and inflicts cone-shaped damage: You need to dodge this.
- Drowned Corpse: You must interrupt these adds. They cannot be pulled by the tank, so you will need to move across the platform to kill them.
- Drowned Corpse, Wave: This AoE moves in a straight line. It causes you to stagger and interrupts you when standing in it, inflicting damage.
- Drowned Corpse, Throw: These adds leave many poison fields behind, so you should always take them down a notch. After a while, these fields explode.
Completing the HM grants you the following achievements and items:
- Victorious of the Gram of the Shipbuilder (Achievement)
- Conqueror of the Gram of the Shipbuilder (Achievement)
- Set Sail! (Achievement)
- Without Spiritual Support (Achievement)
- Body Paint of the Abyssal Embrace (Collection: Body Paint)
- Trophy: Nazaray (Collection: Undaunted Trophies)
- Statue: Nazaray (Collection: Undaunted Busts)
More Achievements in the Gram of the Shipbuilder
There are still several achievements for other actions in the dungeon. Usually, the normal veteran mode suffices without hard mode.
How to get the achievement “Wet to the Gills Safe”
You must stand in the wave that spawns a drowned corpse or even go with it. If you are drenched three times, you will receive the achievement. This requires a healer who heals you consistently.
How to get the achievement “Safe Harbor”
This can be done in the regular veteran mode. You must defeat the final boss at the moment when there are fewer than 10 Galleons in the arena. The Galleons are the poison areas left by the drowned corpses.
How to get the achievement “Last Blessing”
For this achievement, you must face the three secret bosses and thereby receive the respective buff.
How to get the achievement “Challenger of the Gram of the Shipbuilder”
Complete the following achievements:
- Conqueror of the Gram of the Shipbuilder
- Set Sail!
- Clear Ship
- Shipyard Sprint
How to get the achievement “Maormer Slayer”
This achievement can be done in veteran mode without hard mode. You will need several runs for this, as you must defeat a total of 200 Maormer. You probably won’t encounter that many Maormer in a single run.
How to get the achievement “Slurper Slayer”
This achievement can be done in veteran mode without hard mode. You will need several runs for this, as you must defeat a total of 50 Slurpers. You probably won’t encounter that many Slurpers in a single run.
How to get the achievement “Shipyard Sprint”
This achievement can be done in veteran mode without hard mode. Complete the dungeon within 25 minutes.
How to get the achievement “Clear Ship”
This achievement can be done in veteran mode without hard mode. No group member may die throughout the entire run.
How to get the achievement “No Regrets”
This is the Triple – Veteran HM, Speedrun, No Death. The reward is the title: Buccaneer.
Have you checked out the new dungeon yet? Do you like it, or are you starting to feel like the ceiling is closing in on you in the Gram of the Shipbuilder? Then check out our ESO Event Ticker. Maybe there are also some other interesting things to do in ESO.
