Dark and Darker is a brutal and challenging game to master in all aspects. Regardless if you delve into the dungeon for the best items to sell on the market, search for glorious combat, or want the best loot, all players will eventually go into the Inferno. Taking a Red Portal will teleport you and your party deeper into the darkness, where stronger enemies lie and wait in exchange for more valuable treasures and gear.
The Inferno is the most brutal area in Dark and Darker thus far, but you must defeat one of the game’s painfully challenging bosses for players who want the best loot. As of recent playtests, there are two bosses in the Inferno and one in the Goblin Cave solo mode. This guide will cover the new Cave Troll boss battle, their mechanics, and tips for defeating them.
Dark and Darker Cave Troll Boss Overview
The Cave Troll is the newest boss in Dark and Darker, found in the Goblin Cave map. The Goblin Cave map has a massive boss room located in the center of the map, so if you want to have as much time as possible to fight any Inferno boss, it’s crucial to rush to the center of the map before the ring begins to close.
The Cave Troll is a tanky melee-only boss, resulting in a predictable but otherwise deadly fight. Because the Goblin Cave map is for solo play only, it makes most classes struggle to kill this boss. So if it’s your first time trying to bring down this massive Troll, we recommend playing the Fighter, Ranger, or Cleric.
Classes that Have the Hardest Time Against this Boss
Rogue and Barbarians can bring down this mighty boss, but it’s more challenging since they lack shields. Wizards are easily the worst class to use to fight the Cave Troll since their melee damage is lacking, and there rarely is enough time to stand back and cast spells.
The Dark and Darker Cave Troll Moveset
The Cave Troll’s moveset is entirely melee, requiring more time to learn and little room for error. The Cave Troll’s attacks are predictable once you have practiced, but until then, we recommend using a Shield because most attacks can be blocked, whereas you would need to dodge.
Troll’s Regular Attack
One vital tip for fighting the Cave Troll is to watch his weapon in his right hand. The Cave Troll’s regular attack is the only swing in his moveset where he strikes from the left side. This attack is easy to dodge by crouching and looking at the floor to avoid the swing.
This attack is also blockable if you have a shield, but it can be difficult to read since it can be chained together after a high or low swing. The Regular Attack can be sidestepped by walking backward, but if you are wearing heavy armor, this might not be easy.
Low Swing Attack
The low swing attack is the most difficult swing to dodge. In Dark and Darker, the Cave Troll will prepare a low swing if they lower their mace and raise their left hand. This attack can be blocked by crouching and turning your character 90 degrees to the left. Otherwise, your other options are to retreat or jump over the attack.
Jumping over the low swing is extremely difficult and requires excellent timing and light armor. It’s much safer to back off for any low swings.
High Swing Attack
The high-swing attack is easier to dodge compared to the low-swing. The animation for the high swing is when the Cave Troll keeps their left arm down and holds the mace more loosely. This attack can be blocked by turning 90 degrees to the left, just like the low swing. The high swing attack is significantly easier to dodge by crouching and facing our camera to the ground while waiting for the weapon to fly over your head.
The high swing also takes slightly longer for the Cave Troll to recover, allowing you to land an extra attack if you have a high attack-speed weapon.
Related Guide: How to Get Better at Dark and Darker
Ground Slam
The Ground Slam Attack is the only attack that cannot be blocked or dodged. Whenever the Cave Troll holds his mace with two hands, he is about to perform the ground slam attack. Sheathe your weapon and run away quickly unless you are already out of his melee range when this attack starts.
This ground slam has a small AOE around the impact area, which will damage you even if you sidestep the attack.
Roar
Lastly, the Cave Troll’s Roar in Dark and Darker isn’t initially deadly. Its debuff is what makes it dangerous. After the Cave Troll pauses and Roars, everyone in the arena will be slowed for a few seconds, then will charge at a player. This charge will guarantee the Cave Troll will immediately perform either a low or high swing attack.
If you have a shield, the follow-up attack after the Roar can be blocked because it’s a guaranteed low or high swing. Otherwise, if you don’t have a shield and have been dodging, hope the Cave Troll makes a high attack so you can duck underneath. If the Cave Troll performs a low swing, you can still jump over or dodge backward, but it is far more difficult this time around.
If you are far away from the Cave Troll when they perform their Roar attack, there is a slim chance the debuff will expire before they reach you, but this doesn’t happen often, so be prepared to dodge or block in Dark and Darker.
Extra Details about the Cave Troll’s Moveset
The Cave Troll is slow but incredibly powerful, and this is notable in its damage output. Both the high and low swing attack deals over 100 damage. Only classes with considerable armor or health can survive one of these attacks. Classes like the Rogue, Ranger, or Wizard will quickly die from failing to dodge one attack.
However, the Cave Troll’s regular attack is their least damaging attack, which still does a lot of damage, but it’s the only attack you will likely survive if you get hit. Lastly, since the Goblin Cave has no High Roller mode, this boss has no hard mode, unlike other bosses found in the Inferno.
Fighting the Cave Troll in Dark and Darker
As previously mentioned, since the Goblin Cave is a solo adventure, you will take on the Cave Troll solo unless you manage to convince a fellow adventurer to help you in the fight. Otherwise, this limits our choice of what class to play as if we are going to fight the Cave Troll.
Because the majority of the Troll’s attacks are blockable or dodgeable, we recommend playing as the Fighter, Ranger, or Cleric if you are unfamiliar with the boss’s moveset. Sadly, we only recommend the Wizard if you are insanely good at Dark and Darker and use Crystal Sword with lots of buffs.
If you are a skilled combatant, a Rogue or Barbarian build is also a viable but more challenging option.
As for fighting the Cave Troll, keep an eye on their mace; it’s the best way to react to an incoming high or low attack. As previously mentioned, all attacks can be blocked or dodged except for the Ground Slam and the Roar attack.
More Tips and Tricks for Defeating the Cave Troll in Dark and Darker
- Rangers are one of the best classes for fighting the Troll Cave. Their fast bow attacks with Nimble Hands make killing the Troll easier while staying out of melee range. Rangers also can equip the Pavise to block the Trolls’ attacks rather than dodge them. Check out our detailed Dark and Darker Ranger build guide for more insights on how to play this class well.
- Fighters and Clerics are also great picks for fighting the Troll because they can equip giant shields like the Round or Heater shield.
- Rogues can deal a lot of damage over time with Rupture and Poisoned Weapon.
- For your Fighter build in Dark and Darker, you can take Sprint to help dodge the Trolls’ attacks or Breakthrough to remove the slow debuff from the Roar attack.
Related Article: Complete Beginners Guide to Dark and Darker
Looting the Cave Troll in Dark and Darker
Unlike other bosses we have covered, the Cave Troll is the only boss thus far to have their loot stashed away. After defeating the Cave Troll, you will find a few items on their body, but the rest of their loot remains locked away behind a door in the boss arena.
The Cave Troll’s loot room is locked until they are slain, so don’t try to sneak into the room while they are alive. However, once they die, their loot room will have a few stray treasures lying around one locked Lion’s Head Chest and an Epic weapon on the ground.
The Lion’s Head Chest is typically locked, so bring a few lockpicks, or else you will lose out on some of your hard-earned loot.
Conclusion for Fighting the Cave Troll Boss in Dark and Darker
That’s our breakdown of how to defeat the Cave Troll boss in Dark and Darker. The Cave Troll is a brutal fight and puts the skills of solo players to the test. Regardless if you are a new player or a veteran, everyone wants to bring down this mighty Cave Troll to obtain a vial of Trolls Blood and much more.
If you enjoyed our guide on Dark and Darker and want to learn more about the other bosses, check out our guide for the Lich or the Ghost King boss fight, both found deep in the Inferno.
For now, Good Hunting!
