OSRS Bandos Tank Justiciar Guide for General Graardor

OSRS Bandos Tank Justiciar Guide for General Graardor

Fighting General Graardor in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a thrilling challenge, and tanking with Justiciar armour can make you a cornerstone of any Bandos team. This guide dives into how to effectively tank General Graardor using Justiciar armour, covering gear setups, strategies, and tips to maximize your survivability and team success. Whether you’re new to God Wars Dungeon or a seasoned player, this post will help you master the Bandos tank role.

Justiciar armour is a top-tier choice for tanking General Graardor due to its exceptional defensive stats, particularly against ranged and melee attacks. Unlike Bandos armour, which prioritizes strength, Justiciar focuses on soaking up damage, making it ideal for absorbing Graardor’s punishing melee hits and his bodyguards’ attacks.

Key Benefits of Justiciar Armour

  • High Defensive Bonuses: Justiciar offers some of the highest ranged and melee defence in OSRS, reducing damage from Sergeant Steelwill’s magic attacks and Graardor’s melee.
  • Set Effect: The Justiciar set increases damage reduction based on your defence level, making it perfect for prolonged tanking.
  • Team Utility: By staying alive longer, you allow DPS players to focus on dealing damage without pulling aggro.

Justiciar vs. Bandos Armour

While Bandos armour provides a +4 strength bonus, it lacks the defensive prowess of Justiciar. For tanking, Justiciar’s ability to mitigate damage outweighs the minor DPS loss, especially in duo or team settings where others handle damage output. Reddit discussions highlight Justiciar’s superiority for tanking duos, with users reporting over 2,000 kills using full Justiciar setups.

Best Gear Setup for Justiciar Tanking

General Graador Paines Bandos Guide Monster Guides Alora

Your gear setup is critical to surviving Graardor’s attacks and his bodyguards. The goal is to maximize ranged and melee defence while maintaining enough prayer bonus to sustain Protect from Melee.

Recommended Justiciar Tank Gear

Slot Item Reason
Head Justiciar Faceguard High ranged and melee defence, part of set effect.
Cape Imbued Saradomin Cape Boosts prayer bonus for longer prayer uptime.
Neck Amulet of Blood Fury Provides passive healing, reducing food consumption.
Body Justiciar Chestguard Core piece for defence and set effect.
Legs Justiciar Legguards Completes the set, maximizes damage reduction.
Weapon Dragon Warhammer Special attack lowers Graardor’s defence, boosting team DPS.
Shield Elysian Spirit Shield Reduces damage taken; Dinh’s Bulwark is a budget alternative.
Gloves Ferocious Gloves Balances defence and melee bonus.
Boots Primordial Boots High defensive stats and strength bonus.
Ring Ring of Suffering (i) Boosts defence and provides recoil damage.

Budget Alternatives

If Justiciar is out of reach, consider:

  • Guthan’s Helm + Karil’s Leathertop: Offers decent ranged defence for Steelwill’s attacks.
  • Bandos Chestplate + Tassets: Less defensive but more affordable, with a strength bonus.
  • Dragonfire Shield: A cheaper alternative to Elysian for melee defence.

The OSRS Wiki suggests pairing a ranged body with Protect from Melee if Justiciar isn’t available, keeping health above 60 to avoid combo damage.

Tanking Mechanics and Strategy

Tanking General Graardor requires understanding his attack patterns and managing aggro from his bodyguards: Sergeant Steelwill (magic), Sergeant Grimspike (ranged), and Sergeant Strongstack (melee).

Graardor’s Attack Patterns

  • Melee Attack: A punch dealing up to 60 damage, used 2/3 of the time. Protect from Melee negates this.
  • Ranged Attack: A shockwave dealing 15–35 damage to all players in melee range, used 1/3 of the time.

The tank must hold Graardor’s melee aggro by attacking first, ensuring DPS players avoid his devastating punches.

Bodyguard Management

After killing Graardor, eliminate bodyguards in this order:

  1. Steelwill: Magic attacks hit up to 15, posing the biggest threat.
  2. Grimspike: Ranged axes deal up to 21 but are less frequent with Justiciar.
  3. Strongstack: Melee attacks are negated by Protect from Melee.

Use Guthan’s or Blood Barrage to heal off minions if needed, as recommended by the OSRS Wiki.

Step-Under Technique

To reduce damage, use the “step-under” technique:

  1. Hit Graardor twice.
  2. Move under him to pause his attacks briefly.
  3. Eat or sip a prayer potion, then resume attacking.

This tactic, noted on OSRS Best in Slot, gives you breathing room to heal without taking hits.

Team Dynamics for Justiciar Tanking

In team settings, Justiciar tanks shine by absorbing damage while DPS players focus on killing Graardor. Communication is key to avoid pulling aggro prematurely.

Role of the Tank

  • Aggro Management: Attack Graardor first to ensure he targets you.
  • Prayer Discipline: Maintain Protect from Melee at all times.
  • Positioning: Stand in melee range to keep Graardor’s ranged attacks predictable.

Supporting DPS Players

Advise teammates to:

  • Use Protect from Missiles to negate Graardor’s ranged attack.
  • Prioritize high-DPS gear like Tumeken’s Shadow or Scythe of Vitur.
  • Wait for your initial attack before engaging Graardor.

RPGStash notes that team setups reduce ranged attack frequency, making Justiciar even more effective.

Tips for Maximizing Trip Length

Longer trips mean more kills and better loot chances, like the Bandos Chestplate (1/127 drop rate). Here’s how to extend your Bandos runs.

Inventory Setup

  • 4-6 Saradomin Brews: Heal and boost defence.
  • 10-12 Super Restores: Restore prayer and cure poison.
  • Bones to Peaches Tabs: Convert minion bones to food (32 HP per kill rotation).
  • 1-2 Stamina Potions: Maintain run energy for kiting.
  • Teleport Runes: For quick escapes (e.g., Trollheim Teleport).

Pro Tips for Efficiency

  • Tick Eating: Heal just before a hit lands to survive near-fatal damage.
  • Minion Healing: Use Guthan’s or pick up minion drops like sharks to conserve brews.
  • Kill Count Strategy: Kill goblins for quick Bandos kill count (40 required). Equip Bandos and Zamorak items to avoid aggression from minions.

OSRS Best in Slot emphasizes Bones to Peaches and minion healing for extended trips.

By leveraging Justiciar armour’s defensive power, mastering tanking mechanics, and optimizing your inventory, you’ll become an indispensable Bandos tank. Equip your Justiciar set, rally your team, and take on General Graardor with confidence!