Bonegrinder the Smasher, Altar Guardian: how to beat

Bonegrinder the Smasher, Altar Guardian — dungeon “Needledell — Barrow of the Dead”, level 40. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by mode,…

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Dungeon Needledell — Barrow of the Dead, boss 2 of 4, level 40.

The boss plays its own deck: every turn it plays the next line of its phase’s cycle, with no randomness. Learn the cycle and you know what is coming. The numbers on this page are the same as in the card tooltip in combat: before Hardiness and Defender’s Stance. Mechanics in detail — Boss mechanics.

In short

Modes: Heroic (at level 60), Normal (at the place’s level, 37–46), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 6 cards in the deck. Schools: ⚔ Physical 4, ⛰ Earth 1, 🩸 Blood 1.
“Cold Mill” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 720, keystone +10 600 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Sack off the Shoulder” test strike — on boss turns 7 and 15: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000; 40% weaker with a defensive card on yourself.
The heaviest hit is “Sack off the Shoulder”: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000.

Phases and turn cycle

The phase changes with the boss’s Health. In each phase the boss goes round its own cycle: at the end it starts again. The boss’s next turn shows on its portrait.

1. “Grinding” — from the start of the fight

Down to 35% Health.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Crushing Bones
2	⚔ Crushing Bones
3	⚔ Grind Down
4	⚔ Dusting Off His Hands + ⚔ Crushing Bones
5	⛰ Bone Dust

2. “Angry” — below 35% Health

Below 35%: dust every other turn, a big hit every 4 turns.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🩸 Out of Sacks.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Crushing Bones + ⛰ Bone Dust
2	⚔ Grind Down
3	⚔ Dusting Off His Hands + ⚔ Crushing Bones
4	⚔ Crushing Bones + ⛰ Bone Dust

The “Sack off the Shoulder” test strike is not part of the cycle: the boss announces it on its turns 6 and 14 and hits on turns 7 and 15.

Cards and numbers

The number is what a hit takes before Hardiness (through shields — from Health only), how much the boss heals itself, the shield it puts up, a minion’s Health. A dash means the card is not in that mode or has no number. Keystone: +10 numbers; hits are the same from +7 to +9 and weaker per level below +7.

Card	What it does	Heroic	Normal	Keystone +10	How to answer
⚔ Sack off the Shoulder · Physical, test strike	A test strike on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). The boss announces it on its own, outside the cycle, and hits on its 7th and 15th turn; one turn before, there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves before the hit — it is 40% weaker. Not in normal mode. Through shields.	7,000 · with a defensive card 4,200	—	8,000 · with a defensive card 4,800	Test strike, one turn of warning. The tank plays a defensive card, the healer tops him up in advance.
⚔ Crushing Bones · Physical, hit that cuts healing	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). Each such hit cuts the target’s healing by another 8%, up to 40%; lasts 4 turns.	2,115	630	3,690	Target healing −8% per hit, down to −40%. Shields for the tank.
⚔ Grind Down · Physical, charge	A charge: in 1 turn, a hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	3,525	1,050	6,150	One turn of warning. A defensive card now.
⚔ Dusting Off His Hands · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.3 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	After a big hit: +30% damage to him for 1 party turn.
⛰ Bone Dust · Earth, hit on everyone	A hit on everyone: the number is for each. Shields hold half.	423	84	492	A small hit on everyone half through shields. Party healing.
🩸 Out of Sacks · Blood, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.15 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	Stronger by 15% until the fight ends.

“Cold Mill” cold

They never heat it here: the dust catches fire.

Heroic: 720 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 600 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Hits every fighter in the party through shields; Hardiness reduces it — better gear takes less.
The answer is healing every turn: shields do not stop cold. Healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
No cold in normal mode.

Test strike

“Sack off the Shoulder” — on boss turns 7 and 15, through shields, on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). On heroic, while the party’s tank is alive, it goes to the tank. Not in normal mode.
Heroic: 7,000 before Hardiness; 4,200 if the target answered with a defensive card.
Keystone +10: 8,000 before Hardiness; 4,800 if the target answered with a defensive card.
One turn before the hit there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves: a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”. A card someone else plays on the target does not count.

Enrage

Heroic: from party turn 40, every boss turn is 4% stronger, and it stacks.
Normal: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.
Keystone +10: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.

Roles

Tank

The “Sack off the Shoulder” test strike lands on the boss’s 7th and 15th turn (heroic and keystone +10). One turn before, play a defensive card on yourself — a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”: the hit becomes 40% weaker. Keep such a card in hand for those turns.
Shields do not stop this hit: the healer tops up your Health before it.
“Grind Down” and “Crushing Bones” hit you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Grind Down” (“Grinding” phase, cycle step 3).
“Grind Down”: a charge on you, with a countdown on the boss portrait. Meet it with a defensive card and full Health.
“Crushing Bones” stacks on you: healing on you gets weaker with every hit. Ask for shields in advance.
Do not fall: on heroic, mythic and in keystones, without a living tank the boss’s hits on its focus go through shields. A resident can be the tank too.

Healer

“Cold Mill” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 720, keystone +10 — 600 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
“Bone Dust” hits everyone. Before that turn, get everyone above half Health; it goes half through shields: shields hold half, the rest hits Health.
“Out of Sacks”: the boss hits harder — keep crystals and heals in reserve for those turns.

Damage dealers

“Dusting Off His Hands”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
Do not drag it out: heroic — enrage from turn 40.

The heaviest hits

“Sack off the Shoulder” — test strike, through shields.
“Grind Down” — on the tank; “Grinding” phase, cycle step 3.
“Crushing Bones” — on the tank; “Grinding” phase, cycle step 1.

Loot

All of the boss’s loot with rough drop chances is in the item atlas; rules and items by boss are on the Needledell — Barrow of the Dead page.

Previous boss — Rot-Totemist Mordrek. Next boss — Dark Priest of the Rotting Barrow — Necromancer Valgrim.

All bosses of the place — Needledell — Barrow of the Dead. Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.