Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
This guide to the Jaws of Lion Red Guard dives into the bruiser and Shield Spikes variants that players for this durable Gloomhaven character. Providing information on card decisions, perks, enhancements and item selection these recommendations will build a realiable front line fighter.
Table of Contents:
– Red Guard Cards, Perks, Enhancements and Items Overview
– Red Guard Cards Detailed
– Red Guard Perks Detailed
– Red Guard Enhancements Detailed
– Red Guard Items Detailed
Gloomhaven Red Guard Guide Overview
This overview section is a quick reference of recommendations to build a flexible bruiser Red Guard that blends damage, utility and defence. I’ve also included the alternative Shield Spikes build path that uses retaliate instead while reaching high shield values to protect yourself. I recommend the default bruiser pathway particularly in 2-3 party sizes while the Red Guard Shield Spikes build performs best at full 4 player parties or in 3 players if you are the only melee fighter.
Red Guard Cards Overview
For the default Red Guard build:
- Level 1: Remove Blade Dance, Precision Strike and Flame Shroud to create your starting deck of cards
- Level 2: Harvest Sickle replaces Warrior of the Sun
- Level 3: Strangling Chain replaces Shield of the Desert
- Level 4: Burn Away The Dark replaces Shocking Advance
- Level 5: Sand Devil replaces Twirling Stabs
- Level 6: Flying Sickle replaces Blinding Sickle
- Level 7: Horns of the Beast replaces Flaming Sickle
- Level 8: Prismatic Sickle replaces Shield Spikes
- Level 9: Honourable Fury replaces Harvest Sickle
For the Shield Spikes Red Guard build:
- Level 1: Remove Blade Dance, Precision Strike and Twirling Stabs to create your starting deck of cards
- Level 2: Barbaric Instincts replaces Blinding Sickle
- Level 3: Strangling Chain replaces Shield of the Desert
- Level 4: Burn Away The Dark replaces Shocking Advance
- Level 5: Sand Devil replaces Warrior of the Sun
- Level 6: Flying Sickle replaces Healing Sands
- Level 7: Horns of the Beast replaces Flame Sickle
- Level 8: No Fear replaces Desert Night
- Level 9: Soaring Shield replaces Flame Shroud
Red Guard Perks Priority Overview
- Remove two -1 cards (take twice)
- Remove one -2 card and add one +1 card
- Replace one -1 card with one +1 card (take twice)
- Remove four +0s
- Replace one +1 card with one +2 fire card (take twice)
- Replace one +0 card with one +1 wound card
- Add one +1 fire/light card
- Add one +1 shield card (take twice and for the Shield Spikes build take this after removing four +0s instead)
Red Guard Enhancements Priority Overview
For the default Red Guard build:
- Add Poison to the top of Strangling Chain
- Add Strengthen to the top of Healing Sands
- Add attack or other debuffs (wound, poison) to top core attack cards (Desert Night, Swift Strength, Flying Sickle, Prismatic Sickle)
For the Shield Spikes Red Guard build:
- Add Shield to the top of Barbaric Instincts
- Add Shield to the bottom of Swift Strength
- Add Poison to the top of Strangling Chain
- Add Shield to the bottom of Soaring Shield
Red Guard Items Priority Overview
- Minor Stamina Potion
- Boots of Striding
- Minor Healing Potion
- War Hammer
- Iron Helmet
- Heater Shield
Gloomhaven Red Guard Guide Detailed
The detailed section includes cards, perks, enhancements and equipment options for both builds including the reasons behind them.
Red Guard Cards Detailed
The Red Guard card choices vary dramatically between default and Shield Spikes builds which are detailed below to ensure you have the tools necessary.
For the default Red Guard build:
- Starting Cards: Remove our weakest cards that are clearly Blade Dance and Precision Strike given the weak burn options they provide and reliance on element generation that we can’t support yet. The third weakest card is harder with a few options depending on playstyle and party but I generally remove Flame Shroud although for larger scenarios or shield heavy scenarios you can add it back and remove Warrior of the Sun instead.
- Level 2 Cards: Harvest Sickle provides the Red Guard with a solid attack 4 and while it is only 2 range as a melee focused character this is rarely an issue. The bottom move and loot is also strong towards the end of a scenario when combined with boots to help our party obtain every piece of gold.
- Level 3 Cards: Strangling Chain is a clear winner as it helps us address our lower movement value cards so far with a solid move 4 and the immobilise providing some value when we step up to a ranged enemy that forces a disadvantaged attack. Ideally though we should be using the top in co-ordination with our team and when fire is available as it allows us to add a significant amount of damage to a single target. Doubling down further on this theme adding poison to this attack through the enhancement mechanic is highly effective as we should always be the first attacker when using this card.
- Level 4 Cards: Level 4 is one of our toughest choices yet as Radiant Sickle looks nice with a good attack and bottom that allows us to both move and heal which is always an attractive action combination. Unfortunately it competes against Burn Away The Dark that allows us to disarm an enemy when we move towards them or wound a large number of enemies around us with the top action which simply brings us more value.
- Level 5 Cards: Like all Jaws of the Lions characters you have only a single choice at level 5. With the Sand Devil card I recommend you utilise the move 5 bottom for most of a scenario before activating the persistent top action towards the later stages where enemy density and difficulty usually increases as if you summon this early it can get left behind in the initial scenario rooms.
- Level 6 Cards: Flying Sickle really helps our damage and gives a longer range pull that helps use traps during a scenario which means there really is no competition from Fierce Brilliance at this level for card choices.
- Level 7 Cards: Level 7 is an interesting choice with Vicious Ballet potentially being a repeatable 9 attack provided we are at least in a 3 party size. If this works for your party then you’ll need to be careful of your replacement card given you need to hold onto the required elemental generation. Instead of this I recommend the reliable Horns of the Beast as it allows us to start replacing our weaker fire generators in Shield Spikes and Flaming Sickle. Either is a perfectly acceptable replacement at level 7 depending on your needs as you’ll likely drop the other one next level anyway.
- Level 8 Cards: Level 8 for the default build path is an easy choice given one card offers us no value and thus we take Prismatic Sickle that has high elemental generation alongside a solid attack and repeatable loot 2. This card is an incredible setup tool for a number of card combinations such as our soon to come level 9 card.
- Level 9 Cards: Level 9 for the Red Guard is a clear split between the builds and thus for the standard default pathway we will be taking Honourable Fury that adds another short range attack to our options while having the ability to empower it to a high attack 7 with advantage.
For the Shield Spikes Red Guard build:
- Starting Cards: Similar to the standard build we want to remove the obvious weaker cards of Blade Dance and Precision Strike. However, given the bottom of Flame Shroud has some shield potential when fire is available we’ll want to cut one of the weaker attacks we have which puts Twirling Stabs on the chopping block instead.
- Level 2 Cards: Taking a different level 2 option from the default path we want to grab Barbaric Instincts as it provides another opportunity to acquire shield and can be enhanced in time to 2 shield and with the bottom of Flame Shield may even produce a 3 shield round once we obtain the enhancement.
- Level 3 Cards: No change from the default build above.
- Level 4 Cards: No change from the default build above.
- Level 5 Cards: Similar to default Red Guard build the Sun Devil offers great value and even more to the Shield Spikes build as we can utilise the muddle to reduce the damage we take for retaliate to activate. It’s sad to let go one of our shield cards to fit it in but we can’t generally afford to lose our other cards that provide so much utility. The level 5 to 8 range for the Shield Spikes build is a little rough so as an alternative you could transition to something closer to the default build until that point.
- Level 6 Cards: While we take Flying Sickle for the same reasons as the default build it’s difficult to fit into our hand and if your team has someone else to heal we will sadly have to let go of our self healing card in Healing Sands as the 4 health is simply becoming less and less effective. A potential alternative is the removal of Flaming Sickle but that severely hurts our flame elemental generation and hurts our flexibility significantly right now.
- Level 7 Cards: No change from the default build above.
- Level 8 Cards: Unlike the default Red Guard build path level 8 we get our dream card in No Fear with a 1 initiative that ensures we always go first and combined with our soon to come level 9 card provides us a dream combo of jump into a pack of enemies and let them hurt themselves on the spikes of our shield.
- Level 9 Cards: Soaring Shield is our level 9 choice with the bottom offering us a much needed jump to get into the thick of it and if we use this after a Flying Sickle we will be able to create an incredible 3 shield from our bottom action. This makes it a perfectly fitting swap for Flame Shroud to replace our bottom shield action.
Red Guard Perks Detailed
The default and Shield Spikes builds follow a similar perk pathway as the focus is similar in removing negative values and acquiring another potential source of elemental generation as it adds flexibility to our attack patterns as otherwise it is a balance between generation and usage that can quickly be thrown off. One difference though is in the Shield Spikes build I recommend the +1 shield attack modifiers earlier (after the zero removal) as we are never disappointed with a little extra shield to save our health pool and even provide damage given the design of the build.
Red Guard Enhancements Detailed
Like other components of the two Red Guard builds so far the enhancements do deviate although both will want to enhance the top of Strangling Chain eventually as it’s a powerful team weapon to have on many scenarios with tough targets that we want to burst down.
For the default damage build the Red Guard doesn’t really need much else to be effective although giving ourselves a source of strengthen can pay dividends on Healing Sands to setup an attack as we move between rooms in a scenario. Alternatively with extra gold we can double down on debuffs like wound on poison or simply add 1 base damage to our core attack cards like Desert Night, Swift Strength, Flying Sickle and Prismatic Sickle although these are far from mandatory additions to our kit.
On the other hand the Shield Spikes Red Guard build wants to quickly add an additional shield value to our core shield cards to help mitigate the growing base damage values that enemies bring as we level up while also being highly cost effective as it serves us as both offense and defence. I still recommend grabbing the Strangling Chain poison upgrade noted above but this should come after our two cheaper early game shield value upgrades of Barbaric Instincts and Swift Strength.
Red Guard Items Detailed
The Red Guard has plenty of decent item choices although most notably we don’t have the ignore negative item effects that other base Gloomhaven characters have and as such we don’t want a heavy armour that will reduce our strong damage output. This means for early game items we look towards the Iron Helmet and Heater Shield for defences while grabbing minor potions (Stamina and Healing), War Hammer to give us more team utility when necessary and boot upgrades.
Beyond these equipment pieces the Red Guard has plenty of options with items that provide shield values particularly attractive for the Shield Spikes build and still decent for the regular build. Other themed items to keep an eye on for both builds are stuns, items that change our attacks to area of effect and healing items that simply help us with the Red Guard playstyle.
For information and build guides on other Gloomhaven character options visit our Gloomhaven classes overview and the related Gloomhaven class tier list.
