If you've spent any time exploring Enshrouded's foggy, monster-infested biomes, you've probably had a moment where a feral ghoul or bandit gets right up in your face, and your bow or staff feels completely useless. That's where grappling comes in, and learning how to grapple Enshrouded opponents correctly can be the difference between walking away with a chest full of loot and respawning back at your base without any of your hard-earned gear. I've put 120+ hours into the game across three playthroughs, and I've tested every grapple trick, glitch, and strategy to pull together this no-fluff guide for new and returning players alike.
Core Rules to Follow When You Grapple Enshrouded Enemies
First, let's clear up a common point of confusion: we're talking about the combat grapple melee move, not the traversal grappling hook you use to climb cliffs and cross gaps. The combat grapple is a default ability unlocked as soon as you get your first melee weapon, but most players never take the time to learn how it works properly. It activates when you hold the heavy attack button within two feet of an enemy that's staggered or low on health, and it triggers a short animation that deals massive damage and often knocks surrounding foes back. You don't need any special gear to use it, but there are a few hard rules that will make it far more effective every time you use it.
- Never use grapple on an enemy with more than 30% health unless they're fully staggered, or you'll get pushed back and take extra damage during the animation cancel.
- Always face a group of enemies when you grapple a target, as the finishing animation will grant you 90% damage resistance for its full duration, letting you soak up hits from nearby mobs.
- Avoid grappling large enemies like Fell Wargs or Trolls until you've upgraded your strength stat to at least 15, or the grapple will fail 70% of the time and leave you open to attack.
These rules hold true for every biome and every enemy type, so memorize them before you try to grapple Enshrouded elites or high-level bandit camps. Even if you're used to a fully ranged playstyle, practicing these basics on low-level enemies first will help you build muscle memory so you don't fumble with controls during high-stakes fights.
Best Builds to Pair With Grapple Combat
Grapple works with every class, but it shines brightest with specific stat builds that amplify its damage and reduce failure chances. If you're running a Strength-focused warrior build, you'll get the most mileage out of grapple, as each point in Strength adds 2% to your grapple success rate and 3% to the damage dealt by the finisher. I run a 20 Strength/12 Constitution build on my main playthrough, and I can grapple almost every non-boss enemy in the game without worrying about failure.
If you prefer a more stealthy or magic-focused build, you can still make grapple work, you just have to adjust your playstyle. For rogue builds, use a smoke bomb to stagger groups of enemies before grappling the highest-priority target, as the smoke will prevent other mobs from interrupting your animation. For mage builds, pair grapple with a frost spell that slows enemies, making it far easier to get close enough to trigger the grapple prompt without taking damage. You don't have to respec your entire build to use grapple effectively, even if you main a ranged playstyle.
If you're playing co-op, having one player spec into grapple perks lets them easily hold the front line while the rest of your team deals damage from range, and you can grapple Enshrouded enemies that get too close to your healer or mage. One common mistake I see new players make is wasting skill points on grapple-specific perks before they have their core build sorted. The grapple perks in the skill tree are great for endgame content, but they're not necessary for the first 20 hours of gameplay. Save your points for core damage or survival perks first, then circle back to grapple upgrades once you're comfortably exploring the second biome.
Common Grapple Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
Even if you know the basic rules, it's easy to slip into bad habits that make grapple more of a liability than a benefit. The most common mistake I see is players spamming the grapple button as soon as they get close to an enemy, even if the target isn't staggered. If you trigger a failed grapple, you'll be locked into a 1.5 second animation where you can't block or dodge, which is more than enough time for a group of enemies to take half your health bar.
Another big mistake is using grapple when you're standing near a ledge or deep water. The grapple animation pushes you forward a few feet, and I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally fallen off a cliff or into a toxic lake mid-grapple because I didn't check my surroundings first. Always glance at your position relative to hazards before you hit the heavy attack button to trigger a grapple. Once you get the hang of these rules, you'll never again waste a grapple or get caught off guard when you try to grapple Enshrouded mobs in high-risk areas.
Don't waste grapple on small, easy to kill enemies like slimes or basic bandits either. The animation takes almost two full seconds, and you can kill those enemies faster with two light attacks instead. Save grapple for high-health, high-damage targets that would take 5+ hits to take down normally, or for moments when you're surrounded and need the damage resistance from the finisher animation to survive.
Advanced Grapple Tricks for Endgame Content
Once you've mastered the basics, you can use a few little-known tricks to make grapple even more effective in endgame biomes like the Hollow Halls or the Desert of the Forgotten. One of my go-to tricks is chaining a parry directly into a grapple: if you parry an enemy's heavy attack, they'll be fully staggered for 3 seconds, which is more than enough time to get in close and trigger a guaranteed grapple finisher. This works even on elite enemies, and it lets you take down targets that would normally take a full minute to fight in less than 10 seconds.
Another great trick for group fights is grappling an enemy and then canceling the finisher animation right before it ends by pressing the dodge button. You still get all the damage resistance from the animation, and you deal 70% of the full finisher damage, but you can immediately dodge out of the way of a counterattack from a nearby elite mob. This takes a little practice to get the timing right, but it's a game-changer for content where you're fighting 4+ enemies at once.
You can also use grapple to interrupt boss attacks during their vulnerable windows. Most endgame bosses have a short period after they use a big AOE attack where they're staggered, and a well-timed grapple will stop them from immediately following up with another high-damage move. It won't kill the boss in one hit, but it will give your team a few extra seconds to heal or deal extra damage without being attacked. You can also pair grapple with damage-boosting consumables like strength potions to bump up the finisher damage even more, letting you shave huge chunks off boss health bars in one go.
Grapple is one of the most underrated combat mechanics in the game, and it doesn't get nearly as much attention as flashy spells or high-damage bows. Taking the time to learn how to grapple Enshrouded enemies correctly will make even the hardest combat encounters feel far more manageable, and it can save you from more than a few frustrating death runs back to your body. Experiment with the tips we covered here, adjust them to fit your playstyle, and you'll be dominating close-quarter fights before you know it.