Skeleton Brute

Skeleton Brute is an Enemy in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Skeleton Brutes are giant versions of the Skeleton, roughly the size of an ogre. They carry a sword and have two life bars. They usually appear together with a pack of skeletons.

Information and Stats
General Info Having identical skills of that of a Fighter and normal size Skeletons, they use skills such as Burst Strike, Tusk Toss and Compass Slash. The former can cause knockdown even with high knockdown resistance.

Tactics (Offensive)

 * Weak against Holy enchanted weapons (like Heaven's Key daggers or the Ascalon sword) and Holy magic.
 * Weak against blunt weapons (like Mystic Knight maces and Warrior warhammers and clubs).
 * Vulnerable to Petrification. Use Petrifying Arrows to inflict this debilitation.
 * Vulnerable to Torpor (slow). Inflicting Topor will make climbing and dodging Skeleton Brutes much easier. Use Rusted Weapons to slow them down.  The higher the enhancement of the Rusted Weapon, the higher chance it will debilitate with each strike.
 * To increase the chance of successful debilitation, use multi-strike skills like Fivefold/Tenfold Flurry, Downpour Volley, Thousand Kisses, Brain Splitter, Corkscrew Arrow, Sheltered Assault, Dragon's Maw, Cymbal Onslaught, or Great Windmill.
 * All melee vocations: Climb the back and hack away, preferably with a Holy enchanted weapon.
 * CLIMBING TIPS: Equip the augments Adhesion (for grip), Opportunism (+30% strength), and Arm-Strength (for climbing stamina) while wearing Gloves of Might (for even MORE grip and climbing speed) for best results.
 * Striders & Rangers & Magick Archer s : Follow the above climbing tips and attack with Thousand Kisses, preferably with Heaven's Key daggers (or any other Holy buffed daggers).
 * Assassin s : Follow the above climbing tips and attack with Dire Gouge. Masterful Kill and Clairvoyance will counter the Skeleton Brute's Fighter skill set.
 * Fighters : Dragon's Maw with the (Holy enchanted) Cursed Light sword can annihilate an entire field of Skeletons and a Skeleton Brute as they materialize in a single blow.
 * Magick Archers : Shadowshackle can be useful against them.
 * Sorcerers : High/Grand Fulmination will stun them and is very effective. Charge the spell first, then walk toward the Skeleton Brute as it appears. This can kill them very quickly as they cannot easily penetrate the electrical field.
 * Explosive barrels can do a lot of damage.
 * The kill count required to get the 3rd star for Pawn Bestiary knowledge is supposedly 300 kills.

Tactics (Defensive)

 * The primary, general defensive strategy in Dragon's Dogma is to first eliminate all lesser, distracting enemies before engaging the biggest threat. From the start, shoot down the flying creatures, shoot the magic users from afar, chase down the wolf packs, etc., before tackling the huge behemoths. So even if the Arisen has to run all the way up and down the map to accomplish this objective, KILL THE SUPPORT ENEMIES FIRST, TACKLE THE BIGGEST THREAT LAST.
 * The safest place to be may or may not be on their back ! Climb up to the square center of their back and the Skeleton Brute can only hurt the Arisen with their Compass Slash attack.
 * Beware the Skeleton Brute's Antler Toss and Burst Strike attacks, which will knock the Arisen high into the air and off their feet, respectively. Instant Reset (dagger vocations) will quickly return the Arisen to their feet when knocked down.
 * Skeleton Brutes can be knocked back by powerful attacks like the Fighter's Dragon's Maw or Burst Strike. Take advantage of this to knock them off a cliff. This will forfeit any reward drops, but it is an easy defensive kill if the Arisen is desperate.

Locations
Pre-Daimon
 * Ward of Regret
 * Fortress of Remembrance

Post-Daimon
 * Ward of Regret
 * Midnight Helix
 * Tower of Treasons Repaid

Rewards

 * Great Bone Shard
 * Gargantuan Skull