Grim Forest is RAID: Shadow Legends' monthly roguelite endgame mode: you explore a fog covered map with a locked squad of champions, spend 30 Distorted Energy a day, and work toward the final boss, Leshun the Entangled One. It unlocks at level 55, resets every 30 days, and is the only source of fragments for the Mythical champion Anaxia the Reborn.
Grim Forest key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | Update 11.00, December 2025 (Ayumilove dates it December 10) |
| Unlock | Account level 55 |
| Difficulties | Normal and Hard, each with its own map and progress |
| Squad | Normal: 2 decks of 10. Hard: 2 decks of 20 |
| Energy | 30 Distorted Energy per day, 1 per move or battle |
| Redraws | 2 free per day, up to 4 with Redraw Altars |
| Reset | Every 30 days; the map layout reshuffles |
| Stages | 400+ across both difficulties |
| Bosses | 7: Leshun, four guardians, Mimic and Phrygius |
Plarium released Grim Forest as a third monthly mode next to Doom Tower and Cursed City. Unlike those two, the map itself changes every rotation, so there is no fixed route to memorise.
How Grim Forest works
Decks and random drafting
At the start of a rotation you lock in a squad split into two decks. Every battle draws a random subset of champions from those decks, and you build a team from whatever shows up. Locked decks can only change with a Squad Reshuffle token from the Vendor, which swaps up to 5 champions.
Champions are not frozen in the deck. You can still gear, level, rank, ascend and book them, and they enter battle in their current state. Decks also carry over to the next rotation unless you change them.
Energy and the fog
Moving to an empty stage or starting a battle costs 1 Distorted Energy. You get 30 per day and unused Energy is lost, so log in daily. The map starts hidden; each cleared stage reveals its neighbours. Stage markers run from E (Easy) through M (Medium) and H (Hard) to N (Nightmare), and colours go green, yellow, red and finally purple.
Trait Cards and Curios
- Trait Cards: battles give XP toward a Squad Progress Level, max 30. Each level lets you pick a stat card; every 10th level offers Legendary cards.
- Curios: trinkets that buff your whole Grim Forest squad. You can equip up to 6, unlock slots at Curio Altars, and level duplicates to level 3.
- Altars: Curio Altars open slots, Aid Altars add a champion to each draft, Redraw Altars raise daily redraws.
Grim Forest bosses
| Boss | Role | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Leshun the Entangled One | Final boss; Entangle removes your fastest champion | HP Burn, Turn Meter control, a reviver who is not your fastest |
| Tauraze the Bestial Flame | Cycles HP Burn and Block Active Skills, speeds up when hit | Freeze, Block Debuffs, high Accuracy |
| Draugnell the Eternal Gatherer | Reflects half of incoming damage, AoE Provoke and Freeze | HP Burn to switch off reflection, Block Debuffs |
| Isheth the Crimson Siren | Continuous Heals, immune to Enemy MAX HP damage, strips buffs | Block Buffs, Heal Reduction, cleansing |
| Maximoz the Weeping Blade | Poison barrages and cooldown manipulation | Block Debuffs and HP Burn |
| Mimic | Clones your highest C. DMG champion and eats allies | Heal Reduction, kill Mini-Mimics fast, avoid heavy buffing |
| Phrygius the Trovemaster | Damage check you cannot kill, protected by Goldplated layers | Shields and heals; higher damage tiers pay more Grim Coins and Grim Gold |
Reaching and beating Leshun
To open Leshun you collect 3 Grim Crowns from Mythical opponents. The four guardians roam the map, and each one you kill there is removed from the final fight. On his own, Leshun is a fairly easy last boss. With all four guardians alive on Hard, HellHades calls it one of the toughest fights in the game.
The reason is overlap. Draugnell reflects 50% of damage unless under HP Burn, but Tauraze makes the whole boss team immune to HP Burn while he lives. Isheth heals every boss for 60% of their HP with her second skill and makes them ignore 100% DEF.
On the full Leshun fight, DEF does almost nothing. HellHades recommends about 680 RES on Hard so Unkillable and Block Damage stay up, 500 ACC for debuffers, then SPD from your Trait Cards. Defence comes from buffs and resistance, not armour.
Proven approaches use a revive loop (Lady Noelle with Sir Nicholas) or focus Leshun alone with a 6-star Brimstone Blessing and constant Heal Reduction. You win when Leshun dies; the guardians do not have to. If you do kill them, start with Isheth.
Defeating Leshun on Hard reveals the hidden purple area, which only appears after the main boss falls.
Rewards worth chasing
- Mercurial Gear: a variable set giving HP, RES, SPD and stacks of Total Guard. One stack blocks one instance of damage or a negative effect, which makes it strong in Arena.
- Anaxia the Reborn fragments: Anaxia is a Mythical exclusive to Grim Forest. Ayumilove estimates about 20 fragments per rotation if you beat every Mimic and treasure chest.
- Mythical Relic fragments: on average about 100 per rotation, varying month to month.
- Materials: Gemstones, Basalt, Soulstones, Cursed Remnants, Grim Coins and Grim Gold.
Vendor chests always give 4 gear pieces on Normal and 6 on Hard; only rarity varies. Ranking is by total stages cleared and total turns, so replaying stages for fewer turns raises your clan and global rank.
The number of fragments needed to complete Anaxia is not stated in the sources we checked, so confirm it in game before planning around a date. Her profile is on our Anaxia champion page.
What Grim Forest means for account value
Hard mode asks for 40 champions in two decks, and the draft is random. A roster with a few stars and filler loses draws; a deep roster with healers, cleansers, revivers and HP Burn in both decks keeps winning. That is why depth now matters more than it did when one Clan Boss team was the main measure of an account.
When you compare Raid Shadow Legends accounts for sale, look at the Legendary count and roles, not only the Mythicals. The Raid hub covers every game mode and account price tier, and our account value guide explains how rosters are priced.
Frequently asked questions
What level do you need for Grim Forest?
Account level 55. Normal mode needs two decks of 10 champions, and Hard mode needs two decks of 20, so 40 champions in total.
How often does Grim Forest reset?
Every 30 days. Progress is wiped, the map layout reshuffles, and boss and treasure positions move. Your decks carry over unless you change them.
How do you unlock Leshun?
Collect 3 Grim Crowns by defeating Mythical opponents on the map. Killing the four roaming guardians first removes them from the Leshun fight.
Does Distorted Energy carry over?
No. You get 30 per day, shared between Normal and Hard, and anything unspent is lost at reset. Each move to an empty stage or battle costs 1.
Is Anaxia only available in Grim Forest?
Yes. Plarium describes Anaxia the Reborn as a Mythical unique to Grim Forest. Her fragments drop from Mimics and treasure chests, roughly 20 per rotation according to Ayumilove.
Want a roster deep enough for Hard decks from day one? Browse our buy Raid Shadow Legends accounts page: every account is hand-checked, covered by a lifetime warranty against recovery by the previous owner, and we will help you pick one that suits your goals.
