The Basic Tier Bestiary: Monster Tips

[Orange Guise]

ok, attempt number 2 at this.
Data as of 1.0.1.

This time with all the datas.
Notes on scale: The ring that orbits a player /monster is "3ft wide" and is used to gauge distance.
All stats are approximations.

KEVIN THE DESTROYER (Magikarp lookalike)
Level 2, 10 HP, Speed 1

Basic Attack: Bubble, 1sec cooldown. 1 damage. The bubble lingers and moves erratically, bouncing off surfaces.

Special: Ewwww - slide, 2sec cooldown, lasts 5 secs, travels 6ft.

Kevin is essentially a handicap. He is worth just as much exp as any other monster but is massively slower, with terrible damage (basically half all other monsters) His attacks linger, so if ignored they can clutter an area and his fish sludge might trip a player up. Maybe. Playing Kevin will make it easier for other monsters to secure a kill - hence, a handicap.


LESSER SPIKEWURM
Level 5, 10 HP, Speed 1.5

Basic Attack: Spike, 1.2sec cooldown, 1.75 damage. Straightline projectile with little ending lag. Ideal for harassment.

Special: Dive, 2sec cooldown. Travels 12ft in the direction you are facing, in 0.4sec. (Fast!)

While Lesser Spikewurm is technically the same speed as various other monsters, it "feels" much faster because of its extremely fast dash. Your direction is set by your facing when you start the move. Like most dashes it passes through obstructions. The dash is near invisible when spikewurm is healthy, making him very hard to track on a cluttered battlefield, but once he is bleeding, the enemy will easily see where you went. Play the martyr and try to steal a kill, or kite and whittle foes down in a duel of skill.


SPIDER
Level 4, 10HP, Speed 1.5

Basic Attack: Bite, 0.8sec cooldown, 1.75 damage, no range or movement.

Special: Spin Webs, 2sec cooldown. Move 1/2speed for 1.25 secs and drop up to 8 web patches as you move. Patches linger for 6 secs, powerfully slow enemies, and add a 3ft dash to your basic attacks. You can have 3 webs deployed at once, and they do not stack.

Spider has surprisingly high DPS, allowing him to rush the player and chow down - but the better plan is to dump webs and ensnare the player. Slowed players have massively reduced attack speed, making most early fights one-sided. Spider is good for ganging up on skilled players, as a slowed player is easy pickings for anyone, and spider's high DPS has a good chance to get the kill. Remember: You will lunge with your basic attacks if you are on your webs. Take care not to jump into danger.


GNOME
Level 4, 10HP, Speed 1.8

Basic Attack: Pickaxe - 1.2sec cooldown, 2.5 damage, Gnome lunges 3ft forward. Some attack lag after. Gnome can "Steal" a coin with this attack.

Special: Bear Trap - 2 sec cooldown, 1.25 damage, lasts 12.5 sec. Traps stack, so you can make a very dangerous place to stand. 5 to 6 traps can be deployed at once.

Gnome's basic attack is mighty, but has a significant cooldown. You can cheat this cooldown, however, with the Bear Trap Combo trick. Attack the enemy, then toss out a trap. Your basic attack will instantly cool down and you can perform it again. This is called Special-Canceling and certain monsters benefit from it. Certainly the gnome does, as if all three attacks hit, you can potentially rob a level 1 player of over half his health. The Gnome may be small, but he's fast, and his attack easily hits hardest of all basic monsters. Never forget this as you play with your bear traps - your attacks really hurt, so master the range of that dashing pickaxe strike, and steal a kill if you can.


EYEBAT
Level 5, 10HP, Speed 1.6

Basic Attack: Eyebolt, 0.6sec cooldown, 1.75 damage, pushes Eyebat. back 3ft, slow projectile, but effective for kiting. Very high DPS if all projectiles hit (if slowed enemy, cornered, etc)

Special: Dash, 2sec cooldown, double movespeed for 1sec. Combined frequent use grants a relative overall speed of 2.5.

Eyebat's superior speed and shooting rate, combined with the natural space generated by its attacks, make it a natural at harassing the player. The dash only has one use - escape - so treat it accordingly. You have no need to ever get close, as long range bombardment will be both safe for you and painful for them. But if you are looking to secure the kill, keep in mind your projectiles are sluggish... and close to a medium distance. The rest of the art of kiting must be learned personally. Eyebat is level 5 for a reason; the raw statistical power is there. See it clearly, and tap into it properly.


GIANT RAT
Level 3, 10HP, Speed 2.5

Basic Attack: Lunging Bite - 1.25sec cooldown, Rat vaults forward 9ft, dealing 1.75dmg if he hits the hero. Significant ending lag. Rat is vulnerable to counterattack while dashing, but is not blocked by objects.

Special: Rat Blast - 6 sec cooldown (long!), after significant windup, launches a wide and slow projectile that can hit multiple times for 1.25 damage.

Giant Rat is very, very fast - fastest of all the Basic Monsters - but also very vulnerable and therefore tough to use. While fast and with average health, its DPS is very poor, and he is easily hit when he attacks. The best way to play Giant Rat is to hope you draw a better monster next time, promote it right away since it sucks, and meanwhile, fight opportunistically... staying away from the fight, periodically using Rat Blast to CHEESE some damage, and only using Lunge Bite when the hero cannot counterattack or no one else is left. Do not be afraid to Lunge Bite away from a hero, to escape him... all things considered, this is the better use of the skill! If you simply must attack, then strike THROUGH the hero... not into, but deeply through.... and run.


DARK SPEAR GUY
Level 4, 11HP, Speed 1.9
Basic Attack: Stab, 1sec cooldown, 1.75 damage, lunges forward 3ft and stabs another 2ft ahead of Spear Guy. Pushes the enemy back.

Special: Spear toss - 2sec cooldown, 1.25 damage projectile. Comes out fast, some lag afterward. Pushes the enemy back.

Spear Guy is great if you are a skilled player. His HP is higher and his speed is higher than average, and his attacks, which have range, spacing and push, are rather safe. He can even combo - land a basic attack and immediately toss your spear for an easy hit. Note you MUST wait for your basic attack to connect, or you'll cancel it. He can harass, pressure, combo and poke... Use Spear Guy's versatility to win many battles, of many types.


POSSESSED GIRL
Level 5, 10HP, Speed 1.7

Basic Attack: Flame Blitz - 1 sec cooldown. 2.5 Damage on contact. Fire trail ignites for 1 sec. When cooled down, flame reappears. Turn quickly to swing the flame ball like a flail or drag it behind you.

Special: Healing Rune. 5 second cooldown. A rune remains for 5 seconds. Monsters can stand on it to be slowly healed.

Possessed Girl is probably why you are here. Well, she is not interesting to me. Face away from the enemy, and when they come to hit you, press attack and run away. More skilled players can swipe their flame to burn cautious players. Yes, now you know what that rune does - stand on it to heal you and your "allies". Awkward and misunderstood, Possessed girl is the team cheerleader, in a game that really puts the "me" in team. Evolve her right away to something better.



GARGOYLE
Level 5, 12HP, Speed 1.8

Basic Attack: Fire Spit - 1 sec cooldown, 1.75 damage, slow trailed projectile, with low firing lag.

Special: Stone Body - 4 sec cooldown, turn to solid stone for up to 3 sec, immune to damage and all attacks deflected. Stone is canceled by moving or attacking.

Ah, Gargoyle. Godsend to the player who contends with the skilled. Gargoyle is far and away the toughest of the basic monsters, with the most base HP and capable of instantly turning to stone, deflecting any attack. Its basic attack can be canceled into Stone, and its Stone can be canceled into a basic attack - something to keep in mind. If you don't move, you can remain a statue for a surprising duration. Plot your next action carefully. Gargoyle has mindgames for days, and you will need them, as its attacks and speed are nothing special.


MYCONID
Level 4, 10HP, Speed 1.3

Basic Attack: Slime Trail - 3 second cooldown (!) Dash for 0.5 seconds wherever you steer, leaving a potent slime trail. Myconid is invulnerable in the middle of this attack, but not at its start or end. Trail lingers 1sec.

Special: Spore Shot - 5 second cooldown, medium range projectile deals 1.75 damage if it hits, but spawns a low HP Myconid clone if it misses. Myconid clones wander, occasionally using Slime Trail. Can Special-Cancel.

If you are trying to hide in plain sight, keep sneakily using Spore Shot and don't attack, and you will look like the other Myconids. This, however, is a poor way to play Myconid. Myconid's Slime Trail is extremely damaging. Use this. Myconid can also perform a Special-Cancel, which is absolutely mission-critical for high end Myconid play, as it removes a 3 second cooldown. Basic attack, then spawn a Myconid, and Basic attack again, to put down extra acid trails.


SKELETON
Level 4, 12 HP, 1.8 Speed

Basic Attack: Bone Punch - 1.25sec cooldown, 1.5dmg. Skeleton lunges 6ft forward and extends an attack another 3ft. Excellent speed and range offset by overall poor DPS.

Special: Bone Toss - 1.8 second cooldown, 1.75 damage projectile with a significant windup and limited range. Aiming is dynamic - the bone is thrown in the direction you are facing at the very end (A warmup for archers, soon to come)

Skeleton is a versatile little buddy, quick, tough and capable of both melee and ranged attacks. He can Basic-Cancel a Bone Punch into Bone Toss for a pretty good chance to hit for extra damage, and his short special cooldown means he can do this virtually every time he throws a punch. And generally, he should! Skeleton is obviously the strongest basic monster because it is the only one that taunts the hero with snide noises.

[Retrolicious]

Great list, how did you experiment with all those monsters ? Did you do train lessons with your friends or did you try to use the vault as a "dojo".

Keep up the good work, you might want to write a steam guide? Awesome stuff :3

[Barney]

Great work :) lots of little details here we weren't sure if people would pick up on!

[Safety Zone]

Originally posted by Orange Guise:

Kevin is essentially a handicap god. He is worth just as much exp as any other monster but is massively slower stronger, with terrible incredible damage (basically half ONE BILLION TIMES all other monsters) His attacks linger exist for eternity, so if ignored they can clutter destroy all life within an area and his fish sludge might trip a player up will murder anyone who steps in it. Maybe Definitely. Playing Kevin will make it easier much harder for other monsters to secure a kill - hence, a handicap god of almighty destruction and dankness.

FTFY

[Safety Zone]

Ok, more serious now.

I like this guide. It's good. I personally disagree on two aspects, but not in an overall sense, just in how the monsters play for me.

Naturally and predictably, I disagree on the possessed girl. She isn't the best- that's the eyebat- but she has the major advantage over him of having no acceleration, just instant high speed. She's small and fast and agile and she's hard to hit. She doesn't need to face where she's going to hit, which is major. She attacks best when she's running away, in fact. That small part of her gameplay is everything. She doesn't have incredible DPS, but if you have a good idea of her fireball physics and reflexes, she can't be hit. Not even the eyebat has that. He has to face the player to hit. Oh, and she has no animation to slow her down when she attacks.

Basically, her attacks are woven seamlessly into her movement, allowing her to run away constantly and still damage, slowly whittling down the health of the enemy. The eyebat and the spikewurm's dashes allow similar playstyle's, but her indirectness is the subtle thing that makes her great. All other monsters have to face the player and have attack lag when they try to hit. Not her. Other monsters ultimately trade safety and health for attacks, but she doesn't need to with enough skill. That is why the possessed girl is great. Certainly, other monsters have dashing and higher speeds, but they all need to stop sometimes.

Her special isn't all that useful. You never have all that much time to heal. The incentive of standing still usually gets you hit.

Anyway, I find her great, my challenge mode score for her is higher than most of my tier fours (13)

RAMBLE ONE OVER.

The other thing was just that I really hate the Dark Henchman (dark spear guy). This is more based on my skill with him and how he aligns to my playstyle, but his attacks don't do much damage, the "ranged" attack has ridiculous lag AND is hard to hit with due to low speed AND has barely any damage to make up for it's difficulty to land. That combo sounds like its only real use. Again, this is purely based on my experiences and how he turns out when I play him. I'm sure you play him well. I just don't like him. This one isn't really a disagreement. More of how he lines up for me. I had a nightmare killing the level 3 club guy in challenge mode. The only thing of note for me is some nice range and knockback with his melee attack which could lead to good control of the player with skill.

Oh, and also, I think you have a small mistake- you said that the spider's webs cause slower attack speed, but more accurately, they result in slow movement speed and stop you from being able to attack at all. Not saying that you don't know that, but you wrote the wrong thing.

[Orange Guise]

Originally posted by Roxta2111:

FTFY

I don't pander ta propagander.

Kevin the Destroyer is pretty freakin' terrible, but that's mainly because its two evolutions are great - the Glub Beast is really mighty for a tier 2 monster, and Kevin the Pallid Traveler is not only a bargain for 60 Wrath but both user-friendly and unassumingly deep.


Oh, so the webs prevent attacking? Nifty! I thought that was just the lava traps.

A lot of the power of Spear Guy (Dark Henchman) is in his raw stats. The lag on his spear toss is after the fact, making it good for nailing quicker foes, and since his hits have knockback, he goes from hardly usable to completely effective once you get a good handle on his range and combos. He has a little more health, a little more speed, a little more safety.

Possessed girl is quite strong as long as enemies run straight after you. Once they stop doing that, she becomes much harder to be effective with. She is the least intuitive of the basic monsters. She is, as you say, one of the most capable defensive monsters, but there is a place for more aggressive monsters too, and Possessed Girl struggles to claim kills, let alone quickly build gold via damage.

[Safety Zone]

Originally posted by Orange Guise:

Originally posted by Roxta2111:

FTFY

I don't pander ta propagander.

Kevin the Destroyer is pretty freakin' terrible, but that's mainly because its two evolutions are great - the Glub Beast is really mighty for a tier 2 monster, and Kevin the Pallid Traveler is not only a bargain for 60 Wrath but both user-friendly and unassumingly deep.

I know, just a joke.

I agree. Kevin is partly a joke character- there has been glub worshipping within the fandom for a long while, as he is the silliest god, and the monster being terrible is I believe a joke about that.

But yes, his evolutions are great. The Gargantuan Glubfish, as I call it, is incredible and a great bargain as you say. Personally, I haven't delved in enough to find that depth that you speak of, but he is statistically a great monster. He is easy to use because he is in a way an extention to the basic weapon/dodgeroll playstyle that we are all familiar with from being the hero early in the game.

[Orange Guise]

Let me put it this way :) Kevin the Pallid Traveler is capable of both Basic-Canceling and Special-Canceling. As the patch notes say, he is more nimble than his bulk would suggest.

[Safety Zone]

Originally posted by Orange Guise:

Let me put it this way :) Kevin the Pallid Traveler is capable of both Basic-Canceling and Special-Canceling. As the patch notes say, he is more nimble than his bulk would suggest.

Hm, cool. I'll have to try it out.

[Retrolicious]

Op im still curious about your methods on testing all that out ^^
Or did you check the source code for the stats ?

[Orange Guise]

Just being studious and running laps in the vault. As a result some secrets may yet be unnoticed, such as Spider's webs stopping heroes from attacking.

[Arthas]

Originally posted by Orange Guise:

Originally posted by Roxta2111:

FTFY

I don't pander ta propagander.

Kevin the Destroyer is pretty freakin' terrible, but that's mainly because its two evolutions are great - the Glub Beast is really mighty for a tier 2 monster, and Kevin the Pallid Traveler is not only a bargain for 60 Wrath but both user-friendly and unassumingly deep.


Oh, so the webs prevent attacking? Nifty! I thought that was just the lava traps.

A lot of the power of Spear Guy (Dark Henchman) is in his raw stats. The lag on his spear toss is after the fact, making it good for nailing quicker foes, and since his hits have knockback, he goes from hardly usable to completely effective once you get a good handle on his range and combos. He has a little more health, a little more speed, a little more safety.

Possessed girl is quite strong as long as enemies run straight after you. Once they stop doing that, she becomes much harder to be effective with. She is the least intuitive of the basic monsters. She is, as you say, one of the most capable defensive monsters, but there is a place for more aggressive monsters too, and Possessed Girl struggles to claim kills, let alone quickly build gold via damage.

"The Glub Beast", or simply Glubfish, I would disagree on the power of. He has a good execute bite with high damage, but to any veteran player he's simply not as good due to his really choreographed movements and attacks which are easy to dodge. He can be good if you get hits off with him or use his secondary plus his bite to launch yourself (an interesting maneuver), but he's still too reliably slow with his attacks.

[Orange Guise]

Well, I will finish detailing my opinion of him when I post the tier 2 bestiary later.

[Arthas]

Also, I actually disagree with the Kevin article, simply due to the fact that he can be very damaging and powerful, filling rooms with bubbles similar to an pedastal. He honestly gets decent damage off normally and can get really quite good damage off in lengthy fights where he's not in immediate danger, if the hero ignores him (which is a suprisingly normal occurance, seeing as he is, well, taken as a joke. He doesn't get last hits off very reliably at all, but that was never his purpose; he can get good blood money off of his attacks.

[Arthas]

I also agree that the eyebat is better against the possessed girl, akin to Roxta, but that's my own preference. I've been able to do ridiculous things with the eyebat, or baby blueholder as I call him, and have my best vault score with him to date, outcompeting everyone BUT the normal blueholder. Beholder, blueholder, doesn't matter.

[Safety Zone]

Originally posted by Orange Guise:

Oh, so the webs prevent attacking? Nifty! I thought that was just the lava traps.

Yeah, it's really great. If you can get the player in a web, the spider's high dps allows you to take maybe half their health before they manage to trudge out. But then, when they get out, he has pretty low speed and health and is crushed easily.