Appearance
Enemy & Encounter Design
Enemy Roster
5 enemy types per tier, 10 total for the prototype. Each has a unique visual model. Enemy types are introduced gradually as the player progresses through levels within a tier. Not all enemies appear from level 1; harder types show up in later levels.
Tier 1: The Hollows
| Enemy | Combat Profile | Introduced |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | Fast, fragile. Low damage, low HP. Fodder. | Level 1 |
| Goblin | Fast attacker, low Defence. Glass cannon. | Level 1 |
| Skeleton | Slow, high Defence. Armored but predictable. | Level 3+ |
| Zombie | Slow, high HP. Damage sponge. | Level 5+ |
| Hollow Knight | Balanced stats, higher than others. Mini-threat. | Level 7+ |
Tier 2: The Verdant Deep
| Enemy | Combat Profile | Introduced |
|---|---|---|
| Cave Bat | Very fast, very fragile. Swarms. | First Verdant level |
| Fungal Crawler | Medium speed, moderate damage. | First Verdant level |
| Root Strangler | Slow, high Strength. Hits hard. | Tier level 3+ |
| Spore Beast | High HP, medium Defence. Tanky. | Tier level 5+ |
| Deep Warden | Balanced, toughest non-boss in tier. | Tier level 7+ |
Encounter Structure
Road Encounters (Main Path)
Enemies spawn in clusters along the main road with gaps between them. A cluster is a group of 2-6 enemies positioned close together. The player fights a pack, walks through a gap, fights the next pack.
- Cluster size scales with level depth. Early levels have clusters of 2-3. Later levels within a tier have clusters of 4-6.
- Cluster composition draws from the enemy types available at that level. A level 1 Hollows cluster might be 3 rats. A level 7 Hollows cluster might be 2 goblins, 1 skeleton, and 1 hollow knight.
- Gaps between clusters give passive HP regen time. Longer gaps early, shorter gaps later.
- Enemies respawn on timers within a run. A cleared cluster repopulates after a set time, letting the player farm a section of road.
Off-Road Encounters (Active Play)
Off-road camps are pre-defined compositions placed by WFC during level generation. Each camp has a set number and type of enemies guarding more gold.
- Camp size: 4-8 enemies, tougher than road clusters at the same level.
- Composition: Heavier on the harder enemy types for that tier. A Hollows off-road camp might have 3 skeletons and 2 hollow knights, even on a level where the road only has rats and goblins.
- Gold: Off-road camps drop more gold than road encounters (2x multiplier).
- Respawn: Same timer-based respawn as road clusters.
Boss Encounter (Last Chunk)
The final chunk of each level has a single boss. It's a scaled-up version of a regular enemy from that tier: larger model, significantly higher Attack, Strength, Defence, and HP. Same combat rules, no unique mechanics. The boss type is picked randomly during level generation.
The boss does not respawn. Killing it completes the level.
Stat Profiles
Enemy stats use the same skills as the player: Attack, Strength, Defence, HP, and attack speed. Stats scale linearly with level number within a tier.
Base Stats (Level 1 of each tier)
Starting points. Exact numbers will be tuned during development, but the ratios between enemy types define their combat identity.
Tier 1: The Hollows
| Enemy | Attack | Strength | Defence | HP | Speed (ticks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Goblin | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Skeleton | 2 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 6 |
| Zombie | 1 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 7 |
| Hollow Knight | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 5 |
Tier 2: The Verdant Deep
| Enemy | Attack | Strength | Defence | HP | Speed (ticks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Bat | 5 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Fungal Crawler | 4 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 4 |
| Root Strangler | 3 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 7 |
| Spore Beast | 3 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 6 |
| Deep Warden | 6 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 5 |
Level Scaling
Each level within a tier multiplies base stats by a scaling factor. For example, a level 5 enemy has roughly 1.5x its base stats, a level 10 enemy has 2x. Exact scaling formula to be tuned during development.
Boss Stats
Bosses take the stat profile of one of the tier's enemy types and multiply by a boss factor (roughly 3-5x HP, 2x offensive stats). The specific enemy type is picked randomly per level generation.
Open Questions
Exact stat scaling formula per level. Boss stat multiplier. Do off-road camp enemies use the same stats as road enemies or get a separate buff? Exact respawn timer duration for clusters. How many off-road camps per level? Loot table differences between road, off-road, and boss encounters.