Monsters are enemy squads that live right on the hexes. This page covers who they are, where they spawn, how they move, and what you get for defeating them.
Where they appear
On new hexes. A creature may sit under a hex. If you do not defeat it on the spot, it stays there until you come back.
Inside guarded buildings. Mines, factories, warehouses and other useful buildings are often protected by guards. Beat them first, then use the building.
Each hex type has its own monster and its own spawn chance, so a shrike will not show up in a bush and a rat will not appear in the desert.
The early crew. Rats, spiders, zombie boys — weak and very numerous; they show up on almost any unexplored hex.
Mushrooms. Starved mushroom, toxic boletus, psi mushroom — they hit hard for their level and may drop a special chest.
Desert threats. Mummy, sand worm — heavy hitters tied to sandy hexes. The sand worm lurks near ore deposits.
Faction creatures. Ice wolf and fire fox, ice bear and fire tiger — predators of their own faction, tougher on native territory.
Golems. Ice golem and fire golem — late-game tanks with very high defense.
Special NPCs. The survivor shows up as part of quests. The shrike is a level-6 elite NPC from the future — only a very strong army can take one down.
Levels
The catalog and combat both group monsters into levels from 1 to 6. Higher level means a stronger monster that appears less often. The full catalog with icons and stats lives in the Bestiary.
Stats
All creatures — monsters and your own fighters — share one set of four stats. Details are in Battles:
Attack — the fighter's base damage.
Health — how much damage the squad takes in total.
Defense — reduces incoming damage.
Luck — adds a ±20% swing to a single hit and increases the chance of a critical strike or a dodge.
How enemy strength adapts
Enemies scale to your army's power. The game gradually nudges the target strength of the opponents you meet toward the strength of your squad, instead of flipping it the moment you buy something.
Movement on the map
Random wandering. A creature usually drifts in a random direction at the speed set for its species.
One hex, one squad. If the target hex is already occupied, the new monster stays put.
Changing the land. Some monsters — psi mushrooms, for example — change the land type of the hexes they walk on.
Squad growth
Squad size grows over time. The pace depends on the species: some grow fast, others slowly, and the rarest take months between additions.
What you get for winning
Experience. Every won fight grants experience that you spend on leveling up.
Loot. Most monsters leave a container with resources, coins or currency. Some have a special chest (lutbox) — mushrooms and the sand worm, for example.
A free hex. When the monster is gone, the hex is cleared and you can capture and build on it.
Cows, sheep, and affection
Cows and sheep are not enemies. You can pet them, and their hex can be captured like ordinary territory.
Petting. A successful pet adds one affection point for the player.
Shared pool. A creature has a shared pool of affection points (up to 10). Once it runs out, new pets redistribute points among the creature's friends.
Shared timer. The pause belongs to the creature, not to each player: once the cow is petted, everyone waits.
Moving toward a friend. The higher the affection, the more the creature drifts toward that friend when it wanders.
Different species. Cows and each colour of sheep have their own movement speed and their own petting interval.
Tips
Check the Bestiary first. Before attacking, open the Bestiary — it shows the monster's level and stats.
Scout, then fight. On an unknown hex, look at what is under it first. If there is a guard, build your army before you attack.
Come back later. If the monster was too strong, grow your army and try again.