Monsters (PvE)

With the December 17th, 2014 game update, monsters and Player vs. Environment (PvE) was introduced into Landmark. As of June 2015, monsters were moved exclsuively to caves, with the exception of Fiery Mushrooms, which can be found on both the surface and in caves.

There are a number of creatures in the world, each with their own personality and kinds of attacks.

Finding Monsters

Only Fiery Mushrooms are found both on the surface and in caves. All monsters (including mushrooms) are in caves. As the player approaches a creature, it will start to make a distinct sound which will come from the direction of the NPC (Non-Player Character monster). Because Landmark has a wide range of areas to fight in, many of which allow the monsters (and you) to hide, the sounds they make can make a huge difference in your success in battle. The sounds to listen to are described below in each section about the monsters.

Where you fight these monsters can effect the tactics you choose. For example, in most cases, the terrain (hills, dips in the ground, etc.) can be used as a tactical advantage. In caves the narrower spaces may make it more difficult to dodge their attacks by using WASD to strafe.

Your weapon of choice and your armor may also play a large role in you tactics. For example, fighting some with a sword another close-up weapon may require more strafing to avoid being hit, while weapons that allow you distance, like a bow or a staff gives greater freedom to duck out of the way. Each monster is described below, along with some basic tips to fight them.

Chomper

The Chomper is a stationary monster. It's a plant with a large head, sharp teeth, and it has two "arms" that also smaller versions of the mouth seen on the head. When it is ready to attack it purses its lips and its head will enlarge before it release a noxious stream of vomit.

After this first attack, it rear its head up and it will chomp at you if you are near enough or open its head upward and unleash a slightly less toxic spew around its body. It can rotate 360 degrees to continue its attacks.

Though it is stationary, its attacks are extremely deadly because within a two to three hits, it can disable your armor and once your defense is low it only takes one more hit to kill you.

The Chomper can be extremely dangerous in caves, because they often blend with the curves of cave walls. Listen carefully. Before it attacks it has a low growl sound that may help you dodge it.

• The best way to defeat this monster is to strafe around it if you fighting close with a sword. If your health is low, retreat and use the terrain to avoid being hit. Before it can vomit again, return and continue your attack.
• If you are using a ranged weapon of any kind that allows for distance, you will also need to strafe, but it is often easier to use the terrain to avoid completely hits with a greater amount of distance. At a distance you can completely avoid the chomping attack.

• In both of the above scenarios the "arms" can be dangerous too, so be mindful of this part of the monster too.

Slaug

A Slaug on in a cave tunnel drop-off. As of Feb 2015, these monsters only dwell within caves.

The slaug is similar to a goblin. It has white eyes, sharp teeth, and extremely large claws on its crooked hands. It stands hunched much of the time, but will occasionally stand like an ape with its hands on the ground in front of it.

These monsters like to hide in crevices in caves and will sneak out to attack. The are often found in the deep tunnel drop offs, so navigate these areas carefully or you can easily grapple right into one.

They attack by swinging their arms and gnashing their teeth. Most of the time, their attacks have a powerful knock-back, which makes them highly dangerous near cave tunnels with drop-offs or if they are within proximity of other monsters; the worst monster they can knock you within range of is the Chomper, because its attacks can be hard to dodge if you're slowed from the Slaug's knock back.

When you are in a cave listen carefully for the sounds these monsters make and look for a spot to either grapple out of their reach. The greatest threat this monster poses is typically the element of surprise. The Slaug makes heavy breathing and grunting noises that will tip you off to its proximity.

• Of all of the monsters, this can be the trickiest to face with any close-range weapon, like a sword, due to the speed at which they can come out of nowhere and the intensity of their knock back. Defeating it can require expert strafing.
• With a ranged weapon or staff, using the cave's natural ledges offers a major advantage over this monster. In some cases, it may run under the ledge and you may have to jump down and head to another safe ledge or pause, unequip your weapon and grapple to another spot once the cool-down for combat allows you to grapple again.

Abomination

An Abomination preparing to attack in the foreground. In the background, one slithering around the area.

The Abomination is a slithering, slimy creature until it rears up and reveals the skull-head within. It will slither toward you and being spewing noxious gas as it approaches. As it nears, it will stop and begin spitting poisonous lumps of goo at you.

It alternates between a single projectile and a triple projectile attack that spreads out as it exits the abomination's mouth. If you remain very near it as it attacks it will also twist its body before it lashes you with a spiny tongue.

Because it is a slime-style monster it can squeeze into small areas in caves easily, so listen carefully for a wet and slithering sound to alert you to its presence.

When you begin attacking this monster it may start to retreat. If so, the greatest threat it can pose will drawing you too near other enemies.

• If you have a weapon with a stun or slowing attack, it can help prevent this monster from retreating and when well timed, it can also be an effective interruption for preventing its projectile attacks.
• Whether fighting up-close or ranged, the only way to avoid its attacks are by strafing. Like the Chomper, you can use the terrain to avoid the Abomination's projectile attacks.

White Wisp

A White Wisp. These monsters are only found above-ground.

The White wisp is a floating ball of light. While it will move fluidly when left alone, it will begin moving slightly erratically when it is attacked. It's attack is simple: it throws balls of light at you.

This monster is the easiest to defeat as long as you can maintain a fairly steady target as it moves when engaged.

These monsters are found only on the surface of islands. In some cases, they may be found in close proximity, which is the one time they can present a fair challenge, because it can be difficult to dodge more than one ball of light thrown from multiple wisps.

Because they are balls of light, they are generally easy to see even from a distance. The pose the greatest threat when they are just over a hillside or behind a tree, as they will launch and attack faster than Chompers, Abominations, and Slaugs.

Listen carefully for a a jingle that sounds rather like high-pitched bells to alert you to their proximity.

• Like all other monsters, strafing will help you avoid their attacks; however, because they float higher than other monsters, you can not count on the terrain to hide behind, as (during closed beta) their attacks can (currently) pass through trees.

Fiery Fungus

The fiery fungus, often referred to as a "boom shroom" by players, is a very small mushroom with glowing spots that remains stationary. If you walk too near to it, it will inflate and explode in a ball of fire.

The greatest threat this poses is surprise if you do not see or hear it before you run on top of it. In caves it is frequently found in the crevices of drop-off tunnels, so traverse these areas carefully.

If you are careful though, you can run past it quickly and set if off. After it explodes run back to where it was, as it often leaves behind rock or dirt that can be useful for building on a claim. On rarer occasions, it will even drop valuable "loot" like other monsters.

This mushroom has a muted sound that will alert you to its presence. It sounds a bit like an overfilled balloon that is about to burst. If you are standing near one that is enlarging to burst, this sound will go up in volume and pitch.

• The easiest way to defeat these is just to be aware of their presence and either avoid them or plan a path that allows you to have them explode so you can get any potential rock, dirt, or loot.
• If you have any sort of ranged or distance weapon, you can stand back and take a shot at these to set them off safely and easily.
• The mushrooms can, but do not always, give players loot like Ether Shards and common stone that can be used with the Sifter to exchange stone for other materials, so they can be a great way to gather shards and stone with minimal or no-fighting at all. In the case of the latter, run near one, but run away fast and you'll experience minimal damage to armor if you were at full stats. Just remember to return to the spot to collect loot.

Media

• A few monsters and a bit of game play with them can be seen in this YouTube playlist.

The above videos were contributed by wiki the following wiki editor: RavenSaint (talk) 17:59, December 22, 2014 (UTC)RavenSaint (Serenity-Hilltop)

Other Info

• As of Feb. 2015 (closed beta) we have 5 monsters.

• As of June 2015, only Fiery Mushrooms appear on the surface; all other monsters are cave-only at this time.

• There is a slight variation in their appearance and the first part of their names, depending on the biomes they reside in. For example, a Slaug in a desert will be a "Parched Slaug" and will be grey-brown, while those found in a tundra cave will be darker blue and bear a different descriptive name.

Related Topics

• Combat for an overview of how Landmark combat differs from most other games.
• Salvaging - because most gear and weapons must be crafted using special crafting components that come only from the gear and weapons looted from monsters.
• Caves - caves in Landmark are not the sort of place you walk straight into; they have complex structures and huge drop offs that can easily kill you. The caves page describes essential gear and strategies for making the most of your spelunking experience.

Beta Bugs

• As of Feb, 2015, some islands are experiencing a slow spawn rate or lack of monsters on the surface. If this happens, try traveling to another island via the Spire. To save time, ask other players in General chat if they have seen any on the surface of islands they are on. You may need to add the General chat tab by typing /join General.