Monsters that think
Monsters on Nox remember who hurt them, call nearby friends, focus the weakest target, surround you in packs and walk home if you drag them too far. Each monster type has its own fighting style. Any ordinary field monster can also spawn as an Elite, Champion or Rare, with random special powers and much bigger rewards.
Elite, Champion and Rare
Every time an eligible field monster spawns, the server rolls for a tier. Eligible monsters are level 10 or higher, come from a normal spawn point, and are not guards, bosses, traps or neutral monsters.
| Tier | Spawn chance | Aura | Toughness | Damage dealt | Random powers | Bonus EXP (killer) | Bonus silver |
|---|
| Elite | 3% | Gold halo | ×2.5 | ×1.25 | 1 | 200% of the monster's base HP | level × 30 |
| Champion | 0.8% | Green glow | ×4.5 | ×1.5 | 2 | 500% of base HP | level × 80 |
| Rare | 0.15% | Super-soldier aura | ×8 | ×1.8 | 3 | 1,200% of base HP | level × 200 |
- The life bar looks normal. Tougher tiers simply take less damage: an Elite takes 40%, a Champion 22% and a Rare 12.5% of each hit.
- A Rare spawn is announced to the whole map with a drum: "A Rare *Monster* (*powers*) has appeared at (*x*, *y*)!" Its death is announced too.
- If your pet gets the kill, the bonus goes to you.
The 10 powers
| Power | What it does | Numbers |
|---|
| Frenzied | Attacks and runs faster | 1.5× attack speed; each step takes 65% of the normal time |
| Vampiric | Heals from the damage it deals | Heals 40% of its damage, at least 2% of its max HP per hit |
| Teleporter | Blinks behind its target | Up to 12 cells, once every 6 s |
| Shielded | Becomes immune from time to time | Immune for 3 s every 12 s in combat (first shield about 6 s in) |
| Molten | Burns everyone next to it and explodes on death | Players within 3 cells take 35% of its attack every 2 s; death blast 150% of its attack within 3 cells. Neither can kill you (stops at 1 HP). Ranged monsters never get Molten. |
| Frozen | Its hits can freeze you | 25% chance per hit to freeze a player for 2 s |
| Summoner | Calls copies as it is hurt | 2 copies at 70% HP and 2 more at 35% HP. Copies give no kill rewards. |
| Berserker | Hits much harder when low | Double damage below 50% HP (ends if healed back above 50%) |
| Warlord | Rallies nearby monsters | Every 8 s, wild monsters within 6 cells get +30% attack speed and +20% damage for 9 s |
| Juggernaut | Takes far less damage | Takes only 60% of damage, on top of its tier |
Fighting styles
Each monster type has one style.
| Style | Behaviour |
|---|
| Brute | Charges straight in with a dash |
| Skirmisher | Hits a few times (usually 3), then backs off 4 cells |
| Kiter | Keeps its distance and shoots, side-stepping now and then |
| Assassin | Blinks behind the weakest player |
| Pack | Surrounds you. One member may be the group's healer. |
| Boss | Keeps to its territory, hunts the weakest and flies if it has wings (see World bosses) |
How every monster thinks
| Behaviour | Value |
|---|
| Memory | Remembers everyone who hurts it; forgets a player who stops hurting it for 15 s |
| Switching targets | A new player must out-threaten the current target by 10% to pull it away |
| Target choice | Prefers closer targets, wounded targets and targets its nearby friends are already fighting. Assassins and bosses care most about wounded targets. |
| Calling for help | Idle monsters of the same kind within 6 cells join the fight |
| Pack healer | 15% of pack monsters spawn as healers. A healer mends an ally within 8 cells that is below 60% HP, for 15% of its max HP, every 5 s. |
| Leash | Pull a monster more than 24 cells past its spawn area and it gives up and walks home. If it can't get home within 10 s, it jumps there. |
Commanding your summons
Type these in chat:
| Command | What your summons do |
|---|
| /pet attack (default) | Join your fights and defend you. "Warlike" pets also hunt monsters near you. |
| /pet defend | Only fight what attacks you or the pet |
| /pet passive | Never fight; just follow |
| /pet stay | Hold their ground and only strike back at attackers in reach |
- The reply is "Your summons are now set to *mode*." or "You have no summons to command."
- The mode is remembered across map changes and deaths.
- Summons stand still within 2 cells of you, run when more than 5 cells away and jump back beside you when more than 12 cells away. They ignore targets more than 12 cells from you and look for fights within 8 cells.
Tips
- Kill Summoner elites fast, before 70% and 35% HP, or pull the copies away.
- Step away from Molten elites. Their aura can't kill you, but it keeps you low for everything else.
- Don't fight Warlord elites in a crowd. They speed up every monster within 6 cells.
- Stop hitting Shielded elites during their 3 s shield.
- Rares are worth chasing: their bonus EXP is 12× the monster's base HP.
- If a fight goes wrong, run about 24 cells past the monster's spawn area to reset it.
