Enemies & Attack Patterns

Threat reference

Regular enemies normally enter from a random arena edge. The health values below are their Arcade-era base health before Endless Rift scaling; Rookie and Nightmare change enemy speed, not regular-enemy health. Base points and combo calculations are covered in the Scoring & Combos guide.

Direct pursuers

Chaser — first seen on Wave 1

The baseline threat constantly turns toward your current position. It has one health point and no projectile, so the danger comes from pathing and numbers. Make broad turns before reaching an edge; a late reversal lets multiple chasers close the same exit.

Swarm — first seen on Wave 2

Swarm units use the same direct-pursuit rule in a smaller, faster body. Each has one health point and a low individual score value, but a group can occupy several nearby lanes. Keep moving through open space rather than weaving between bodies.

Tank — first seen on Wave 4

The tank follows directly but trades speed for eight health points and a larger collision radius. Auto-fire may spend several shots on it while faster enemies approach. Lead it away from your preferred route instead of waiting beside it for the kill.

Shielded unit — first seen on Wave 13

This pursuer begins with a separate two-point shield in front of five health points. Player shots remove the shield before health, making it a longer target than its movement suggests. Rapid Fire is especially useful, but your priority remains leaving room around its larger body.

Enemies that change the route

Interceptor — first seen on Wave 3

Instead of aiming only at your current location, the interceptor targets a point based on your velocity. Holding one direction makes its approach more predictive. Change direction early and deliberately; frantic micro-corrections can bring you back onto its lead line.

Splitter — first seen on Wave 6

The splitter is a three-health pursuer. When destroyed by a player shot, it creates two swarms beside its last position, so the space behind it is not immediately clear. Shield-contact and Nova eliminations remove it without producing that pair, which can be valuable in a crowded lane.

Orbiter — first seen on Wave 9

The orbiter combines sideways motion with distance correction to circle at roughly 170 pixels. It can cut across a route that looked clear a moment earlier. Move out of the orbit’s center rather than matching its circle and letting other enemies tighten the ring.

Teleporter — first seen on Wave 11

The teleporter drifts toward you at reduced speed, then relocates about every 3.2 seconds to a bounded point within roughly 260 horizontal and 220 vertical pixels of your position. Recheck all nearby space after its visual burst; do not continue an escape line by habit.

Kamikaze — first seen on Wave 16

The kamikaze continually aims at you and accelerates the longer it remains alive, eventually reaching almost 2.8 times its starting movement multiplier. Create an exit before it gets close. During Infinity Overlord encounters, remember that boss-prioritizing auto-fire may leave a summoned kamikaze alive longer.

Ranged pressure

Sniper — first seen on Wave 7

The sniper tries to maintain a band between 260 and 390 pixels: it retreats when too close, advances when too far, and fires an aimed projectile after its timer passes 2.2 seconds. Strafe across the shot line and avoid reversing directly into the projectile you just dodged.

Mine layer — first seen on Wave 12

The mine layer moves sideways relative to you and drops a stationary mine after about 2.5 seconds. Mines remain active for seven seconds, turning old paths into hazards. Avoid looping back through the same area until you have checked what it left behind; Nova removes active mines along with other hostile projectiles.

How mixed waves become harder

• Enemy movement speed rises with wave number until its wave-based increase reaches a 60% cap at Wave 50. Difficulty applies another speed factor.
• From Wave 13 onward, each normal spawn event has a 22% chance to add a second enemy.
• Dense wave modifiers shorten the normal spawn interval. After Wave 30, regular enemy health grows every wave and even-numbered Endless Rift waves apply another ×1.5 health factor.
• Normal spawning pauses while a boss is alive, but Cyber Hydra and Infinity Overlord can summon regular enemies through their own attacks.
• Auto-fire targets the nearest regular enemy unless a boss exists. During boss encounters, movement must account for summons your weapon is not prioritizing.

Slow Motion reduces regular-enemy behavior speed, Shield can turn contact with a regular enemy into a protected elimination, and Nova clears every regular enemy and hostile projectile currently present. Review exact effects in the Power-Ups guide, or see how pools evolve in Bosses & Waves.

A simple decision order

1. Protect the open lane. Mines, teleports, orbiters, and split swarms can invalidate a route faster than a tank.
2. Read the ranged timer. Move across sniper shots instead of away from them in a straight line.
3. Respect growing threats. Kamikazes and dense mixed waves become more dangerous when ignored.
4. Let auto-fire work. Your main decision is positioning; chasing a particular target can trade safety for a kill you would have earned anyway.

Play Neon Blitz to practice the early sequence, or review the complete How to Play guide.