Monster Raids
Monster raids are coordinated nighttime assaults on villages. Unlike scattered overworld monster encounters, raids arrive as organized groups — marching in formation, supporting each other in combat, and targeting the village directly. Helping repel a raid earns significant reputation with the village and, if you’re the one who kills the commander, a direct reward from the elder.
When Raids Happen
Raids only occur at night. The village safe buffer prevents monsters from spawning at the village edge, so raid groups assemble at distance and approach inward. Once dawn breaks, surviving raid members retreat and despawn — they do not linger into daytime.
Not every night triggers a raid. Raid probability scales with the current dungeon tier of the surrounding region and the village’s threat level. Villages with no active defenders or no player presence are more likely targets.
Raid Group Composition
Raids are siege groups of undead — skeletons, ghouls, wraiths — organized around a commander. Group size varies:
| Raid Tier | Min Group Size | Max Group Size | Commander |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 3 | 6 | Siren |
| Major | 6 | 10 | Banshee |
| Siege | 10 | 16 | Banshee (elite) |
Larger raid tiers spawn on higher-threat nights and in regions with stronger dungeon presence. The commander always hangs back while the main group leads the assault.
Raid Leaders: Banshees and Sirens
Sirens lead minor raids. Their wail inflicts a brief slow on nearby defenders, buying time for their undead allies to close the gap.
Banshees lead major and siege raids. The banshee’s shriek causes a fear effect — affected targets are briefly unable to attack. Killing the banshee immediately ends the raid: remaining undead lose their coordination and scatter. For major and siege raids, prioritizing the banshee is almost always the correct strategy.
Both commanders stay at range and will not enter melee unless cornered. They are fast and will attempt to reposition if targeted.
Shared Aggro
Raid groups use shared aggro. If you attack any member of a raid group, every monster in the group that has line-of-sight to you immediately targets you. This is different from regular monster encounters, where each monster has independent aggro.
The practical effect: you cannot pick off raiders one by one from the edges. Engage expecting the full group to respond. Use the village walls and NPC defenders as a second front to split their attention.
Healer Monsters
Some raid groups include a wraith healer — a specialized wraith variant that hovers at the back of the formation and periodically heals the most-damaged ally within range. Healer wraiths are identifiable by their green-tinted glow.
If a healer is present, focus it down before the frontline fighters. A sustained raid group with an active healer can outlast the village defenders long enough to deal significant damage to buildings.
Formation Movement
Raid groups do not scatter randomly toward the village — they march in formation. The frontline fighters advance together while ranged undead (wraiths) and the commander hold back. Formation cohesion means the group cannot easily be split by kiting individual members.
The formation breaks once the group takes significant losses (roughly 40% casualties) or the commander dies. At that point remaining members switch to independent behavior and can be picked off.
Village Defense
When a raid begins, the village actively mobilizes its defenders. NPCs with combat roles arm themselves and converge on the threat — warriors, shieldmaidens, guards, and even armed civilians rally together rather than just responding individually when a monster wanders into their aggro range. NPC defenders are not immortal — they can be killed, and losing defenders has lasting consequences for the village’s ability to repel future raids.
You can fight alongside village defenders. Your damage counts, your positioning matters, and you share kill credit with NPCs. The village elder notices who helped — a successful raid defense earns +5 to +15 reputation with the village depending on your contribution and the raid’s size.
Related Articles
- Companions — recruit NPCs to fight alongside you during raids
- Bandits — bandit attacks follow different rules from undead raids
- Bestiary — banshee and siren stats and abilities
- Dungeon Guide — dungeon tier affects regional raid frequency
- Reputation — how raid defense contributions affect standing