Halloween has come and gone, but monsters are forever…or until you defeat them at least! There are all kinds of weird and wonderful life forms in the mysterious underground world of Core Keeper, and we thought we’d show off some of our creations today. From the humble Slime to the terrifying Caveling Brute, we’ve got quite the roster of creatures. In fact, you might even say it’s a bit of a monster mash!
Orange Slime
Location: Dirt Biome
Attacks: When provoked
The Orange Slime is the very first monster we designed for Core Keeper, and it’s probably the first monster you’ll encounter in-game. Slimes have been an RPG and adventure game staple for as long as anyone can remember, and we love their jello-like features. The Orange Slimes aren’t aggressive in Core Keeper, meaning you’ll be able to walk among these blobs without fear. Just watch out for the goo they leave behind though, it’ll seriously slow you down. If you do decide to initiate combat, make sure to sidestep the Slime’s jump attack before landing the killing blow.
Poison Slime
Location: Nature Biome
Attacks: With poison (duh)
Purple Slimes are a lot less passive than their Orange counterparts, and they’re much tougher too. If you wander into one in the Nature Biome, look out for their purple trails, as these Slimes ooze a poison that will temporarily reduce the amount of health that you can recover from healing. Their attack patterns are similar to those of our other Slimes, so they can be dodged with a simple sidestep. Just make sure you’re not sidestepping into a puddle of poison!
Larva
Location: Larva Biome
Attacks: Relentlessly
These little grubs may look cute, but they’re very aggressive when it comes to Explorers. You’re likely to find a handful of Larva in most parts of the Larva Biome, and they can be taken care of with a couple of well-timed attacks…it’s their cocoons you’ve got to watch out for. Step too close, and they’ll start to hatch (we think it has something to do with the Explorer’s body heat), spewing out multiple Larvae at once. Don’t you just Larva challenge?
Big Larva
Location: Larva Biome
Attacks: Torches & Explorers
Little Larva are one thing, but it’s the big ones you’ve got to watch out for. These chunky bugs are twice as aggressive, and they’re also very photosensitive – meaning they’re not the biggest fans of torchlight. If you ever place a torch, go off exploring, then come back to find it destroyed, you can almost guarantee it’s the work of a Big Larva. Oh, and did you know the Big Larva is Sven and Max’s favourite creature?
“The Big Larva started out lying down just like a regular Larva, but we had visual issues where it was clipping into walls. My solution: let's make it walk on two legs and give it a sassy walk cycle. Easy fix!” – Sven, Pugstorm CEO
“I think I like the Big Larva the most since a walking larva is just cool. Sometimes it is a bit of a love-hate relationship though when they keep destroying my torches.” – Max, Programming & Multiplayer Developer
Caveling
Location: Stone Biome
Attacks: Explorers & Other Creatures
The Cavelings might just be the remnants of an ancient underground civilisation, and there’d probably be a lot you could learn from them, if they weren’t so feral. Cavelings are very territorial and will attack anything that crosses their paths. The only exception to this rule is other types of Cavelings – all of whom seem to tolerate each other just fine. Not much is known about the common Caveling, other than the fact that they enjoy mining and seem to subsist on some rather strange looking bread. Our designer, Julian, is also very fond of them.
"My favourite monster is definitely the Caveling. They started out as simple enemies, but they have ascended into mascot status for the game, hence why they play a bigger role now and there's more variations of them." – Julian, Lead Artist
Caveling Shaman
Location: Stone Biome
Attacks: With Fire Magic
Caveling Shamans are a strange and mysterious variation of the common Caveling. They wear peculiar headdresses and have a wild look in their eyes that suggests they may possess dangerous magic powers. They also shoot fireballs from their staff, which confirms that they possess dangerous magic powers. Caveling Shaman can attack via both melee and ranged combat, making them formidable foes. It’s rumoured that the Shaman can predict an Explorer’s movements, making dodging their fireballs all the more difficult!
We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing all about our monsters. We’ve still got a couple of creatures up our sleeves and plenty of bosses that we’ll be sharing more info on later. For now, make sure you join our Discord server for more news, updates, announcements, and information on Core Keeper.