Combat

Combat in DvZ does rely on some extent of skill, but also a level of teamwork and reliance on others. In both types of combat, make sure you are healing with your Healing Ale when you are at about 10 hearts, but some level of personal preference can come on that point. As well, combat is meaningless if it does not serve to protect the shrine, so that should always be your top priority.

Ranged Combat

Ranged combat is limited, as it can only really take place outside where there are no rooves to mitigate damage. There are some areas indoors that allow Bow usage, such as the hole in West Delphia’s roof from Shrine 2 to 3 or the massive room at the end of Throntodur, but these cases are few and far between.

At the beginning of the game, monsters are weak, Zombies, Skeletons, and Creepers can all be one shot with a bow. However, this rapidly changes, as almost all of these monsters gain abilities to have more health and survive more shots. Player Zombies in particular shouldn’t be shot at unless you are certain you can hit three consecutive shots, as they will regenerate their health quickly after the first shot. This holds true for Wolves as well. Venomburners can also be ignored at range because they are somewhat difficult to hit. However, every other monster in the game is fair in ranged combat and can be dispatched quickly if not in one shot altogether. Golems are the only exception, but it is best to keep them at range and slowly plink down their armor than engage them in melee combat.

Having the high-ground truly is the advantage in ranged combat, it gives more visibility to potential targets, more range to keep above the 5 block range minimum, and makes you harder to hit at melee range. Towers and high walls are advised, but no higher than 5-7 blocks as it becomes hard to get down and work around.

Player monsters should be an archer’s #1 target, especially Super Creepers, Blaze Cannons, and Skeletons. These monsters tend to hang out of melee range and can do serious damage to walls and other dwarves, so they should be dispatched as fast as possible. AI Zombies are the lowest priority, as they serve for rampage fodder more than anything.

Once inside, archers have to transition to…

Melee Combat

Whether using a sword or a shovel, melee combat follows one rule: get a PROC and roll it. The best PROC starters and rollers are AI Zombies, but Rats and Spiderlings take precedence as starters because of how weak they are if they are visible. Once a PROC is started, use AIs to move from Player monster to Player monster and kill them to slow their assault on the other dwarves and the shrine. AI Zombies also have names, so this can be useful for tracking down and focusing one particular AI to start a PROC.

Any monster (except Golems and Death’s Servant) can be procced, so use this ability to your advantage, and take monsters out before they can be impactful in damaging the dwarves. Creepers and Super Creepers can also be interrupted by hitting them, so when they are seen it is best to tap them every so often or focus them to kill them so they can’t do real damage or launch dwarves into the air.

Golems and Death’s Servant, being unproccable, are different beasts entirely. Golems, due to their slow speed and high damage output, are best to kite and continually beat on them until their chestplate breaks, at which point they can be procced. Death’s Servant can have the same be done, but do not engage if you are low mana as you will not regain it any time soon.

Melee combat is also a massive drain on mana and armor durability. Generally, less than 300 mana means you should fall back to regenerate some of it, and less than 5 armor bars means you armor needs repairing. In fact, less than 4 armor bars means your helmet has broken, and you will start taking more damage than before.

If you find yourself in a dire situation with low mana, it is best to seek out a PROC and keep rolling it. This is because Momentum absorption hearts can keep your health safe while you regenerate mana, but this should only be done in the most dire of situations, as when you PROC breaks or you take too much damage at one time, you will need to heal again which may cause you to run out of mana completely.

The Dwarven Oak Shield is a powerful item that gives you 10 chances to escape from danger or charge mobs which are trying to escape. If a skeleton is harassing you, try getting a PROC and then charging the skeleton with your shield to kill it. An alternative to this is getting a PROC and shooting the skeleton before it runs out. This is called a reverse bow PROC and will instantly kill it as long as the arrow lands while you still have it.