Walker Patriarch

10 (weakspot)

## Overview

* When this boss enters the stage, the map will indicate its location with a large skull. It has a large weakpoint, indicated by the red hue, on its front.
* It attacks by punching for a single-target hit or smashing the ground for an area hit.
* Unlike all other enemies, the Walker Patriarch will actively destroy tower bases on its path to the core.
* While somewhat difficult to do, if provoked, it will chase the player. The player will be sent flying a very large distance if hit by its attacks, similar to the Hoverer's shockwave attack, but the first attack of the boss just sends the player above the ground, while the consecutive hits will also send the player far away, that's why While this first hit is a lot safer for the player (especially when the map can easily be falled from), this primary punch can destroy a bunch of close towers.
* When he attacks the core, he deals 2x50 (100) damage in 2 hits per attack. If he makes a ground slam close to the core, it will suffer 120 damage.

## Appearances

This boss lume appears in 10 maps and in two of them there is more than one Patriarch - The End (2x) & SOKOL (4x), i.e. the Patriarch has a total of 14 spawns:

* 1-4: The Gate (Wave 8)
* 2-3: Cliff Lodge (Wave 10)
* 2-4: Outpost (Wave 1)
* 3-3: Roadworks (Wave 10)
* 4-2: The Labyrinth (Wave 7)
* 4-3: The Wilderness (Wave 7)
* 4-4: The End (two - second boss after a few Hoverers, and fourth/fifth boss alongside a Hoverer Queen)
* 5-3: Jellyfish Cove (Wave 10)
* 6-4: SOKOL (Wave 11 - **FOUR** Patriarchs appear in this wave)
* 7-3: Bog (Wave 10)

## Notes & tactics

### Tower Strategies

* It is wise to ensure that the Walker Patriarch does not go anywhere near a tower. Otherwise, the tower is almost guaranteed to be destroyed.
* The AR-Mine Dispenser can be great against the Walker Patriarch due to the immense damage of each mine. There are random effective techniques to apply the mines vs the boss:
	+ The player can put the mines on his head or another player's head. If the player goes into the boss, this kills will trigger the mines due to the proximity and the damage will be done. This can be particularly risky if there are enemies nearby, since they also can trigger the explosion if too close, or to be dangerous around them for the player.
	+ The player can go close to the spawn point of the boss and put the mines very close to where he appears, and if the player is around there, the boss is likely to go straight for the player(s). The method is great for 2-3: Cliff Lodge, 4-2: The Labyrinth, 4-3: The Wilderness, 5-3: Jellyfish cove and 7-3: Bog. This, however, cannot be properly done if other enemies are coming before him, e.g. is not a proper method in 1-4: The Gate, but is great in most other maps with this boss.
	+ The mines can be placed on top of a tower base, where he **is guaranteed to destroy**. However, this randomly requires tests for the boss' path(s) as he may situationally go for another bases without triggering the mines. Good thing about this is, that this way no other enemy can set it off, and the Walker Patriarch will detonate the mine when he destroys the tower base or a bit after, when he continues for the next base. A great method in 1-4: The Gate the boss would always destroy a base, put as close as possible to his spawn point.
	+ The mines can be put in the path where the boss is pretty much likely to walk. A great method for 3-3: Roadworks and 6-4: SOKOL, but might be tricky to apply for the other maps.
	+ While it's still possible to use it in 4-4: The End, this is generally a technique that lacks efficiency while also very limited number of mines can be used, since the wave is only one and player(s) cannot generate good amounts of mines.
* The Focus + Range Spire combo has favorable results, especially on the map The End. This might need more blocking walls to hold the boss and therefore to kill him without losing too many maze elements vs the other enemies.
* The Rupture mines are also very potent, but have trickier application - they can find great use in 3-3: Roadworks, while it appears more difficult to utilize them for 4-2: The Labyrinth, 4-3: The Wilderness, 5-3: Jellyfish Cove and 6-4: SOKOL since it would require initial kiting to lure the boss into the mines and less bases around to prolong the time the boss is moving. The other maps hardly find use of this type of mines vs the Patriarch. These mines should be put on exact same place when using against a sole enemy.
* Violator, Rocket and other reasonably-ranged towers paired with the Range Spire can also be effective against it.
* Shorter-ranged towers such as the ACP, Gatling, and Lightning towers are likely to be smashed before they can do any significant damage, and Drone towers will usually only be able to dispense drones once before the tower is destroyed.

### Player Strategies

* The Walker Patriarch is arguably the most dangerous boss enemy, that's why dealing with him faster via weapons & towers is highly recommended. The player usually should place priority on taking down the Walker Patriarch before other enemies. If left unattended, the Walker Patriarch could end up ruining the player's maze by destroying the barriers. This allows other enemies a shorter path to the core.
* Attacking the Walker Patriarch enough will earn its attention is effective. It displays this by chasing the player instead of destroying more tower bases. It is highly recommended to lead it as far away from the maze as possible. Daring players may choose to lead it into a mine-topped tower base(or ground) to trigger the trap.
* Its slam attack, which destroys towers in a very large area, is triggered by player proximity, i.e., it will not be used if there are no players nearby. If the Walker Patriarch is near important towers, it is best for the player to maintain some distance away from it.
* As he often creates shortcuts in your mazes, smaller, faster enemies are likely to stream past him. Should this happen, the player should use weapons or perks that damage enemies in an area to stem the tide, such as the Ballista's secondary fire or the Electrical Outburst perk.
* Kiting the Patriarch can be tricky. If the player moves too far the boss will lose interest and return to its maze-smashing behavior, even if the player is constantly shooting it
* Staying around the Patriarch after the first hit is risky, although if he gets confused in some way or if he returns to march-to-the core-manner for a while, it'll produce a ground-slam hit when provoked again. The second(ary) hit appears a lot more dangerous as a single punch from the Patriarch can easily send any player out of bounds, killing them instantly.