Stavens

A Stavens in the Study.

The Stavens is an enemy encountered initially in The Stygian Study. It attacks by firing a barrage of fireballs covering a large area or by hurling a homing cursed projectile.

## Behaviour

The Stavens is a slow-walking ranged enemy. It moves with small steps and prefers to stay at a medium range, usually walking away from the player if they're too close, and towards them if they're too far. It attacks either by throwing fireballs forward, each following its own arc, or by throwing a homing cursed projectile.

It cannot fall off edges on its own, but will get hurt by spikes and environmental hazards (water & clouds) if it falls into them.

## Attacks

When attacking the player, Stavens randomly choose between one of their two attacks with no preference for one over the other.

### Fireballs

The Stavens fires **five fireballs** in quick succession, each with its own trajectory.

It starts with a low and wide arc which gets taller and narrower, until the last fireball which follows an almost vertical trajectory.

The fireballs are Mid-sized Projectiles that cannot pass through walls and can be countered by a lot of means, like the  Pirate Ship talent,
the  Shield of Thorns spell or
the  Wind Wall spell
.

Dodging this attack is a lot trickier than for the weaker Staffens as it can cover a large area.

A Stavens' fireball attack
### Attack 2

After a rather long wind-up, the Stavens shoots a cursed projectile straight forward.

This fast projectile has slight homing capabilities but unlike most other cursed attacks, **is destroyed by terrain**.

The cursed projectile is similar to a Mid-sized Projectile and can be countered by a lot of means, such as Valkyrie's  Deflect or
the shockwave from  Marble Statue
, as well as any attacks (weapons, spells and even spin kicks).

A Stavens' cursed attack
## Location

Stavens can only appear naturally in The Stygian Study (including within red portals).

Once you reach NG+1, you will unlock the use of burdens:

* each level of the  Burden of Evolution enabled adds a 10% chance for a Staffens in Citadel Agartha and Kerguelen Plateau to instead spawn as a Stavens
* the same burden also adds a 10% chance for Staffens in the Study to evolve into their strongest variant, the Stouffles.

## Trivia

 Name in the game files | ArcThrower\_Advanced

Eyeballs (Scout • Pupil • Visionary) -
Fire Elementalists (Flamelock • Blazelock • Sollock) -
Skeletons (Skeleton • Mr. Bones • McRib) -
Skeleton Mages (Staffens • **Stavens** • Stouffles) -
Sword Knights (Soldier • Champion • Royal Knight) -
Spear Maidens (Spear Maiden • Javelin Maiden • Partisan Maiden) -
Flying Axes (Ember Hatchet • Burning Axe • Molten Ono) -
Flying Swords (Static Blade • Shock Edge • Thunder Poniard) -
Flying Hammers (Earthen Maul • Rock Crusher • Land Cracker) -
Blob Fish (Blob Fish • Bubbly Fish • Bobble Fish) -
Lamp Ghosts (Lamps • Lights • Beacons) -
Rocket Boxes (Sentry • Defentry • Entry Preventry) -
Skeleton Archers (Skarcher • Skranger • Skranger Danger) -
Lightning Elementalists (Sparkologer • Thundologer • Stormologer) -
Flying Shields (Aqua Brace • Silver Shield • Oceanic Bastion) -
Ice Elementalists (Frosten • Icen • Glacien) -
Mushrooms (Mushboom • Portobellow • Trumpoot) -
Zombies (Risen • Re-Risen • Re-Re-Risen) -
Wolves (Warg • Wargen • Wargenflorgen) -
Wisps (Will'o • Wisp'o • Ore'o) -
Crossbows (Crass Bough • Rude Wood • Wicked Weald) -
Paintings (Doomvas • Doomtrait • Doomscape) -
Mimics (Mimic • Mimicant • Mimicrunch) -
Slugs (Slug • Sluug • Sluuuuuuuuuuug) -
Volcanoes (Ash • Lava • Magma) -
Flying Masks (Blink • Blank • Blonk) -
Fireballs (Charite • Pyrite • Infernite) -
Curse Elementalists (Cursor • Vilificator • Maledictor) -
Flying Skulls (Skubat • Boobat • Skubidydoobidyboobat) -
Axe Knights (Axe Forger • Axe Solder • Axe Welder) -
Void Elementalists (Voidist • Nulltist • Cosmotist) -
Knuts (Wall Knut • Chest Knut • Coco Knut) -
Plants (Weed • Tweed • Threed)