The Witch

**The Witch** serves as the third boss and main antagonist of Witch Hunt. She is featured prominently in the game's promotion, including the banner on the game's Steam page. While easier to find than other bosses, the Witch boasts several attacks that will keep the player on their toes.

## Appearance

The Witch appears as a wraith-like figure, floating above the ground with no visible facial features. While the Sacrificial Tree is active, the Witch will be invisible, save for a hazy effect similar to that of a Whisperer. When the Tree has been killed, the Witch's body will become visible, but the haze will remain. Behind this haze, her body is mostly obscured with a grey veil and robes.

## Lore

Serving as the driving force behind the supernatural occurrences in both the woods and Bellville, the Witch torments the citizens of Bellville in an attempt to please the Devil. While unconfirmed, it is heavily implied that the Witch was herself a citizen of Bellville, as evidence by several houses containing heretical artifacts heavily associated with witchcraft. There are two houses which directly appear to contain items associated with witchcraft, which may imply that the Witch was attempting to form a Coven, before the other witch was hanged.

In order to terrorize the town, the Witch created the Beast through unknown means, and bestowed a tree with great power so that she can better draw upon the power of the Devil, transforming it into the Sacrificial Tree. Utilizing the power of the Devil, the Witch is also responsible for the undead roaming the woods. While it is unknown how it is accomplished, the protagonist learns after defeating her that the Witch birthed a Child of the Devil, likely through some means of cambion conception. It is not known how much of the undead that roam the forest is directly her doing, and what is the will of the Child of the Devil.

## Gameplay

**First Form**
The Witch first spawns upon entering the woods, after successfully killing the Beast. While the Sacrificial Tree is still alive, the Witch is impervious to damage as well as invisible. In this stage the Witch always knows the Player's location and will not stop chasing them. The Witch will constantly sing out loud, making it easier to detect her despite her invisibility. However, the volume of her voice is not indicative of her distance, and she can sound very quiet when she is in fact right behind you. If the player gets too close, she will scream and cause the player's vision to shake and become blurry temporarily. Upon touching the player, the Witch will instantly kill the player unless they have the **Second Chance** perk. Once the Sacrificial Tree has ben killed, she will teleport away to change into her second form.

**Second Form**
This second form is weaker than the previous due to the player killing the Sacrificial Tree. She is no longer invisible and can now be harmed. She also no longer knows where the player is at all times. The second form has a large alert radius and will immediately begin attacking when the player enters it. The Witch has the ability to teleport and will use her ability to reduce distance between herself and the player, or even to flank the player from behind or to the side. While she is attacking, the shadows on the ground will begin spinning around as if the sun was revolving faster around the Earth, but it remains night.

While attacking the player, she has three main attacks:

* **Flaming Skulls -** The Witch will root herself into the ground, and then summon three flaming skulls. She will hold them there for a few seconds, before releasing them, to which they will travel in a cone formation. Each skull deals around **35 damage** with no additional side effects.
* **Acid Spitter Conjuring -** Rooting herself into the ground, the Witch will conjure two acid spitters around the player.
* **Demonic Charge -** Gaining a sudden burst of speed, the Witch will charge towards the player, making a long, loud, and distorted yell. It is avoidable should the player begin running away from her upon her activating it.

The Witch will attempt to chase the player for as long as she can, making it possible to defeat her in one drawn out battle. Upon her defeat, she will collapse to the ground, and the player will be taken back to town. This will spawn the final boss, the Child of the Devil.

1. ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/app/661790/discussions/0/1640926712935895820/#c1640926712936063147
2. ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/app/661790/discussions/0/1640926712935895820/#c1640926712936063147