Hi
@faatal ,
I'm really concerned about the fate of the Frostclaw Zombie and the Plague Spitter. Yes, they’re a bit fantastical and don’t entirely fit into the game’s tone, but they’re already fully implemented — models, animations, sounds, and XML configs are all ready.
I think it would be great to keep them, just with a few adjustments. Here's what I propose:
Frostclaw Zombie:
Keep only the regular version. Make it crawl like the spider zombie, so it looks more like an animal (jumping isn't necessary). It should still spawn in the snow biome but
very rarely. The player should encounter it so rarely that it feels special and memorable. It should drop a 100% guaranteed red
special loot bag (similar to how the nurse drops a meds bag — you can assign something unique for the Frostclaw). Buff its HP, damage, and speed.
Also, add a challenge to the challenge menu:
Kill 10 of them — and come up with a fitting reward.
In the end, it’ll be a fun, rare zombie — basically a snowy yeti-style easter egg from the devs. Here's a lore-friendly explanation: these are mutant zombies grown in a lab. They were tested with various mutagens to help them survive in cold regions — resulting in fur-covered zombies with claws to help forage in such climates.
Optional but nice additions:
- Add some torn pants — makes it more believable that it was once human.
- Create one POI where these mutants were grown. I’ve seen plenty of POIs where mutants or wight zombies are experimented on.
Plague Spitter:
Keep only the regular version. Make it spit
3 swarms at once, instead of one. It should spawn in the desert — but
very rarely. Again, the encounter should feel special. You can also tweak its stats — HP, damage, and speed.
Add a challenge in the challenge menu:
Kill 10 of them. Another cool developer easter egg — a lone, wandering mummy zombie in the desert. Give it a red special loot bag as well.
Lore idea: these were once unfortunate people who got bitten and wandered into the desert, where insects started feeding on them. Eventually, they became plagued hosts, spitting out swarms of bugs.
Optional:
- Add some torn pants as well.
In the end, we get to keep these zombies in the game, and their encounters will feel unique and exciting. Think of them as
mini-bosses that spawn rarely. Players will have an extra incentive to explore the snowy or desert biomes to find and fight them.