Creatures

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Summary

The Creatures of Hoxxes

Hoxxes IV is home to a variety of flora and fauna, and many of them pose a great threat to invaders. They are part of the reason why only Deep Rock Galactic are willing to operate on Hoxxes IV.

Most notable are the creatures called Glyphids. They have an arachnid appearance and come in a wide variety of (sub)species, and are extremely hostile. The Glyphids can be encountered in small groups whilst roaming the caves, and periodically build up to attack in concentrated waves. This will happen after Mission Control warns the players of the swarm approaching them.

A different branching species known as Mactera are also found on Hoxxes IV. These winged creatures are encountered along with the Glyphids.

Hostile creatures will only attack players, ignoring Bosco, M.U.L.E., sentries and the Minehead.

Scaling & Hazard Levels

Main article: Hazard Level

Hazard levels will determine the amount of enemies present in a mission and during swarms, as well as an increase to the amount of damage they can absorb and the amount of damage they deal to players.

As more players join the game, the health of the enemies will (generally) increase for each player that joins, and so will the number of enemies. Damage dealt by bugs will remain constant and is only affected by hazard level.

Shown below is a table of multipliers based on a squad of 4 players. For fewer players Enemy count is reduced.

Hazard Icon	Hazard Level	Enemy Damage	Friendly Fire
	1 - Low Risk	0.5	0.1
	2 - Challenging	1	0.2
	3 - Dangerous	1.5	0.3
	4 - Extreme	2.5	0.4
	5 - Lethal	3	0.5

Hostile Creatures

Much of the fauna (and even some of the flora) on Hoxxes IV poses a threat to players.

Note that enemy damage and health varies based on difficulty level.

Land Creatures

Glyphid

The Glyphid are arachnid creatures, all of them able to crawl along the walls and ceilings of caves. Thus, players are advised to not only look around them for threats, but above them as well.

Glyphid Spawn 5 Health Region: All Deals 2 damage per hit Spawned from Brood Nexuses No armor No weakpoint

Glyphid Swarmer 12 Health Region: All Deals 2 damage per hit Spawn in large groups, especially from Glyphid Tunnels Jumps at or around players to startle and overwhelm, then charges directly towards players No armor No weakpoint

Radioactive Glyphid Swarmer 12 Health Region: Radioactive Exclusion Zone Deals 2 damage per hit Spawn in large groups, especially from Glyphid Tunnels Jumps at or around players to startle and overwhelm, then charges directly towards players Glows in the dark No armor No weakpoint

Glyphid Grunt 90 Health Region: All Deals 4 damage per hit Glacial Strata variants are vulnerable to fire damage, and resistant to cold damage Damage-reducing armor has a chance to break when damaged Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Grunt Guard 180 Health Region: All Moves slower than glyphid grunt Will advance slowly while guarding its weakpoint when threatened Heavy armor (brown parts) Damage-reducing armor (white fleshy parts) Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Grunt Slasher 150 Health Region: All Tougher and faster than Glyphid Grunt Triple the damage of grunt Attacks slow down its victims Damage-reducing armor Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Praetorian 600 Health Region: All Deals 12 damage per hit Spits acid at players which deals approximately 12 damage per hit Corpse emits gas that damages players over time until it disintegrates Heavy armor – Each armor plate blocks all damage, but has 100 hitpoints and can be destroyed Mouth is unarmored Weakpoint (100% damage): Abdomen

Radioactive Glyphid Praetorian 600 Health Region: Radioactive Exclusion Zone Deals 12 damage per hit Summons a radioactive aura when it roars Corpse emits radiation that damages players over time until it decays Glows in the dark Heavy armor – Each armor plate blocks all damage, but has 100 hitpoints and can be destroyed Mouth is unarmored Weakpoint (100% damage): Abdomen

Glyphid Frost Praetorian 600 Health Region: Glacial Strata Deals 12 damage per hit Spits ice at players which quickly inflicts freeze Corpse emits cold gas that quickly freezes players Heavy armor – Each armor plate blocks all damage, but has 100 hitpoints and can be destroyed Mouth is unarmored Weakpoint (100% damage): Abdomen

Glyphid Exploder 20 Health Region: All Explodes after delay on death or contact Explosion does 50 damage Explosions harm other glyphids Gains a speed boost while within the vicinity of another exploder's explosion Won't detonate if killed with its weakpoint, the mouth Glows in the dark No armor Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Radioactive Glyphid Exploder 20 Health Region: Radioactive Exclusion Zone Explodes after delay on death or contact Explosion does less burst damage than its red counterpart Explosion leaves a short-term radioactive aura Won't detonate if killed with its weakpoint, the mouth Glows in the dark No armor Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Bulk Detonator 4000 Health Region: All Massive ~15m explosion upon death that releases several additional flying explosive globs Large and slow-moving target Stomps on nearby dwarves, creating a very large blast that deals 100 fire damage 50% explosive resistance No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Three destructible tumours

Glyphid Web Spitter 40 Health Region: All Deals 10 damage per web hit Web slows and blinds players Will flee on taking damage Damage-reducing armor on its back (purple), but can be destroyed relatively easily Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Acid Spitter 120 Health Region: All Spits poison projectiles frequently, which deal 25 damage over time Prefers to attack from walls/ceilings Will flee on taking damage Damage-reducing armor on its back (red) Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth

Glyphid Menace 700 Health Region: All Rapidly spits whitish gunk dealing 3 damage Prefers to attack from walls/ceilings Moves by burrowing into the ground when threatened or out of sight Will only unburrow in places distant from the dwarves No armor Weakpoint (200% damage): Mouth and Blue Pouches

Glyphid Dreadnought 1000 Shell Health 4500 Health Region: All Has a destructible shell on its rear, covering its only weakpoint. It regenerates after a brief period. Deals 17.5 damage with its melee attacks Spits explosive fireballs which deal 28 damage in a large radius Lets out a short roar, then ground-pounds the ground dealing at best tremendous damage or at worst outright instakilling Spits a ball that explodes into swarmers on contact, which target the hit dwarf Has a 50% resistance to fire, electrical, and explosive damage Roars at random during solo games, offering a chance to get behind it and deal damage Lets out a long, extensive roar for about 4-5 seconds before ground-pounding during solo games Armor break bonus is useless to break the shell Armor plating is completely indestructible Weakpoint (200% damage): Abdomen (only when exposed)

Glyphid Warden 800 Health Region: All Does not attack Heals and buffs other glyphids Occasionally summons Glyphid Grunts Heavy armor on it's front limbs, carapace and abdomen that can be destroyed Weakpoint (300% damage): Healing orb

Other

Q'ronar Shellback	Q'ronar Youngling	Xynarch Charge-Sucker	Nayaka Trawler
450 Health	100 Health	1100 Health	300 Health
Region: ?	Region: Salt Pits	Region: All	Region: Sandblasted Corridors
Has two forms, curled and uncurled. Switches between each infrequently. While curled, it will roll at high speed into players, damaging them based on speed, and knocking them back. While curled, its features are concealed, and its armor plates shelter all of its body While uncurled, it can climb walls and spits green acid Heavy armor — Each armor plate has 100 hitpoints and can be destroyed with damage Weakpoint (200% damage): Eyes, Mouth, Tail's tip (anything green) Takes 70% more damage from cold attacks and 50% from fire attacks	Has two forms: Curled and Uncurcled. Switches between each infrequently While Curled, it will roll at high speed into players, damaging them based on speed and knocking them back While Curled, its features are concealed but will not shelter its body While Uncurled, it will rest before rolling again Travels in packs of 2-5 and are much smaller compared to full-grown variant Unique type of damage-reducing armor has a chance to break when damaged (-50% damage) Weakpoint (200% Damage): Eyes, Tail's Tip Takes 70% more damage from cold attacks and 50% from fire attacks	Can corrupt older DRG technology Low chance that two will spawn corrupting a BET-C No armor No weakpoint	Digs through the sand at high speeds, damaging them and knocking them back Can grab dwarves, taking them with it through the sand Fleshy, and easily noticable No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Belly Exposes its weakspot once damaged Takes 100% more damage from cold and fire attacks

Air Creatures

Mactera

Mactera are flying creatures that have dangerous abilities, can be difficult to hit and are tough to kill.

Mactera
Mactera Spawn	Mactera Grabber	Mactera Goo Bomber	Mactera Ice Bomber
230 Health	500 Health	800 Health
Region: All	Region: All	Region: All	Region: Glacial Strata
Can only focus on one target at a time Will maintain a set distance away from the player Shoots a high velocity projectile which deals 15 damage per hit, and can knock players off Gunner's ziplines Expands its stomach while charging a shot, exposing its weakpoint Has a dodging maneuver if targeted by a player No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Stomach (inflated or not)	Will attempt to charge at players and grab them Makes distinct noise when targeting a player, which ceases when it's chased off and resumes when it retargets. Once grabbed, it will fly upward and eventually let go of the player Runs away or drops a carried player when sufficiently damaged Screeches once it spawns in and charges at players No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Crotch	Lobs globs of Sticky Goo at players, dealing damage Has two goo pouches on its underbelly which can be destroyed Uses its goo pouches to do strafing runs, covering the ground in slowing goo. Unlike naturally formed slowing goo, it disappears shortly after impact. Once killed it will slowly crash down while leaking some goo in the process if its pouches are intact. No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Goo Pouches	Shoots ice balls at players which brings down their temperature Has two ice pouches on its underbelly which can be destroyed Uses its ice pouches to do strafing runs, covering the ground in freezing ice which decreases temperature Once killed will slowly crash down while leaking some ice in the process if its pouches are intact No armor Weakpoint (300% damage): Ice Pouches

Naedocyte

Naedocyte are flying jellyfish-like creatures that usually attack in swarms and can cause major damage if not dealt with at a distance

Naedocyte Breeder	Naedocyte Roe	Naedocyte Hatchling	Naedocyte Shocker
1500 Health	150 Health	10 Health	5 Health
Region: All	Region: All	Region: All	Region: Dense Biozone Glacial Strata
Spawns in preset amounts (more wont spawn during waves) Flies around the cavern it spawned in Periodically releases Naedocyte Roes Naedocyte Roes can be destroyed before they hatch Weakpoint (300% damage): Beneath the 'head' while it's ready to release Roes (only when inflated) No armor	The eggs released by the Naedocyte Breeder Can be destroyed before they hatch Will release Naedocyte Hatchlings if not destroyed No armor No weakpoint	Spawns in large groups from Naedocyte Roes Flies into and attacks players, inflicting slow No armor No weakpoint	Usually comes in large groups Flies into and attacks players, inflicting slow No armor No weakpoint

Stationary Threats

Whilst many of the threats on Hoxxes IV are mobile, there are also several stationary hazards on Hoxxes IV. Stationary creatures tend to have higher health than all other creatures.

Glyphid Brood Nexus	Spitball Infector	Cave Leech	Deeptora Honeycomb
1800 Health	800 Health	100 Health	400 Health
Region: All	Region: All	Region: All	Region: Sandblasted Corridors
Largely defenseless Periodically ejects Glyphid Spawn enemies The bulging eyes are weak points, shoot them for 300 damage to burst and deal heavy damage to the Nexus (300 damage will be added to the shoot destroying the eye) Will spawn a large cluster of Glyphid Spawns when destroyed No armor Weakpoint (200%): Eyes	Starts off in a sleeping state Will awaken once a player approaches or damages it Launches dangerous spore pod projectiles at players Projectiles can be shot to burst early Projectiles can damage and kill enemies No armor Weakpoint (200%): Yellow spots on his throat or on the back of its head	Resides in the ceiling Reaches for players to grab using its long tentacle. It makes a distinctive hissing sound as it does so, particularly audible to the targeted Dwarf as it gets closer. Pulls ensnared players into the ceiling and attacks them. Snared players cannot fight back and must rely on teammates to be rescued. The tentacle will recoil from the targeted dwarf if the Cave Leech is damaged. If the Cave Leech is killed while holding a dwarf, it's tentacle will stretch down a prolonged distance before releasing them. In most situations this will cushion most, if not all, fall damage that would've been received otherwise. No armor No weakpoint	A swarm of insects surrounding the hive will attack players that get too close The swarm can only be killed by destroying the hive or hitting the swarm with area damage such as the Driller's flamethrower If destroyed, the swarm will respawn after 15 seconds You can destroy the hive by digging under it No armor No weakpoint

Passive Creatures

Whilst the vast majority of Hoxxes IV' fauna are hostile and dangerous, there are some non-aggressive creatures within the caves.

Loot Bugs	Maggot	Silicate Harvester	Cave Vine	Huuli Hoarder
100 Health Golden: 200 Health	1 Health	250 Health	100 Health	1500 Health
Region: All	Region: All	Region: Dense Biozone Radioactive Exclusion Zone Fungus Bogs	Region: Radioactive Exclusion Zone	Region: All
Once killed, it explodes into Nitra and/or Gold Rare Golden variant will explode into 40~60 chunks of Gold The It's a bug thing perk will instantly kill them if the player enters their radius No armor No weakpoint	Small critters that crawl along surfaces Lava maggots are exclusive to Magma Core and explode violently upon death Green maggots are exclusive to Fungus Bogs and Radioactive Exclusion Zone, they release a toxic cloud upon death No armor No weakpoint	Can be ridden Moves around while sifting the dirt with its tendrils No armor No weakpoint	Hides in the ceiling Reaches for nearby players but deals no damage Will follow players for up to exactly 10 meters, then retracts to the center of its radius No armor No weakpoint	Has a 15% chance to spawn When approached or shot, will panic and attempt to flee the player Drops minerals much like a Loot Bug but with crafting materials included After getting ? feet away from player it will burrow and wont return Takes 80% more damage from electrical attacks No armor
Naedocyte Cave Cruiser
? Health
Region: Dense Biozone
Floats aimlessly. Can be ridden.

Trivia

• Before Slashers and Guards were added, an elite version of the Glyphid Grunt called a "Veteran Warrior", existed from update 19 to 22. It had 50% more health than a Grunt and was almost identical aside from its reflective, spike studded armor.
• Before update 24 hotfix 7, Praetorian abdomen used to be designed to take 150% damage, but wasn't registered as a weakpoint for the purpose of weapon modifications (such as Hollow Point Bullets).
• Naedocyte Shockers went through several different iterations. Shockers were originally introduced as the passive Cave Jellies in the Dense Biozone in Update 12, they were reworked and reintroduced as Naedocyte Shockers in Update 21, then were given new models in Update 23. They might be getting another new iteration soon according to a teaser on twitter.