Enemy types
Rooted features three categories of hostile threats. Each type presents different challenges and requires different approaches to combat. Enemy power and numbers scale upward as players progress through the game, ensuring that threats remain relevant at every stage.
Hostile survivors
Human enemies are scattered throughout the world. These are other survivors of the bacteriological war who view the player as a threat to their territory and resources. Some factions have claimed supposedly clean environments and defend them aggressively.
Hostile survivors use advanced AI that allows them to coordinate attacks, take cover, and respond to player tactics. Their behavior was refined using AI systems first tested in Backrooms: Extractions, a separate game by Headlight Studio.
Dangerous wildlife
The animals that returned to the post-apocalyptic landscape are not all friendly. While some wildlife can be hunted for food (see hunting and fishing), certain species are aggressive and will attack players who venture too close to their territory. Wildlife encounters can be unpredictable, as some animals may flee while others charge.
ROTOR robots
The ROTOR Corporation's autonomous robots are the most dangerous enemy in the game. Built with 2080-era technology, these Boston Dynamics-style machines continue to operate decades after the war, patrolling areas and treating all humans as threats. ROTOR robots require the best weapons and careful planning to defeat.
Difficulty scaling
Rooted uses a progression-based difficulty system. As players acquire better equipment, build more advanced bases, and explore further from safe zones, enemy encounters become more frequent and more dangerous. This scaling applies to all three enemy categories, keeping combat challenging throughout the game.
Base defense
Players can protect their bases from enemy incursions using barricades, partitions, and traps. These defensive structures can be crafted at workbenches and placed strategically around base perimeters.