Revision - enemies - State of Decay 3 Wiki

Windrose features a variety of enemies ranging from mundane wildlife to Blackbeard's supernatural undead forces. Enemy difficulty varies by location, with more dangerous foes appearing in harder biomes and dungeons. The April 2026 Early Access launch includes enemies from all three launch biomes (Coastal Jungle, Foothills, Ashlands).

Wildlife

Animals populate the islands and range from harmless prey to dangerous threats:

Enemy	Type	Notes
Dodos	Passive	Easy to hunt for meat and eggs. Good early food source.
Sows (Wild Pigs)	Aggressive	Level 3 in the starting area. Can one-shot unprepared players early on. Drop Rough Hide.
Savage Boars	Aggressive	Charge attack (red glow, unblockable); 4-attack combo chains; jump-and-trample (unblockable).
Crabs	Varies	Found along coastlines. Some corrupted variants appear in later areas. Drop Crab Meat.
Crocodiles	Aggressive	Drop Crocodile Tail and Crocodile Hide Piece. Used in higher-tier cooking and armor recipes.

Pirates

Human enemies found at pirate camps scattered across islands. Pirates carry weapons and can be looted for gunpowder, gear, and crafting materials.

Enemy	Behavior	Drops
Sailors	Standard melee fighters	Weapons, materials, gunpowder
Musketeers	Ranged fighters keeping distance, firing slow heavy shots	Gunpowder, ammunition, weapons
Sergeants	Armed with both pistol and sword; effective at close and medium range; tougher than regular pirates	Better quality drops
Grenadiers	Ranged pirate enemy that throws explosive grenades; revealed at December 2025 PC Gaming Show alongside the greatsword and blunderbuss weapons	Higher-tier gunpowder, grenade components
Mercenaries	Guards at key points of interest; tougher mid-tier enemies (levels 3-5)	Better weapons, piastres

Undead Forces

Blackbeard's supernatural pact gives him command over the dead. Undead enemies are the primary threat throughout the game.

Enemy	Behavior	Notes
Cutthroats	Undead swordsmen engaging in melee combat	The most common undead type; appear in groups
Undead Musketeers	Ranged undead fighters using muskets	Keep distance and fire slow, heavy shots
Drowners	Zombie-like enemies shambling through coastal areas and swamps	Appear from early game; constant reminder of the supernatural threat
Swollen Drowned	Undead variants that spit black toxic substance in a 180-degree arc (AoE, unblockable)	Dodge twice around the enemy, pause for stamina, attack from behind
Drowned Sailors	Found in dark corridors and underwater areas (levels 2-4)	Lore-connected to Blackbeard's fleet
Skeletons	Ashlands-exclusive; particularly vulnerable to Crude damage (clubs, halberds)	Guard volcanic treasure caches

Corrupted Creatures

Certain areas of the world are affected by supernatural contamination. Corrupted creatures are more dangerous variants of normal wildlife, mutated by dark forces. The Ashlands biome is heavily associated with corrupted enemies.

Corrupted Crabs: Revealed in the October 2025 Galaxies Showcase. Mutated by an unnamed dark force.
Additional corrupted variants appear in the Ashlands and other late-game areas.

Boss Encounters

Bosses are found throughout the world and in dungeons. Each boss has unique attack patterns requiring observation and adaptation, consistent with the game's Soulslite combat philosophy.

Boss	Location	Notes
Israel Hands	Early-game boss encounter	Blackbeard's second-in-command. Tall and lean, wears a British Royal Navy coat. Disciplined, tactical fighting style.
Swamp Creature	Swamp area encounters	Large boss-type enemy. Its tooth can be used as a weapon component.
Ghost Captain	Dungeon boss	Source of the Ghost Captain's Sword weapon (drains health from nearby enemies). Evidence of spectral enemy elements in deeper dungeons.
High Priestess	Cursed swampland encounter (community-reported)	A floral boss form described in early player reports. Boss data subject to verification; encountered in specific story questlines.

The alpha featured three bosses with variable difficulty tiers. The launch version includes more boss encounters, with additional major bosses planned for Early Access including encounters tied to the Ashlands biome and the Columbus's Book of Prophecies plotline.

Combat Tips

Check enemy levels before engaging. Avoid enemies two levels above you until you have better armor.
Different enemies are vulnerable to different damage types (Slash, Pierce, Crude). Carry multiple weapons.
Kite groups and pick off individuals. Do not fight large groups head-on early in the game.
Use a pistol to pull single enemies from a group.
Stack food buffs and apply alchemy oils before boss fights and dungeon runs.
Learn enemy attack patterns. Most attacks are telegraphed with visible wind-up animations. Perfect Blocks (parries) are especially effective against enemies with combo attacks.
Grenadiers telegraph their throw and deal splash damage. Spread out and close to melee range to prevent safe lob angles.

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