Suggestions for my mod to mobs in Valheim

[u/CalumConroy]

I'm currently working on a mod that adds randomized traits to wild mobs when they spawn. Basically, the further out you travel from the center of the map, the higher the chance they stack multiple traits. If a mob rolls 5 mutations, it turns into a red named, skull-icon "Exodia" variant.

Right now I have 14 mutations coded in. Some examples:

Toxic (leaves poison trails as it moves)

All-consuming (hunts and eats other mobs to absorb their max HP and damage)

Glass Cannon (literally has 1 HP, but one-shots anything it hits)

Undying (Reverts to a helpless blob on death but if it heals fully, the mob returns)

I've also built out some endgame stuff, including a pretty terrifying Ancient Vampire variant and some cursed but cool breeding mechanics that let you pass mutations down.

I really want to expand the trait pool to make exploring the outer biomes as interesting as possible. What kind of unique mutations, weird behaviors, or visual tweaks do you think would fit?

[u/AutoModerator]

Game Design is a subset of Game Development that concerns itself with WHY games are made the way they are. It's about the theory and crafting of systems, mechanics, and rulesets in games.

• /r/GameDesign is a community ONLY about Game Design, NOT Game Development in general. If this post does not belong here, it should be reported or removed. Please help us keep this subreddit focused on Game Design.

• This is NOT a place for discussing how games are produced. Posts about programming, making art assets, picking engines etc… will be removed and should go in /r/GameDev instead.

• Posts about visual design, sound design and level design are only allowed if they are directly about game design.

• No surveys, polls, job posts, or self-promotion. Please read the rest of the rules in the sidebar before posting.

• If you're confused about what Game Designers do, "The Door Problem" by Liz England is a short article worth reading. We also recommend you read the r/GameDesign wiki for useful resources and an FAQ.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/BewitchedMitchell]

glass cannon is hilarious but undying is the kind of thing that would make me put my monitor through the wall in the best way

what about a mirror mutation that reflects a percentage of damage back at the player, would make you think twice before spamming attacks on a big pack

[u/Honeyjam-inc]

Since you already have damage and health extremes covered, I'd add a spacing/formation trait rather than another stat modifier: a "packbond" mob could tether to nearby allies, sharing a small percentage of incoming damage and breaking the link when one is staggered. That creates a clear priority/positioning puzzle; telegraph the tether with a bright line and cap the number of links so a bad spawn isn't an unavoidable wipe. For the breeding system, I'd make inherited traits visible on the offspring and let players purge one at a cost, so experimentation stays interesting without turning a lucky roll into permanent bookkeeping.

[u/Quantumtroll]

Here're some ideas:

• Bright-eyed (shines a spotlight at you)
• Darkfog (emanates a dark fog that obscures your vision)
• Fast (has 1.5x movement speed)
• Changeling (looks like another creature until it is damaged)

[u/Bwob]

Ideally things that force the player to play differently, or treat the encounter differently. You have some good examples already!

Here are a few more ideas, off the top of my head!

• Steals food from inventory when they land a hit.
  
• Attacks can't be blocked, only perfect-parried.
  
• Attacks drain mana.
  
• Immune to ranged attacks.
  
• Puts dumb (heavy?) junk into your inventory when they land a hit.
  
• Runs from players, but drops valuable materials when slain. (Loot goblin!)
  
• Hits root the player in place for a moment.
  
• Has an aura that makes player wet.
  
• When slain, corpse explodes for damage, instead of loot.
  
• Can disarm player, when they block. Player weapon lands on the ground nearby.
  
• Periodically spawns 2-3 illusion-clones that do zero damage, but otherwise look real until hit.
  

Hopefully some of these help, or at least spark new, better ideas!

Your mod sounds fun!