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EmpyrealNewsThe Protectors of the Monolith
Community

The Protectors of the Monolith

Empyreal · published 2 Apr 2025, 14:00 UTC

All newsPlayers around this dateRead on Steam

Exploring an ancient Monolith of unknown origins was always going to be a risky job. From broken ledges to ankle-breaking heights, even an elite Mercenary such as yourself needs to stay focused… especially when there are strange, aggressive automatons attacking you from all angles!

These potent protectors spawn around the Monolith, although which ones you encounter depend on the Cartogram you’re tackling. Automatons come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which indicate their rank. Rank to who, however, remains a mystery…

Gnat

Gnats are fast and agile machines that prioritise helping other automatons over attacking intruders. That isn’t to say you want to ignore them, though, as they provide healing and shields to their allies, making your task even harder.

They have a tendency to throw one last-ditch attempt at victory when their allies are defeated - by blowing up in an attempt to take you with it! Kill these bothersome robots first to avoid any messy outcomes.

Skirmisher

These extremely quick and hard-hitting foes will keep you on your toes. Designed to assassinate any intruders, Skirmishers will jump at you with a forceful thrust of their dagger, before unleashing a flurry of stabs in your direction, and then vaulting away - going invisible in the process.

Dodge their wild strikes and track their movements - their invisibility is a blessing and a curse. Attack them during this period to leave them stunned and vulnerable, allowing for an easy kill. Fail to do so, and they will heal any damage done to them, before going for the throat once more.

Champion

Living true to their name, Champions are an aggressive elite mechanization who will stop at nothing to eliminate any threat. Like the Skirmishers, Champions also have twin blades and are not afraid to use them, delivering deadly stabs one after another to those who aren’t careful.

Master your dodge timing to avoid their reckless charges, opening up an opportunity to perform a coup-de-grace for high damage. Don’t get too greedy, though, as Champions can drive their blades into the ground and send out pulses of energy, flipping the fight in their favour once more.

When this all-or-nothing machine gets weaker, they’ll summon the last of their strength to enrage, greatly increasing their attack power. Making one mistake while a Champion is in this state will have fatal consequences.

These are just three of the automaton types that will stop at nothing to eliminate you. You’ll need more than just wits to defeat them, however - In the next blog, we’ll look at how you can gain an upper hand by modifying your equipment.

Stay up to date with the latest Empyreal news and see some behind the scenes content by joining our Discord. Follow us on X, Bluesky and TikTok for more.

Be sure to wishlist the game on Steam ahead of the May 8th release and try the game for yourself via the demo.

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