Enemy Archetypes Framework
Turning Enemy Pressure into Player Emotional Driver Satisfaction
Strong designers will naturally come up with interesting enemy mechanics, sometimes without a clear reason as to “Why” these mechanics feel satisfying. This document aims to create strong “Why” and assist in pushing those mechanics to be more refined towards an experiential goal. This framework is more creative and flexible, not intended to be rigid.
Overview
This framework guides designers to create enemies that push against players' Emotional Drivers. Good enemies apply pressure on those drivers and then hand players the tools and windows to push back and have that drive be rewarded. This will also assist in guiding content outlines and make sure there is an offering of enemy variety, to drive enemy pipelines towards ship.
Enemy Encounter Ideals
Pressure then payoff
Every enemy behavior should create a clear problem that maps to an emotional driver, when solved lets the player feel rewarded for that driver.
Readable intent, reversible outcome
Telegraph pressure clearly, give players counters by timing or execution skill, letting the player win if they answer correctly.
No perfect enemies
Use the Golden Triangle of Endurance, Speed, Damage. An enemy can excel at any two, never all three, unless you are clearly signaling “avoid or run.”
Role mirrors are puzzles
Enemies that mimic Tank, Support, or DPS outputs create understandable problems and solutions. They also let each role feel like the hero when they crack the puzzle.
Two Axis Rule
Enemy Capabilities
Each enemy above “Grunt” or “Fodder” will have Golden Triangle traits, as well as a Role Mirror. This will clearly define the enemy capabilities and give a framework for how enemy outputs can put pressure on the player creating puzzle solving in combat; every role/build should have a chance to shine and reinforce a players emotional drivers.
Enemies that are intended to be fought head-on by the player can have up to 2 of 3 main traits found on enemies, but never all 3. Examples of 2 trait combos:
Endurance + Speed: sticks to targets, low burst.
Endurance + Damage: slow, big hits.
Speed + Damage: fragile, lethal, glass cannon.
Role Mirroring: Tank, Support, DPS
Enemies only have one role mirror, to create a clear output for players to understand.
Tank mirror enemies control space, protect allies, and punish face tanking.
Support mirror enemies heal, revive, buff, or redirect player focus.
DPS mirror enemies apply burst or sustained threat
Tank
Driver Pressure Map
The goal is to take Emotional Drivers the player is anchoring towards, figure out how enemies pressure that drive, and finally how you pay it off so the role feels amazing when the player answers. One type of pressure doesn’t need to lead to a payoff in the same role! You can empower team play by having one pressure lead to a payoff for another role; creating strong interactions between players using enemies as the anchor.
Drivers to reinforce: Space Maker, Playmaking Leadership, Protector, Disruptor, Survivor, Recognition Seeker
Pressures to apply
Space theft: chargers, pushers, and formations that collapse safe zones.
Tempo theft: fake out targeting, delayed slams, and anti-peel tethers that force timing.
Save checks: focused enemy damage that requires proactive mitigation or body-blocking.
Focus baits: enemies that swap target priority when LOS is broken, testing taunt timing and positioning.
Payoffs to grant
Staggers: creates a stun/damage window on successful interrupts.
Shield break rewards: enemy becomes exposed(weak).
Peel mastery: take the pressure off the ally, rescued ally gets a buff, bonus damage or threat for perfect intercepts.
Anchor moments: holding an area under pressure grants teamwide tempo buffs.
Support
Drivers to reinforce: Enabler, Clutch Savior, Adaptive Strategist, Rally, Social Connector, Movement Artist
Pressures to apply
Triage overload: multiple allies take high damage or NPC’s need the player's help for a reward, forcing choice and movement.
Resource denial: anti-heal zones, silence cones, dispellable debuffs with tight windows.
Mobility puzzles: kiting, moving cover, ally displacement, line-of-sight gates.
Information tests: hidden buff sources, unique healing interactions(e.g. phoenix down on undead), or enemy callouts that reward awareness.
Payoffs to grant
Clutch reversals: cancel the wipe, get a visible “turn the tide” buff.
Combo procs: heal-to-damage conversions, mark cleanses that grant allies burst.
Perfect route bonuses: movement chains that refund cooldowns or grant brief invulnerability.
Team echo: properly timed empowerments propagate to nearby allies for a short window.
DPS
Drivers to reinforce: Mastery, Threat Removal, Carry Moment, Gambler, Big-Bada-Boom, Autonomy
Pressures to apply
Priority stacking: healer plus summoner plus shielder, too many threats for random target focus.
Combo disruption: staggering hits, relocations, or armor phases that test timing.
Risk windows: exposed flanks with big payout if you commit at the right second.
Execution thresholds: health gates, weak-point rotations, crit spots.
Payoffs to grant
Delete moments: break the chain, get resets, extend the spree.
Weak point: aim or timing mastery spikes damage for a short window.
Damage Momentum: lets the DPS keep on DPS’ing.
Public glory: killfeed highlights, “priority neutralized” VO, crowd control follow-ups that appear after the DPS lands a strong hit.
Enemy Archetype Examples
Pick a primary pressure and a clear payoff. Keep enemies simple in isolation, interesting in groups.
Juggernaut (Tank mirror, Endurance + Damage)
Pressure: guard aura(risk windows/space theft), projectile trophy system(combo disruption).
Payoff: shield break opens core weak point and disables aura(weak point), Tank can CC while shield is broken(stagger).
Glass Assassin (DPS mirror, Speed + Damage)
Pressure: focuses supports(kiting), forces peel(save checks).
Payoff: CC or high burst pins it(stagger, public glory), killer gets cooldown back(combo momentum).
Conductor (Support mirror, Endurance + Speed)
Pressure: rotates buff totem among allies in a constant cycle(focus baits), amplifies the wrong target at the wrong time(priority stacking/information tests).
Payoff: target moves totem buff in a panic after high damage; reading the pattern lets DPS snipe the buff(delete moments).
The Swarm (DPS mirror, Endurance + Speed)
Pressure: spawns mini-fodder enemies from nests(priority stacking), overrun threat.
Payoff: destroying nests staggers the Caller and all nest locations explode dealing damage to any enemies nearby(public glory/delete moements).
Surgeon (Support mirror, Speed + Damage)
Pressure: applies rotating debuff tethers (tempo theft/save checks/information tests).
Payoff: standing in a tether will apply the debuff to that player, 3 debuffs on a player stun the enemy and give all nearby players a buff(anchor moment).
Encounter Recipe Example
Swarm Collapse
The Swarm floods the battlefield with adds while Conductor amplifies groups of adds.
Pressure: map control.
Payoff: Team clears nests, DPS works on Swarm Caller and tracks totem movement. DPS deals final blow to swarm caller while in Totem Buff, dead nests trigger AoE’s, damage increased by DPS standing in conductor totem buff clearing the battlefield.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Enemies that invalidate a role’s driver for long stretches (perm-silence on Supports, unmovable enemies with no Tank counter, invulnerable targets that ignore DPS windows).
All three golden triangle traits on a “non-avoid” enemy.
Payoff windows that are visually muddy or last under 0.5 seconds.
“Set and forget” enemy effects that ask nothing of the player.
Randomness that overrides mastery, rather than adding variety around readable rules.