📖 GK1 mechanic — applies to Graveyard Keeper (2018), not confirmed for GK2

Combat

Branch: combat

Combat in Graveyard Keeper is a dungeon-based system that exists somewhat separately from the game's crafting and management loops. It is not optional for main progression — the dungeon must be entered early in the game to retrieve quest items for Snake, and unlocking zombies requires resources only obtainable by descending into it — but it is deliberately simple compared to the game's crafting depth. The Dungeon sits behind a locked gate in the tunnels beneath the keeper's house and the church. Access is blocked until the player triggers the correct quest sequence: the Astrologer's diary is on a table in the tunnels, but retrieving it springs a lethal trap; after respawning, Snake asks the player to enter the Dungeon and retrieve 5 Bloody Nails and a Bucket of Blood before the trap is permanently disabled. The dungeon has exactly 15 floors. Floors are procedurally generated from a set of premade tile pieces at world creation, so layout varies between saves. The core rule is: all enemies on a floor must be killed before the staircase to the next floor unlocks. Monsters do not respawn once killed for the current playthrough, but any monster left alive and then departed from will be restored to full health on re-entry. This creates a strong incentive to clear each floor completely before leaving. A special gate on Floor 10 cannot be opened with the Keeper's Key left over from early access — the player must obtain the Hunter's Medallion from Snake's questline to proceed. The Monsters page documents the full enemy roster by floor band: - **Green Slime** (Floors 1–4, also found in the Village Swamp): 15 HP, 10 melee damage, drops 1 Green Jelly. - **Blue Slime** (Floors 5–9): 20 HP, 15 melee damage, drops 1 Blue Jelly. - **Orange Slime** (Floors 10–15): 25 HP, 20 melee damage, drops 1 Orange Jelly. - **Iron Maiden** (Floors 4–15): 35 HP, 20 melee damage (runs toward player then lunges with a recovery delay), drops 2 Bloody Nails + 3–10 Metal Scrap. Best countered by dodging the lunge and flanking. - **Giant Spider** (Floors 7–15): 30 HP, 15 melee + 5 projectile damage, drops 1–3 Spider Web. - **Graphite Golem** (Floor 11): 50 HP, 20 melee + 5 AoE damage, drops 2–5 Graphite + random Alchemical Powder. - **Silver Golem** (Floors 13–14): 65 HP, 25 melee + 10 AoE damage, drops 2–5 Silver Nuggets + random Alchemical Solution. - **Golden Golem** (Floor 15): 80 HP, 0 melee (possible bug) + 15 AoE damage, drops 2–5 Gold Nuggets + random Alchemical Extract. Gear follows a two-tier armor system in the base game. Iron Armor provides 2 armor; Steel Armor provides 5 armor. Each armor point reduces incoming damage by 1:1, so Steel Armor cuts any hit by 5 damage — meaningful against late-floor golems. Steel Armor can be crafted or purchased from the vendor Koukol for 25 coins. Energy and health management in combat is handled through food (restores energy) and health potions (obtainable by breaking jars and barrels in the dungeon using the spacebar sword swing). Combat in GK1 is real-time melee with dodge as the primary defensive mechanic; there is no block button.

Key data

Sources

• Fandom – Dungeon
• Fandom – Monsters
• Steam GK1 announcements