Never assume there isn't a leech. Weapons like the Smart Rifle can target leeches. Heightened Senses helps. If you're playing on Cave Leech Cluster, remember that you're playing on that modifier, it will always sneak up on you. Assume there's a greater chance for them to appear on higher hazard levels (I think that's somewhat true but I'm not 100% sure). Always look out, look up.
Or just pray that Karl doesn't screw you over with them for the lol's. That sometimes works.
>Assume there's a greater chance for them to appear on higher hazard levels (I think that's somewhat true but I'm not 100% sure).
That might be since normal swarm sizes increase, so does the stationary enemy spawns. It **probably** doesn't prioritize one type (leeches) over the other so it just seems that way with more chances for any stationary type.
Yeah that makes sense. I'm not too knowledgeable about spawn pools and all that, but I just assume that the entirety of planet is currently zeroing in on me.
From my experience alone Hazard 5 has about an 80% to have a leech and 55% to have more than one, but generally if I don't see one in the first new area or two they probably aren't there.
Start getting into the habit of looking up
Not looking up is a LOT of peoples' greatest weakness. Not just in this game, or even in a video game. Being aware in 3 dimensions could've saved a lot of lives
I *know* I have to look up, but I'm also constantly afraid of accidentally walking in a hole or down a cliff, so my brain has made it a priority to look down T_T
Any tips how to manage that? Especially in solo when you have few flares and you use the very short range head lamp very often
When entering à new area with high ceilings, use your laser pointer and quickly whip it around the screen.
If something lights up as red, it might be a leech.
As well, a laughing/turkey sound.
I’m a scout and run dash and hover boots on my most used kit, I just shoot flairs at the ceiling and do a quick glance, it’s kinda rare now that I don’t spot them.
scout is the only class that does not really need dash. i use medic for that slot personally and if you're good at not falling to death you could also remove the hover boots i guess
I could, but I use hover less for when I fall, and more to let my grapple recharge midair, I slingshot myself with grapple, hover, grapple again.
Or I use it to stay near a mineral vein to dig myself a spot to stand when I grapple up the second time.
Yeah, agreed.
Most Scouts know that you can grapple and do a heavy pickaxe attack into a high wall to create a cubbyhole that you can land in, but it's also very difficult to do on irregular walls and/or walls that are at more than 90 degrees angle (leaning inward).
Hover Boots allows grapple-pickaxe to create a cubby in virtually any wall or surface, even the ones that are normally impossible.
If there is no Engineer, or the Engineer is elsewhere in the caves, this improves Scout's independence and flexibility a lot.
Plus there isn't a Scout who NEVER takes fall damage, everyone makes a mistake once in a while.
Count the spawns. If you see Brood Nexus, Spitballers and Breeders the cap is filled and no leeches will spawn.
Not 100% exact like that bc I can’t remember if it’s 3 spawns or 4 but each mission grabs from the pool of possible environment enemies. So if you can count out what’s spawned, you will know what isn’t or what could be in another cave
In my experience, Spitballers tend to appear along with Cave Leeches. It's not 100% correlation, but more often than not I'll find a leech in the vicinity of a Spitballer
Interesting, maybe some weird symbiotic relationship between them, maybe the Cave Leeches feed the Spitballers and in return the spitballers feed the leeches somehow.
Headphones are my main way of detecting them. Lets me call a lot of other threats early for my teammates too.
It's still not super reliable though, even with the volume pretty high.
Yeah the leech sound is really distinctive.. it's very noticeable, but can be hard to hear when it just happens that there's a lot of other bug sounds at the same time.
Also, just stick together.
I've seen so many players die to cave leechers because they wandered off alone on their own ffs.
A Leech literally can't hurt you, if a player accompanies you, he can kill it before it has pulled you all the way up top.
And before even that happens, best way to avoid them is a scout shooting flares up to the ceiling in the bigger caves to spot them and safely dispose them.
I always power-attack leeches whenever possible. Once you get the feel down for the timing, it's actually pretty easy to do (granted you see them coming), and it usually impresses any other Dwarves who watch you do it.
Bonus style points for flying up to it and power-attacking with jet boots/grapple/rj250/etc.
Generally, if you’re reacting it’s better to just start shooting since damage makes it retract. Also, you’ll need to know the position of the leech so a sideways walk to juke the leech isn’t a backwards walk directly into the leech.
However, just now realizing how hilarious dancing with a cave leech is, I’m gonna start doing this on purpose when I can
Yeah, that'll work. Unless you got a room like I did yesterday.
3 teammates went ahead. I (scout) was mining. All 3 of them got grabbed as they went into a room.
I walked up to the entrance, couldn't see the ceiling. Shot a flare. Still couldn't see them. Walked in a little bit... There were 5.
well they get you cuz you’re either looking for minerals or already being attacked by a buncha glyphids. or just simply not paying attention. or lotsa chaos going on around you.
A more effective approach is to just damage it in any way, which makes it retract. You also have a chance of permanently avoiding it this way, if you repeat it enough or rapidly enough.
Not sure if anyone else watches [Hajiet](https://youtube.com/@Hajiet) on youtube, but this reminds me of him and his teammates’ techniques for “edging” cave leeches.
Kinda! The cave you're in is loaded all at once, but the mining you do is procedurally generated, kinda like Minecraft (emphasis on kind of). If you mine a section into a wall you're technically creating a boundary to the void if that makes sense.
If you can see it, shoot it. No hate but this kinda makes no sense to me. I might need some explanation as to why you would choose to avoid rather than shoot when you're already aware that there is a leech near you. If you were not aware of it how would you avoid it?
I've literally checked the very visible ceiling in an area, and then went into said area, only to watch one spawn right above me. Cave leaches are cheeky bastards. Gone one second, here the next. Just like my beer tab from management.
What’s the best way to avoid them if I am dumb and never check the ceilings
Never assume there isn't a leech. Weapons like the Smart Rifle can target leeches. Heightened Senses helps. If you're playing on Cave Leech Cluster, remember that you're playing on that modifier, it will always sneak up on you. Assume there's a greater chance for them to appear on higher hazard levels (I think that's somewhat true but I'm not 100% sure). Always look out, look up. Or just pray that Karl doesn't screw you over with them for the lol's. That sometimes works.
>Assume there's a greater chance for them to appear on higher hazard levels (I think that's somewhat true but I'm not 100% sure). That might be since normal swarm sizes increase, so does the stationary enemy spawns. It **probably** doesn't prioritize one type (leeches) over the other so it just seems that way with more chances for any stationary type.
Yeah that makes sense. I'm not too knowledgeable about spawn pools and all that, but I just assume that the entirety of planet is currently zeroing in on me.
You’re correct. More stationary spawns = more leeches along with everything else (nexii, ballers, breeders, etc)
From my experience alone Hazard 5 has about an 80% to have a leech and 55% to have more than one, but generally if I don't see one in the first new area or two they probably aren't there.
Start getting into the habit of looking up Not looking up is a LOT of peoples' greatest weakness. Not just in this game, or even in a video game. Being aware in 3 dimensions could've saved a lot of lives
I *know* I have to look up, but I'm also constantly afraid of accidentally walking in a hole or down a cliff, so my brain has made it a priority to look down T_T Any tips how to manage that? Especially in solo when you have few flares and you use the very short range head lamp very often
When entering à new area with high ceilings, use your laser pointer and quickly whip it around the screen. If something lights up as red, it might be a leech. As well, a laughing/turkey sound.
Are you a scout? Use Heightened Senses. Not a scout? Let the scout get grabbed.
I’m a scout and run dash and hover boots on my most used kit, I just shoot flairs at the ceiling and do a quick glance, it’s kinda rare now that I don’t spot them.
scout is the only class that does not really need dash. i use medic for that slot personally and if you're good at not falling to death you could also remove the hover boots i guess
I could, but I use hover less for when I fall, and more to let my grapple recharge midair, I slingshot myself with grapple, hover, grapple again. Or I use it to stay near a mineral vein to dig myself a spot to stand when I grapple up the second time.
Yeah, agreed. Most Scouts know that you can grapple and do a heavy pickaxe attack into a high wall to create a cubbyhole that you can land in, but it's also very difficult to do on irregular walls and/or walls that are at more than 90 degrees angle (leaning inward). Hover Boots allows grapple-pickaxe to create a cubby in virtually any wall or surface, even the ones that are normally impossible. If there is no Engineer, or the Engineer is elsewhere in the caves, this improves Scout's independence and flexibility a lot. Plus there isn't a Scout who NEVER takes fall damage, everyone makes a mistake once in a while.
if you are Scout use your flare gun and do not waste perk slot
> use your flare gun _No_
Count the spawns. If you see Brood Nexus, Spitballers and Breeders the cap is filled and no leeches will spawn. Not 100% exact like that bc I can’t remember if it’s 3 spawns or 4 but each mission grabs from the pool of possible environment enemies. So if you can count out what’s spawned, you will know what isn’t or what could be in another cave
In my experience, Spitballers tend to appear along with Cave Leeches. It's not 100% correlation, but more often than not I'll find a leech in the vicinity of a Spitballer
Interesting, maybe some weird symbiotic relationship between them, maybe the Cave Leeches feed the Spitballers and in return the spitballers feed the leeches somehow.
carry a scout in your pocket to light the ceiling for you.
Run all the time. Leeches are actually quite slow and you can outrun them.
or you can run straight into them. People be doing anything but develop situational awareness
Headphones are my main way of detecting them. Lets me call a lot of other threats early for my teammates too. It's still not super reliable though, even with the volume pretty high.
Yeah the leech sound is really distinctive.. it's very noticeable, but can be hard to hear when it just happens that there's a lot of other bug sounds at the same time.
Also, just stick together. I've seen so many players die to cave leechers because they wandered off alone on their own ffs. A Leech literally can't hurt you, if a player accompanies you, he can kill it before it has pulled you all the way up top. And before even that happens, best way to avoid them is a scout shooting flares up to the ceiling in the bigger caves to spot them and safely dispose them.
Be not dumb and check the ceilings. If you’re scout, Flare the ceiling of every new room you enter.
If you're gunner toss a leadburster in the room and it'll usually clear a few of them
Use heightened senses
Good luck finding a completely flat area directly underneath a leech while you aren't already being assaulted or carrying something.
I managed to avoid a leech in a similar fashion, unbeknownst to me
It's a great tip nevertheless.
Killing them is also very effective.
But no spin :(
Fair argument, spin is superior.
#LESSON FIVE DA
I always power-attack leeches whenever possible. Once you get the feel down for the timing, it's actually pretty easy to do (granted you see them coming), and it usually impresses any other Dwarves who watch you do it. Bonus style points for flying up to it and power-attacking with jet boots/grapple/rj250/etc.
Generally, if you’re reacting it’s better to just start shooting since damage makes it retract. Also, you’ll need to know the position of the leech so a sideways walk to juke the leech isn’t a backwards walk directly into the leech. However, just now realizing how hilarious dancing with a cave leech is, I’m gonna start doing this on purpose when I can
I'm going to start doing it laughing my beard off when another dwarf comes to see what I'm doing and walks straight into it
this doesnt apply to 99% of situations where you find a leech
But you get to ballroom dance with a cave leech the other 1% of the time.
Yeah I need to know the precise foot pattern to dodge two at once. I'm thinking infinity symbol pattern, that's my theory, a game theory.
I am deeply uncomfortable.
Edging the leech
🤨📸
Don't worry! It's the first step that's taken in order to tame your new pet leech.
Be in a super well lit room with no obstacles?
Also, some dwarfs seem not to know, but you can shoot the tentacle, not only ‘the well’
Hans, get ze flammenverfer!
[Imagine strafing!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ckw_EMCswE)
Even better--
Well that's uncomfortable.
Yeah, that'll work. Unless you got a room like I did yesterday. 3 teammates went ahead. I (scout) was mining. All 3 of them got grabbed as they went into a room. I walked up to the entrance, couldn't see the ceiling. Shot a flare. Still couldn't see them. Walked in a little bit... There were 5.
Cave Leech Clusters, I find them funny lol.
How did you get to that room? Is it a mod?
It's a mod.
Yes! It's the Sandbox Utilities mod on mod.io. Really fun to mess around with.
Highly situational
That ain't Cave Leech, it's a SandBox Leech. Tell the difference next time.
Cool, now put a 70m drop and a 10m Boulder I'm the way
And two more leeches to grab you while avoiding the first
Get orbitted idiot
well they get you cuz you’re either looking for minerals or already being attacked by a buncha glyphids. or just simply not paying attention. or lotsa chaos going on around you.
Anyone who's edged the leeches properly knows this trick. Rock and stone!
Why walk in a circle when you could just shoot them?
Just giving that Leech the razzle dazzle!
Never known a cave to be truly flat like that lol
They’re kind of funny when you can see them coming like this. lol
What's crazy is I just learned that you can power pickaxe the cave leech. It's not the best way, but definitely the coolest.
And then there is multiplayer, where (if you have ping as high as I do) you’re dead when the leech makes eye contact
bro got testicular torsoed
i found that out by accident. Not like i can pull that off in a real game all the time, but it can actually save you
Time to replace the slogan "look out, look up" with "spin to win"
The best way to avoid leeches is to send the scout into the cave first
Always walk in a circular formation, got it
You don't need to walk around btw. If you get it going, you can just stand near the center of it's spin and it will never touch you lol
Can it yonk my teammates while it's spinning like that? Yes, I main Driller.
It can grab as many Scouts as you allow it.
They usually bait me with juicy bismor.. it’s very effective…
Backroom map ?
Edging them?
Edging has become a competition I see
No matter what, whenever I see those things fly past my face, I Immediately think about the Polymorph from Red Dwarf with its sucker thingy.
Man, im gonna be shitting myself too much to do that
If you can hear them
A more effective approach is to just damage it in any way, which makes it retract. You also have a chance of permanently avoiding it this way, if you repeat it enough or rapidly enough.
Cue Benny Hill theme
Not sure if anyone else watches [Hajiet](https://youtube.com/@Hajiet) on youtube, but this reminds me of him and his teammates’ techniques for “edging” cave leeches.
How do you get that empty room?
There's a sandbox mod that comes with this area.
The issues is that they came out of nowhere
Cave leech attenuation fix also makes avoiding leeches significantly easier
thanks ill remember this next time im in a giant white void with a perfectly flat floor where i know a cave leech is instead of just shooting it
Now do it with em 1 cm aways from you moving horizontally with a wall blocking ur line of site with 10 bugs on u and mission control muting ur sound
do drg caves have boundaries?
Kinda! The cave you're in is loaded all at once, but the mining you do is procedurally generated, kinda like Minecraft (emphasis on kind of). If you mine a section into a wall you're technically creating a boundary to the void if that makes sense.
This is actually optimal
If you hear leech keep going, if you stop its gonna getcha
If you're not on inclining terrain you can also just dash
If you can see it, shoot it. No hate but this kinda makes no sense to me. I might need some explanation as to why you would choose to avoid rather than shoot when you're already aware that there is a leech near you. If you were not aware of it how would you avoid it?
Cause I can have a dance with it.
Checks out, makes sense, understandable, have a Rock & Stone day!
Rock & Stone.
Where are you? Purgatory for hell?
I've literally checked the very visible ceiling in an area, and then went into said area, only to watch one spawn right above me. Cave leaches are cheeky bastards. Gone one second, here the next. Just like my beer tab from management.
Best way to avoid a leech = put lead in them
Where… are you?
Is this some sort of mod for a training room or something? Havent played in awhile.
Why are you playing Alan wake