Ranking the KDM Monsters on a Tier List post 1.6 (Patreon)

Time for a fun light one because next week I'll have to comb through the Black Friday stuff and figure out what is worth commenting on.

so, after reading around on the internet and seeing a BGG post about expansion priority; I thought it would be interesting to return to an overview of all the monsters in the game and work out exactly where I am ranking them now, after both the passage of time and the 1.6 update (which I've spent the past few weeks exhaustively running campaigns of (with proxies, as my own 1.6 items have not arrived at this point, what a surprise).

Before I begin; I'm ranking these monsters not on value for money, but on the basis of what they bring to a campaign, how enjoyable/engaging they are to fight against, considerations of gear (if it is interesting, broken, too weak, too strong) and their various hunts/story/settlement events. In essence I'm ranking what it's like to play against each of these.

We'll start with the core game monsters.

The White Lion

The White Lion I feel is a solid example of a B tier monster. It has a lot of flaws in the gear section, the armor set isn't pushed enough, the higher level gear is virtually non-existent unless you count the Gigalion stuff and even if you do, there are problems with the Gigalion's gear being too good (and its showdown being flawed). I do firmly think that the White Lion has a perfect introductory monster design, but I am always disappointed that it doesn't scale up well to L3 and that the L2 monster has no unique rewards, just more of the same. For the record, the White Gigalion is also a B tier monster in my opinion. So the crest can represent both of them (I also didn't have a White Gigalion Crest, if someone has one, I can add it to the tier list page).

The Screaming Antelope

The Screaming Antelope would have been a B tier monster as well if I was juding it under 1.5. However; with the weakening of its armor set, the lack of interesting weapons and the removal of the charms from its settlement location (which is a good change, it just hurts the antelope a lot). Well I can't give it better than a D tier ranking these days. It's just a generic resource piñata these days – the monster's showdown design is horribly flawed and exploitable. The White Lion also has this issue where you end up farming it for easy generic resources, but at least the White Lion gear has a stronger place in the early game of the campaign. The Screaming Antelope is not a complete failure, Brain Mint, Bone Earrings and Blood Paint are all interesting items in their own right (as is Speed Powder, except it's ridiculously hard to get). But there's just not any real pull anymore now that the armor set has become an offensive armor set with bad armor points (which is the worst kind of design for an offensive armor set due to how reactions shred armor points).

The Butcher

Next up is The Butcher; this monster is a close to perfect blend of theme and mechanics and is in my opinion the pinnacle of design in the core game. It strikes out of nowhere, with no mercy and no reason beyond a desire to kill and collect faces for its lanterns. It's an engaging fight at all levels and it even has its own crafting location with completely unique items that not only provide alternative playstyles but also allow unlocking of fights against the legendary core monsters. The only thing that keeps it from reaching the highest possible tier is the sheer randomness of Invincible (L3 trait), the heavy amount of maintenance that Fast Target requires and the meanness of how it punishes newbie players.

The King's Man

After that we have the King's Man. I think by now it's well known just how little time or respect I have for this monster. I love the lore design of the King's Man, and the thematic design of it is absolutely wonderful. But the actual experience of playing against it is miserable (also my apologies, but it doesn't have a transparent background on the list). It would be an E tier monster, but the existence of the trait Silent Hymn (aka Forced Bookkeeping) means I'm shoving it into the lowest tier possible.

The Hand

Speaking of monsters with great concepts but terrible showdowns, next up we have The Hand. I love the concept of this showdown, an incredibly powerful godlike figure toying with the survivors and only losing because it has decided to do so, is a really sweet concept.

However, in practice this is a trick that works only a couple of times before players get bored with it. It's like a simple magic trick, it'll wow you at first, but then you realise how it is done and want the magician to get on with something else. Stop removing your thumb Mr. Hand and do some card tricks! E-Tier.

The Phoenix

Next on the timeline is the Phoenix, now in 1.5 this would join The Hand in E-Tier, but I'm going to move it up a slot into the D-tier because it has improved, a bit. The update to the Sonic Tomahawk was excellent, and the changes that pulled all of its other weapons out of the Weapon Crafter and into the Plumery are things that just needed to happen. But, overall the main problems with The Phoenix still exist. Deja Vu is still a thing, the Phoenix Armor is still a discordant mess that has too few affinities for its own design, The Hours Ring needs a third version designed and there are some very obnoxious hunt events that I just can't tolerate. So the Thankskilling Bird gets to live right next to the Antelope on the D-train.

The Watcher

The last two members of the Core campaign are its big bads; now the Watcher very nearly made it into a reasonable ranking. But I remember that despite it being a wonderful piece of thematic design, it has a terribly designed showdown – one that feels even less interesting now that The Watcher is not the final monster in the campaign. This is the poster jellyfish for the game's box but it's a complete pushover. Thematically this monster is an A, but mechanically it's an E. So I'm going to stick it in the D-tier (which we might end up calling the 'Core Game Tier' at this rate).

The Gold Smoke Knight

That just leaves the new BIG BAD for People of the Lantern. The Gold Smoke Knight (GSK). Now the largest issue here is that the GSK lacks any form of connection to the narrative (unless you roll certain hunt events and are able to make large leaps in understanding). It in essence is just like The Butcher – it turns up out of nowhere and just attacks. This showdown lacks all of the tension and climax that The Watcher's fight builds thematically – it really just feels like 'big gold dude wandered down the ramp into the wrestling ring and wants to smash you with his hammer'. I had hoped that 1.6 would take steps to tie the GSK into the campaign more closely somehow, but it didn't and as such – no matter how interesting the fight is, I have to deduct points for its failure in respect to the lore. C tier it is. Which does make it the third best monster in the core game according to my rankings.

At this point this is where we are on the list:

Now it's time to flesh this out with the expansion monsters. I'll add them in order of timeline appearance as well, and then end it with the People of the Star campaign specific reoccuring nemesis The Tyrant.

The Gorm

The Gorm is a flawed beast for sure, there are problems with its armor set; Gorm Climate is a tough beast to navigate and some players may feel frustrated by the Gorm Innovation chain. However, Gorm Climate can be navigated by clever resource management and even has upsides by handing out Understanding or Courage so I think it's actually a good experience for the seasoned player. However, it does have some unforgivable nonsense (Trample, I'm looking at you) and the armor set (except for the helmet) needed more time in the design chamber.  So I can't give this one the top ranking; but because of that interesting lore design, the way that it remains relevant throughout the campaign and a great suite of weapons (I don't blame the Black Sword for Vagabond Armor's sins) I am happy to put this one right in the A-tier.

Spidicules

Spidicules; if played with house rules, is almost an S-tier monster. The Showdown is just incredible and the way that the Barber Surgeon has been fixed in 1.6 means that losing the antelope isn't an issue. However, the models issues, plus multiple problems at the gear and event level mean that outside of the showdown this monster is dragged down. In 1.5 I'd rate this a D-tier, but in 1.6 I am absolutely content to stick it right in the B-tier. And if in the future the following items are fixed, I'd even put this in the S-tier.

• Red Ring
• Young Rivals
• Silk Body Suit
• Silk Turban crafting costs
• Spidicules aftermath kidnapping

The F̶a̶i̶l̶u̶r̶e̶  Flower Knight

The F in F tier stands for Flower Knight. This monster keeps slipping and slipping in my estimation because of how poorly designed and balanced almost every aspect of it is. I adore the concept of the monster and True Blade is hands down one of my most beloved Secret Fighting Arts, but the nerfs to the Vespertine Bow have reduced the monster to being nothing more than an easy farm monster that you hunt when making Green Armor. Before 1.6 it was propped up almost entirely by the tripod of the Vespertine Bow, the Acanthus Doctor and True Blade – but tripods don't work when one leg is broken. So F ranking it is.

The Manhunter

The Manhunter is an absolutely wonderful creation, it is an almost perfect blend of showdown design and lore. This slaver from the Holy Lands is a perfect example of someone you take great pleasure in beating up – and the showdown is one of the best in the game. However, there are problems with the Manhunter's difficulty, it's actually a bit easier than The Butcher – but shares similar weaknesses. As such, I can't ever put this monster on the same level as The Butcher. B-Tier, sat right next to its beloved White Lion (which they keep as pets sometime). Maybe one day we'll get the Manhunter Supreme, who comes with a White Lion as part of the showdown and that combination will hit an S-Tier, but for now it can stay where it is.

The Lion Knight

Speaking of visitors from the Holy Lands, the Lion Knight is a hot mess of a monster. It has a completely solvable showdown and some truly awful consequences of said showdown – but it does have wonderful settlement events and some of the best lore in the game. Still, that character and Lore is not enough to save this monster from languishing alongside the King's Man and the Flower Knight. Get in F-Tier Mr. Lion Knight II. You sir are no Hamlet.

The Lonely Tree

The Lonely Tree, now that it has been updated with the 1.6 clarifications; is a low key great part of a campaign. It's one of those solid workhorses which has been present in every single campaign I've played. Mostly because it's hard work to find it, and even harder work to repeatedly hunt it (it is possible however). I've got a lot of time for the Tree because of how unique and refreshing the showdown is – and it's also the place where one of my most memorable survivors died (she died saving the others, so it actually felt good, if melancholic). This is just something everyone should have in their collection (at Black Friday Prices), but most of the time it is just going to be a fancy piece of terrain. C-tier.

X-Files Music Plays

The Dragon King

The Dragon King is our next contestant and I have to admit that over the years this one has grown on me a great deal. The armor set is the main draw here, but the showdown itself is also an incredible pile of fun. It feels absolutely epic and is a joy to experience. However, frustrating hunt events and weak weapons keep this monster from climbing into the top portion of the game, so I think I have to put him in the B-tier.

The Dung Beetle Knight

Dung Beetle Knight is an easy fit for the A-tier for me, it's been a tough time for the DBK, as during 1.5 this expansion had some major design issues due to the change in how Doomed worked. That made Vermin Obsession a huge problem for some settlements. I can't rightly put this one in S tier however because I find that the monster is very limited in what it provides to the overall experience. While there is plenty of power in the DBK's gear set, the fact that the crafting location is mostly a single column demonstrates that this is a shallow pool. So A-tier it is.

The Sunstalker

If any monster is the gold standard for quarry design, it's the Sunstalker. Which settles high up above all the other monsters in the Sun-Tier. I called this one an 11/10 more than once in the past and nothing has changed, this remains one of the near perfect designs and I am confident that when the new Node 4+ monsters start to arrive it is the Sunstalker that is going to give us the gear that we need to bridge up to the higher difficulty. This creature has intriguing reasons to hunt it at every level, superb, well rounded out lore and a showdown that is both distinctive and especial. S+!

The Tyrant

Finally, we can't move on without looking at my favourite monster, the disappointed father, the melancholic baldy. It's The Tyrant. A monster with an almost perfect showdown and character design. This sad boy is one of the core reasons why People of the Star is so beloved, and his showdown – with its multiple layers of play (like an onion) is something special. S-tier for the Dragon Messiah, not a moment's hesitation (though his campaign's Final Nemesis needs some work in Campaigns of Death).

Which at the end of our journey gives us this list:

(again apologies for the white background on the Gorm and King's Man)

In addition, if you want to make your own ranking of this tier list and share it in the comments. The template is here!

https://tiermaker.com/create/kingdom-death-monster-1367796

I'd love to see what you all think, and maybe then I can amalgamate the rankings together and do a follow up where we see where the community lands on their rankings! It'll be very interesting, especially where you guys differ from my personal preferences. Don't worry if you do not have all the monsters, just list the ones you have experience against!

Just fill it in, download the image and pop that onto Imgur with a link in the comments!