F.E.R.A.L.

Last updated: Exalt Version 3.3.7.0 (Apr 2023)

F.E.R.A.L. is the boss of High Tech Terror.

The Realm Eye says:
The F.E.R.A.L. is one of Dr. Terrible’s most successful organic creations. Commissioned by Oryx as a pet, it sustains itself from the very essence of Oryx’s rage rather than physical food. This has led to several curious side effects in the creature, including limited psychic powers and the ability to generate energy from within itself. Although the Mad God is not completely uncaring, he never sets the creation loose. Oryx instead hopes the mad scientist can someday harness these powers for himself.

Stats
Combat
Drops

Stats

Base HP: 100,000 ( Boss Adaptive Scaling Boss Adaptive HP Scaling)
DEF: 30
EXP: 40,000
Location: High Tech Terror

Immune to Stun
Immune to Stasis
Immune to Paralyze

Counts towards God Kills
Counts towards Grotesque Kills

Combat

Attacks (F.E.R.A.L.)

Damage	Condition effects	Speed (tiles/sec)	Acceleration (tiles/sec²)	Time until Acceleration (sec)	Maximum/Minimum Speed (tiles/sec)	Range (tiles)	Comments
110		5	4.5	0.7	10	93.72	Shots hit multiple targets
130		4	4	2	8	30	Shots hit multiple targets Amplitude: 1 Frequency: 10
110		8	-4.5	2	3	27.78	Shots hit multiple targets Amplitude: 1 Frequency: 10 Faces direction
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.4	0	6.9	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.9	0	9.9	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.4	0	12.9	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.9	0	15.9	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.4	0	6.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longer Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.9	0	9.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longer Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.4	0	12.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longer Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.9	0	15.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longer Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.9	0	15.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longer Lifetime
0	Purified	15	-	-	-	60	Shots hit multiple targets
0		13	-	-	-	52	Shots hit multiple targets
110		5	4.5	0.7	10	93.72	Shots hit multiple targets
140		8.5	3	2	11	103.95	Shots hit multiple targets
160	Slowed for 2s	6	3	2	11	95.83	Shots hit multiple targets
130		3.5	3	2	11	85.625	Shots hit multiple targets
140		3.5	6	0.5	8.5	80.41	Shots hit multiple targets
160	Slowed for 2s	6	-	-	-	60	Shots hit multiple targets
130		8.5	-6	0.5	3.5	39.58	Shots hit multiple targets
115		5	2	0.5	6	89.25	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.4	0	6.9	Shots hit multiple targets Longest Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.19	0	5.64	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.12	0	5.22	Shots hit multiple targets Longest Lifetime
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.1	0	5.1	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.4	2	21.6	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.19	2	20.76	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.12	2	20.48	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.1	2	20.4	Shots hit multiple targets
120		2.5	17	1	10	90.845	Shots hit multiple targets
160		6	4	0.7	12	111.3	Shots hit multiple targets
250	Stunned for 4s	6	-4.5	0.9	0	4.54	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.2	0	5.7	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.4	0	6.9	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.6	0	8.1	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0.8	0	9.3	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1	0	10.5	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.2	0	11.7	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	1.4	0	12.9	Shots hit multiple targets
100		2.5	16	1	9	82.18	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
200		2.5	-	-	-	5	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
200		5	-	-	-	10	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
200		7.5	-	-	-	15	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
100		7.5	-20	0.15	2	31.58	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target From split Goo Wheels
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-4	0	0	4.5	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-6	0	0	3	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-8	0	0	2.25	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-10	0	0	1.8	Shots hit multiple targets
200	Stunned for 4s	6	-12	0	0	1.5	Shots hit multiple targets
100		5	-	-	-	25	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target
150			-	-	-		Laser attack: continuous damage on contact Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target

Attacks (T.U.R.R.E.T.)

Damage	Condition effects	Speed (tiles/sec)	Acceleration (tiles/sec²)	Time before Acceleration (sec)	Maximum/Minimum Speed (tiles/sec)	Range (tiles)	Comments
150		2.5	2	0.9	6	29.79	Shots hit multiple targets
0	Dazed for 2s	5	10	0.5	10	6.25	Shots hit multiple targets Ignores defense of target Shots boomerang
0	Dazed for 2s	8	-	-	-	80	Shots hit multiple targets

Behavior

The F.E.R.A.L. is found in the center of High Tech Terror, initially submerged and dormant. After some time has passed, it will surface and start attacking.

Phase 1

The F.E.R.A.L. randomly chooses between one of several attack patterns, teleporting to a valid blue pool every few attacks. The boss will light up with the respective color (blue/green/purple) when using an attack. Depending on its position in the room, it will use different attacks, with the boss having one attack of each color for each location. However, it will never use two attacks of the same color consecutively.

Center Pool
- Fires an aimed barrage of accelerating blue shots that converge on a point in front of it, before spreading out.
- Fires two radial barrages of “lines” of Stunning green spirals that fly for a bit, before stagnating and becoming stationary hazards.
- Traps the nearest player with two streams of wavy purple shots, before firing streams of larger wavy accelerating purple bolts.
Corner Pools
- Fires sweeping streams of blue shots aimed towards the center of the room, along with a star pattern of larger blue bolts to restrict player movement. The smaller streams have gaps to dodge through.
- Fires a dense square-shaped radial burst of green spirals that stagnate after travelling for some time.
- Fires radial bursts of “lines” consisting of purple bolts, spears, and wheels.
Cardinal Pools
- Fires several rings of blue spirals. When the spirals fly a certain distance, they will explode into four blue bolts that fly in plus or X-shaped patterns before decelerating sharply.
- Releases a large green bullet that splits into a row of smaller green shots that expands to span the width of the room. The row of shots then fires two sequential waves of accelerating armor-piercing shots perpendicular to itself, each one spanning a random third of the room’s width. The solid pathways and the area behind the initial row will always be safe spots.
- Fires streams of wavy purple bolts along the edge of the arena, alongside aimed oscillating streams of accelerating purple bolts.

The F.E.R.A.L. is invincible, and cannot be harmed by conventional means. However, each of the blue pools along the edges of the dungeon will have a S.W.I.T.C.H. (referred to simply as a switch on this page for convenience) floating inside. If a switch is destroyed, the pool will turn green and all other switches in blue pools will briefly vanish. Shortly after, the F.E.R.A.L. will teleport to the green pool and be transformed into a pet, rendering it harmless and vulnerable for a few seconds. Once enough time passes, the F.E.R.A.L. will move back to the center pool and resume its attack.

Any pool that has been turned green will have another switch appear inside it, along with an invincible tentacle that will attack nearby players with wavy armor-piercing blue shots. If the second switch is destroyed, the tentacle will vanish as a grate closes over the pool, making it safely traversable for the rest of the fight.

The F.E.R.A.L. cannot take more than 10% of its max HP in one vulnerability window. If more damage is dealt, the boss will heal off all excess damage dealt. It will always restart its attack pattern with HP equal to 20% + 10% per outer blue pool remaining.

Phase 2

Once one pool has been turned green, the F.E.R.A.L. briefly envelops itself in a shield and summons two invincible A.E.G.I.S. minions resembling green orbs, before resuming its attack. The minions (marked on the minimap as green dots) will each choose one of the devices currently in the blue pools and orbiting it, making them invulnerable. They will periodically switch their current targets, effectively making two of the blue-pool devices invulnerable at any given time.

Phase 3

Once six blue pools are left, the boss summons the M.E.R.V., an invincible cart minion that periodically travels along the arena paths in a linear fashion. The cart enters and exits the dungeon via small holes in the walls of the dungeon and chooses a random straight path to move along every time. Each trip, the M.E.R.V. will use two of the three firing patterns below:

Fires small spreads of stagnating paralyzing thunderbolts in front of itself
Fires wavy purple shockwaves to its sides.
Leaves behind a trail of green spirals that initially stay stationary before accelerating in the direction of a nearby target.

Phase 4

Once four blue pools are left, the F.E.R.A.L. temporarily despawns all switches and tentacles for the duration of the phase. The two A.E.G.I.S. orbs become vulnerable and chase down players while constantly detonating short-ranged green AoE attacks on themselves. Meanwhile, the F.E.R.A.L.’s eye will glow bright green as it repeatedly fires a massive aimed laser beam that deals immense sustained damage to all players that come in contact with it (dealing 4 evenly spaced “ticks” of 150 armor piercing damage over its lifetime for a maximum of 600 damage upon getting hit by the entire laser). Each beam will be telegraphed by the F.E.R.A.L. firing two shorter-ranged green bolts in the same direction. One of the orbs must be defeated in order to progress the fight, upon which the other orb will go invulnerable again.

After this phase ends, the F.E.R.A.L. will empower its attacks for the rest of the fight.

Its blue center attack now fires a second barrage of green shots to add to the bullet density.
Its green center attack now fires a dense spiral of shots.
Its purple center attack now fires two oscillating streams of larger purple bolts, along with the side streams being denser.
Its green corner attack now fires a dense ring of bullets that slow down after travelling for some time.
Its blue corner attack now fires more shots in an oscillating stream fashion.
Its purple corner attack now fires projectiles that all have different accelerations and velocities to create a more confusing pattern.
Its cardinal green attack now fires three bursts.
Its cardinal blue attack fires more shots, and each bullet splits into eight bolts in a ring pattern.
Its cardinal purple attack now fires two additional wavy streams in a V pattern to trap players.

In addition:

The M.E.R.V. temporarily despawns.
The four turrets at the corners of the center pool will become active. Periodically, a random one will activate, firing a ring of harmless but dazing waves before sweeping its respective corner of the map with a stream of green blasts. Only one turret may be active at once.

Phase 5

Once two blue pools are left, the F.E.R.A.L. repeats Phase 4 again, albeit without the M.E.R.V., with only one of its orbs intact, and with the presence of the turrets. Once the remaining orb has been destroyed, the F.E.R.A.L. resumes its attack, albeit with certain modifications.

The turrets will now also fire streams of green bolts along the cardinal directions to “wall off” the corner they’re firing at.
The M.E.R.V. reappears with empowered attacks. Its purple shots now linger in the air after travelling for a bit, and the cart can now leave behind a stationary trail of Slowing blue shots overlapping with the trail of green shots. Its Paralyze shotgun now fires more shots, which are larger and Paralyze for longer.

Phase 6

At 20% HP, the F.E.R.A.L. retreats into the center pool (which should be the only blue one at the time) and summons one tentacle in the center pool per closed green vat (up to a max of 8 if all vats were closed, and a minimum of 0 if all vats are still open). Any tentacles still active in the outer green pools will start firing streams of Slowing purple bolts in an attempt to form a “web” resembling a diamond within a square, and they will retreat to the center if their pool is closed during this phase. Tentacles in the center cannot fight back.

The boss is now restricted to using its center attacks, albeit with increased frequency. The tentacles in the center, however, lose their vulnerability and can be attacked/destroyed at will.

A final switch will appear in the center pool, protected by its tentacles. Destroying the last switch is required to progress the fight.

Phase 7

With the final switch destroyed, the center pool becomes green and turns the F.E.R.A.L. vulnerable for the last time as red warning lights start flashing. During this phase, the F.E.R.A.L. can only wander haplessly and let players deal damage to it. However, note that the turrets, any active tentacles, and the M.E.R.V. will continue attacking during this phase.

Periodically, the F.E.R.A.L. will release an unavoidable ring of harmless blue shots that clear all negative status effects on contact. This is so that even if players accidentally transform themselves using the green vats, they can transform back despite there not being any blue vats remaining.

Once the F.E.R.A.L. dies, it will explode into a final ring of purifying shots. Grates will slide over all exposed pools, the turrets will deactivate, and the M.E.R.V. will stop shooting before despawning.

Reproduction

Protected by:
S.W.I.T.C.H. (x8)
M.E.R.V. (x1)
A.E.G.I.S. (x2)
T.U.R.R.E.T. (x4)
F.E.R.A.L. Tentacle (x8)

Drops

Tips and Strategies

With an wide arsenal of impressively complex bullet patterns and a very chaotic battle that demands constant focus, the F.E.R.A.L. makes for a very scary boss for the unprepared. It’s advised to come into the fight with some knowledge on how the boss works, as much of the F.E.R.A.L.’s bullet patterns are so unorthodox compared to most other bosses in the game that they can easily overwhelm players.

It’s highly recommended to kill all the switches in the green vats whenever available, as they disable its tentacles while leaving more room to safely maneuver around the arena. While this will make F.E.R.A.L.’s defenses stronger in the final phase, it’s almost always preferable to having the tentacles be firing at you for the whole fight, and creating their slow web in the last phase.

When fighting the boss, it’s advised to stay at a medium distance from it. While one may be tempted to stay at a long range and take out the switches, many of F.E.R.A.L.’s attacks have clear telegraphs that are not visible if one is too far from it. Not being able to see the telegraphs can cause players to take an punishing attack that they were unable to see beforehand - the boss’ cardinal green attack in particular can instantly kill a player if they are taken off guard.

Keep an eye on the position of the M.E.R.V. at all times, as it can instantly kill players if sat on. In contrast, don’t panic if you are hit by the radial blast from one of the turrets - they are only a warning to get out of the way before the actual damaging shots come.

When the F.E.R.A.L. is firing its laser, absolutely avoid it at all costs. It WILL instantly kill you if you stay in the beam for more than a second. Keep at a medium distance from the boss so you are able to see the shots fired to telegraph the beam, while focusing the A.E.G.I.S. minions to end the phase early.

History

The F.E.R.A.L. is an entity that has been within the game files for many years and had its own complex behavior and setpiece before it was reworked into the modern version that is now the one in this page. To see the old F.E.R.A.L., see F.E.R.A.L. (Old).

Trivia

This enemy was originally an unreleased Mad Lab enemy, intended to drop the dungeon in the realm as a setpiece boss. It was scrapped and left unreleased for 8 years before being repurposed.
This enemy was the first to use acceleration mechanics on its shots, as well as the first to use a sustained “beam” type attack.