Enemy Tactics

Enemy tactics are sets of pattern of movement and attack that many enemies in the Kid Icarus series follow. Though a few of them have their own attack pattern, here are the most common types:

Trudging

Trudging foes are slow movers, most often found in Fortresses. These are often stronger enemies, but do not actively seek out Pit. Trudgers will move slowly from one side to another, changing direction only when they encounter an obstacle or the edge of a platform. Shulms and Uranos are the most obvious examples, but this pattern is also followed by the hated Eggplant Wizard.

Seeking

Seeking trudgers are a special category that will orient themselves to Pit's direction when they appear. Also, these monsters are able to fall off the edge of a platform; if they remain on-screen after the drop, they'll face Pit again. Seekers will not change direction once they start moving, and Pit can jump over them without worrying about being backstabbed. Shemums and Nettlers fall into this category. They're typically faster than other trudgers.

Swarming

Swarming enemies immediately fill up the room and fly about. Each enemy, once it chooses a pattern, will stick to that pattern, but it may choose a different pattern if defeated and re-spawned. Outside of a Fortress, only Specknoses in Enemy Lairs follow this pattern. Swarming enemies are usually of an average toughness but can cause a lot of damage quickly. Enemies can be knocked out of their "orbit" by impacting Pit.

Swooping

Swooping monsters, typically weaker than most, dive down from above in groups of four. Swaying from side to side, they'll eventually break formation and fly off at different angles if left alone long enough. This pattern is first seen with the Monoeyes. While Keepah also uses this tactic, they generally fly solo instead of in groups of four.

In Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, this is more of a dive, as monsters who use this tactic generally don't fly upward again.

Pouncing

These enemies range from average to hard difficulty. All pouncing foes appear in groups of four and can phase through solid objects, but otherwise vary in terms of tactics:

Falling

A falling foe simply drops from the top to the bottom. Rokman favors this tactic, as do Totems. Note that some monsters disappear when reaching the bottom, such as Rokman, but others stay, some for a short time (Big Toe), and others permanently, such as Totem.

Ambushing

Ambushing foes appear very quickly from the bottom of the screen, hover for a short bit, then fall back down. Expect Minos and Daphne to use this tactic.

Climbing

A climber is an enemy that will burst up from the bottom of the screen, then scatter and proceed to leap off of objects in an effort to hit our hero. If they land on a platform, climbers may stall for a few moments before leaping again. Octos are a prime example.

Burrowing

Burrowing enemies are those who can hide in the ground. They'll track Pit by his footsteps and pop up to launch a projectile before sinking back down. Taking a page from the seeking trudgers, these creatures will face (as much as they can, considering their forms) Pit as soon as they emerge and fire their projectile. They are notoriously hard to hit and can sprout up in groups, making standing still very hazardous.

Only three enemies in Kid Icarus have this pattern: McGoo (which is an ooze, so it technically doesn't need to burrow), Girin, and Holer.