Filth are Lesser Husks that first appear in the small tutorial before [0-1: INTO THE FIRE], and the first enemy fought in the game. They are the most numerous enemy by far.
Appearance[]
Filth are emaciated humanoids that lack arms, eyes, and noses. Their only facial feature is a large gaping mouth lined with jagged teeth, used to bite and tear. Their flesh is greyish green, with dried blood covering their bodies.
Combat[]
Filth will run toward the player at all times, chasing them in endless pursuit. They can run surprisingly fast, letting them catch up with V1 while on the ground. They frequently spawn in hordes, serving as the rank-and-file that distract and harass the player. While relatively easy to dispatch, Filth can quickly take out V1 if allowed to attack unhindered.
Attacks[]
A Filth's main attack is performed by lunging at V1 and biting down on them, dealing 30 damage. This attack can be parried with precise timing. Since the bite attack has a deceptive range, players may want to dash while parrying to avoid getting hit.
Difficulty Changes[]
- HARMLESS
- Filth move much slower than usual.
- LENIENT
- Filth move slower than usual.
- VIOLENT
- Filth move faster than usual.
- Parrying their lunge does not cancel the damage, and requires a dash in order to avoid it.
- BRUTAL
- Filth move much faster than usual.
- They gain a jumping lunge attack, allowing them to hit V1 whilst airborne. However, this will often lead to their own demise, due to the inaccuracy and height of the jump.
Terminal Data[]
For more information, see Terminal.
TYPE: LESSER HUSK
DATA:
Husks are physical manifestations of the souls of the damned.The physical form is based on the value of the original soul, which is determined by the strength of its will and its prevalence in public consciousness: the living souls that remember it.
Filth are the lowest form of Husk, whose souls were too weak and unimportant to even form a complete physical body.
Even among Husks, they have the lowest intelligence, driven purely by hunger.
STRATEGY:
- Most weapons are easily capable of taking down Filth, but their powerful jaws and sheer numbers can overwhelm a target quickly if underestimated.- Explosives are the most effective way to take down swarms, but any weapon that can hit more than one target will be efficient.
Rending Apart[]
Filth are very easy to deal with; any weapon will kill them with little effort. However, their tendency to spawn in large groups makes explosive attacks ideal for taking them out. The ease with which one can take out groups of Filth makes them a good way to boost your style.
The Knuckleblaster's shockwave, along with any other form of explosion, such as Projectile Boosting, the Core Eject Shotgun's core, or a fully charged Pump Charge Shotgun's blast are all effective ways to instantly wipe out groups of Filth. The Piercer Revolver and Nailguns are also viable options for dealing with Filth with the Attractor Nailgun in particular dealing 200% damage to Filth. Filth will gather in a group underneath the player while they are airborne, making them a prime target for exploding or ground slamming. A good way to farm style is to ground slam a group of Filth and blow them up midair with the Knuckleblaster's shockwave. If other enemies are present in the group, the Freezeframe Rocket Launcher works better since it has a larger explosion radius and much higher damage. Ground stomping then using Knuckleblaster while they’re in the air while give you a lot of airshot bonuses, thus giving you a massive style bonus.
A Filth's lunging attack can be parried with the Feedbacker or Shotgun. This has the benefit of restoring V1 to maximum health, though the player is still damaged if on Violent difficulty without using a dash. As the timing is tight, it is not recommended to do so unless as a last resort, as a regular Feedbacker punch will still kill it.
Gameplay[]
- The Filth's lunge attack on Violent and lower difficulties does not count as actual jumping, preventing them receiving airtime damage bonuses. They can still be baited into jumping off the edge. However, Brutal difficulty gives the Filth a leaping attack that does count as being airborne.
- The lunge attack is also parryable throughout its entire duration, allowing V1 to parry a Filth that had just lunged through it with precise timing. This grants no additional benefits compared to a frontal parry except for making the Filth appear to slip and hit its head, and that's very silly.
- There is at least one Filth present in almost every normal level in the game.
- The exception to this is [ 7-1: GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS ]. Technically this includes [ 7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT ], but it has a sleeping Filth in the clock tower which counts well enough.
- The Filth also appears at the end of [ 4-4: CLAIR DE SOLEIL ] during the Whiplash tutorial and [ 7-4: ...LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN ] during the meltdown sequence. These are the only boss levels they are included in.
Development[]
- Despite being the first encountered enemy, the first proper enemy revealed on Hakita's YouTube channel was the Malicious Face.
- The Filth originally looked quite different as more generic zombies than their current iterations, featuring arms and a blank face. Hakita received feedback that the Filth were too stupid so it was changed into its current form rather than altering their behavior. The Filth were changed to the current design in demo version 1.05.
- This unused model was edited and repurposed for Something Wicked in [0-S: SOMETHING WICKED] and the Puppets in [ 7-3: NO SOUND, NO MEMORY].
Trivia[]
- The Filth's name and appearance are inspired by the Swans album of the same name.[1]
- When asked, Hakita has stated that Filth are able to "see" V1 is because its vibes are off. The same answer was given for Cerberi and Sisyphean Insurrectionists.
- The Filth is by far the most common enemy in the game, with one appearing in nearly any non-boss exclusive level.
- Despite being a lesser husk, Filth give Supreme Head.
- The Filth is stupid as shit.
- The Filth is worth NOTHING, it serves, ZERO purpose, you should kill it NOW
Gallery[]
References[]
