How to Survive Any Encounter in Nightmare of Decay (Mechanics and Stats guide)

Player, Movement, and Stamina Mechanics

Before you can fight the monsters, you need to understand yourself. Your survival in the mansion depends on managing three key resources: your health, your movement, and your stamina. Knowing how these systems interact will keep you alive when you’re cornered.

Health and Survival

You begin the game with 100 HP. You can find two types of healing items: the Health Drink, which heals 30 HP, and the First Aid Kit, which heals 80 HP. The game includes a danger state system. If your HP drops to 65, you enter the caution state, which reduces your movement speed by 10%. If your HP drops to 30, you enter the danger state, reducing it by another 10% for a total 20% speed penalty.

This game features a helpful mechanic. If your current HP is above 1, any single attack that would normally kill you will instead drop your HP to 1. This gives you one last chance to survive. Healing resets this ability. Be warned: the Chainsaw Psycho boss ignores this mechanic entirely.

Movement and Stamina

You have 100 stamina. Sprinting depletes about 25% of your stamina per second, meaning you can run for roughly four seconds. Your stamina recharges fully in about three seconds when you stand still.

Several actions penalize your stamina regeneration and movement. Running out of stamina causes exhaustion for three seconds, cutting your movement speed in half and stopping regeneration. Getting hit also cuts your speed in half and stops stamina regeneration for one second. Actions like reloading, shooting the submachine gun, and attacking with any weapon will cut your movement speed and slow or stop stamina regeneration. These penalties stack, so be mindful of your actions in combat.

Mastering your stamina is just as important as mastering your aim. Let’s see how that aim pays off.

Quest Tip: The Axe-wielding Satyr, one of the toughest non-boss enemies in the game, appears most frequently in the Dungeon Escape mode. Always save your Magnum or Holy Water for these encounters.

Shooting Gallery Mechanics

Twice during your nightmare, you’ll get a chance to practice your shot and earn rewards in the Shooting Gallery. Both events last for 60 seconds, but the target spawns and point values differ. Here is the breakdown for each.

First Shooting Gallery

1. 2-point targets spawn every 2.5 seconds.
2. 3-point targets spawn every 3 seconds.
3. 5-point targets spawn every 10 seconds.
4. Time-extending targets spawn every 12 seconds.

Second Shooting Gallery

1. 2/4-point targets spawn every 2 seconds.
2. 3/6-point targets spawn every 5 seconds.
3. 5/10-point targets spawn every 8 seconds.
4. Time-extending targets spawn every 12 seconds.

These galleries are great practice with the Pellet Gun, but they won’t prepare you for the real tools of survival. Let’s break down the full arsenal.

Quick Fact: The main story is just the beginning. The game also features a Randomizer mode and a challenging, multi-floor Dungeon Escape mode for extra replayability.

In-Depth Weapon Analysis

Understanding your arsenal is critical. Melee power attacks deal double damage, and your crosshair shrinks when still for perfect accuracy; moving or firing expands it. Here’s a breakdown of every weapon:

1. Pellet Gun: Deals no damage. Used for shooting galleries, stunning the Chainsaw Psycho via electrical generators, and hitting the final boss’s red orbs.
2. Knife: The fastest melee weapon (6 damage). Use it on basic zombies to conserve ammunition.
3. Crowbar: Replaces the knife (8 damage, 16 power attack). Use power attacks to stunlock zombies. Deals extra damage to Skeletons.
4. Pistol: Versatile and fast (8 damage). Its high fire rate and good stagger make it great for single targets, but it struggles against groups.
5. Shotgun: Primary crowd-control. Fires 8 pellets (8 damage each, 64 total). One-shots most enemies at close range but has a very slow reload.
6. Magnum: Deals 100 damage per shot with high stagger. Guaranteed to dismember.
7. Dynamite: Explosive dealing 100 damage on a 3-second timer.
8. Holy Water: The most damaging weapon (500 damage). Guaranteed to dismember enemies.
9. Machete: Superior melee (15 damage, 30 power attack). Faster than the crowbar with a high critical hit and decapitation chance.
10. Submachine Gun: The ultimate versatile weapon. Deals 10 damage/shot but fires 10/second. Firing only slows stamina regen, not halts it. Weakness: very slow reload.
11. Rocket Launcher: Deals 250 damage. It is incredibly slow to draw, aim, and reload, making it inefficient.

Now that you know your tools, it’s time to know your enemy.

Boss Tip: During the Knights boss fight, use the Magnum. Its bullets can pierce targets, allowing you to line up the melee-focused knights and damage them all with a single, well-placed shot.

Enemy Stats and Strategies (Part 1)

The mansion’s foes have a hidden stagger meter; hitting them fills it, and when full, the enemy is stunned. Learning their health and attack patterns is key to exploiting this and conserving ammo. Here are the common enemies:

1. Zombie (50-70 HP): Basic foe. Use the Crowbar’s power attack to stunlock or aim for the head (1.2x damage).
2. Dog (30 HP): Fast, but low health and stagger resistance. A single pistol shot can stunlock them. A shotgun blast is best for groups.
3. Cultist (30-40 HP): Fast and hit hard from a distance. Close in and use the shotgun for a one-blast kill. Fighting with the pistol is difficult as their shots disrupt your aim.
4. Skeleton (40 HP / 80 HP with Armor): Use the pistol to stunlock those without shields. The Crowbar is ideal: one power attack (60 damage) kills a normal Skeleton (40 HP), while an Armored Skeleton (80 HP) requires two.
5. Spider (80 HP): Bulky with no weak spots. Their melee bite is fast but weak; venom spit is strong but slow. You can often run past them to save resources.
6. Caveman (35 HP): The fastest enemy, but has low health. They run in a straight line, making them easy to hit. A pistol shot stops them, letting you aim for the head.
7. Satyr (Axe): A tough standard enemy with a large health pool. Use power weapons like the submachine gun or magnum.
8. Satyr (Spear): This ranged version is slightly weaker. Use cover, deal with other enemies, then dispatch this one quickly.
9. Mimic (High HP): Its surprise factor and high health almost guarantee one hit. It is vulnerable after attacking; unload with a shotgun to kill it fast.
10. Regenerator: Slow, but resource-intensive. Shoot a leg off with the magnum to slow it, then keep shooting. Repeat if it regenerates the leg.

Survival Tip: Do not fight the Monstrous Beast with conventional weapons. The game intends for you to run. If you must kill it, a single flask of Holy Water will dispatch it instantly.

Enemy Stats and Strategies (Part 2: Bosses)

When the music changes and the doors lock, you’ll face one of Nightmare of Decay’s boss encounters. These specialized enemies test your skills in unique ways, from crowd control to pure gimmick-based survival. Knowing their weakness is half the battle.

1. Meat Golem: This introductory boss is slow and has a large model, making it an easy target. It hits hard, but its attacks are easy to dodge. Aim for its head to deal double damage.
2. Knights: This fight tests your ability to manage multiple foes. The best strategy is to stand behind cover from the bow knight. You can line up the melee knights and kill them with the magnum, as its bullets pierce targets. After dealing with the melee threats, you can calmly finish the bow knight.
3. Chainsaw Psycho: This is a gimmick boss. You can stun him by shooting the electrical boxes in the arena. Once stunned, two magnum shots and a shotgun blast will finish him.
4. Giant Spider: This is just a larger version of the standard spider. It hits harder and can immobilize you with a web. You should simply use your strongest weapons, such as the shotgun, magnum, or holy water, to burn it down quickly.
5. Monstrous Beast: This boss is extremely annoying and hard to hit, much like a standard Dog. The game recommends you run from it. If you choose to fight, the Holy Water flask is the best option, as it can kill the boss quickly.

Pro Tip: Your forward/backward and sideways movement speeds are calculated independently. By moving diagonally (holding forward and a strafe key), you can move significantly faster than just sprinting forward. This is a key strategy used by speedrunners.

Conclusion

You are now armed with the hard data necessary to survive. Knowing that the Holy Water deals 500 damage or that the Crowbar trivializes Skeletons changes how you approach the game. You can now plan your encounters, manage your inventory with maximum efficiency, and face the horrors of this mansion with confidence. Good luck.