Troll

The Troll is a powerful monster that serves Nemesis in Catacomb 3D and the Catacomb Adventure Series.

They are often mid-tier monsters, lower in stature than enemies like Demons, but well above the rabble like Orcs or Bats.

Versions of the Troll appear in every Catacomb game except for Catacomb Armageddon.

In Catacomb 3D


The third-strongest monster in the game, the Troll is large, and far and away the toughest early monster, being ten times tougher than a Bat and more than 3 times tougher than an Orc, boasting an impressive 10 Hit Points. It is also much stronger offensively, doing roughly twice the damage with each hit. They appear as green-skinned giants armed with spiked flails.

While initially, the player will run into Trolls singly, they will appear in bigger and bigger numbers as the game progresses, and large groups of Trolls are extremely dangerous. Trolls actively try to flank, moving around the player to hit them from the side, which makes them very skilled at surrounding the player. 3 Trolls hammering away can send even a player on Easy difficulty to their doom in short order.

An interesting quirk of their behavior is that a Troll that tries to flank when the player is already cornered (and ergo flanks into a wall) may back off and seemingly run away, only to turn right around and charge at the player once it re-establishes line of sight or takes a hit. This behavior is more common in the later titles, and the Troll is the most common one to show it in Catacomb 3D.

A charged shot followed by a flurry of uncharged Magick Missiles is the most efficient way to deal with Trolls, though in practice it's often safer to hit them with a barrage of missiles while backing away, counting on the shots' stagger to finish the Troll off before it can get too close. Spells are extremely effective against Trolls as well; a single Bolt can kill three Trolls if they're standing in a row, and due to their size, a Nuke can cut the Hit Points of one in half or more at close range. Players will usually want to reserve their heaviest artillery for emergencies, however.

When killed, the troll pitches forward, bleeding black bile, and it faceplants directly into the floor.

They first appear on the Third Floor and appear in every level until Chaos Corridors.

In Catacomb Abyss


Catacomb Abyss introduces a particularly dangerous new version of this old enemy, the Water Troll, in The Ancient Aqueduct. In addition to being able to emerge from underwater to ambush the player, as Zombies can, these menaces have the ability to submerge themselves underwater, where the player's Magick Missiles cannot reach them. They have to surface to attack, however, which is the only time they are vulnerable. If the player manages to avoid melee combat with one for a while, they will submerge once more and try to get closer. They have 15 Hit Points each and do decent damage, making them a particular threat. It is worth using a Zapper to help wear one down quickly. Unlike other Trolls they fight unarmed, using their claws. When defeated, they collapse and disappear into the depths.

The original Green Troll also returns, this time even tougher than its previous incarnation, and arguably tougher, if less stealthy, than its watery cousin. It now has 12 Hit Points and has stun resistance, much like the Demon, allowing it to advance under a hail of the player's fire. This combination makes it much more dangerous. Green Trolls first appear in The Lair of the Trolls, and appear again in The Battleground of the Titans.

Water Trolls will only appear on the Crystal Sphere if the player has the Blue Jewel. They will appear when submerged, which makes this upgrade especially useful.

Green Trolls require the Green Jewel to show up on the Sphere.

In Catacomb Apocalypse
Smarter and equipped with a spiked magic gauntlet, the Golden Troll is the most powerful (and last) Troll encountered in the Catacomb series. It does by far the most damage of the all the Trolls, and it cannot be stunned or interrupted. It has 15 Hit Points, marking it as an especially dangerous foe. They are surprisingly rare, appearing only in The Wizards Maze and one of the secret levels.

The Yellow Jewel is required to make the Golden Troll appear on the Crystal Sphere.

Trivia

 * The Troll is based on its original incarnation in Dungeons & Dragons.
 * This also includes the Water Troll, which is based on the Scrag from the same game.
 * The Troll sprite is remixed in monochrome for the homage Bad Vibes (2017).