Boss Fight Atlas
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Entity tether

Cooperative coordination

A tether links two identified entities and checks their distance at a defined instant. This pair must move together within a maximum range; a visible boundary enables coordination, and a failed check hurts both. Other encounters require a deliberate break or link the boss to one player, so label those rules separately.

Open boss builder
See the paired linkAt 0.70 seconds Kern links Tavi and one ally. The line joins their actual positions, and the circle around the ally marks the 150-unit maximum. A distance readout identifies the tested quantity; the first movement begins at 0.95 seconds.
Keep Kern's link together, then break its limit Kern links Tavi and an ally. A line and a 150-unit radius travel with the endpoints. The pair moves together and survives the first check; then it separates to roughly 308 units, the link breaks and both lose 90 health, before a retry resets the scene. Boss Player

At 0.70 seconds Kern links Tavi and one ally. The line joins their actual positions, and the circle around the ally marks the 150-unit maximum. A distance readout identifies the tested quantity; the first movement begins at 0.95 seconds.

Implementation checklist

Specify endpoint IDs, attachment and release times, measured positions, maximum length and equality rule, warning budget, simultaneous resolution, failure recipients, duplicate protection, and retry reset.

Core checks

Three questions for the mechanic

  • Which two entities are linked?

    Store two distinct live endpoint IDs and draw from the same world positions used by the rule. Decide whether the test uses centers, body edges, path length, or line of sight. This demo uses center-to-center Euclidean distance: 150 is held; anything greater breaks. The circle follows the ally only to explain the limit, not to create a stationary zone.

  • When and how does the link resolve?

    Signal attachment, then snapshot both endpoints at the same 2.20- or 4.30-second pulse. Resolve once per encounter-and-hit ID. A held pair takes no damage here; a broken pair takes 90 each. The first check must not silently carry damage into the second, and a duplicate callback must not hit twice.

  • Can the pair move as a pair?

    Compare warning time with the slower endpoint's route, obstacles, knockback, and other threats. A bond should constrain choices without requiring a hidden dash or impossible synchronization. Test exactly 150, just over 150, a missing or downed endpoint, simultaneous movement, stale network positions, and a retry with fresh hit IDs.

Design mistakes

  • Drawing one rule and checking another

    A line that appears to reach farther than the measured maximum makes a break feel arbitrary. Tie the line, boundary, numeric readout, and resolver to one coordinate system and threshold.

  • Treating every tether as keep-close

    Some encounters require a deliberate break; others connect a boss to one player and apply a debuff. State the required action and consequence before reusing this visual vocabulary.

Tuning

Tune the attack

  • Leave a coordination margin

    Do not tune routine movement to run exactly along the 150-unit edge. Leave room for animation, input delay, and a partner choosing a slightly different route; use the edge as a meaningful warning.

  • Clarify crossing and contact

    If crossing the threshold breaks instantly, check continuously and communicate that. If the bond is sampled only at a pulse, show the pulse and avoid implying a continuous penalty. This demo uses two timed samples.

  • Log both endpoints

    Capture endpoint IDs, positions, measured distance, limit, hit ID, outcome, both health deltas, and retry reset. Replay a successful shared route and an overlong route on narrow and wide layouts.

Arena

  • One bond, two routes

    Kern joins two figures with a rune line. They shift together and the first pulse passes. On the next pass they flee in opposite directions; the same line stretches beyond its ring, snaps, and harms both.

Player upgrades

  • Make the limit legible without color

    Keep a solid line for a held link, a split line and cross for a break, a numeric distance/limit readout, and separate health bars. Let the timeline reveal both checks when autoplay is off; avoid depending on a colored ring alone.

Do not confuse this with

  • A relational distance, not a fixed area

    A tower checks bodies at a world-fixed point; a stack gathers bodies around one marked target; a tether measures the relationship between two moving endpoints. A spread may reward separation, while this variant penalizes it.

Bosses that use this mechanic

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