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R.E.P.O.’s Trudge is a monstrous tank, able to take hit after hit while also able to kill multiple crewmates in a single attack. However, it’s also highly avoidable and, for those with some bloodlust and gumption, a foe vulnerable to a hit-and-run approach.
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This guide will walk you through the basics of fighting the Trudge, and discuss whether it’s something worth attempting.
The Basics of the Trudge
The Trudge is a deadly, lumbering foe, with hundreds of health and attacks that can be difficult to avoid. It can create a vacuum-like suction field with a big range, pulling everyone nearby towards it. Then, it can punish nearby crew with a slam. If either of these attacks hit, it can easily result in a kill (with the slam attack specifically seeming to literally be an instant kill, rather than dealing damage). The Trudge is also massively heavy; actually picking it up is essentially impossible under normal circumstances.
Most players learn to simply avoid the Trudge, and with good reason.It’s fairly slow, noisy, and relatively easy to hide from. Its sight is limited, and it seems to be completely deaf.Meanwhile, unless you have a team that can fight with some coordination and the right equipment (andmaybe a few upgrades), it’s also one of the toughest fights the game can throw at you. It can take significant resources to overcome, yet will provide no reward if you don’t manage to kill it.
Fighting the Trudge
To fight the Trudge, everyone involved should first understand that the creature should be passive, meaning it is calmly wandering around looking for targets. If it’s aware a crewmate is nearby, everyone needs to get away and wait before attacking. This is because it will quickly use its vacuum attack once it has a target. This will suck in everyone nearby and knock them down. This pull can result in all involved then immediately being hit with its slam attack, killing them instantly.
One big risk of the Trudge is that someone accidentally triggers his pull attack with crew nearby. If everyone is safely hidden, but one crew member gets spotted, the pull can easily cause a bunch of otherwise safe crewmates to quickly get smashed.
Like most enemies in R.E.P.O., the proper way to combat the Trudge is to knock it down before it can attack, punish the fall as much as you can do safely, and then either flee or rush to knock it down again if it manages to get up.The initial knockdown is typically going to be where something goes wrong, assuming you’re actively fighting the Trudge and not caught by surprise. The community and testing for this article have shown a few different strategies can make getting it off its feet easier:
It should also be understood that guns in R.E.P.O. are extremely powerful and can significantly reduce the difficulty of almost any fight. The Shotgun is usually regarded as the best weapon in the game and the Pistol is a close second, although it can be hard to aim. Unloading into the Trudge with these weapons can quickly trivialize the fight. The Tranq Gun can also stun the Trudge, although keep in mind that it can’t deal the creature any damage.
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You’re unlikely to kill a Trudge in a single volley of attacks without a lot of practice.After a time, it will pop up again and immediately try to attack. How a team wants to balance dealing as much damage as possible versus making sure they have time to get away if the creature gets back up is going to depend on a group and their skill level. The safe strategy is generally going to be only trying to get one or two hits in while the creature is down and then fleeing, waiting for another opportunity to knock it down, and then repeating. However, a skilled team can get very good atseverelypunishing downed foes and still avoiding any retribution.
When the Trudge dies, make sure to get the orb it drops. This relatively valuable orb is very fragile;handle with careor one of the main reasons you took on this challenging fight might end up smashed to bits.
Choosing Your Battles
More than almost any other enemy in R.E.P.O., the Trudge is a fight you should usually only be tackling if you have a very good reason. This is a very tough, very avoidable monster. It’s also relatively rare that it will damage valuable items around it so long as it remains passive. Fights against the creature tend to be expensive unless you’re very skilled, costing multiple explosives and crew lives, while netting an orb that seems like it isn’t worth more than $10,000 (with all valuables in the game having a range of potential values when generated), at least on average, based on testing.
Probably the biggest issue with fighting the Trudge compared to other monsters is its health. While something likethe Huntsmanshould probably be viewed as a deadlier foe, he’s also much easier to kill.The Trudge’s big health pool means it lasts a while, leaving more time for a crew to make a mistake and to then be punished for that mistake with a vacuum and lethal slam.He’s often best thought of more as a mobile obstacle than an enemy; you can try punching through this wall if you want, but you should very much learn to view doing so as the risky way to overcome him.
This doesn’t mean the Trudge should never be fought. Skilled players can wipe the floor with any monster, and the Trudge is no exception. Meanwhile, some crews will just be well-armed; a Shotgun is a lethal problem-solver and rechargeable. Instead, you just need to consider what you’re likely to gain from the fight and what you’re likely to lose. If you can kill it cheaply or you believe the Trudge is likely to cause serious issues for your crew (or their valuables) in the future, a fight makes sense. If you don’t know if you have what it takes, either in terms of skill or available items, while also only really wanting to fight it for the orb it’ll drop, it’s a fight best avoided.
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