- Trench Decay enemies escalate from light raiders to shielded heavies and infiltrators across six chapters
- Specialists (armored raiders, shielded units) require focused firepower or explosives
- Gas-fueled waves surge after failed assaults — retreat to safe pockets on the surge, not before
- Flanking infiltrators hit extraction corridors in late chapters; wire the side trenches early
- Squad counters: LMGs shred grouped waves, shotguns hold chokepoints, scouts call flanks
Enemy Types by Campaign Chapter
Knowing what is pushing your trench line is half the battle in Trench Decay. The campaign escalates through six chapters, and each one introduces heavier enemy compositions and more aggressive gas mechanics. Use this table to anticipate the threat before it reaches your trench.
| Chapter | Enemy Wave Profile | Gas Mechanic |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 — First Deployment | Light infantry, slow trickle spawns, basic raiders | Intro surges with long warnings |
| Chapter 2 — The Forward Line | Mixed infantry plus first armored raider specialists | Periodic pushes shrinking the sector in halves |
| Chapter 3 — No Man's Land | Open-field charges, flanking parties via side trenches | Directional gas drifting from the enemy side |
| Chapter 4 — The Strongpoint | Sustained siege waves with shielded and heavy units | Gas follows every failed assault |
| Chapter 5 — The Breakthrough | Fast shock waves plus rear infiltrators on extraction routes | Rapid, nearly continuous gas timers |
| Chapter 6 — Final Stand | Overwhelming endless-style waves, all specialist types | Total gas advance to a last defensible pocket |
Video Highlights:
- Official trailer showing the trench-line defense atmosphere and enemy pressure
- Squad-based wave defense against the decayed in a WW1 setting
- Gas and extraction mechanics teased in the launch footage
In Chapter 3 and beyond, gas drifts directionally from the enemy side. Check the wind indicators before committing your squad to open ground — a flank route can become a death trap in seconds.
Enemy Threat Breakdown & Counters
Every enemy archetype in Trench Decay has a hard counter. Match your loadout and positioning to the threat instead of relying on one favorite gun.
| Enemy Type | Threat | Best Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Raider | Low — trickles in, dies to anything | Starter weapons fine; save ammo |
| Armored Raider | Medium — first specialist, resists light fire | DMR/scoped rifle, focused fire |
| Shielded / Heavy Unit | High — soaks damage, spearheads sieges | Satchel charges, LMG suppression, Engineer counter-armor |
| Flanking Party | Medium — hits side trenches | Barbed wire, Scout flank calls |
| Rear Infiltrator | High — attacks extraction corridor | Barricade the corridor from wave one, rotate defenders |
| Shock Wave Runner | Medium — fast, closes distance quickly | Shotgun at trench elbows, SMG mobility |
Hold the Elbow
- Corner trench junctions give two-sided cover
- Single approach to watch
- Ideal for LMG and Engineer setups
Delete the Breach
- Shotgun removes anything that reaches the trench
- Best at chokepoints and breach defense
- Pair with grenades for clusters
Pick the Specialists
- Scoped rifles remove armored raiders early
- Flare-mark priority targets
- Deny the siege before it starts
Wire the flank routes on every map. Flanking raiders use the same side trenches each time — barbed wire there buys your team seconds of warning and slows the flank to a crawl.
Step-by-Step: Surviving an Enemy Push
When a wave hits, panic kills squads faster than the enemy does. Follow this sequence every push.
Spot and Call
Scouts mark specialists with flares before the wave closes. Naming the threat early lets the squad assign counters instead of reacting blind.
Assign Firing Lanes
Each player covers a lane — left trench, center, right flank — not a fixed spot. Lanes keep coverage intact when someone falls back or revives.
Funnel Into Fire
Let enemies come to trench elbows and wired chokepoints. Overlapping fire lanes do the work; fighting in the open wastes ammo and lives.
Focus the Specialists
Strip armored and shielded units out of the wave first with concentrated fire or explosives. Basic raiders left behind are trivial cleanup.
Repair and Resupply
Between waves, repair barricades, top up from the Support ammo crate, and reset positions before the next push or gas surge.
A fixed position breaks the moment its holder goes down. Firing lanes survive deaths, revives, and resupplies — coverage stays intact no matter what the wave takes from you.
Gas-Fueled Waves & Pressure Timing
Gas is the campaign's clock. Enemies and gas work together: every failed assault on your line is followed by a surge, and in late chapters the pressure becomes nearly continuous.
| Situation | Correct Response |
|---|---|
| Gas warning triggers | Finish the fight, then fall back tier-by-tier — not all at once |
| Gas surge starting | Retreat on the surge; retreating early wastes loot time |
| Wave pushing during gas | Fall back to chokepoints, never fight in the open |
| Final chapter pocket | Circular defense, overlapping lanes, extract the moment the timer allows |
| Extraction under gas | Arrive as a squad, hold the zone facing spawn funnels |
Track the gas timer against your distance to extraction. If the gas can reach your exit trench before you can, you have already looted too deep — pull back one trench early every run.
Memorize the safe pockets — dugouts and bunkers that stay out of the gas longest — in low-risk runs so late-campaign retreats are muscle memory instead of guesswork. Check the official Discord for community-shared sector maps after each update.
Squad Roles Against Enemy Waves
Enemy pressure scales, and so should your composition. These pairings cover every wave type the campaign throws at you.
| Squad Role | Primary | Enemy Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Bolt rifle | Anchors the center trench vs standard infantry |
| Assault / Raider | Trench shotgun, smoke | Clears dugouts and close breaches |
| Medic | Carbine, medical bag | Sustain through gas pushes — one trench behind the line |
| Support / Gunner | LMG, ammo crate | Shreds grouped siege waves at chokepoints |
| Engineer | Carbine, toolbox, charges | Counter-armor vs shielded and heavy units |
| Scout / Marksman | Scoped rifle, flares | Picks off specialists before they reach the trench |
One player covers while the medic revives. Solo revives mid-wave are how squads snowball from a single down into a full wipe.
Before Every Wave Push:
- Wire the flank side trenches
- Repair all barricades and rebuild at elbows
- Confirm firing lanes for every squad member
- Stack an ammo crate at the hold position
- Check the gas timer against the extraction route
FAQ
Q: What are the most dangerous Trench Decay enemies?
Shielded and heavy units in Chapter 4 spearhead siege waves and soak enormous damage — they require explosives, LMG suppression, or Engineer counter-armor tools. Rear infiltrators in Chapter 5 are equally lethal because they attack your extraction corridor while the squad faces the main push.
Q: How do I counter armored raiders?
Armored raiders first appear in Chapter 2 and resist light fire. Focus them with scoped rifles or DMRs before they close the distance, or strip them out of the wave with concentrated squad fire. Don't waste starter-weapon ammo on them.
Q: Why do enemies get stronger near extraction?
Wave pressure intensifies as the run progresses, especially near extraction windows — it's part of the roguelite loop that forces you to choose between one more loot run and a safe exit. Keep the extraction corridor barricaded from the first wave onward.
Q: How does the DUAL update change enemy behavior?
The DUAL update included a broad balance pass on enemy pressure and wave pacing. Veterans should re-learn wave timing with a lower-difficulty run before pushing hard extractions, since encounter structure changed meaningfully.