Stonewards Bosses & Waves: Enemy Types and Strategy
How waves and bosses work in Stonewards: timers, enemy types like tiny dudes and archers, plus survival tips from community gameplay footage.
Last verified: September 24, 2026 — Game version: Stonewards Early Access 0.2.2 hotfix on top of 0.2.0 “Later Summer” (current). Facts come from official Steam sources and verified player reports.
Stonewards is a wave-based roguelite defense game. A timer at the top of the screen counts down to the next wave (“wave 1”, “wave 2”, etc.). When the horn sounds or the timer hits zero, enemies spawn and you must defend the central area while your miners are out collecting.
Wave Structure
- Waves are timed. A visible timer tells players when the next wave arrives.
- Between waves you mine, craft arrows, repair walls, and visit the blacksmith.
- The game behaves like a light tower defense: you hold a defensive line while resources are gathered.
- Later waves bring more and tougher enemies. One run noted “3 bosses” in a single wave.
Known Enemy Types
| Enemy | Description | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny Dudes | Small fast enemies that swarm | Easy to kite but can overwhelm if ignored |
| Archers | Ranged enemies that shoot from range | “Watch out for the archers, dude. There’s like a shitload of them. RETREAT” (community gameplay, 34:55) |
| Standard Melee | Basic ground units | Main threat to walls |
| Bosses | Larger, higher HP enemies | Multiple bosses can appear in later waves |
Practical Tips from Gameplay
- Retreat when overwhelmed. Players called “RETREAT, BOYS” when archers stacked up (community gameplay, 34:55).
- Use the wall. The central wall has a lot of HP early on. You can let it tank a few hits while you mine or reposition (community gameplay, 38:06).
- Coordinate roles. One player may be deep mining while others defend. Communication (proximity chat) is key when waves hit.
- Prepare before the horn. Craft arrows, repair walls, and grab upgrades in the safe period between waves.
For class-specific combat advice, see the classes comparison. For general combat, read the combat overview.
How Later Patches Changed Wave Behavior
- Enemies no longer snipe your base from across the map. 0.1.8 fixed enemies continuing to target and attack the Wall or King from a distance.
- Anti-stall measures exist now (0.1.8). If combat stays at very low intensity for too long, enemies disengage from the player and go back to attacking the Wall or King, so a wave cannot be stalled by kiting one enemy around the map.
- Archers spread their fire in co-op (0.2.2). Some enemies, archers included, previously only targeted the host; that was fixed, so expect volleys aimed at whoever is exposed.
- Bounced projectiles keep a minimum speed (0.1.8) instead of slowing to a crawl after repeated rebounds.
- Endless Mode difficulty scales non-linearly (0.1.6), so late-wave ramp-up no longer follows the launch curve.
Sources
- The Boys are Dwarves (community gameplay): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-XuIMMYeW8
- Official Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4502710/
- Official Steam announcements hub: https://steamcommunity.com/games/4502710/announcements/
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