Skulking Colony: How to Beat the Thrice-Buffed Act 1 Elite (v0.106.0 update)

Skulking Colony was reworked in v0.100.0, buffed again in v0.102.0, and buffed a third time in v0.106.0 (May 21, 2026). The current version sits at 75(80) HP, gets Hardened Shell at 20 instead of 15, has the Smash move removed entirely (it uses Zoom on turns 1 and 2 instead), and no longer gains Block at all.

The result is a more predictable but tankier elite. The earlier variance of Smash openings is gone — you now know what turn 1 and turn 2 will look like — but the higher Hardened Shell value and bigger HP pool mean you cannot just out-tempo the fight with a single big AOE.

Two Act 1 priorities help most: front-loaded single-target damage to kill the minions fast, and one efficient AOE source (Cleave, Shockwave, Whirlwind) for when more spawn. Pure block stacks are still a trap — the damage cap will punish you for trying to outlast the fight, and the bigger HP pool means there is more fight to outlast than before.

Take the elite when you have at least one of: a 14+ damage attack, a tested AOE, or a strong potion. If your deck is none of those, route around it and revisit the elite after a card or relic upgrade. The threshold went up slightly from the old "12+" rule because Hardened Shell at 20 (up from 15) eats more of every single hit.

Predictable opening: turn 1 and turn 2 are now both Zoom. You know exactly what is coming, which means setup turns can plan around it — apply Vulnerable on turn 1, set up burst on turn 2, and swing on turn 3. The old Smash variance forced reactive play; the new pattern rewards rehearsed openings.

No more Block from the elite means once you push through Hardened Shell, every point of damage lands. This rewards bursting through the Shell threshold rather than chip damage — a single 14+ attack is now objectively better than two 8-damage hits, because the Shell soaks each instance.

The buff also slightly devalues weak-AOE pickups (Cleave at base 8) in Act 1: the threshold per hit is higher, so AOE without Vulnerable support or Strength scaling can leave minions alive longer than before. Pair AOE with Vulnerable sources (Bash, Thunderclap) for the cleanest profile.