# Soulslike Enemy Combat: Enemy AI for Unreal Engine 5 > Enemy combat AI plugin for Unreal Engine 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8: souls-like enemies that keep their distance, take turns, parry and dodge, set up in Blueprint with no C++, in single player and multiplayer. Markdown version of https://rigbak.com/docs/SoulslikeCombatDocs, a page of the Soulslike Enemy Combat documentation. Link that page when citing it. Soulslike Enemy Combat AI System (StateTree + GAS) is enemy combat AI for Unreal Engine 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8: tactical movement, scored attacks, reactions, and coordination across a group. Each system stands on its own, so you can take the movement evaluator without the action scoring, or the melee traces without either. Runs on single player, listen server and dedicated server. New here? Start with [Getting Started](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/getting-started) for a working enemy, then [Step-by-Step Enemy](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/step-by-step-enemy) to build one properly. Already have a Character and an AI Controller you cannot reparent? [Minimal Enemy](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/minimal-enemy) is the six components that make one fight, with nothing inherited. ## At a glance - **Made for:** souls-like, action RPG and melee action games whose enemies have to space out, read the player, take turns and fight back. - **Engine:** Unreal Engine 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8. - **Setup:** Data Assets, Project Settings and Blueprint nodes, with no C++ needed. The full C++ source is included. - **Decisions:** the enemy runs on its own with no StateTree or Behavior Tree authored, or from a [StateTree](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/statetree) or a Behavior Tree you point it at. - **Attacks and hits:** Gameplay Ability System abilities, swept weapon traces, and guard, parry and block rules. - **Multiplayer:** the server makes every decision, in single player, on a listen server and on a dedicated server ([Multiplayer Enemy AI](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/multiplayer)). - **Included:** a demo level with working enemies, weapons and a boss fight, card editors for movesets and reactions, and a guide that lets an AI coding agent build an enemy for you ([AI Agent Guide](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/agents)). - **Not included:** player combat. Your player character, its moveset and its camera stay yours, and the enemies fight any pawn you register as a target. [Universal Player Combat](https://rigbak.com/docs/UniversalPlayerCombatDocs) is the player side of the same family. - **Get it:** [Soulslike Enemy Combat on Fab](https://www.fab.com/listings/7087cec0-6975-4de5-82e0-0de0b9b3e9a7). ### Overview Video Watch the 3.5-minute overview to see the systems at work. [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy0CcT1pvvA) ## How the pieces connect Config drives the controller, the controller decides, the pawn holds the movesets and runs the abilities. Switch to **Full wiring** to see every component, and click one for its resolution chain. *Interactive diagram on the page: Config → controller (decides) → pawn (replicates). Click the outer edges of the diagram to step back or forward; the center is free for component clicks. [Core Architecture](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/architecture)* --- ## Start here - [Getting Started](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/getting-started): Installation, quick start, and your first enemy in 10 minutes. - [Step-by-Step Enemy](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/step-by-step-enemy): Comprehensive guide to creating a complete enemy from scratch. - [Minimal Enemy](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/minimal-enemy): The six components that make an enemy fight, on a pawn and controller of your own. Building with an AI agent such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor? The [AI Agent Guide](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/agents) hands it the plugin's guide, so it builds an enemy from your own mesh and animations in your open editor. --- ## Guides One problem each, solved end to end in Blueprint. - [Souls-like Combat: Where to Start](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/soulslike-combat-ue5): What a Dark Souls style enemy needs, and the page that sets up each part. - [Enemies That Take Turns](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/enemies-take-turns): One enemy swings while the rest circle and wait their turn. - [Parry, Dodge and Counter](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/enemy-parry-dodge-counter): Enemies that see the player's swing coming and answer it. - [Tactical Enemy Movement](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/tactical-enemy-movement): Strafing, circling and spacing instead of walking straight at the player. - [Souls-like Boss Fights](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/boss-fights): A second phase, an arena, a boss bar and attacks that read the player. --- ## The systems - [Movement System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/movement-system): Tactical positioning, strafing, distance maintenance, pawn avoidance. - [Action System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/action-system): Scoring-based action selection, cooldowns, Ability/BT execution. - [Action Set Editor](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/action-set-editor): Lay a moveset out as cards, wire combos, and watch the AI decide while the game runs. - [Telegraphs](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/attack-telegraphs): A montage announces an attack at the wind-up, or a state a character is in, so an enemy can answer it. - [Combat Tokens](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/combat-tokens): Cap how many enemies may attack one target at once, so a crowd takes turns. - [Reaction System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/reaction-system): Event-driven parry, dodge, and counter reactions to game stimuli. - [Combat Roles](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/combat-roles): Multi-enemy coordination with Attacker, Flanker, Waiter roles. - [Targeting System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/targeting-system): Which target an enemy picks, and who takes over when one dies in co-op. - [Threat Detection](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/threat-detection): Track player camera attention and react when observed. - [Awareness System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/awareness-system): Per-AI perception memory; enemies engage only what they have sensed. - [Melee Trace](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/melee-trace): Frame-rate independent hit detection with swept traces. - [Defense System](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/defense-system): Parries, blocks, invulnerability frames and armor, answering what an incoming hit is worth. - [Weapons](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/weapons): Equippable weapons that bring their own trace sockets, action sets and defenses. - [Vitals](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/vitals): Health, stamina, and stance pools that gate and score what an enemy does. - [Animation Integration](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/animation-integration): Gameplay tags wired to anim Blueprint bools, loose tags held for a montage window. - [Configuration Reference](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/configuration): All data assets: ActionSets, Profiles, Damage Configs. - [Determinism](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/determinism): Seed every roll an enemy makes, so the same fight plays out the same way twice. - [Multiplayer](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/multiplayer): Replication architecture, server authority, and client-side state. --- ## Reference - [StateTree](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/statetree): The tasks and conditions the plugin ships, and the graph they run in. - [Core Architecture](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/architecture): The StateTree + Behavior Tree hybrid, and the map of every system. - [Patterns](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/patterns): Recipes for a grunt, a duelist, an archer and a boss. - [Troubleshooting](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/troubleshooting): The symptom you are looking at, its cause, and the fix. Plus every debug switch. - [Performance](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/performance): What each system costs per enemy, and which knobs bring it down. - [API Reference](https://rigbak.com/docs/soulslike-combat/api-reference): Classes, components and Blueprint nodes the plugin exposes. --- ## Credits The demo's dash ability and mannequin animation Blueprint are adapted from Epic Games' Lyra Starter Game. Its footstep, hit, swing and dodge sounds come from Lyra Starter Game, and its landing, punch and body fall sounds from the Game Animation Sample, all used under the Unreal Engine EULA. --- ## Support and Resources - [Get on Fab](https://www.fab.com/listings/7087cec0-6975-4de5-82e0-0de0b9b3e9a7) - [Try the Demo](https://rigbak.com/demos/sec) - [Roadmap](https://trello.com/b/gN7Fxryx/soulslike-enemy-combat-plugin-roadmap) - [Discord Support](https://discord.com/invite/CbRcTsYQcz) --- ## Pairs well with Soulslike Enemy Combat gives your enemies their fight. Universal Player Combat gives the player theirs: combos, equipment, targeting and finishers. - [Universal Player Combat on Fab](https://www.fab.com/listings/b4a9c6df-5b08-49be-8c44-d742b66f6d9b) - [Open a ticket on Discord](https://discord.com/invite/CbRcTsYQcz)