Filth

For more information about other enemies, see Enemies

Filth are Lesser Husks that first appear in the small tutorial before [ 0-1: INTO THE FIRE ], and are the first enemy fought in the game. They are the most numerous enemy by far.

Appearance

Filth are emaciated humanoids that lack arms, eyes, and noses. Their only facial feature is a large gaping mouth lined with jagged teeth, used to bite and tear. Their flesh is greyish green, with dried blood covering their bodies.

Combat

Filth will run toward the player at all times, chasing them in endless pursuit. They can run surprisingly fast, letting them catch up while on the ground. They frequently spawn in hordes, serving as the rank-and-file that distract and harass the player. While relatively easy to dispatch, Filth can quickly take out the player if allowed to attack unhindered.

Their main attack is performed by lunging at the player and biting down on them, dealing 30 damage. This attack can be parried with precise timing. Since the bite attack has a deceptive range, it's advised to dash while parrying to avoid getting hit.

Difficulty Changes

• HARMLESS
  • Filth move and attack much slower than usual.

• LENIENT
  • Filth move and attack slower than usual.

• VIOLENT
  • Filth move and attack faster than usual.
  • Parrying their lunge does not cancel the damage, and requires a dash in order to avoid it.

• BRUTAL
  • Filth move and attack much faster than usual.
  • They gain a jumping lunge attack, allowing them to hit the player whilst airborne with disregard for where they end up landing.

Terminal Data

For more information, see Terminal

TYPE: Lesser Husk

DATA:
Husks are physical manifestations of the souls of the damned.

The physical form is based on the value of the original soul, which is determined by the strength of its will and its prevalence in public consciousness: the living souls that remember it.

Filth are the lowest form of Husk, whose souls were too weak and unimportant to even form a complete physical body.

Even among Husks, they have the lowest intelligence, driven purely by hunger.

STRATEGY:
- Most weapons are easily capable of taking down Filth, but their powerful jaws and sheer numbers can overwhelm a target quickly if underestimated.

- Explosives are the most effective way to take down swarms, but any weapon that can hit more than one target will be efficient.

Rending Apart

Filth are very easy to deal with; any weapon will kill them with little effort. However, their tendency to spawn in large groups makes explosive attacks ideal for taking them out. The ease with which one can take out groups of Filth makes them a good way to boost style.

The Knuckleblaster's shockwave, along with any other form of explosion, such as projectile boosting with Shotguns, the Core Eject Shotgun's core, or a fully charged Pump Charge Shotgun's blast are all effective ways to instantly wipe out groups of Filth. The Nailgun and Alternate Nailgun are also viable options for dealing with Filth, with nails and sawblades in particular dealing 200% damage to Filth. The Firestarter Rocket Launcher can also make quick work of swarms of Filth, setting them aflame when they pass through ignited gasoline in the environment during their pursuit of the player.

Filth will gather in a group underneath the player while they are airborne, making them a prime target for exploding or ground slamming. A good way to farm style is to ground slam a group of Filth and blow them up midair with the Knuckleblaster's shockwave. If other enemies are present in the group, rockets from the Rocket Launcher work better since it has a larger explosion radius and much higher damage.

A Filth's lunging attack can be parried with the Feedbacker or Shotgun. This has the benefit of restoring the player to maximum health, though they will still be damaged if on Violent difficulty without using a dash. As the timing is tight, it is not recommended to do so unless as a last resort, as a regular Feedbacker punch will still kill it.

Patch History

Trivia

• The Filth's name and appearance are inspired by the Swans album Filth.^[1]
• When asked, Hakita has stated that the reason Filth are able to "see" V1 is because its vibes are off. The same answer was given for Cerberi and Sisyphean Insurrectionists.
• The Filth's lunge attack on Violent and lower difficulties does not count as actual jumping, preventing them receiving airtime damage bonuses. They can still be baited into jumping off the edge.
  • However, Brutal difficulty gives the Filth a leaping attack that does count as being airborne.
• There is at least one Filth present in almost every normal level in the game.
  • The exception to this is [ 7-1: GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS ]. Technically this includes [ 7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT ], but it has a sleeping Filth in the clock tower which counts well enough.
  • The Filth also appears at the end of [ 4-4: CLAIR DE SOLEIL ] during the Whiplash tutorial and [ 7-4: ...LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN ] during the meltdown sequence. These are the only boss levels they are included in.
• Filth, alongside Strays and Mannequins, have a Puppet variant, distinguished by its completely red body. These variants need to be killed to feed the trees in [ 7-3: NO SOUND, NO MEMORY ] in order to make progress.
• Despite being the first encountered enemy, the first proper enemy revealed on Hakita's YouTube channel was the Malicious Face.
• The Filth originally looked quite different as more generic zombies than their current iterations, featuring arms and a blank face. Hakita received feedback that the Filth were too stupid so it was changed into its current form rather than altering their behavior. The Filth were changed to the current design in demo version 1.05.
  • This unused model was edited and repurposed for the Puppets in [ 7-3: NO SOUND, NO MEMORY ].
• The Filth is called the Zombie when modified by the Spawner Arm.
  • This applies to the other very old enemies, such as the Stray being dubbed Projectile Zombie, and the Schism being named the Super Projectile Zombie.

Gallery

Early Filth concept art, by Jericho.

Old appearance of Melee Husk before the redesign (before the name "Filth" was adapted).

A mural of Filth as seen in [ 4-3: A SHOT IN THE DARK ].

Texture found in the game files of a Filth with a closed mouth.

Filth taking a nap on a bench in [ 7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT ].

References

Enemies

Husks Filth Stray Schism Soldier TCoKM(?) Stalker Insurrectionist Ferryman Machines Swordsmachine Drone Streetcleaner V2 Mindflayer V2 (2nd) Sentry Gutterman Guttertank 1000-THR Defence System Earthmover Demons Malicious Face Cerberus Hideous Mass Idol Leviathan Mannequin Minotaur Angels Gabriel, Judge of Hell Virtue Gabriel, Apostate of Hate Prime Souls Minos Prime Sisyphus Prime Other Something Wicked Cancerous Rodent Very Cancerous Rodent MDK&O(?) Big Johninator Puppet Flesh Prison Flesh Panopticon