Combat is the loudest thing Graveyard Keeper 2 adds, and it is gated arithmetic more than reflex: every town battle checks your military strength and your squad count before it opens. The official devlog sets the frame; Neoseeker's tested walkthrough supplies the numbers.
The weekly rhythm
- City battles are a weekly task. "City battles will only be available on a certain day of the week", per the devlog, making battle day a fixed appointment alongside sermons and NPC days.
- The sewers are open the other days ("open 6/6"), full of hostile zombies, as the everyday combat outlet.
- The devlog also teases "the Sewrena" lying "somewhere deep beneath the Town": named, unexplained, and the strongest hint of a challenge arena layer.
Strength, squads and the Barracks
Battles are unlocked through Herbert, the head of the guards, whose task line begins once you hand him three Faith:
| Piece | What it contributes |
|---|---|
| Mercenary (base) | 8 strength while hired |
| Mercenary upgrade 1 | 3 Iron Ingots: 8 to 16 strength |
| Mercenary upgrade 2 | 3 Steel Ingots: 16 to 24 strength |
| Barricade I | +2 strength each, built at the Barracks building desk |
| Squads | You field 1 at first, then 2, then 3 as the campaign advances |
The first battle's 12-strength gate therefore works out to one mercenary (8) plus two Barricade I (2 each). Each barricade costs 6 Bronze Nails, 2 Short Logs and 2 Reinforced Planks, and Reinforced Planks themselves need Oiled Planks and Bronze Details at specific mastery levels, so battle prep runs straight through your production chain. Herbert hands you two healing potions before the first fight.
Streets, not arenas
Town battles "don't take place in special arenas; they happen right on the streets, which, after your victories, will become populated by the townsfolk and market stalls". Different districts fight differently:
| Battle | Shape per the devlog |
|---|---|
| Town Square | Hold off waves attacking from every direction |
| Central streets | Push on multiple fronts and capture control points |
Victory converts the street back to civilian use, which is how battles feed the Town rebuild.
The battle list
The campaign is a named sequence of town-defense battles (per Neoseeker, launch-window testing):
| Battle | Strength gate | Squads |
|---|---|---|
| Break Through to the Port (first fight) | 12 | 1 |
| First South battle | 12 | 1 |
| Second South battle | 20 | 2 |
| Plaza Battle | 22 | 2 |
| First street battle | 36 | 2 |
| Second street battle | 56 | 3 |
| Water Locked | 56 | 3 |
| Steamy Royal battles | 80 | 3 |
| Royal Foundry (campaign end) | 96 | 3 |
Victories pay out Defender's Emblems, Zombie goo and Town Gratitude, with Victory Banners at the bigger fights, and First Blood lands on the first win. Losing is not run-ending: the walkthrough notes you can simply retry when ready. In battle itself you place defenses, then either let the squads hold or raise a banner and lead them yourself, holding flagged points to keep your base and health intact. The devlog's "combat potions" line refers to craftable Berserker, Damage and Healing Potions.
The 4,000 number
The devlog's P.S. is the only official scale figure for the whole system: "over the course of the game, you'll lay a little over 4,000 zombies to rest."
The achievements list tracks the battle milestones, zombies covers the workforce you arm, and the tips page covers the economy that pays for it.
What we cannot confirm yet
- Mercenary hire prices and the full upgrade step text (the walkthrough's table of contents shows the steps; the page body was not retrievable).
- The first battle's full tutorial sequence beyond its intro: an opening retreat where you hold the right flank back to the village gate.
- Which weekday opens city battles, and whether it shifts; whether the Sewrena is a boss arena or something else.
- Difficulty scaling and any post-launch rebalancing of combat, beyond Update 1.005's combat movement fixes.
FAQ
Can you skip combat entirely?
No official statement says so. The Town's districts unlock through battle, and the achievements track battle progress, so it is structurally required; the sewers being always-open suggests pacing is the player's choice.
What is military strength?
The readiness score a battle checks before it opens: your hired mercenaries' contribution plus 2 per placed Barricade I. Neoseeker's walkthrough treats it as the campaign's progression currency, from a 12 gate at the first fight to 96 at the last.