Configuration¶

This guide covers how to configure NPC definitions, difficulty tiers, scaling parameters, and spawn tables.

NPC Definition Data Assets¶

The UFWNpcDefinition data asset is the primary configuration point for each NPC archetype. Create one per NPC type (e.g., "Forest Wolf", "Lich Guard", "Raid Boss").

Creating a Definition¶

In the Content Browser, right-click and select Miscellaneous > Data Asset.
Choose FWNpcDefinition as the parent class.
Name it following the convention DA_<NpcName> (e.g., DA_LichGuard).

Configuration Sections¶

Identity¶

Field	Description	Example
`NpcId`	Unique FName identifier. Used as the primary asset ID.	`LichGuard`
`DisplayName`	Localized display name shown to players.	`Lich Guard`
`Category`	Classification tier affecting loot tables and UI.	`Elite`
`NpcClass`	Soft reference to the Pawn Blueprint to spawn.	`BP_LichGuard`

NpcId Naming

Use PascalCase without spaces for NpcId. This value is used in the Asset Manager and must be unique across all NPC definitions.

AI Behavior¶

Field	Description	Default
`BehaviorTree`	Soft reference to the Behavior Tree to run.	--
`PatrolMode`	`None`, `Waypoint`, or `RandomRoam`.	`None`
`RoamRadius`	Radius for random roam in centimeters. Only used when `PatrolMode = RandomRoam`.	`1000`
`AggroRadius`	AI perception sight radius for aggro detection in centimeters.	`1500`

No PatrolRandom RoamWaypoint Patrol

Set PatrolMode = None for NPCs that stand in place until aggro'd.

Set PatrolMode = RandomRoam and configure RoamRadius. The NPC picks random navmesh-reachable points within the radius and walks between them with randomized wait times.

Set PatrolMode = Waypoint. Waypoints are defined on the AFWNpcSpawnPoint actor's PatrolPoints array, not in the definition. This allows the same NPC definition to patrol different routes in different levels.

Leash Overrides¶

Field	Description	Default
`LeashRadius`	Override for hard leash distance (cm). `0` = use component default (4000).	`0`
`SoftLeashRadius`	Override for soft leash distance (cm). `0` = use component default (3000).	`0`
`bCanLeash`	Set to `false` to prevent this NPC from ever leashing. Use for raid/dungeon bosses.	`true`

Boss Leashing

Always set bCanLeash = false for bosses in instanced content. If a boss leashes mid-fight, it creates a frustrating player experience. For open-world bosses where leashing is acceptable, leave it enabled with a generous radius.

Threat Overrides¶

Field	Description	Default
`ThreatDecayRate`	Override threat lost per second. `0` = use component default (2.0).	`0`
`TauntThreatMultiplier`	Override taunt multiplier. `0` = use component default (1.5).	`0`

Combat¶

Field	Description	Default
`BaseLevel`	Base NPC level. Used for scaling and combat calculations.	`1`
`AbilityTags`	GAS ability tags granted on spawn. Requires FWGASSystem.	--
`AttributeDefaults`	Data table for GAS base attribute defaults.	--

Faction¶

Field	Description	Default
`DefaultFactionId`	FName of the faction to assign on spawn. Requires FWFactionSystem.	--

Spawning¶

Field	Description	Default
`RespawnTime`	Seconds before respawning after death.	`60`
`MaxActiveInstances`	Max concurrent instances per spawn point.	`1`

Difficulty Tiers¶

FWAISystem supports three difficulty tiers with built-in default multipliers.

Default Tier Multipliers¶

Tier	HP Multiplier	Damage Multiplier	XP Multiplier
Normal	1.0	1.0	1.0
Hard	2.0	1.5	1.75
Mythic	4.0	2.5	3.0

Per-Definition Tier Overrides¶

You can override the default tier multipliers on a per-NPC basis using the TierScaling map in UFWNpcDefinition:

// In your NPC definition setup
UFWNpcDefinition* BossDef = ...;

FFWInstanceScalingConfig MythicConfig;
MythicConfig.DifficultyTier = EFWDifficultyTier::Mythic;
MythicConfig.HpMultiplier = 6.0f;      // Override: 6x HP instead of 4x
MythicConfig.DamageMultiplier = 3.0f;   // Override: 3x damage instead of 2.5x
MythicConfig.XpMultiplier = 5.0f;       // Override: 5x XP instead of 3x
MythicConfig.ExpectedPlayerCount = 5;
MythicConfig.PerPlayerHpScale = 0.2f;   // +20% HP per extra player
MythicConfig.PerPlayerDamageScale = 0.05f; // +5% damage per extra player

BossDef->TierScaling.Add(EFWDifficultyTier::Mythic, MythicConfig);

In the Editor, expand the TierScaling map and add entries for each tier you want to customize.

Party Scaling¶

Party scaling adjusts NPC stats based on the number of players in the group. The formula is additive:

EffectiveHP = BaseHP * HpMultiplier * (1 + PerPlayerHpScale * max(0, PlayerCount - ExpectedPlayerCount))
EffectiveDmg = BaseDmg * DamageMultiplier * (1 + PerPlayerDamageScale * max(0, PlayerCount - ExpectedPlayerCount))

Scaling Configuration Fields¶

Field	Description	Default
`ExpectedPlayerCount`	Baseline player count (no scaling at this count).	`1`
`PerPlayerHpScale`	Fractional HP increase per extra player. `0.3` = +30% per player.	`0.3`
`PerPlayerDamageScale`	Fractional damage increase per extra player. `0.1` = +10% per player.	`0.1`

Example: 5-Player Mythic Dungeon Boss¶

Setting	Value
Base HP	10,000
HpMultiplier (Mythic)	4.0
ExpectedPlayerCount	5
PerPlayerHpScale	0.2

With 5 players (expected): 10,000 * 4.0 * (1 + 0.2 * 0) = 40,000 HP

With 6 players: 10,000 * 4.0 * (1 + 0.2 * 1) = 48,000 HP

With 10 players: 10,000 * 4.0 * (1 + 0.2 * 5) = 80,000 HP

Spawn Tables¶

Spawn tables define weighted lists of NPC definitions for zone-based spawning via AFWNpcSpawnVolume.

Creating a Spawn Table¶

In the Content Browser, right-click and select Miscellaneous > Data Asset.
Choose FWSpawnTable as the parent class.
Name it following the convention DA_SpawnTable_<ZoneName> (e.g., DA_SpawnTable_DarkForest).

Configuring Entries¶

Each entry in the spawn table has the following fields:

Field	Description
`NpcDefinition`	Reference to the NPC definition data asset (preferred).
`NpcClass`	Direct class reference (fallback if no definition is needed).
`Weight`	Relative spawn weight. Higher values mean more frequent spawns.
`MinLevel`	Level floor override (-1 = use definition default).
`MaxLevel`	Level ceiling override (-1 = use definition default).

Weight Distribution Example¶

NPC	Weight	Spawn Chance
Forest Wolf	5.0	50%
Forest Bear	3.0	30%
Forest Spider	1.5	15%
Rare Forest Treant	0.5	5%
Total	10.0	100%

Weight Calculation

Spawn chance = EntryWeight / TotalWeight. Weights are relative, not percentages. A table with weights [2, 2] produces the same 50/50 distribution as [1, 1].

Level Filtering¶

Use MinLevel and MaxLevel on entries to restrict spawns to appropriate player levels:

Entry: DA_ForestWolfPup
  MinLevel: 1
  MaxLevel: 10
  Weight: 5.0

Entry: DA_ForestWolfAlpha
  MinLevel: 8
  MaxLevel: 20
  Weight: 3.0

This creates overlapping level ranges so players see a gradual transition between NPC types.

Spawn Point Configuration¶

AFWNpcSpawnPoint Properties¶

Property	Description	Recommended Values
`NpcDefinition`	What NPC to spawn	Required
`RespawnTime`	Override definition respawn time (0 = use definition)	`0` for most, `300` for bosses
`InitialSpawnDelay`	Delay before first spawn on level load	`0` to `5` for staggering
`MaxInstances`	Max concurrent NPCs from this point	`1` for most, `3-5` for packs
`WanderRadius`	Override roam radius	`0` for most
`PatrolPoints`	Local-space waypoints for waypoint patrol	Define in editor viewport
`bSpawnOnBeginPlay`	Auto-spawn on level load	`true` for most

AFWNpcSpawnVolume Properties¶

Property	Description	Recommended Values
`SpawnTable`	Spawn table data asset	Required
`MaxNpcs`	Maximum NPCs in the volume	`5-20` depending on zone size
`SpawnInterval`	Seconds between spawn checks	`3-10`
`DespawnDistance`	Despawn when no player within (cm)	`15000-30000`
`SpawnDistance`	Only spawn when player within (cm)	`8000-15000`
`bCheckNavmesh`	Validate spawn locations on navmesh	`true` (always)

Performance

Keep SpawnInterval at 3 seconds or higher to avoid excessive spawn checks. For large zones with many volumes, consider 5-10 seconds. The SpawnDistance and DespawnDistance settings are critical for performance -- NPCs far from any player are despawned automatically.

Threat Component Configuration¶

Properties¶

Property	Default	Description	Tuning Notes
`ThreatDecayRate`	`2.0`	Threat lost per second of inactivity	Increase for faster threat forgetting; decrease for stickier aggro
`TauntThreatMultiplier`	`1.5`	Multiplier applied to taunt-generated threat	Values above 1.0 ensure taunts reliably grab aggro
`HealingThreatMultiplier`	`0.5`	Threat per point of healing relative to damage	Keep below 1.0 to avoid healers pulling aggro too easily
`ProximityThreatRadius`	`0.0`	Range for automatic proximity threat (0 = disabled)	Set to aggro radius for auto-aggro on approach
`MaxThreatEntries`	`40`	Maximum table size	Increase for world bosses with many participants

Leash Component Configuration¶

Properties¶

Property	Default	Description	Tuning Notes
`LeashRadius`	`4000`	Hard leash distance (cm)	40 meters default; increase for bosses with large arenas
`SoftLeashRadius`	`3000`	Soft leash distance (cm)	Must be less than LeashRadius
`RegenRatePercent`	`0.05`	HP regen per second as fraction of max HP	5% per second = full heal in 20 seconds
`PursuitSpeedMultiplier`	`0.6`	Speed multiplier in the soft leash zone	Lower = more aggressive slowdown
`ResetDelay`	`8.0`	Seconds of no threat before full reset	Increase for zones with sparse enemies
`bResetHealthOnReturn`	`true`	Full heal on reaching spawn	Set false for NPCs that should retain damage
`bCanLeash`	`true`	Whether leashing is enabled	Set false for instanced bosses