While talents and hand action are important to the battle, it's not likely to win any duel in Inkulinati without the right units. Some of these combatants, even on the easiest settings, are flatly terrible, either costing more than they are worth or not strong enough to contribute meaningfully.
Most of the creatures are passable, able to defeat an opponent so long as the player controlling them is a bright and talented strategist. However, a select few beasts in Inkulinati are better than just alright, offensively powerful, able to absorb a few hits, and, maybe most importantly, worth the living ink it takes to draw them.
Bow-Wielding Fox
Living Ink Cost | 6 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 6 |
Damage | 2-4 |
Dexterity | 5 |
Health | 8 |
Bow | Attacks a single target up to six fields away. Cannot attack adjacent fields. |
Hail of Arrows | Attacks up to three targets up to six fields away. Cannot attack adjacent fields. Can be used every two chapters. |
The Sadistic Thief | Attacks steal 1 living ink droplet from the enemy army and add the same value to his army's ink reserves. |
Heresy-Resistant | Can never become a heretic. |
Agile Target | This beast is harder to hit during a dexterity attack. |
Players who are hunting for more living ink will find that the foxes with The Sadistic Thief trait supply lots. They are easily the best of the starting races. None are better than the Bow-Wielding Fox who can hit multiple targets.
Cerberus
Living Ink Cost | 15 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 6 |
Dexterity | 0 |
Health | 14 |
The Maw of Cerberus | Attacks both adjacent fields at once. Causes bleeding. |
Triple Fireballs | Attacks up to three targets up to four fields away. Creates fire sparks on fields occupied by its targets. |
Hellborn | Immune to Hell's Maws and Halos. Receives additional damage from the anointed. |
Fire Resistance | Immune to fire sparks. Not immune to bonfires. |
Cerberus shares the traits of the top four beasts on this list. The only reason he doesn't join his counterparts is due to his lavish expense. Still, for those who have extra living ink, he's a great tank. Just be sure to keep those boredom stacks low so he can be used consistently.
Head Exploder
Living Ink Cost | 12 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 4-7 |
Dexterity | 3 |
Health | 14 |
Fire Breath | Attacks an adjacent field and the one behind it. Creates fire sparks. |
Piercing Scream | Attacks enemies up to three fields away. Deals certain damage. |
Prayer | Gives a halo and makes the target unpushable. |
Flying | Can change levels without the use of a ladder. Can also safely fly over gates and bonfires. |
Infection Resistance | Immune to infection. |
Bloated as Hell | Will cause a large explosion upon death, dealing 5 damage to all units within five fields. |
The Flying trait makes the beast a threat from anywhere on the battlefield, especially with his range and attacks that hit multiple areas.
Sir Snail
Living Ink Cost | 15 |
Walk Speed | 2 |
Run Speed | 4 |
Damage | 6-7 |
Dexterity | 3 |
Health | 15 |
Maw | Attacks object on an adjacent field. Devours the target. |
Perhaps the most feared unit in the game, Sir Snail is capable of instantly killing anything he's next to.
He's slow and costly, but after he eats a few beasts or even the Tiny Inkulinati, he pays off.
Donkey Bard
Living Ink Cost | 8 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 4-7 |
Dexterity | 0 |
Health | 12 |
Hoof | Attacks adjacent field with average accuracy. The stomp pushes the target. |
Blow the Bagpipes | Wakes a friendly beast up from their nap, giving them an additional turn during the chapter. Grants motivation. |
Farting the Pipe | Affects all enemies up to three fields away. Forces them to take a nap and gives them a really, really bad headache. |
The Donkey Bard can occasionally stun an entire team for one turn by putting them to sleep. If he's out of position, he can also support or kill an enemy with the pushing Hoof attack.
Flute-Wieldng Skeleton
Living Ink Cost | 6 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 1-2 |
Dexterity | 0 |
Health | 7 |
Flute | Attacks up to three targets, up to six fields away. Average accuracy. Cannot attack adjacent fields. Its magic inflicts Danse Macabre. |
Stinking Death | Causes infection up to three fields away. |
Skeletal Resistance | Immune to infection, bleeding, Danse Macabre, and damage from tombs. |
The Skeletons would all be at the top of this list if the final boss and his beats weren't immune to Danse Macabre. Even so, the inexpensive and deadly Flute-Wieldng Skeleton is a prime beast, especially for those at lower levels farming up prestige.
Hook-Wielding Devil
Living Ink Cost | 6 |
Walk Speed | 4 |
Run Speed | 6 |
Damage | 2-4 |
Dexterity | 1 |
Health | 10 |
Meat Fork | Attacks up to two fields away. Causes bleeding. |
Pyroflatulence | Creates fire sparks. |
Hellborn | Immune to Hell's Maws and halos. Receives additional damage from the anointed. |
Fire Resistance | Immune to fire sparks. Not immune to bonfires. |
Many players incorrectly try to use up all their quills and wear the final boss down. However, the devils are the best are taking out Death in one swoop. The weakest of these, the Hook-Wielding Devil, is still incredibly strong because of its immunities and range.
Saw-Wielding Devil
Living Ink Cost | 5 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 3-5 |
Dexterity | 2 |
Health | 11 |
Saw | Attacks adjacent field. Causes bleeding. |
Pyroflatulence | Creates fire sparks. |
Hellborn | Immune to Hell's Maws and halos. Receives additional damage from the anointed. |
Fire Resistance | Immune to fire sparks. Not immune to bonfires. |
Bleeding effects will help for most of the game.
The final boss and his beasts are immune, but the Saw-Wielding Devil hits hard enough for that to not matter. Plus, this beast only costs 5 living ink, so it's easy to recreate an army after losing it.
Hatchet-Wielding Devil
Living Ink Cost | 6 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 1-3 |
Dexterity | 0 |
Health | 9 |
Throwing Axe | Attacks up to six fields away. Cannot attack adjacent fields. Causes bleeding. |
Pyroflatulence | Creates fire sparks. |
Hellborn | Immune to Hell's Maws and halos. Receives additional damage from the anointed. |
Fire Resistance | Immune to fire sparks. Not immune to bonfires. |
The Hatchet-Wielding Devil doesn't look like much compared to the other archers, but the bleed effect should not be underestimated. With a massive range and immunities, this beast can wear down opponents from safety.
Bellow-Wielding Devil
Living Ink Cost | 9 |
Walk Speed | 3 |
Run Speed | 5 |
Damage | 5-6 |
Dexterity | 0 |
Health | 11 |
Bellows | Attacks an adjacent field and forces the target to take a nap. |
A Puff of Bellows | Attacks up to two fields away or one level away. Can only be used on a target standing on fire sparks. Kills instantly. |
Massive Pyroflatuence | Creates 3 fire sparks. |
Hellborn | Immune to Hell's Maws and halos. Receives additional damage from the anointed. |
Fire Resistance | Immune to fire sparks. Not immune to bonfires. |
Combining the instant death from A Puff of Bellows with range is almost unfair. This is easily the best way to beat the final boss. Even outside of this encounter, once a battlefield has enough fire sparks, everything becomes a one-hit kill for the Bellow-Wielding Devil. In the meantime, Massive Pyroflatuence will create fire and Bellows puts any scary attackers to bed.
Inkulinati is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.