The Collective

The Collective is an End chapter cat enemy with 19 HP that fights as a synchronized unit within a group. Its CollectiveSpin attack hits adjacent units in melee, and its CollectiveCounter ability retaliates against anything that strikes it. Most dangerously, it also copies the attacks and counterattacks of every other Collective in the group — creating a feedback loop where each individual cat mirrors the actions of its peers simultaneously.

In practice, a group of three or four Collectives attacking a single target all strike in unison, then counter in unison whenever any one of them is hit. This can rapidly shred through HP pools that would otherwise be comfortable against a single enemy of this size. The mirroring mechanic also applies to counterattacks, meaning hitting one Collective triggers counters from all of them simultaneously.

The Collective's synchronization can be turned against it: forcing them to cluster together and then triggering their counter mechanic against each other causes them to damage each other from the inside. AoE attacks that hit multiple Collectives simultaneously are effective both for damage efficiency and for potentially triggering mutually-directed counters. Avoid single-target melee trading against a full group — the retaliation from all members at once is the most reliable way to lose a cat instantly.