The Boneyard

The Boneyard is Act 1's alternate Chapter 3, unlocked after completing The Junkyard. This dark, sprawling cemetery is filled with undead creatures including skeletons, zombies, and spirits, set to the theme song "Them Kitty Bones." Completing The Boneyard and speaking with Butch unlocks the Necromancer class, one of the game's most powerful and versatile options.

The Boneyard's signature mechanic is destructible Gravestones (3 HP each). Breaking one triggers a risk-reward outcome: it either drops coins, summons a Spookie (drains mana with melee attacks), or summons a Scary (inflicts Fear or Doom). This makes every gravestone a gamble that can swing a battle in either direction. The undead enemy roster is dense: Zombie Cats, Skeleton Cats, Tall Skeleton Cats, Werecats, Tatters, Reapers, Tall Robes, Grave Worms, Butt Zombies, and Shamblers fill the ranks, while Spookies and Scaries lurk behind gravestones. Wisps, Fleas, Flies, and Maggots round out the fodder. Mama Maggot serves as the mini-boss.

The chapter boss is Dybbuk (85 HP), a ghost with relatively low health but extreme evasion. Dybbuk's Backflip Dodge lets it automatically evade most attacks by teleporting to an adjacent unoccupied space. It drains Mana with its Lick attack, summons Wisps that dodge once per turn and inflict Burn on melee, and possesses the cat that kills it in its Possess phase (surviving at 1 HP and taking control of that cat to attack allies). Countering the dodge requires surrounding it with units or obstacles, using damage-over-time effects (Bleed, Poison, Burn, Leeches, which cannot be dodged), multi-tile spells, Thorns and counterattacks, Immobilize, or Rubber Arrows (which bounce past the dodge). For the Possession phase, finish with a weak or expendable cat, use Necromancer's Reap for an instant kill, or equip a Frying Pan to counter backstabs. Holy element abilities deal extra damage since Dybbuk is Undead.

At the end of The Boneyard lies the Throbbing Artery, the second gate to the Throbbing Domain (alongside the Wall of Flesh in The Caves). Defeating Dybbuk grants class-specific passive abilities, including Dual Wield for Fighters, Thrill of the Hunt for Hunters, and Evil Patron for Clerics. Exclusive loot includes Rag gear (dodge-focused), Cathide items (Shield plus health regen), Bone equipment (Skull Cap, Jawbone, Bone Necklace), Rotten Meat armor, Tombstone (knockback), and Charon's Obol (spawns a Reaper when downed). The hard path rewards a Money Bag and a Furniture Box.