Devlog 16

Short one, but it is the one I have been putting off. The dragon fight was authored with attacks, phases, telegraphs but the pillars were just decor and the last third of the health bar played identically to the first.

The pillars fight back

Crystal aegis is the simplest thing in the world: while crystals stand, thedragon heals. One line of health regen did more for the fight’s shape than anyattack I have authored, because it moves the win condition backwards. You donot win by out-DPS-ing a health bar; you win by climbing pillars under fire.Five crystals means two HP a second, which is enough to visibly undo a sloppyopening. That is the fight telling you it is watching.

Enrage is a ladder, not a switch

Three thresholds - 60, 35, 15 percent - each announced, each spawning void wisps into the arena. The wisps are not the threat; they are the clock. Every second you spend swatting a wisp off your back is a second the dragon is cycling toward catastrophe. From enrage two the dragon leaves breath pools under its flight path, which turns its flyovers into map control.

killing the dragon

The kill now drops a real pile: heart, fangs, bone, resonant scales. First kill still fires the transformation.
/dragonfight gives a live readout for tuning the curve without guessing.

Notes for next time

• The wisps cap at eight; if playtests say the floor is unreadable, that cap  is the first knob.
• Aegis regen is intentionally visible (1-2 HP/s). If it feels unfair, the  fix is fewer crystals required, not slower regen.
• Docs live in docs/DRAGON_FIGHT.md now, including the testing checklist.