Special Trials Guide

Special Trials are modifiers applied primarily on Trial 3 (and sometimes elsewhere under the difficulty system) that escalate beyond a standard single-entity hunt. Grey multiplied text on objectives often signals Fog; other trials introduce darkness, extra killers, or rule-bending gimmicks from Midnight Horrors heritage. v0.2 integrated many modifiers into scalable difficulty rather than purely random chaos.

Expect Special Trials on harder vote selections and high-star maps. Preparation means bringing Radar on low-vision rounds, assigning callout roles, and reading entity tier lists so you know which threats stack poorly with each modifier.

Blackout darkens the map and shrinks effective vision—flashlight becomes mandatory. Entities ambush from off-screen; Radar color codes (green/yellow/red studs) replace visual confirmation. Move slowly, crouch default, and avoid Radar spam when red-range beeps indicate point-blank proximity.

Fog blankets the map in grey haze. Unlike Blackout, fog can brighten some areas depending on base map lighting—still treat visibility as unreliable. Camera Monitor outperforms naked scouting on Fog rounds with long halls. Both modifiers appear in the v0.2 crossover update footage linked above.

Bloodbath spawns 5–9 different entities simultaneously—ultimate coordination test. Double Trouble doubles the normal entity cap. Infection adds another entity each time a player dies, snowballing wipes into unwinnable states unless revives are perfect.

Husk attaches a delayed-following Husk behind each player, dealing rapid contact damage; more Husks appear over time. Dolly (nico's nextbots reference) freezes killer movement when her eyes appear—moving players take rapid damage, creating stop-start rhythm unlike normal chases.

Counter stack trials with defensive items, vertical separation on multi-floor maps, and aggressive objective completion to shorten exposure. See category guides for chase and group entities.

Vote easier maps when your lobby lacks coordination for Special Trials—Corridor and Library offer readable layouts even under Fog. Equip Radar + healing + stun tools as default triple. Assign one player as "vision" with Camera Monitor on Capture trials under modifiers.

Track which specials appear in current pre-alpha via patch notes. When Trial 3 ends in a Special, Round 4 Escape often inherits reduced visibility—plan Speed Coil regardless. Return to objectives guide to minimize time under stacked threats.