Wrestling

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v50.14 · v0.47.05

This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

More Info · V

The Wrestler skill pertains to incapacitating enemies by grabbing a hold of limbs and other body parts. This is distinct from Striker, Kicker, and Biter which are separate skills that pertain to punching/scratching, kicking, and biting attacks respectively. Note that the skill for Thrower is used for throwing miscellaneous objects at creatures, not throwing the opponents themselves.

While striking and kicking are basic one-shot attacks like weapon attacks, biting can be used in conjunction with wrestling even though it uses a different skill to determine if the bite "hits" (see Biting and Ripping Off Body Parts below).

Wrestling maneuvers include:

Grabbing is the basic wrestling move—a grabbed body part cannot be used to attack you, and the opponent will be unable to dodge to a different square or move until it breaks all your grabs (though you will also be unable to move without releasing it). Grabbing is required to use the more advanced maneuvers.
Take-down maneuvers that render an opponent prone
Throws (as in throwing a creature, not an object) which render an opponent prone and stunned
Choke Holds and Strangling which can render an opponent unconscious and eventually kill
Joint Locks and Breaking Bones which can break limbs
Shaking around by the teeth, after latching on from biting, which can do extra damage or sever body parts
Gouging (eyes, for example) and Pinching, yes, PINCHING, which can damage, destroy, or even sever body parts
Disarming maneuvers which can remove weapons, shields, clothing, or armor from an opponent.

See Combat skill for more information on other combat skills.

Fortress Mode

While the same wrestling "moves" described here can be used by dwarves in Dwarf fortress mode, it isn't possible to force particular wrestling maneuvers to be used. About all you can do is take away a dwarf's weapons to encourage wrestling and hope that he picks effective wrestling tactics in combat.

In fortress mode, wrestlers are generally unable to kill very effectively, but they may make killing easier for their armed comrades. Unfortunately, the AI is rather unlikely to do some of the more elaborate moves even if they are possible.

Adventure Mode

Wrestling in Adventure mode can be performed by standing next to an enemy and pressing A, selecting (and perhaps confirming) the enemy you wish to fight, and then b to select a wrestling move. You can wrestle any enemy, but the effectiveness of your wrestling attempts will be limited by relative size and strength differences. For example, a dwarf is unlikely to be able to throw or choke hold an elephant or dragon. Unconsciousness renders a creature vulnerable to wrestling regardless of size differences.

Wrestling works somewhat like a targeted attack. Once you grab a creature by some body part, you may be able to make another wrestling attempt that will allow you to perform a more elaborate and useful move. You may have to press , once or twice before you can do a second wrestling maneuver.

Below are instructions on how to perform various wrestling moves in adventure mode.

In many of the moves that require two steps, auto-attacking after the first step will default to the secondary action. For example, after biting someone and "latching on firmly," moving into your opponent(auto-attacking) will cause you to shake the part with your teeth. This can be useful to quickly remove your lodged weapon or choke your opponent without manually performing each attack.

See Status icon for a legend of icons used when creatures are prone, thrown, stunned, etc.

Take-down

This knocks an opponent to the ground similar to how they fall to the ground when charged, though without stunning them. Once on the ground, they'll have to take time to stand back up, or their movement rate will be limited as they try to crawl. This move can only be performed if the opponent is standing up.

To perform a takedown:

Select Grab with right upper arm or with some other body part
Select Grab upper body with right upper arm or some other part of the body. If the grab is successful you will see:
- You grab the Xxxx by the upper body with your right upper arm! and you and your opponent's icons will change to indicate that you are wrestling.
Select the enemy for wrestling again.
Select Wrestle using right upper arm
Select Take-down by upper body with right upper arm
You will then see one of:
- You take the Xxxxx down by the upper body with Your right upper arm!
  Success! The creature's status icon will change to indicate prone.
- You adjust the grip of Your right upper arm on The Xxxxx's upper body.
  Failure. You have not lost your grip but you will have to try the takedown again.
- The Xxxxx breaks the grip of Your right upper arm from The Xxxxx's upper body!
  Total failure. You have completely lost your grip on your opponent and will have to start over from the beginning.

Throw

You perform a throw the same way as a take-down, using the same procedure as above, except that you select Throw by x with y when the opponent is not on the ground. A throw will cause an opponent to become stunned and prone, with the possibility of throwing them back a certain distance (depending on your strength and relative size). However, it is more difficult to successfully throw a creature than it is to perform a take-down on one.

Chokehold and strangling

Choke holds can be extremely effective, if you can pull them off. A choke hold will cause an opponent to become unconscious making it extremely easy to kill them with a followup shot.

To perform a choke hold:

Select Grab with right upper arm or some other body part
Select Grab throat with right upper arm. Choking requires grabbing the throat, not the neck.
Choose the enemy for wrestling again.
Select Wrestle with right upper arm
Select Choke throat with right upper arm
You will then see:
- You place a chokehold on The Xxxxx's throat with Your right upper arm!
  Success, so far anyway.
- You adjust the grip of Your right upper arm on The Xxxxx's throat.
  Failure. You have not lost your grip but you will have to try the chokehold again.
Choose the enemy for wrestling yet again.
Select Wrestle with right upper arm
Select Strangle throat with right upper arm
If successful you will see:
- You strangle Xxxxx's throat!
- The Xxxxx passes out. (not necessarily on the first try)
If the creature passes out (some are immune to strangling) the next attack will hit very easily, so followup with a targeted headshot or, if you want to be more gruesome, a bite to the throat. (See below.)

Joint locks and breaking limbs

With some body parts it's possible to put them into joint locks and break them. This works almost exactly like strangling.

Select Grab with right upper arm
Select Grab right upper arm with right upper arm
Choose to wrestle the enemy again.
Select Wrestle with right upper arm
Select Lock right shoulder with right upper arm. If successful you will see:
- You lock The Xxxxx's right shoulder with Your right upper arm!
Choose to wrestle the enemy yet again.
Select Wrestle with right upper arm
Select Break right shoulder with right upper arm If successful you will see
- You bend The Xxxxx's right upper arm with Your right upper arm, shattering the right shoulder's bone!

Biting and ripping off body parts

When biting a creature you will usually get a message saying You latch on firmly!. If you have latched on with a bite, you can enter the wrestling menu and shake the creature around with your teeth. This can be extremely effective.

To bite down on and attempt to rip off a body part with your teeth:

After selecting an enemy, choose to strike (not to wrestle!).
Select a body part, preferably one you can actually hit
Select "bite" as the attack type
If the attack hits, you should do some damage and see You latch on firmly!
Choose your enemy, this time opting to wrestle.
You will now see an option like Wrestle with upper front tooth. Select that option.
Select Shake <part> with upper front tooth
This should do some amount of damage ranging from tissue layer damage to ripping the body part completely off. If you bit down on the throat, for example, and were very successful you will see:
- You shake The Xxxxx around by the throat, tearing apart the throat!
- A major artery in the throat has been opened by the attack!

Pinching and gouging

To pinch or gouge you have to have at least one hand free, meaning that it can't be holding something like a weapon or shield.

Select Grab with left hand
Select Grab head with left hand
If this succeeds, choose to wrestle the enemy again.
Select Wrestle with left hand
Select Gouge left eye with left hand or Pinch <part> with left hand, or whatever seems good. If successful you will see something like:
- You gouge The Xxxxx's left eye with Your left hand, tearing it apart!

Pinching can do anything from tissue damage to severing the body part.

Disarming

To disarm a creature you must have a hand free (Use q to strap any weapons you're holding to your upper body, if necessary).

Select Grab with left hand
Now, scroll down toward the bottom of the list of body parts and you will see items that you can grab a hold of. Select Grab <item> with left hand
Assuming you hit, press I (advanced interaction) and scroll through your inventory until you see the item in your left hand listed in red. Select it.
Select Gain possession
If successful you will now have sole possession of the item in your left hand. You may now do whatever you want with it.

You can remove weapons, shields, armor, clothing, or anything that shows up in the list of things to grab.

See adventurer mode combat for more information on combat in adventure mode.

Bugs

Currently most creatures (everything except humans, goblins, kobolds, elves, dwarves, and some creatures like birds who use parts of the humanoid body plan) do not have joints, which means they are immune to joint locks and breaking limbs through wrestling.

^Bug:6715 If you attack a creature, and your blade lodges firmly in the wound, you can use wrestling to put a weapon in both hands. Attack a creature, and have the weapon you wish to duplicate lodge in the wound. Then enter wrestling and grab that weapon with your free hand, and move away. You will now appear to have two distinct weapons in your inventory, and you will get a list of attack choices for the weapon twice. However, you do not actually get two distinct weapons. You are merely holding one weapon in two hands, it's just that the game doesn't properly handle this.