The Scamp is a common melee cultist enemy in Cult of the Lamb that can be found in all biomes, they are skirmishers that will move in tricky ways and only attack when the Lamb comes near them.
Description[]
The Scamp has a very simple design, draped in a plain black robe closed at the front with a large gray hood, the opening of which is more on the lower portion of it. Their eyes are represented by a single red inverted cross in the middle of the hood's hole, but whether they're actually a cyclops is up for debate. Among the cultist enemies, they have the smallest stature, and are in fact one of the smallest enemies in the game, being smaller than the Lamb themselves. For their weapon they wield a dagger that is almost as long as their body is tall, bearing a resemblance to the Traitor's Razor.
Combat[]
The Scamp slashes its dagger at the Lamb.
Behaviour[]
Scamps ambush the Lamb by dropping from the ceiling.
Scamp A.I. in action, notice how one hides in the bushes.
Scamps can initially appear as a weak and non-threatening enemy at first, what with their low-health almost guaranteeing their quick annihilation when they're on their own. However, Scamps are skirmishers and will excel in groups either with more of their own or with other enemies. They will not chase the Lamb, and will instead move in random directions, punctuated by pauses before moving again while looking straight at the player. This tricky A.I. combined with the abundant tall grass in a biome like Anura along with their tiny stature can result in the Scamps moving into tall grass and being almost entirely concealed. Their pauses between movements can allow them to set up ambushes and incidentally hit the Lamb without being seen when they get close. Their attack is very telegraphed, but is done very fast, has a low cooldown and will make them dash forward, possibly dealing damage if the player isn't prepared. It is possible to get ambushed by a group of up to 4 Scamps when entering a new room with them in it, they will fall from the ceiling and land around the Lamb before attacking.
When shielded, Scamps can barely be damaged at all. Their shields can only be broken with a heavy attack.
Strategy[]
Scamps can be stun-locked with most weapons by repeatedly hitting them, preventing them from damaging you. If this isn't an option, like when there's multiple enemies, bait them into attacking and move in after the Scamp swings. Cut down tall grass and other environmental clutter that might obscure them. Be vigilant if there's objects obscuring the screen.
The strategy for Shielded Scamps depends on your weapon. The Dagger, Axe and Blunderbuss have long-range critical attacks, making them ideal for breaking the shield. If you have a Sword, Gauntlet or Hammer, it may be safer to bait the Scamp into attacking and use that opportunity to break the shield. With the Hammer, you can hold your critical attack and move around - use this to bait the Scamp, and then swiftly unleash your attack on them.