Pure Breed
This article is about the Pure Breeds in general. For the monsters, go here.
Pure Breeds (JP: ピュア種) are a category of monsters introduced in What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 and have remained staples in the series ever since.
Pure Breeds are essentially Basic Breeds with their stats significantly weakened. Additionally, they cannot eat or reproduce. "Pureness" cannot be reverted, so once it occurs, the monster's existence is on a timer regardless of what the God of Destruction does. Pure Breed monsters typically perish quickly in combat, doing little to delay a hero's approach.
Pure Breeds can be obtained through a variety of ways, most predominantly stress. Other ways include being struck by holy water or obtained from fossils or Treasure Chests. Due to their poor combat skills, Pure Breeds found through stress are generally seen as a negative presence in any dungeon, but are a necessary evil if aiming to successfully mutate a monster.
Overview
Pure Breeds are generally weak in combat: some, such as the Sublimanoid, don't even fight at all. Thus, they are better spent as food for monsters higher in the food chain or cull fodder for nutrients and mana. However, this will lead to mutation into Abnormal Breeds reliant on status effects, such as Snooze Lizards, which may not be ideal for some dungeon setups. Not all Pure Breeds are defenceless, however, with Purachnids still being capable of slowing down heroes despite their poor attack speed. Pure Breeds are based on the "standard" form of a monster; for example, a stressed Paraslimemoss can spawn a Pure Slimemoss, which has the default abilities and thus cannot paralyze heroes. Similarly, a Paraslimemoss struck with holy water will turn into a Pure Slimemoss.
The existence of Pure Breeds in a dungeon is a sign of an unbalanced ecosystem. This can be due to being frequently killed by heroes, hunted by predators, starvation, or other factors. Should purity persist, mutation will likely follow, with said mutation being based on the conditions that led to their near-extinction in the first place. If preyed on, they gain status effects; if starving, they get higher HP. Careful management of stress—and thus, the management of how Pure Breeds perish—can lead to favourable mutations in the hands of an experienced God of Destruction.
Some Pure Breeds can be at least a bit useful in combat. Purachnids keep their speed-reducing projectiles, Serene Sirens still carry an impressive 36 Melee ATK, Pure Slimemosses still circulate nutrients, and so on. However, they remain as slow as their level 1 breeds and are pathetic in a head-on collision, and are not something to aspire to obtaining.
Shamans will use holy water to "cleanse" the dungeon, spawning a geyser of holy water. If the holy water hits "regular" monsters, they will become Pure Breeds. This includes even Humanoids, fossil monsters like the Not So Blue Whale, and some Dragons. This can be a devastating blow to a dungeon if not dealt with quickly, causing many potentially valuable monsters to become mere death fodder. Because holy water becomes regular stagnant water after the hero is defeated, it can be beneficial to a dungeon if the monsters hit by it are negligible or—ideally—nonexistent.
List of Pure Breeds
| Type | High Stress | Holy Water | Fossils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Slimemoss | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Omnom | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Lizardman | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Spirit | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Lilith | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Dragon | N | Y | N |
| Purachnid | Y | Y | N |
| Pure Hurtle | Y | Y | N |
| Pristine Mist | Y | Y | N |
| Serene Siren | Y | Y | N |
| Chaste Chest | N | Y | N |
| Pure Slinky Whale | N | Y | N |
| Puritree | N | Y | N |
| Sublimanoid | N | Y | Y |
| Skelebond | N | N | Y |
| Wandering King | N | N | Y |
| Harmunculus | N | Y | N |
In other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピュア種 Pyua tane |
Pure Species |
| Mandarin Chinese (Traditional Script) |
白化種 Báihuà zhǒng |
Albino Species |
| Korean | 퓨어종 pyueojong |
Pure Species |
Trivia
- Alchemists can spawn monsters adjacent to Pure Breeds, such as Clean Golems. However, because holy water does not change the runeborn into them, they should not be considered Pure Breeds. The Pure Breed for all runeborn monsters is the Harmunculus.
- Dvagons, while the Almanac in No Heroes Allowed! implies they are arguably Pure Breeds, are generally not considered to be such. This is due to the existence of Pure Dragons. Dvagons are also pink-coloured rather than pure white, and are able to eat and regenerate.
- Sublimanoids, Skelebonds, and Wandering Kings can be obtained from fossils if they connect with water, making them among the only Pure Breeds obtainable in this fashion.
- Skelebonds and Wandering Kings are stated to be pure by No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either!, but no standard method of obtaining "pureness" works on them in any main series title; holy water kills them outright and they are not susceptible to stress. Additionally, neither follows the standard formula of having 1-2 attack like other Pure Breeds.
- The Traditional Chinese translation uniquely and specifically calls Pure Breeds 白化種, the term for albinism or developing albinism, referring to their red eyes. Pure would be 純淨 Chúnjìng.
- The Pure Lilith, Subliminoid, and Pure Slinky Whale are the only monsters to use 白子 báizǐ as the prefixes for their albinism. The rest use 白化 báihuà, the more common term.
- The Pristine Mist is also named 白霧 báiwù, possibly as a Dragon Quest reference.
| Breed types |
|---|
| Basic Breeds - Abnormal Breeds - Giant Breeds - Rare Breeds - Pure Breeds |