DoorsAVator

Overview

rush img
Ambush takes on the appearance of a distorted white face with exaggerated proportions. It has a monstrous, abnormally large oval mouth lined with three rows of inner teeth, a set of large, round, black hollow eyes with gray-green bags under them, as well as emitting a green aura, and a smaller pink one which can only be seen on walls, floors and ceilings. Ambush is much faster than Rush, and will rebound in an attempt to catch and kill the player off-guard when they least expect it.

Behavior

Ambush has a minimal but growing chance to appear as the player progress. In The Hotel, it can show up as early as Door 2 to as late as Door 87, with a higher likelihood after The Library (Door 50), specifically between doors 82–87. Despite being relatively rare, players should still prepare to face Ambush at least once during a complete playthrough. In The Mines, Ambush has a lower appearance probability and can also appear in rooms that follow.

ambush's jumscare Upon spawning, Ambush emits a high-pitched distorted "scream" and rapidly moves through rooms (with no flickering lights following the Hotel+ Update), eliminating any players not in a hiding place or "safe spot" during its attack. When it reaches an unopened door, it passes through it (without opening) and into the next room, pausing briefly before turning around and retracing its steps through previous rooms. This behavior, known as rebounding, can occur between 1-4 times (up to 12 times before the Hotel+ Update, and 6 before The Mines Update) before despawning. When it reaches a closed door (doors close as players advance), it pauses for a few seconds before either disappearing or changing direction and repeating the process.

Notes

  • After March 15, 2024 ("The Hunt Update"), Ambush can spawn during Seek's crescendo.
  • As of March 15, 2024, it can be observed that Ambush deals 100 damage, which means that it technically does not instantly kill players; if a player has an "over-heal" from a Vial of Starlight, Bottle of Starlight, or Jug of Starlight, they will be able to survive a hit from Ambush. The "Cough Drop" candy can also give the player enough overheal to survive.
  • How early Ambush can spawn in a run has been changed twice:
    • Before the Hotel+ Update, it could spawn as early as Door 5.
    • When the Hotel+ Update released on January 28, 2023, it could spawn as early as Door 2.
  • ambush Although it is likely that Ambush will spawn at least once in a full run, it is possible to complete the game without encountering Ambush. In contrast, Ambush can spawn up to 2, 3, or even 4 times in a single run.
  • Entering Halt's Dining Hall or The Bridges will despawn Ambush (unless the "Again & Again & Again" modifier is enabled).
  • Similar to Rush, Ambush's hitbox operates off of ray-casting. This means that aside from intended hiding places, players can "hide" from Ambush by being in an area that is outside of its line of "sight," such as basements, blocked stairwells, sub-rooms, or behind or beside certain objects, or anywhere beyond its ray-casting distance. These areas are known as "safe spots."
  • Ambush cannot spawn in the following areas:
    • Rooms with insufficient hiding spots (Can spawn with certain Modifiers or if number of players exceed 4)
    • On The Hotel 1, 2, 49, 51, 88.
    • On The Mines 101, 102, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 151, 198, 199.
    • Dark rooms, including the Greenhouse which comprises Doors 90-99 (Can spawn with certain Modifiers)
      • except for the Basement, Door 61
    • Safe rooms
      • The Reception, Door 0
      • Jeff Shop, Door 52 - 59
      • The Infirmary, variable
      • The Courtyard, Door 89
      • The Adit, Door 100.5
    • Seek's chases
      • The Grand Hallway, variable
      • The Caverns, Doors 142-149
      • The Sewage Pipes, Doors 170-180
    • Halt's sequences
      • The Dining Hall, variable
      • The Bridges, variable
    • Bossfight sequences
      • The Library, Door 50 (Can spawn with certain Modifiers)
      • The Electrical Room, Door 100
      • The Shafts, variable
      • The Nest, Door 150
      • The Dam, Door 200

Super Hard Mode modifications

  • Ambush has a greater chance of spawning earlier in the run.
  • Ambush is almost guaranteed to rebound more than 4 times and has the chance to rebound 20+ times.

Retro Mode modifications

  • Ambush spawns more often.

Modifiers

  • If the "Again & Again & Again" modifier is enabled, Ambush's behavior will change in multiple ways:
    • It will first spawn/rebound on Door 7.
    • If players crucify Ambush, its spawn may be temporarily delayed into natural spawns again.
    • ambush Prior to The Mines Update, "Again & Again & Again" caused it to first spawn on Door 7 and rebound one time every 20–40 seconds, never fully despawning (however, auditory cues implied that it was despawning after each rebound). It could rebound in any room, except in Halt's Hallway and during Seek chases. More than one Ambush was able to spawn at the same time.
  • If the "Back For Seconds" modifier is enabled, Ambush will spawn more frequently.
  • If the "Afterimage" modifier is enabled, Ambush will travel much faster, and its spawn rate will slightly increase.

Strategy

  • Spawning: In The Hotel, Ambush can spawn as early as Door 2 and as late as Door 87, although it is most likely to spawn after The Library (Door 50); Ambush's chance to spawn, which increases to 6.66% as players progress, is somewhat small. Ambush is likely to spawn at least once in a full run.
  • Hiding: It is recommended players only hide once they hear Ambush coming through. As long as they do this, they can stay in the closet long enough for Ambush to rebound once. This can make it significantly easier as it removes the unpredictability of when they will come back, as well as significantly reducing the number of times players must hop in and out of closets.
  • Hide will take a little more time to kick players out of their hiding spots if Ambush is attacking.
  • Crucifying: Players can use a crucifix to "banish" Ambush. Because crucifixes are a one-use item, it is best to only crucify Ambush when a player(s) is struggling to hide from Ambush.
  • Although very rarely, Ambush can spawn in Doors 152 in The Mines, and it can take a very long time to rebound. This is because The Nest and The First Seek Chase Rooms are not fully despawned. It is recommended to have a Crucifix with you just in case.

Bugs

  • The "Rebound" achievement was broken and unobtainable after August 26, 2023 (the Modifiers Update). It is now fixed.
  • If players have a weak internet connection or are playing with low graphics settings, Ambush's glow may remain in rooms for several seconds until lighting updates.
  • When the Hotel+ Update was first released a bug occurred where Ambush would spawn in the upcoming room instead of the previous room. It would then proceed to rebound in reverse; however, this was fixed shortly after release.

Trivia

  • Ambush is the only entity with multiple "attack" sounds (in which the pitch is always randomly generated, equaling infinite tones).
  • Excluding non-canon entities, Ambush is the fastest entity in DOORS. It used to be A-60 before Ambush's speed was increased in the Haunt update.
  • Ambush's jump-scare appears when players try to exploit the game. This version of Ambush is called "Anti Cheat Ambush."
    • Before the Hotel+ Update, a unique Guiding Light message was shown after the jump-scare, which repeated "bruh" multiple times before and after saying that Ambush has killed a player "infinite" times. ("btw ambush killed you infinite times so all your revives are gone sorry")
      • After the Hotel+ Update, the message after the jump-scare is the same message players would receive if they died to Ambush typically.
  • According to RediblesQW, a DOORS developer, a future UGC item may be based on Ambush.
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