Basic Trope: Enemies in a video game get stronger/more plentiful as the player's character(s) level up. There are three main versions:
- A.) Individual enemies get stronger.
- B.) Enemies get more plentiful.
- C.) Weaker enemies are replaced with stronger versions.
- Straight:
- A.) In Tales of Troperia XIII, each enemy increases in combat strength (higher health, higher damage, better tactical AI, better abilities, etc.) based on the average level of the player's party.
- B.) In Tales of Troperia XIII, more enemies are spawned as the average level of the player's party goes up.
- C.) In Tales of Troperia XIII, enemies are replaced by stronger versions as the average level of the player's party goes up.
- Exaggerated:
- A.) Enemies exponentially increase in strength, with even random encounters having boss fight-level difficulty.
- B.) So many enemies are spawned that every step brings with it the risk of random encounters of dozens of low-level foes.
- C.) Standard enemies are replaced by massively powerful versions who could be boss fights on their own.
- Downplayed:
- A.) Enemies get slightly stronger.
- B.) Two enemies may spawn instead of just one.
- C.) Enemies are replaced by slightly stronger versions that are closer to Underground Monkeys.
- Justified:
- Inverted: (All versions) Enemies get weaker and less plentiful as the game progresses.
- Subverted:
- A.) Enemies appear statically stronger, but due to Artificial Stupidity, don't actually use their new powers and abilities effectively.
- B.) More enemies appear to spawn, but the actual random encounter rate is the same.
- C.) More powerful looking enemies spawn, but they are Fake Ultimate Mooks who aren't actually much stronger.
- Double Subverted:
- A.) ...but even just using an Attack! Attack! Attack! strategy, the higher level enemies are still more challenging.
- B.) ...but even with the same random encounter rate, the more plentiful enemies appear as Pre-existing Encounters.
- C.) ...but because these types of enemies are considered unique compared to those they are replacing, many abilities, weapons, and perks that affected their base forms no longer apply, making them more difficult. (For example, "Wolfsbane" weapons do not apply their damage bonus to Dire Wolves, "Bearbuster" weapons do not apply their damage bonus to Cave Bears, etc.)
- Parodied:
- Zig-Zagged: (All versions) Enemies get stronger, more plentiful, and have new stronger versions mixed in as the player's party increases in average level. However, the game is so rife with Disc One Nukes, Minmaxers Delights, AI Breakers, and Easy Level Tricks that the enemies simply cannot keep up with the player party.
- Averted: (All versions) All enemies in the game are static. Whatever you would encounter at level one, you would encounter at level 100.
- Enforced: (All versions) The producers want to keep the game challenging throughout, so they require the game to implement level scaling as a solution.
- Lampshaded: (All versions) Party member Quirby comments upon encountering the first "scaled up" encounter "wait, weren't these guys easier a couple of minutes ago?"
- Exploited:
- Defied:
- Discussed:
- Conversed:
- Deconstructed: In-universe, the replacement of small groups of weak bandits by platoons of powerful liches is acknowledged as commerce between cities shut down due to it being insanely risky to travel and the garrisons in most cities ends up unable to fight back the enemy attacks and are overrun.
- Reconstructed:
- Played for Laughs:
- Played for Drama:
