How Many Dudes? Wiki - Dudes: Roster Types, Families and Abilities

The Steam Store advertises 42 unique Dude Types across six Dude Families in the full-release base game. That number describes the recruitable roster promoted for App 3934270. The official Dudex is the canonical lookup tool for what each Type actually does: baseline Stats, a unique Ability, dedicated Relics, Family membership, and linked definitions for specialized terms.

Use this hub to read that database as a build tool rather than a collection of character names. A Type’s value depends on the job it performs, the triggers it creates, the Stats it converts into results, its roster position, the Relics available to it, and the other Types that react to the same events.

The six Families define part of the upgrade pool

The official Family index lists Action, Employed, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Undead, and Warrior. Families are thematic groups, but they also have mechanical importance because each Family owns Relics and synergies. Posting a Flyer for a Type makes both that Type’s Relics and its Family Relics available to the run.

Action Dudes are described around dramatic recoveries and comebacks. Employed Dudes use workplace-themed tools and interactions. Fantasy Dudes use magic and otherworldly effects. Sci-Fi Dudes rely on technology and unusual gadgets. Undead Dudes frequently interact with chaos and knockouts. Warrior Dudes emphasize precision and coordinated attacks. These descriptions are starting clues, not complete role assignments.

A Family does not force every member into the same role. Two Types in one Family can convert its Relics in different ways, and a cross-Family team can be excellent when the resulting pool supports the intended plan. The Family label matters because it predicts available options, not because it supplies an automatic tier ranking.

What a Dude Type page tells you

Begin with the unique Ability. It states the repeatable behavior that exists before a run adds Relics. For example, Knight Dude periodically Taunts nearby enemies, Cleric Dude produces a healing pulse, Finance Dude generates cash after battle, and Ninja Dude converts Direct Crits into bouncing Shuriken damage. Those mechanics answer more useful questions than “is this Dude good?”

Next, read baseline Stats. Attack Power, Attack Speed, Crit Chance, Crit Damage, Max HP, Toughness, Run Speed, Cleave, Evasion, Deflection, Regeneration, and related values do not benefit every Ability equally. A Type that triggers from Direct Crits has a clear reason to seek Crit Chance. A protector absorbing attention needs reliable effective health. A Type whose effect happens on a timer may care less about Attack Speed once Relics take over its output.

Then inspect dedicated Relics. A Dude Relic may add a new trigger, change the number of targets, add defense, or connect the Ability to another system. The complete set reveals how the Type can branch. Do not read only the flashiest late effect; early Relics that make the core behavior consistent may be more important to a real run.

Finally, open referenced terms. The Dudex distinguishes events such as Direct Damage, Healing, Taunt, Dash, Throw, Deflection, Fatal Damage, Temporary Health, Stored Damage, and Equalization. Exact wording matters because two visually similar actions may trigger different effects.

Roster Types, summoned units, and row counts

The public Store figure is 42 unique roster Types. The Dudex’s Dude Types category can display additional support entities such as Echo Dude or Skeledude alongside recruitable roster entries. Those entities participate in Abilities and Relics, but a raw count of every database row should not be presented as a count of Flyers or recruitable roster slots.

This distinction prevents several mistakes. A summoned Skeledude should not be treated as evidence of a Skeledude Flyer. An Echo produced by Quantum Dude does not necessarily have the same collection path as a roster Type. When planning recruitment, follow the roster and Flyer interface; when researching an effect chain, include the summoned entity’s Dudex definition.

The Dude Types guide organizes the roster by the problem each Ability solves and explains how to read support entities without inflating the advertised roster number.

Roles emerge from mechanics

Protection can come from Taunt, Toughness, Block, Deflection, damage transfer, Temporary Health, rescue movement, or preventing an attacker from acting effectively. Knight Dude, Spartan Dude, Paladin Dude, Psionic Dude, Pirate Dude, and other Types approach pressure differently. Calling them all “tanks” hides the trigger that determines whether each one works.

Recovery also has multiple forms. Cleric Dude heals around the most-injured roster member. Medic Dude’s Triage converts damage dealt into healing events. Ghost Dude equalizes the healthiest and most-injured roster members and then heals them. Frankendude donates its own HP. Mutant Dude creates Floofballs. These Abilities respond differently to burst damage, spread damage, roster order, and scaling Stats.

Damage and control are similarly diverse. Wizard Dude casts area Fireballs on a timer. Ninja Dude needs Direct Crits. Mummy Dude stores Doom against a target. Electrician Dude builds Static Charges. Cowboy Dude moves allied Dudes with a Lasso. General Dude commands a neighboring roster Type. The relevant comparison is trigger reliability and team fit, not a universal damage number.

Roster order is part of the build

Some Ability descriptions point to a roster neighbor or a positional extreme. Alien Dude Beams a random Dude of the Type immediately above it. General Dude commands a random Dude of the Type immediately below it. Relics can refer to the top or bottom Type, while recovery logic can seek the healthiest or most-injured roster member.

Before spending resources to repair an interaction, test whether the roster is ordered correctly. Place the intended target next to the source Type, reopen both Ability descriptions, and watch the first battle for the expected Dash, command, Heal, or protection event. This is a free adjustment with potentially build-defining consequences.

Order also changes which Type receives pressure or support when several effects use the same target rule. If one Dude is meant to be the protected carry, avoid accidentally placing another Type in the referenced slot. If a top- or bottom-roster Relic is carrying the plan, keep that position stable when recruiting.

How to compare two Types for one slot

Write the roster’s missing outcome first. Examples include “survive one large hit,” “reach distant targets,” “heal spread damage,” “finish low-HP enemies,” “generate more cash,” or “create more summons.” Then compare the candidates’ Ability triggers against that outcome.

Check what each candidate adds to the Relic pool. A Type from an existing Family adds its own dedicated set without opening another Family set. A Type from a new Family widens the pool further. Neither is automatically correct: a focused build may prefer concentration, while a flexible team may welcome the larger option space.

Look at Stat overlap. If four Types already benefit from Crit Chance, a fifth Crit-driven Ability may make team-wide Crit effects unusually efficient. If the roster has no way to supply the Stat a candidate requires, that candidate will need more individual investment.

Account for the boss plan. The official beginner guide recommends preparing for large hits and mobility pressure at the Tier 1 G.O.A.T. A roster slot that solves an early convenience problem but leaves both boss requirements unanswered may be too expensive.

Database habits that prevent stale advice

Use the official Dudex text on the day you make a numerical claim. Balance can change a percentage, target count, duration, cooldown, or Stat while leaving the Type’s name and broad identity intact. Record a check date and do not attach Demo patch labels to the full-release base game.

Treat community tier lists as opinions tied to a version, goal, and sample. A Type optimized for round 105, a particular Gold Star, a five-Family Endless roster, or a low-progression account can rank differently. The developer’s own guide emphasizes investing in a Dude’s Ability, Relics, Stats, teammates, and Trinket rather than declaring ignored Dudes inherently weak.

For a dependable workflow, open the Type, follow every unfamiliar defined term, scan the dedicated Relics, identify the Family, and then compare the roster-order rules. That produces a reproducible build hypothesis without borrowing a claim from a different branch or product.

Where to continue

Open Dude Types for a functional roster map. Use Synergies when two or more Abilities interact, Relics when the pool determines consistency, and Challenge Tiers when a Type is being evaluated for a specific progression target.