Editing Openai/6921ae73-3700-8000-8ab7-90012976bb8a (section)

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Before, combining a bunch of 10-hit units wasn’t that impressive. Now:
* 100 normal guys = a 10,000-hit monster.
* 10,000 normals = 1,000,000-hit abomination.

The hive mind can:
* Forge massive battering rams to push specific directions,
* Put those mega-units at the front of attacks,
* Use them as moving bunkers for other monsters to hide behind.

That makes it much more plausible for them to:
* Endure your kill-zones long enough to get dangerously close.
* Focus force on fewer, stronger “punches” instead of a thin cloud.

===== They don’t have to waste half-dead monsters: =====
* Fuse a bunch of wounded 100-hit units into a single big tank with: - More consolidated HP - Simpler coordination - Bigger body (better shield)

So combining acts like a kind of field repair / recycling:
* Instead of a bunch of nearly-dead individuals, they get a functional heavy unit.

===== With combining, the hive mind can shape the swarm: =====
* Spread out into a cloud to dilute your fire…
* Then combine near the front into: - Heavy spearheads, - Shield walls, - Huge blobs to soak your volleys.

That flexibility lets them adapt to how your guns are firing:
* If you focus narrow beams: widen and dodge.
* If you use wide AOE curtains: shrink into fewer, tougher blobs and try to punch through.