Enemy captain introduced in patch notes as a support-role elite that summons Bombers during combat. V0.11.57863 (2026-08-01) reduced the number of Bombers summoned per War Drummer attack from two to one and added the new ally-damage rule that Bombers and Elite enemies can no longer damage allies; this is the War Drummer ally-damage rule change.
Overview
Enemy captain introduced in patch notes as a support-role elite that summons Bombers during combat. V0.11.57863 (2026-08-01) reduced the number of Bombers summoned per War Drummer attack from two to one and added the new ally-damage rule that Bombers and Elite enemies can no longer damage allies; this is the War Drummer ally-damage rule change.
Confirmed facts
| Confirmed facts | War Drummer (with Bomber summons) |
|---|---|
| Boss | boss |
| Game version scope | Tears of Metal Early Access (Steam AppID 1913120), V0.11.57874.1 hotfix state on 2026-08-09. |
| Remake status | Original Early Access build (2026-07-22 launch); not a remake or remaster. |
| Act or encounter context | Captain-tier encounter that pairs the drummer with Bomber summons; targeted in V0.11.57863's balancing pass. |
| Encounter summary | Support elite whose threat was the volume of Bomber summons it could put on the field; V0.11.57863 cut that volume in half and prevented friendly-fire from Bombers and Elites. |
| Notable attacks or cues | Summons Bombers (now 1 per attack instead of 2); targets players via bomber pathing (V0.8.57278 fixed bombers sticking to starting position and clustering on one player). |
| Recommended preparation | Prioritize the War Drummer first to lower the rate of Bomber spawns; bombers no longer damage allies post-V0.11.57863, so off-tank allies can ignore Bomber splash damage. |
| Is a launch boss | Yes |
| Source tier | official_store_and_patch_notes |