Cave of Monsters in Whiteout Survival
Cave of Monsters is the Pet-focused Labyrinth zone in Whiteout Survival, available on Wednesday and Thursday. You fight without heroes, using the zone troops and your Pet bonuses, so troop balance and Pet development drive your preparation. Checked in November 2026.
Cave of Monsters Ratio
Guides recommend trying different troop balances for the cave rather than treating one percentage split as a permanent answer. Infantry and Marksmen usually take most of the formation in these examples, but the Lancer share also changes. A Pet-focused account and a differently developed account can get different results from the same starting numbers.
| Test option | Infantry share | Lancer share | Marksman share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45% | 10% | 45% |
| 2 | 65% | 10% | 25% |
| 3 | 55% | 15% | 30% |
| 4 | 50% | 10% | 40% |
| 5 | 60% | 5% | 35% |
| 6 | 50% | 15% | 35% |
The alternatives cover both a more even front line and back line and a heavier Infantry formation. Each row is a complete mix, not a bonus to add to the previous row. Keep the total deployment full when comparing options, then change the proportions. Reducing the troop count while changing the split makes it harder to tell which adjustment mattered.
Use the formation guide to review the troop classes before testing. Record which option you used and how the fight ended. A useful test changes one part of the plan, keeps the rest stable and gives you a reason to choose the next option. Repeating a copied ratio without looking at the fight teaches less.
Pets and Automatic Skills
Pet stats define this zone's development focus. Guides recommend reviewing Pet progression when the cave falls behind your other Labyrinth results, instead of spending on unrelated Hero Gear for this fight. The Pets guide covers that system; the cave itself is where you test how those bonuses combine with the troop mix you select.
Pet Skills apply automatically here, and their effects do not stack. You do not need to trigger a manual skill outside the zone to switch its cave effect on. This matters when planning a session: a manual cooldown is a separate consideration from the automatic effects included in a cave battle.
Review the active Pet bonuses before using another challenge. If you changed Pet development since your last run, keep the old ratio for a comparison first. If you changed the ratio too, a better result does not tell you which change helped. A brief record of the Pet improvement and the formation makes future decisions easier.
The automatic skill rule also removes a common distraction. Do not build the session around timing an outside activation just before entry. Focus on the bonuses the zone accepts and on the troops shown in the formation panel. That preparation addresses the actual cave fight rather than a different activity that happens to involve Pets.
Opening Days and Access
The cave opens on Wednesday and Thursday. These are consecutive UTC calendar days, which may cross a different local day boundary for a US player. Check the event timer before planning a late evening run. Use the full Labyrinth timetable to see where the cave fits between Land of Heroes and the technology zones.
The basic Labyrinth Furnace requirement is 19, while cave access also requires Pets. Read the zone entry requirement on your account rather than assuming that the cave opens at the moment the broader feature appears. State progression and a weekly access window answer different questions: one governs eligibility, the other governs when you can enter.
Charm Mine is available on the same weekdays but evaluates Chief Charms. It is a separate destination with a different active system. A strong cave result therefore does not mean your Charm Mine setup is equally developed. Read each zone's own entry and challenge display rather than treating the two tiles as one combined fight.
The video plays through Cave of Monsters stages in the Labyrinth and shows the troop setup used for them.
Attempts and Stage Progress
The cave lists 200 stages. Your practical target is the next beatable stage, not the end of the list on the first visit. Check the remaining-attempt display and its refresh countdown inside the challenge window. Plan retries around that counter instead of assigning a daily or weekly allowance from memory.
Use a failed fight as a decision point. If your next attempt has the same Pet bonuses, troop count and ratio, you have not tested a new plan. Guides suggest adjusting the troop mix before continuing. Choose an alternative from the table and compare what changed, especially if your front line lasted longer or your remaining troops dealt enough damage.
Exploring the Labyrinth creates no troop casualties and leaves Wilderness deployments available. That helps you fit cave attempts around alliance events without reserving a hospital recovery period. It does not remove the attempt counter or guarantee that a different mix will clear a stage. Keep those separate limits in mind while experimenting.
For repeat play, keep a small cave-specific record: stage reached, troop proportions and relevant Pet changes. Avoid mixing it with Research Center notes. That zone may offer similar-looking formation controls, but its technology bonuses make it a different test. A record is useful when it explains what you tried, not merely that you lost.
Raids and Glowstone
The raid gate is stage 1-10. Reaching it gives you access to the raid feature for later exploration, so the early stages are worth completing even if a deeper wall stops you. Raiding is the repeat collection path; manually testing a new composition is the progression path.
A stage's first victory gives First Win Rewards. Later completions use Raid Rewards, which keeps a repeat clear distinct from a new achievement. Glowstone pays for items in the Labyrinth Shop, while Labyrinth Cores advance cumulative reward milestones. Do not count a shop purchase and a core threshold as the same reward.
Guides recommend choosing purchases around the next useful upgrade rather than following a rigid shopping list. Your cave result may encourage more attention to Pets, but the shared shop serves the whole account. Read the Labyrinth reward tables to compare the available materials and the shared milestone track before spending.
Set a realistic stopping rule for the session. Once you have tested the planned alternatives, return to repeat collection or review Pet development instead of making unrelated changes across the account. The useful outcome is either a stronger cave formation or a clear next system to examine. Neither requires copying an entire account build from another player.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Cave of Monsters still locked?
Reaching Furnace level 19 opens the basic Labyrinth requirement, but this zone also needs Pets. Check the Pet requirement and the Wednesday or Thursday access window separately. A newly available Labyrinth does not mean every zone is ready on the same day, and a city upgrade does not replace the zone schedule.
Should I copy my Bear Hunt march?
Bear Hunt rewards a rally damage setup with heroes, while Cave of Monsters uses Pet bonuses and excludes heroes entirely. Guides suggest testing Infantry and Marksman shares here instead of importing a marksman-heavy bear formation unchanged. Compare your own cave battle results before saving a ratio for the next set of challenges.
How much is a cave raid worth?
The listed raid rate is 10 Glowstone for each cleared stage. Multiply that rate by the progress available to your raid to plan a shop purchase. Do not multiply it by the full 200-stage cave until your own progress supports that calculation, and keep First Win Rewards separate from recurring collection.
Can I use this formation in Research Center?
You can test the same troop percentages, but Research Center draws bonuses from Research Center Tech and War Academy Tech instead of Pets. That changes the conditions behind the result. Save separate presets or notes for the two zones, even if an early test happens to produce a similar preferred troop balance.
Read Next
Continue with the Pet guide, review Research Center formations, or return to the Labyrinth schedule and shop.