{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-boss-hierarchy","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-boss-hierarchy","lang":"en","title":"Boss hierarchy","summary":"Bosses are connected by hierarchy or access requirements. Defeating lower tiers brings the player closer to the main target.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-boss-hierarchy/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-boss-hierarchy.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-boss-hierarchy.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Game design techniques","Progression"],"sourceIds":["source-907d448b98941794","source-4a7fa06c7d9d208f"],"sources":[{"id":"source-907d448b98941794","title":"Game Mechanics: Boss hierarchy","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/boss-hierarchy","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-4a7fa06c7d9d208f","title":"Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands (2017)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/boss-hierarchy/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-wildlands","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"An opponent hierarchy connects individual victories to broader progression."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-boss-hierarchy-rule\"></a>\n\n- An opponent hierarchy connects individual victories to broader progression. <a id=\"gm-boss-hierarchy-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-boss-hierarchy","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-boss-hierarchy","categoryIds":["gm-category-progression"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Boss hierarchy","description":"Bosses are connected by hierarchy or access requirements. Defeating lower tiers brings the player closer to the main target.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/interaction-boss-hierarchy.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/boss-hierarchy","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/ghost_recon_wildlands_boss_tree.webp","credit":"Ubisoft Paris; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"The cartel structure leads to El Sueño","alt":"Ghost Recon: Wildlands’ cartel chart places El Sueño at the center, surrounded by leaders and subordinates.","markers":[{"x":55,"y":46,"label":"The main target at the center"},{"x":29,"y":66,"label":"Lower tiers and intermediate targets"}]},"tips":["Show which victories unlock the next tier of the hierarchy.","Keep the overall objective clear when progression order is flexible."],"examples":[{"title":"Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/boss-hierarchy"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}