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Combat Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Warnerbros

Advanced Gameplay Designer

Canute, OK · On-site +1

Work with other Gameplay and Combat Designers to create mechanics that are distinctive, varied and clearly understood by the player. * Liaise with Designers and other disciplines to ensure the ...

Combat Mobility Solutions

Sr Designer

Muskegon, MI · On-site

$92.10K - $98.50K/yr

... combat situations. RENK America employs over 500 employees at our US locations in Muskegon ... Description The Senior Designer role is an experienced level position responsible for the design ...

Combat Mobility Solutions

Sr Designer

Muskegon, MI · On-site

$92.10K - $98.50K/yr

... combat situations. RENK America employs over 500 employees at our US locations in Muskegon ... Description The Senior Designer role is an experienced level position responsible for the design ...

AGBO

NPC Designer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

Working closely with programmers, animators, and other designers, you'll implement and refine combat with our NPCs from prototyping new ideas to tuning the final experience. This is a hands-on, high ...

AGBO

NPC Designer

Raleigh, NC

Working closely with programmers, animators, and other designers, you'll implement and refine combat with our NPCs - from prototyping new ideas to tuning the final experience. This is a hands-on ...

Combat Mobility Solutions

Lead Designer

Muskegon, MI · On-site

... combat situations. RENK America employs over 500 employees at our US locations in Muskegon ... Description The Lead Designer role is senior professional level position responsible for the design ...

AGBO Films LLC

NPC Designer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

Working closely with programmers, animators, and other designers, you'll implement and refine combat with our NPCs - from prototyping new ideas to tuning the final experience. This is a hands-on ...

That's No Moon Entertainment

OR

$120K - $145K/yr

When needed, design and implement combat encounters within levels. This includes initial setup, iteration, and collaboration with dedicated combat encounter designers. * Partner with production and ...

Chipton Ross

Designer 3

Pascagoula, MS · On-site

$28.34/hr

Job #218014 Chipton-Ross is seeking a Designer 3 for a contract opportunity in Pascagoula, MS ... Three years of related experience in power, controls, IC or combat systems design. Associate degree ...

Epic Games

Senior AI Designer (Combat & Encounters)

Cary, NC · On-site

$94.50K - $101K/yr

Cooperate with other designers from the AI team to define and promote a cohesive vision for AI in your project * Use playtest feedback to iterate and improve AI features * Create and maintain clear ...

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Combat Designer information

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$21.5K

$65.4K

$112K

How much do combat designer jobs pay per year?

As of May 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for combat designer in the United States is $65,444.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $42,500.00 and $85,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Combat Designer do?

A Combat Designer is responsible for creating, balancing, and refining the combat mechanics in a game. They design enemy behaviors, player abilities, weapon systems, and encounter pacing to ensure engaging and fair gameplay. This role involves extensive collaboration with animators, programmers, and other designers to bring combat systems to life. Playtesting and iteration are crucial parts of the job to fine-tune mechanics for an optimal player experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Combat Designer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Combat Designer, a solid background in game design, understanding of gameplay mechanics, and proficiency in balancing combat systems are essential, often supported by a degree in game development or related experience. Familiarity with game engines like Unity or Unreal, scripting languages, and prototyping tools is typically required. Strong communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills help Combat Designers excel within multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure engaging and balanced combat experiences that enhance overall game quality and player satisfaction.

What are typical daily responsibilities for a Combat Designer in a game development studio?

As a Combat Designer, your daily responsibilities will often include designing and tweaking combat mechanics, creating and maintaining documentation, and prototyping new features or enemy behaviors. You’ll collaborate closely with artists, animators, and programmers to ensure combat elements are well-integrated and functioning as intended. Playtesting and collecting feedback to balance combat encounters is also a key part of the role. Additionally, you may participate in team meetings to discuss design goals and align on the overall vision for the project.
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Combat Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Combat Designer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $65,444 per year, or $31.5 per hour.
Senior Combat Designer / Concepteur · rice sénior · e combat

Senior Combat Designer / Concepteur · rice sénior · e combat

2K

Novato, CA • On-site

$119.80K - $128K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 24 days ago

Job description

As a Senior Combat Designer at Cloud Chamber, you will collaborate with an innovative team of designers, artists, and engineers to create industry-leading AI characters and combat gameplay. You will be responsible for expanding and building on the ideas of player expression and emergent design experiences. Utilizing your deep knowledge of Unreal Engine, you will develop interactive AI characters to support the overall creative vision for our project, ensuring that our ambitious design goals are achieved and ultimately bring the richly imagined world of BioShock to life.
What You'll Do:
  • Work with the Leads, Design Director, and the design team to pitch and develop interactive AI characters and execute the vision for the game.
  • Act as the primary owner of AI and combat implementation in cross-disciplinary pods.
  • Develop working prototypes of AI and combat scenarios.
  • Communicate progress, workflows, and availability of AI and combat standards to content developers.
  • Maintain and tune assigned combat AI behavior and parameters through to project completion.
  • Create detailed and easy-to-follow design documentation.
  • Collaborate across development sites in Novato and Montreal on a day-to-day basis.
  • Expand and build on the ideas of player expression and emergent design experiences.
  • Use your creativity to execute on design goals and solve design challenges that push our games forward.
  • Participate in brainstorm sessions, refine, and execute on ideas within a schedule.
  • Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to execute on design implementation and problem solving.

What We'll Do Together:
At Cloud Chamber, we are champions of high standards, pushing for progress and embracing change. We will work closely and constructively across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize our creative ambitions. Together, we will stay current on technological advancements and identify solutions to overcome developmental obstacles.
In this combat design capacity, you will support the Creative Director's vision, ensuring creative intent is translated into a performant reality while taking ownership of complex design challenges.
Skills & Experiences:
  • Shipped at least one AAA title as a designer responsible for AI combatants.
  • 5+ years professional experience in video game design.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Experience working with a variety of established game toolsets.
  • Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-disciplinary groups and across multi-site team settings.
  • Deep understanding of game mechanics, combat systems, and AI NPC design.
  • Fluent with game development tools, and experience with pipelines, standards and workflows.
  • Strong presentation skills.
  • Current knowledge of gaming industry development landscape, technology and tools.
  • Understanding of how AI, tactical space, and player verbs combine to create magic in both scripted and unscripted settings.
  • In-depth knowledge of industry standard AI, progression systems, and player mechanics features.

Who You Are:
  • A strong empathetic team member, able to take ownership over your tasks and mentor more junior designers.
  • A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
  • A solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
  • A persistent and self-motivated person with a proactive mindset.
  • Able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
  • An active listener able to build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
  • Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
  • A strong owner of your tasks, who strives to drive their work forward autonomously while maintaining a critical eye for detail and organization, ensuring high standards of quality.
  • Dedicated to upholding Cloud Chamber's core values, contributing to a positive and respectful company culture while striving for excellence in all endeavors.

Who We Are:
At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you've rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.
The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,200 and $148,320 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.
For candidates located in Quebec:
  • Proficiency in French is required.
  • Proficiency in English is required to effectively collaborate with teams based in the United States.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform their essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.
Please note that 2K Games and its studios never use instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews. When emailing prospective employees, we only use 2K.com accounts.

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