The **AI Combat Manager** (**AC\_AI\_CombatManager)** component is responsible for handling AI combat interactions, including damage processing, hit reactions, poise/stance breaks, unarmed combat, and death handling. It functions *similarly* to the [**Combat Manager** used for the player](/components-managers/player-specific-components/combat-manager.md) but is specifically designed for AI, ensuring that AI enemies can react to incoming attacks, process damage correctly, and execute appropriate combat behaviors.
It is added to the **Soulslike Enemy (B\_Soulslike\_Enemy)** class by default.
### **How It Works**
* **Event Bindings**
* **Registers AI combat events**, such as `OnTakeDamage` and `OnStatUpdated`, to ensure AI responds dynamically to combat situations.
* **Ability Selection**
* The `TryGetAbility` method (called from **BTS\_TryGetAbility**) is used to retrieve a possible attack Ability while the AI is in Combat state.
* **Damage Handling**
* **Listens for incoming damage events** and adjusts HP accordingly. If HP falls to zero, it triggers the death logic.
* **Poise System**
* **Listens for poise stat changes & manages poise mechanics,** triggering a stagger/stun when poise is broken (if Poise falls to zero)
* **Stance Breaks & Hit Reactions**
* Upon taking damage, the `HandleHitReaction` method checks if Stance is broken, if so, determines the correct hit reaction animation and applies knockback forces based on damage impact.
* **Weapon & Projectile Damage Processing:**
* Handles incoming melee and projectile attacks, applying damage effects accordingly.
* **Unarmed Combat**
* Uses socket-based tracing for unarmed combat.
* **Notify Related Properties**
* Manages defensive properties such as [**Hyper Armor**](/animation-notifies/defensive/hyper-armor-notify.md) **&** [**Invincibility**](/animation-notifies/defensive/invincibility-frame-notify.md) which can be toggled through notifies.
* **World Healthbar Updates**
* Updates the world UI, displaying AI health changes in real-time, Souls style.
* **Death Handling**
* Initiates the AI death sequence, plays the ragdoll/directional death animation and stops AI controller logic.
### Example Usage
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