Bendy and the Ink Machine Butcher Gang: Survival Guide

Who Are the Butcher Gang?

The Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang can turn a routine supply run into a scramble for the nearest hiding place. Piper, Fisher, and Striker have different movement speeds and attack patterns, so recognizing your pursuer helps you choose when to fight or retreat. This Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang guide covers their identities, Chapter 3 combat encounters, Chapter 4 distractions, and the Administration maze in Chapter 5.

Spoilers ahead for Chapters 3–5.

The gang exists in two forms: the cartoon troublemakers created by Joey Drew Studios and their distorted counterparts roaming the studio. Their names line up like this:

Cartoon character	Ink counterpart	Identifying combat trait
Charley	Piper	Wields a pipe wrench and recovers quickly between attacks
Barley	Fisher	Moves slowly but delivers powerful close-range attacks
Edgar	Striker	Moves quickly and attacks with an extending arm

Within the studio’s fictional cartoon history, The Butcher Gang was released in 1935. Its restaurant setting puts Bendy at work while the trio causes trouble. An argument between Barley and Edgar ends with a thrown pie hitting Charley instead.

You encounter a poster for that cartoon in Chapter 3 and see an animated scene in the Chapter 5 throne room. Those appearances connect the hostile creatures to the studio’s earlier creations.

Their damaged bodies also carry a darker story: Alice Angel has taken them apart for body parts. Despite their disfigurement and mostly garbled speech, they remain dangerous together. Understanding those differences is central to surviving the Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang.

Official page: Bendy and the Ink Machine (joeydrewstudios.com)

Learn Piper, Fisher, and Striker’s Attacks

Fighting the Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang requires attention to recovery time. Striker closes distance quickly but leaves an opening after punching; Piper gives you less breathing room between swings.

Image: Steam / Joey Drew Studios

Use each enemy’s attack animation to decide when to move in.

Enemy	Attack behavior	Combat response
Piper	Wrench swings with a quick return to pursuit	Bait a swing, retreat, then take a brief opening
Fisher	Weapon strikes and a close-range head attack	Keep moving and avoid lingering directly against him
Striker	An extending punch followed by recovery	Back away during the windup, then step in after the punch

Piper: Keep Your Exchanges Short

Piper is the gang’s leader and your introduction to its combat encounters. His wrench attacks come quickly, and his recovery gives you little time to stand still.

Approach far enough to provoke a swing, move back, and strike during the opening. Then create space again. Avoid chasing an extra hit when he has already resumed moving toward you.

Keep an escape route behind Henry. Furniture and narrow passages make retreat harder, especially when your attention stays fixed on Piper’s weapon.

Fisher: Respect His Close-Range Attacks

Fisher is the slowest member, but his strength makes careless trading costly. He also has a head-swinging attack when Henry gets too close.

Back away between exchanges rather than remaining pressed against him. Use his slower movement to separate him from faster enemies during group encounters.

His weapon changed from a wrench to a large hook across his designs. Watch the attack animation and your spacing rather than relying only on the weapon’s appearance.

Striker: Watch the Arm

Striker’s speed makes him look relentless, but his extending punch creates a useful opening afterward.

Step toward him to trigger the attack, retreat as he winds up, and return after the punch finishes. Repeat that rhythm instead of exchanging blows while he advances.

Give his arm more space than you give Piper’s wrench. His attack reaches outward, so a small backward step can leave Henry within reach.

On Steam’s 2.1.0 update, holding the attack button continuously performs attacks with all weapons. Use that convenience while maintaining your movement; it does not replace timing your approach.

Chapter 3: Survive Alice Angel’s Tasks and the Gang Attack

Chapter 3 introduces the Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang through individual encounters before bringing the trio together.

Piper makes his entrance by bursting through a Butcher Gang poster near the hallway lever during the section with Boris. In version 2.1.0, he can no longer die before completing that entrance. Prepare to fight after he emerges.

During Alice Angel’s errands, keep track of which member occupies each level:

Chapter 3 location	Task or encounter	Gang member
Level K	Collecting gears	Piper
Level 11	Collecting thick ink from Swollen Searchers	Fisher
Level P	Collecting valve cores	Striker
Level K	Destroying Bendy cutouts	Piper
Level 9	Defending Alice’s hideout	All three

Use the individual encounters to practice each attack rhythm. The later group fight gives you less room to learn while several enemies approach.

Handle the Level 9 Attack

After the Bendy cutout task, Alice orders Henry to stop the gang from reaching her hideout. Searchers join the encounter, making a charge into the lower area risky.

Keep the fight near Alice’s gated platform and let the gang approach. Their different movement speeds help spread them apart: Striker advances faster than Piper, while Fisher trails behind.

1. Deal with Striker’s approach. Bait his punch and use its recovery window.
2. Reset your position for Piper. Keep exchanges brief because his next attack comes quickly.
3. Maintain distance from Fisher. Back away between hits and avoid his close-range head attack.

Avoid wandering through Searcher puddles unnecessarily. Their spawning behavior makes extra movement through the area an additional problem. Defeating the gang ends this defense encounter and clears the Searchers.

Surviving the attack unlocks Front Lines.

Prepare Before You Need an Escape

When Alice gives you the axe for destroying cutouts, you can also break the boards blocking Grant Cohen’s office on Level 9. Open that room during the axe task if you want access later.

Keep nearby Little Miracle stations in mind during the chapter. Hiding inside makes pursuing gang members lose interest, giving you a way to disengage.

Chapter 3 also contains an optional Heavenly Toys lever challenge with a phase featuring multiple copies of gang members. Carry the same combat habits into that encounter, but prioritize space between enemies before committing to an attack.

Chapter 4: Distract the Gang in Research and Design

The Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang changes the pace in Chapter 4. In Research and Design, all three gather around a fire while Henry needs access to the rooms beyond them.

The standard encounter revolves around throwing empty Bacon Soup cans. Supplies on the upper level replenish, letting you try another distraction without immediately committing to the lower floor.

The gang investigates where a can first lands, rather than where it finishes bouncing. Aim for a useful landing point before throwing.

Stage	Action	Detail to watch
Observe	Stay upstairs and locate the gang around the fire	Watch the route between the stairs and your destination
Distract	Throw a can into a hallway away from your route	Its initial landing point determines the distraction
Cross	Descend and move toward the repair room	Watch for Striker returning ahead of the others
Continue	Distract the gang again to reach the other switch	Keep the hallway you need clear
Leave	Create another opening before crossing back	Locate the Little Miracle station outside

From the upper walkway, send a can down the side hallway away from the main room. Wait for the trio to move toward it before descending.

Striker reaches distractions and returns from them ahead of the slower members. Watch him when judging how much time remains, rather than waiting for Fisher to turn around.

The work continues after reaching the repair room: another switch sits down the hallway used for the initial distraction. Change your throwing direction to draw the gang away from that next objective.

Plan the return trip before leaving cover. Use another can to open the route, then cross deliberately. If pursuit begins outside Research and Design, retreat to the nearby Little Miracle station to break it.

Chapter 5: Navigate the Administration Maze

The Chapter 5 encounter with the Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang removes your usual weapon-based response. Piper, Fisher, and Striker patrol Administration while Henry collects ink for the pipe-making machine.

You need three pipe pieces to complete the puzzle and open the way forward. That means repeated trips through the office corridors.

Before entering, locate the machine, pipe puzzle, time clock, and Little Miracle station. Learn where you need to return before carrying ink through occupied hallways.

Make Each Trip Deliberate

Wait near Administration’s entrance for Piper to pass before following the corridor. Use office rooms as stopping points while other patrols move through.

One room along this route contains an audio log and a desk with a far corner where you can wait for Striker to pass. The ink pickup is near Joey Drew’s office.

Collect the ink, retrace your route, and pause for patrols on the return journey. At the machine, select the pipe piece you need before pulling the lever.

Repeat the process for the remaining pieces. Avoid taking a clear corridor as permission to rush the entire route; the three enemies continue moving independently.

Achievement	Requirement
Valued Employee	Complete the pipe puzzle without being seen by the patrolling Butcher Gang
Pipes and Problems	Solve the pipe puzzle and open the vault door

For Valued Employee, prioritize staying unseen throughout the collection trips. Breaking pursuit afterward does not undo detection.

Account for the 2.1.0 Changes

Version 2.1.0 makes the gang less likely to become stuck inside Administration rooms. Keep watching patrols instead of building your route around an enemy remaining trapped.

The update also addresses several collision and unintended-location problems. Use hiding places and patrol gaps for your escape plan rather than relying on room geometry to immobilize a pursuer.

If Henry is spotted during a normal progression run, head for a Little Miracle station to make the gang lose interest. Reestablish your route afterward, and identify the next opening before stepping back into the halls.

FAQ

What are the Bendy and the Ink Machine butcher gang members’ names?

The three enemy members are Piper, Fisher, and Striker. They correspond to the cartoon characters Charley, Barley, and Edgar.

When does the Butcher Gang appear?

The enemy trio appears in Chapters 3, 4, and 5. Piper introduces the group in Chapter 3, followed by encounters with Fisher and Striker during Alice Angel’s tasks.

How do you get past the Butcher Gang in Chapter 4?

Throw empty Bacon Soup cans to draw them away from your route through Research and Design. Aim for the initial landing point, watch Striker’s return, and use additional distractions to reach both switches.

How do you unlock Valued Employee?

Complete Chapter 5’s pipe puzzle without being seen by the gang patrolling Administration. Wait for patrols to pass, use office rooms to pause between movements, and keep each ink collection trip focused on returning safely.