Doom Eternal Enemies: All Demons and Lore (Part 1) (2024)

Doom Eternal continues the Doom tradition of having great demons and other enemies for you to battle!

From Revenants to Mancubi, Imps to Hell Knights, we’re going to be outlining all of the Doom Eternal enemies, covering their appearance, lore, and some tactics for fighting them. There are a ton of demons to cover, so let’s get started!

Arachnotron

This spider-like menace makes its grand debut in glorious HD in Doom Eternal. This specific enemy type hasn’t been seen since Doom 64, its second appearance since its introduction in Doom II.

Appearance

The Arachnotron is a giant brain that sits on a robotic frame, giving it a limited range of movement. It was initially created using the organic remains of the Spider Mastermind, which was the final boss of the original Doom game.

Lore

In Doom Eternal, the Arachnotron sports a powerful turret on its back, allowing it to attack the Doom Slayer at long distances. It also has grenade launchers on both sides of its exposed brain.

Combat Tactics

The best way to deal with a Doom Eternal Arachnotron is to take out its turret as quickly as possible. This will stop it from sniping you when you’re fighting other enemies. Now that it only has close-quarter attacks, you can either take it out at long range or weaken it until you can perform a Glory Kill on it.

Related Article: Just How Tall is the Doom Slayer?

Arch-vile

The Arch-vile is a demon sorcerer that was initially introduced in Doom II. It is known for summoning groups of lesser demons to overwhelm the Doom Slayer, as well as attacking with its own use of Hell magic.

Appearance of the Arch-vile Sorcerer Enemies in Doom Eternal

These demons are very tall, towering over most other demons as well as the Doom Marine himself in Doom Eternal. Their physique is noticeably different from their appearance in Doom II, with clearly defined musculature compared to their thin, sickly-looking sprite in the older game.

Lore

The Arch-viles are descendants of the oldest demons, putting them towards the top of the hierarchy in terms of rulers of hell. Besides their standing, they also possess impressively high intelligence. This allows the arch-vile to manipulate lesser demons to do their bidding while also giving them the powers of Psychomancy.

Combat Tactics to Defeat this Enemy in Doom Eternal

If an Arch-vile spawns on the battlefield in Doom Eternal, you’re in for a hell of a fight. It is classified as a Super Heavy Unit, meaning it has high HP, does huge damage, and is unfazed by the Chainsaw and the BFG. Their only weakness is that their close quarters attacks are comparatively weak. That doesn’t give you much of an advantage, but if you’re able to get close, you can fill it with lead until it goes down.

The Meathook on the Super Shotgun is your ally in getting close, and the arch-vile flame wall can be destroyed using a Blood Punch. Don’t try to lock on to it; it will just teleport away.

Fireborne Baron

In Doom Eternal, you will face an evolution of the Baron of Hell seen in Doom (2016) called the Fireborne Barons.

Appearance

Aesthetically, Doom Eternal Barons are very similar to the Barons from the previous Doom. They have the same muscular body, horns, and goat legs but differ significantly in their coloring. Whereas the Barons from Doom (2016) are pinkish, the Fireborne Barons have an obsidian shell decorated by red glowing lines where the obsidian plates stop.

When this Baron takes damage, the obsidian falls away to reveal skin that consists of magma.

Demon Enemy Lore in Doom Eternal

As is evident from their appearance, the Fireborne Barons in Doom Eternal are Barons that have evolved to thrive in an unforgiving environment. Specifically, the flame-broiled lands of the Burning Abyss. This is how they developed their obsidian skin and penchant for aggression.

Combat Tactics

Doom Eternal Fireborne Barons have the same attack patterns as their less evolved cousins but benefit from increased damage output and HP. As a result of their skin, they are immune to the Chainsaw. Your best options when facing a Fireborne Baron are the Chaingun and Rocket Launcher, as they hit hard enough to prevent them from attacking.

Related Article: Is Doom Eternal Crossplatform for Multiplayer?

Cacodemon

Ah, the Cacodemon. These are some of the earliest Doom enemies, having even served as the mascot of the original game.

Appearance of this Enemy in Doom Eternal

Cacodemons are instantly recognizable in Doom Eternal. They are floating blobs of flesh with whithered, useless arms and legs, a single eye, and a large mouth. In Doom Eternal, their design has been altered from the previous game to resemble their appearance in the original Doom more closely. They are a lighter shade of red, have white teeth instead of yellow, and bleed blue blood.

Lore

Cacodemons run solely on a desire to eat, hence the large mouth. These floating demons lazily scan the abyss of hell for easy meals. Wherever there is flesh, you can find a Cacodemon nearby to consume it.

Combat Tactics to Beat Cacodemon Enemies in Doom Eternal

When fighting a Cacodemon in Doom Eternal, you have a few options. You can take advantage of its need to feed by lobbing a grenade into its mouth, doing colossal damage and opening it up for a glory kill. If you already have the Ballista, you can easily take it down from a distance, thanks to that weapon’s extra damage output against flying enemies.

Carcass

Like the Arachnotron, the Doom Eternal Carcass relies on a set of spider-like robotic legs to move around. Unlike the Arachnotron, however, the Carcass is merely a robotically enhanced human cadaver.

Appearance

In Doom Eternal, Carcass enemies consist of a human torso set atop three robotic legs. Instead of a stomach, it appears to have some kind of engine that allows the mechanical parts to function. Its right arm has also been replaced with a giant cannon.

Lore

The Carcass is the product of unethical experiments carried out by UAC cultists. It was devised as a method of “recycling” human soldiers after they have fallen into combat.

Combat Tactics

This half-human, half-mech monstrosity can cause problems during firefights in Doom Eternal. They have sonic bursts, a shockwave attack, and a spinning attack. Your best bet is to try to kill them from a medium distance, as they have serious damage in close-up attacks. The Carcass also uses an energy shield, which it will use to protect itself and other demons in a glory-kill state. These can be easily punched through if you have a Blood Punch charged up.

Zombie

The zombie is one of the most common enemies you will fight in Doom Eternal.

Appearance of the Zombie in Doom Eternal

Zombies look pretty much like your basic zombies. They are easy enough to spot with their pentagrams on their heads. They will slowly shuffle towards the Doom Slayer.

How to Beat Zombie Enemies in Doom Eternal

You really don’t need to worry about defeating zombies. They are essentially cannon fodder. You can even take out a whole group of zombies with a single sticky bomb.

Cueball

Doom Eternal Cueballs are former engineers that have been zombified and fused with explosives.

Appearance of these Enemies in Doom Eternal

They appear to be horribly disfigured and decaying, with inhumanly inflated bellies and red explosive canisters peeking out several parts of its body.

Lore

These enemies are reminiscent of the Possessed Engineer from Doom (2016). They also had explosives embedded in their bodies but were significantly less mangled and decayed.

Combat Tactics to Beat Cueball Enemies in Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal Cueballs will not attack unless provoked. But, with even the lightest punch, they will shoot off opposite to the point of impact and explode. This is useful if you can aim them at groups of enemies. They are immune to the Chainsaw, so no free heals, but they are utterly harmless to the Slayer outside of the explosion they cause.

Related Article: Can You Play Doom Eternal Split Screen for Local Play?

Doom Hunter

Doom Hunter are cybernetically enhanced demons from an ancient lineage.

Appearance

Maybe “enhanced” is a bit of a stretch. These demons are almost entirely cybernetic, with only their head and the right side of their chest down the arm recognizable as some type of flesh. The rest of the body consists of a cannon, a chainsaw arm, and a hover apparatus instead of legs.

Lore

As revealed in Doom Eternal, the Doom Hunter is a descendant of the “Aggadon Hunters” who were demons that roamed the earth long before the reign of humans. UAC cultists reclaimed their remains during hell’s invasion of Earth, and their alterations happened shortly after.

Combat Tactics to Beat these Enemies in Doom Eternal

Considered Super Heavy Units in Doom Eternal, the Doom Hunter are not easy to deal with. They have chainsaw attacks for close range, a cannon for long-range, machine guns mounted to the underside of their boosters, and missile launchers on top.

They also have a shield that protects their fleshy bits. Cell weapons can destroy this shield, but it will regenerate after a short time. When they’ve taken enough damage, the torso will separate from the base, making it more hostile. You should use a cell weapon in this state as well.

Dread Knight

This demon is one of the brand new enemies in Doom Eternal, and it appears to be an evolution of a Hell Knight.

Appearance

As far as its appearance goes, the Doom Eternal Dread Knight has the standard shape of a Hell Knight, but its head and shoulders have been cybernetically enhanced with metal plating. It also has neon yellow tubes that protrude from its clavicles and forearms, which feed the energy blades attached to its upper wrists on both arms.

Lore

The Dread Knight is another result of UAC cultist experiments. They took the Hell Knight and altered it mechanically and chemically. In addition to their cybernetic hardware, they are also pumped with a constant stream of epinephrine, putting them in a constant state of panic and rage. When they kill, they receive a shot of dopamine, easing their suffering for a few precious moments. This, unfortunately, makes them very eager to murder everything in Doom Eternal, including the Doom Slayer.

Combat Tactics to Defeat these Demonic Enemies in Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal Dread Knight attacks are similar to the Hell Knights they were formed from, but with a few additions. Dread Knights have a long-range beam attack in addition to their rush-down and area of effect attacks. It’s best to keep your distance from these demons, as their ground-pound attack will make quick work of you. You should use your Chaingun or Rocket Launcher to damage them just out of reach of their close-range attacks while dashing to avoid their ranged attacks. If you have it, they are supremely weak against the Microwave Beam mode on the Plasma Gun.

Gargoyle

This is another new demon for Doom Eternal, and is one of the few flying enemies.

Appearance

Its general posture and shape are similar to the Imp demons throughout the Doom series. They possess a few unique attributes, like their split jaw, wings, and arm blades. Its wings make it particularly agile and hard to hit, even with the weapons available in Doom Eternal.

Doom Eternal’s Lore for This New Enemy

Gargoyles come from the Sentinel world, where they are a most hated nuisance. Their flight abilities make the defensive walls surrounding the major Sentinel cities useless. These demons are known for flying over those walls and abducting unsuspecting citizens, never to be seen again.

Combat Tactics

Gargoyles move very quickly, whether on foot or in the air. They have a projectile attack at long-range and slash attacks using their arm blades when they’re up close. However, as is evident from their thin frame, they are very fragile. Just about any weapon in Doom Eternal will kill a Gargoyle if you manage to hit them. Additionally, if you hit a Gargoyle while it is mid-flight, it will come crashing back down to the ground, ready for a glory kill.

Hell Knight

The Hell Knight is another recurring enemy from across the Doom series.

Appearance of the Hell Knight Enemies in Doom Eternal

In Doom Eternal, it is very similar looking to its appearance in Doom (2016), with just a few notable differences. Its eyes are now visible, deeply inset into its exposed skull. It also has a lighter color palette than its previous appearance and more dense neck muscles.

Lore

True to their name, Hell Knights are well known in the realms of hell for serving Archdemons and enforcing their law upon lesser demons by force. They are the law enforcers of the Netherworld and revel in war and the violence it causes.

Combat Tactics

Doom Eternal Hell Knights are devoid of long-range attacks, relying solely on melee and rush-down attacks to get up close and beat the Doom Slayer to a pulp. They will always charge straight at you, able to take a ton of damage before flinching. Your best shot at taking down a Hell Knight is with fully automatic weapons, as a high damage rate has the best chance of interrupting their charge. A full-auto Combat Shotgun and the Chaingun are your allies.

Icon of Sin

This massive, ultra-powerful demon serves as the final confrontation of Doom Eternal.

Appearance

It exchanges its cybernetic appearance from Doom (2016) for a wholly organic one in Doom Eternal. The Icon of Sin enemy in Doom Eternal also features a pentagram on its skull, goat legs, and bat hands. It has many exposed bones, including its ribs and the bones in its back.

Lore Behind Doom Eternal’s Final Boss Enemy

As explained throughout Doom Eternal, the mere presence of the Icon of Sin is a threat to our dimension, as it warps reality around it. If it is allowed to continue living, it would surely cause the formation of a black hole that would cast our universe into the hell dimension.

Combat Tactics

As the final boss of Doom Eternal, the Icon of Sin is no slouch. It has immense size, strength, speed, and health; all are boosted thanks to the suit of Maykr armor it wears. This makes the Icon of Sin the most powerful demon in the Doom series.

It has flamethrower, fireball, and beam attacks. The fight against it has two phases, one in which you destroy its armor and the second in which you beat the eight separate parts of its now exposed body. For this fight, you will have unlimited use of The Crucible, a mighty blade that kills most demons in a single hit.

You should use this to deal with lower-level threats and hit the Icon with heavy weaponry like the Ballista, Rocket Launcher, Heavy Cannon, and the BFG while avoiding attacks.

Imp

These low-level demons are weak on their own but serve as a constant problem throughout Doom Eternal, especially when in large numbers. You will see these regular enemies in almost every level of Doom Eternal.

The Appearance of Imp Enemies in Doom Eternal

They appear very similar to their Doom (2016) counterparts but with an altered color palette like many enemies in the game. They are short, hunched over, and move with a fast, low-to-the-ground shuffle.

Lore

Imps are known as the scavengers of hell, the lowest of the low. They are the most common of all the demons in Doom Eternal, and have almost no intelligence, running only on instinct and the desire to hunt prey. They are used as footsoldiers in hell armies due to their abundance and ability to be easily manipulated.

Combat Tactics

Doom Eternal Imps retain their attacks from The previous Doom, having a fireball attack, a more powerful, charged version, and swipe attacks when up close. They have low health, so they are fairly easy to kill with any weapon. If you hit an Imp while it is charging a fireball attack, it will be stunned and primed for a glory kill.

Kalibas

Known as “The Sightless Judge,” Kalibas serves as a mini-boss In the Doom Eternal Nekravol level.

Appearance of this Mini-Boss Enemy in Doom Eternal

Kalibas is similar to the Arachnotrons as it appears just to be a brain but much, much larger than its spider-legged cousin. It has many tentacles and eyes that serve as turrets.

Lore

This demon is the judge of which souls are good enough to be converted into Argent energy, the power source for all monsters in hell.

Combat Tactics

Since it is a mini-boss in Doom Eternal, the fight with Kalibas happens over several phases. In phase one, it is protected by an energy shield, and then the demon uses its eye turrets to attack the Slayer, who has to contend with moving platforms and lava in addition to dodging projectiles.

You’ll need to destroy the eye turret that is attacking you to move on to the next phase, where it summons help in the form of Gargoyles. You’ll continue to destroy turrets as Kalibas summons more Gargoyles and even Pain Elementals to stop you.

Once all turrets are destroyed, Kalibas’s shield will fall, and a single punch to the brain will put the demon down for good after dodging Gargoyles and Pain Elementals.

Khan Maykr

This enemy is the leader of the Maykrs, a race of ancient aliens, and also the main antagonist of Doom Eternal. It is one of the most powerful Doom Eternal enemies.

Appearance

It is a massive metal construct that contains a semi-organic being within it. It floats and has no visible legs, but after it takes damage, part of its armor is removed, revealing tentacles on its lower body.

Lore for this Boss Enemy in Doom Eternal

Khan Maykr is responsible for planning and invading Earth by Hell’s forces. She did this after the Well was destroyed in the first game and planned the invasion as a way of harvesting Argent energy from the unworthy souls of the humans on Earth.

Combat Tactics

This alien is very powerful, having six health bars to whittle down before she is defeated. You’ll need to use a combination of your Meat Hook to get close to her and the Blood Punch to take down her shields and damage her.

Lost Soul

These floating, flaming skulls are one of the most common Doom Eternal enemies and appear throughout the series. They are some of the weakest of all the demons.

Appearance

The Lost Souls are merely disembodied skulls that seem to be powered by some kind of energy or flame that starts blue but turns red once they spot the Slayer. They have glowing eyes, fangs, and horns, giving them a very intimidating appearance.

Lore

These floating skulls result from Damned human bodies that have been crushed by slave labor. When their body is no longer of use, they are sent to a soul extractor where it can recycle them. The ones that escape this fate are what become the Lost Souls, taking a physical form and wandering the planes of hell until they find their final peace in death.

Combat Tactics to Defeat these Common Doom Eternal Enemies

For this reason, Lost Souls will charge at the player, either to be eviscerated by gunfire or to explode on impact. They have very little health, so they aren’t much of a threat unless they appear in numbers. Then, the potential of taking damage from many Lost Souls is an issue.

Mancubus

This corpulent demon returns from previous Doom games. It also has a variant called the Cyber-Mancubus.

Appearance

It has a vastly changed appearance from its last outing in Doom (2016). The Mancubus enemy in Doom Eternal now more closely resembles its Doom II incarnation, retaining the potbelly and dual cannon arms. It also appears to be stitched together and has a yellow, heart-like apparatus in its chest. This may be the power source for its cannon attacks.

Lore

The Mancubi in Doom Eternal is different from the ones first discovered by the UAC. These newer demons have been altered with man-mad augmentations like less armor and an upgradable arm cannon system. As one of the Doom Eternal enemies with an alternate version, there is also the Cyber-Mancubus. This armored version is harder to kill, but a Blood Punch can destroy its shield in one hit.

Combat Tactics

These demons are the tanks of the series. They are slow to move but can take a ton of damage while dishing out massive damage of their own. Fortunately, you can destroy both arm cannons, significantly reducing their damage output. Consistent damage from any of your weapons will eventually kill it, but a glory kill or chainsaw kill will result in it exploding, damaging nearby demons.

Marauder

These resurrected warriors are some of the most challenging demons in Doom Eternal.

Appearance

They have pale skin, horns, and glowing red eyes. Their chest is visible, revealing more pale skin and black veins from the armor that has been grafted onto their body. The armor on their arms and legs is green and appears to have a similar origin as the Slayer’s own Praetor armor.

Lore Behind this Demonic Enemies in Doom Eternal

These demons were once human, serving as Night Sentinel warriors. Those who decided to side with Khan Maykr in the Maykr civil war were denied peace in death. The Divinity Machine was used to resurrect their dead bodies, which were then imbued with hell magic. Their only purpose after resurrecting is to kill the Slayer they once fought alongside.

Combat Tactics

To combat a Marauder, you need to know its strengths. They have long-range beam attacks and will shoot you with their double-barreled shotgun at close range. At a medium distance, they will lunge at you to attack you with an energy ax. This lunge motion is the only point where they are vulnerable, so staying in this medium-range zone is best. Hitting them with the Super Shotgun or Ballista in their vulnerable state is the best way to put them down.

Maykr Drone

These autonomous enemies appear in the later stages of Doom Eternal.

Appearance

While they are more equivalent to robots, Maykr Drones take on the appearance of other Maykrs. They have no arms or legs, and a few stray tentacles are visible under their robe-like armor.

Lore

These drones make up almost the entire population of Urdak. They serve the Khan Maykr without question, unable to deny any request. For this reason, they exist in a perfect, harmonious colony, unable to leave Urdak.

Combat Tactics

The Maykr Drone’s armor negates half of all damage, prolonging their presence in fights. They have yellow bursts of projectiles a long-range and a spinning tentacle attack at close-range. You can eventually kill them with regular gunfire, but if they are killed with a headshot, they will drop ammo and health.

That benefit is ideal for all of Doom Eternal, so Ballista bolts or a close-up Super Shotgun blast to the head should be the game plan. You can get close enough to attack with the super shotgun by using the Meat Hook.

Wrapping Up Part 1 of Our Doom Eternal Enemies Guide

This is the end of Part 1 of this list. There are still many more Doom Eternal demons to cover, including the enemies that appear in both installments of The Ancient Gods DLC, so make sure you come back for Part 2!

If you haven’t yet purchased Doom Eternal and are not quite sure if it’s worth it, check out our review here to see if you should buy Doom Eternal.

What do you think of our guide to the enemies in Doom Eternal? Do you have any other tips or tricks you strongly recommend other players should consider? Let us know in the comments below. If your suggestions are great, we’ll feature them in our Doom Eternal enemies guide.