Enemies (DN3D)

Assault Trooper

The Assault Trooper is the lowest-ranked grunt in the alien invasion, armed only with a laser blaster. It is also one of the most used (and thus the most reliable) grunts of the entire alien race on Earth. Its job is to stay on the front lines and do all the dirty work for its Lord. It is the first alien the player encounters in the game.

The Assault Trooper should not be underestimated. Each Assault Trooper owns a jetpack, and uses it to get closer to the player or to gain the high ground. This makes it rather difficult for the player to flee the battlefield, or to pick them off from above. Also, when attacking in groups the Assault Trooper will try to flank the player, making it more difficult to withdraw to a safer area. Finally, the Assault Trooper is the only enemy in the game that can "play dead", allowing it to make a surprise attack on the player.

Assault Captain

The Assault Captain's job is to lead the Assault Troopers in battle. Ruthless and cunning, it directs minor battles with ease. It is the same species as the Assault Trooper; its only distinguishing feature is its red armor (which apparently signifies leadership, or at least a higher level of authority than green).

Twice as tough as its underlings, and carrying a small wrist-mounted cloaking device in addition to its laser blaster, the Assault Captain is the master of sneak attacks. Often cloaking itself before the player has seen it, it can come as a nasty shock when it strikes.

Assault Enforcer

Space's alternative to the Pig Cop, the Assault Enforcer first appears in the space-based episode Lunar Apocalypse (and is absent from L.A. Meltdown; this is the exact opposite to the Pig Cop, which appears in the first episode but not the second). This dinosaur-like creature is fast on its feet, and is able to leap high into the air, meaning it can give the player quite the run around.

It is equipped with a deadly chaingun cannon, which is either worn over its right arm or, more likely, replaces it. Its spit is also very harmful to humans, making it a dangerous opponent. However, it will stop attacking on occasion to defecate, a distraction which the player may use to their advantage.

Some have postulated that it is related to the same group of aliens as the Assault Trooper, as they are all reptilian creatures of the same basic shape and size, and are all labelled as "Assault" creatures.

Assault Commander

The Assault Commander is the highest ranked alien of the "Assault" group. Stronger and deadlier than the other "Assault" troops, the Assault Commander sits on a floatation platform commanding its forces via its headset. When facing an enemy itself, it will often taunt them with evil throaty laughter and phrases such as, "Suck it down!". It is one of the most dangerous enemies in the game.

It has the unusual ability to create and/or store explosive rockets within its body, and happily fires them at its enemies in rapid succession from what appears to be its rectum. It can also use its spiked floatation platform as a melee weapon by spinning rapidly and ramming into its foes, slashing them.

Some have postulated that it is related to the same group of aliens as the Overlord, as they are both large creatures that fire rockets, and have similar facial features (such as a bulging mouth).

Mini Battlelord

The Mini Battlelord is the biggest and baddest thing around, and that's no understatement. It has masses of health and arsenal as large as its big brother's (the Battlelord). However, it is smaller than the Battlelord, and so is unable to crush foes below its feet, but that's small consolation to anything unfortunate enough to run into it.

It is deadly accurate with its chaingun, and the explosive mortars it generously fires around are an extreme health hazard. Its chilling howl only adds to the terrifying experience of encountering one.

Being so powerful, they are fairly rarely seen. They seem to be even higher up the alien chain of command than the Assault Commander, and just below the Battlelord. It has been suggested that the Mini Battlelord (and by extension the Battlelord) is a mutated or super-developed member of the Assault Trooper species, as they are similar in appearance.

Pig Cop

Pig Cops are muscular humanoid boars, mutated from LAPD officers shortly before the beginning of Duke Nukem 3D. It appears only in Earth-based levels (and thus not at all in Lunar Apocalypse). Fierce and fearsome, the Pig Cop is one of the most well-known enemies in the game.

They are cunning in battle, often dropping to the ground to make themselves smaller targets while they fire their shotguns at their victims. They also display a decent amount of intelligence, as they are known to drive at least two vehicles (the Recon Patrol Vehicle and the Pig Cop Tank). These attributes suggest that the Pig Cop retains much of the knowledge and intelligence of the human that mutated into it, but thanks to the alien influence they have been turned against humanity.

Recon Patrol Vehicle (RPV)

The Recon Patrol Vehicle is a quick and agile reconnaissance flying vehicle, formerly owned by the LAPD but is now in the hands of the Pig Cops. Armed with twin laser blasters and minimal armor, the RPV cannot take much damage, but its manoeuvrability easily makes up for it. It can effortlessly dodge projectile weapons (such as rockets), making it very difficult to hit with anything powerful enough to do it serious damage.

Its main tasks are to patrol a sector, and to scout an area. It has a set flight plan, and will protect the area in which it flies by firing upon intruders with its twin laser blasters. It is often to be found flying a few metres above the streets, although it may be assigned to other locations as well. It flies high in the air to allow the sturdy underside of the vehicle to take shots from below, thereby protecting the exposed pilot.

The RPV is equipped with a jettison device which automatically ejects the pilot (a Pig Cop) when it is destroyed and spiralling to the ground. This makes it two enemies in one, and all the more dangerous for it.

Pig Cop Tank

Atomic Edition only

The Pig Cop Tank is the natural counterpart to the Recon Patrol Vehicle. Where the RPV is fast and manoeuvrable, the Pig Cop Tank is slow and clumsy. It is a land-based vehicle, and has a lot more fire-power than the RPV to make up for its comparatively poor agility. It is heavily armored, so it can take a lot of damage. When it is destroyed, its driver will sometimes, but not always, escape unharmed. As the vehicle's name suggests, its driver is a Pig Cop.

A notable feature of the Pig Cop Tank, aside from its devastating weaponry and armoring, is the button on its back. It is a self-destruct button, and allows a sure-fire and simple way of destroying it (provided one can get close enough to press it).

Protozoid Slimer

The Protozoid Slimer is a nasty little creature. It may not seem very menacing from a distance, and indeed it isn't, but when it's latched itself to your head and is biting your face off, you'll think differently. These soft puddles of green goo are very stretchy, and often swarm in great numbers and attack the player without warning by dropping onto them from the ceiling.

It hatches from Protozoid Slimer Eggs, which technically count as enemies but do nothing more than incubate the vicious Protozoid Slimers. They are often guarded by Octabrains, which has led some people to believe that Protozoid Slimers and Octabrains are related.

The Protozoid Slimer shares a number of traits with the facehuggers from the Alien movies. They both hatch from eggs, and latch onto another creature's face. Just as the facehugger is the first form of the adult alien, so the Protozoid Slimer is believed to be the infant form of the Octabrain.

Octabrain

The Octabrain is a large beige floating brain with tentacles, mean eyes and big teeth. It can expertly use incredible psychic powers, both as a means of movement and as a weapon. It also seems to be the most intelligent enemy in the game, a theory heavily inspired by the size of its brain.

It seems to follow its own agenda, rather than that of the invading aliens. While the other aliens are attacking places and using excessive force to invade Earth, the Octabrain lurks in the shadows. It can often be found guarding nests of Protozoid Slimer Eggs (with babes trapped in slime/vines sometimes nearby), an observation that has grown into the theory that the Octabrain and the Protozoid Slimer are related. It is equally at home underwater as on land, and is the most notable underwater-based enemy.

Protector Drone

Atomic Edition only

• First Encounter: The Birth, It's Impossible
• Hit Points: 300
• Attack Damage: Claws (22 per swipe), Shrink Ray (Shrinks, no damage)
• Best Choice: Shotgun (4-5), Ripper (34), RPG (3), Devastator (9), Freezer (12-15)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (30), Pistol (50), Pipebomb (3), Shrinker (Immune), Expander (20), Tripbomb (3)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Very High

Being the spawn of the alien Queen herself, the Protectors are evil in every sense of the word, taking three times the damage of a Pig Cop. On top of that, they jump high and move very fast, can claw you at close range, and have the nasy ability to emit shrink rays. Their main and only purpose is to protect their newborn alien Queen by all means and at all costs, so be very afraid when you meet one.

Shark

• First Encounter: Shrapnel City, Raw Meat
• Hit Points: 35
• Attack Damage: Bite (9)
• Best Choice: Pistol (6), Shotgun (1), Ripper (4), RPG (1), Devastator (1), Expander (3), Freezer (2)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (3), Pipebomb (1), Shrinker (1), Tripbomb (1)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Very Low

Sharks are often found swimming about in large underwater areas; rarely are there fewer than two Sharks in the same territory. They are easy to spot as their gray skin is quite distinct, and are unusual in that they are rather small. They can be a significant threat if found in large numbers; if this happens, the player is advised to make their escape, and to avoid that shoal (at least until they can deal with the threat). Be wary of tight spaces such as narrow caves, where there isn't much room to manoeuvre around and away from them.

A Shark can be disposed of quite easily, and bears almost no significant threat.

Turret

• First Encounter: L.A. Meltdown, Hollywood Holocaust
• Hit Points: 30
• Attack Damage: Blaster (7)
• Best Choice: Pistol (5), Shotgun (1), Ripper (4), RPG (1)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (3), Pipebomb (1), Shrinker (Immune), Expander (3), Devastator (1), Tripbomb (1), Freezer (2)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Significant

Turrets are found mostly in isolated rooms or outdoor areas, usually stationary a few meters above the player. They can be hard to spot at first as they are not very visible until they attack the player. They should be considered a threat as they are small and hard to hit, and so can take quite a beating. A Turret fires two rapid blaster shots per second, and loses almost no accuracy at large distances. A direct assault on a Turret without any kind of cover is not recommended, especially when there are more than two of them.

When damaged, the Turret spins around uncontrollably for a few seconds as what appears to be a defense mechanism (as any damage inflicted to the Turret while it is spinning seems to be reduced a little). However, its low health tends to mean this doesn't make much of a difference (if any). Alternatively, the Turret might spin due to a malfunction caused to it when damaged, which is soon corrected by its internal workings.

When dealing with Turrets, an explosive weapon is the best choice (preferably the RPG), particularly for distant targets (which the Turret most likely will be). From distance, Pistol is also recommended due to it's better accuracy, than the more powerful Shotgun.

Sentry Drone

• First Encounter: Lunar Apocalypse, Spaceport
• Hit Points: 150
• Attack Damage: Self-Destruct (30)
• Best Choice: Shotgun (2-3), Ripper (17), Expander (10)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (N/A), Pistol (25), RPG (2), Pipebomb (2), Shrinker (Immune), Devastator (5), Tripbomb (2), Freezer (6-8)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: High

Sentry Drones are most common in the "Lunar Apocalypse" episode, especially in the dark space stations "Incubator" and "Warp Factor".

The Sentry Drone looks like a miniature sleek spaceship painted in camouflage colours of green and silver-gray. It has two forward-facing red "eyes". It is a mechanical flying object, perhaps even a man-made self-defense mechanism (if so, it seems to have been reprogrammed by the aliens, as it does not attack them).

The Sentry Drone can only be described as a kamikaze unit, since its only attack is to explode and self-destruct. This means that its objective is to get as close to its enemy as possible (i.e. you). To do this it moves quickly, and can quickly dart sideways to evade most attacks (particularly projectiles like the RPG). It can sometimes be found in groups, and occasionally very large groups at that.

To make sure it is not defeated before it completes its task, it is fitted with strong armor. Indirect hits will do less damage, so sometimes a Sentry Drone can take two shotgun shots and survive. Be wary.

The best way to defeat the Sentry Drone is to run away while shooting at it until it explodes, but if you are trapped in a confined area you are at a severe disadvantage. If the player is facing a group of Sentry Drones, they should be extremely cautious and remember that some of those Sentry Drones could be attacking from other directions. Avoid using projectile weapons, as they are practically useless against these evasive enemies.

Battlelord

• Encountered: L.A. Meltdown, The Abyss
• Hit Points: 4500
• Attack Damage: Chaingun (5-10), Mortar (50), Melee Stomp (instant death)
• Best Choice: RPG (~33), Devastator (~129)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (N/A), Pistol (~750), Shotgun (~65), Ripper (~500), Pipe Bomb (~33), Expander (~300), Shrinker (immune), Trip Bomb (~45), Freezer (~225)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Extreme

This creature is basically the Mini Battlelord described previously, but in giant scale - think about 4 metres tall or higher - and having much more endurance, obviously. It represents the primary outpost of alien invasion in Earth, generally being assigned to dominate cities in order to reprime or annihilate any possible resistance to the invasion.

The Battlelord has the same two attack forms of the Mini Battlelord, which are the super-chaingun and grenades - and, just like every boss in the game, it has the addition of a powerful stomp attack which is activated by touching or being touched by the boss, resulting in an instant kill, no matter how much health and armor the player has.

Dealing with The Battlelord is basically just the same as when dealing with the Mini Battlelord, except the player must take extra precautions regarding the boss' attack power. Constant strafing and taking cover behind obstacles are the best way to defeat this monstrous creature.

Overlord

• Encountered: Lunar Apocalypse, Overlord
• Hit Points: 4500
• Attack Damage: Rocket (N/A), Melee Stomp (instant death)
• Best Choice: RPG (~33), Devastator (~129)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (N/A), Pistol (~750), Shotgun (~65), Ripper (~500), Pipe Bomb (~33), Expander (~300), Shrinker (immune), Trip Bomb (~45), Freezer (~225)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Extreme

An alien leader resembling a gigantic brown frog, The Overlord is provided with giant fangs and claws, big golden eyes of pure wrath, twin rocket launchers mounted on both shoulders and four long amphibian-like legs that allow it to crawl and maneuver around with relative ease and fastness despite its huge size. All these unique aspects make The Overlord a formidable opponent against anyone who dares to defy the alien horde in any of the several galaxies and planets conquered by them.

Its devastating battle power is evidenced through the massive rockets fired in continuous sucession from the launchers at the monster's shoulders. Such rockets not only travel very fast but are also immensely powerful and have a wide radius area, which makes fighting this boss especially dangerous in confined areas or close to obstacles such as doors and walls. In addition, players which use a Devastator or RPG against it shall have double caution not to accidentally hit a rocket launched by the enemy with a rocket of his own, which would cause a double explosion that surely kills even a well-shielded player. Another addition to The Overlord is his "instant kill" melee stomp attack when the player touches it.

Cycloid Emperor

• Encountered: Shrapnel City, Stadium
• Hit Points: 4500
• Attack Damage: Mid-RPG Rocket (~140), Mental Energy Orb Burst (~45 per orb), Melee Stomp (instant death)
• Best Choice: RPG (~33), Devastator (~129)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (N/A), Pistol (~750), Shotgun (~65), Ripper (~500), Pipe Bomb (~33), Expander (~300), Shrinker (immune), Trip Bomb (~45), Freezer (~225)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Extreme

Although he appears in an extremely short and small level, The Cycloid Emperor ranks as one of the most dangerous of the bosses in Duke Nukem 3D due to the erratic nature of his main attack of RPG-Rockets which are fired in salvos of 2-3 per shot and each shot in random angles that can make strafing/circle-strafing around him more dangerous than not-so. His other attack, the mental-orb spray is a lot more manageable, but he usually does this only at short to medium range to prevent damaging himself with his own RPG missiles.

However, The Cycloid Emperor has one "weakness" the other bosses don't. Due to a big failure on the programming of the game, the Cycloid Emperor can only walk around on floors with the "football field" textures below him. This means he cannot leave the astro-turf of the Stadium and follow the player into the stands, where the player tends to be at an advantage against the Emperor. Additionally, extra support comes in the form of the "Duff" blimp above the stadium, which the player can shoot with an RPG or Devastator missile to explode it into a spray of items, weapons and ammunition to assist him further against the Emperor.

On higher skill levels, The Cycloid Emperor does have small entourage of Assault Troopers assisting him on his side of the field, but they tend to be more cannon fodder than a real threat and the player can even use them as short-term shields from the Emperor's RPG missiles. However there are also cheerleaders on the field rooting the player on, and if they are killed by anyone in the map, a couple of Assault Commanders will spawn in to provide some final assistance to their Emperor.

Alien Queen

Atomic Edition only

• Encountered: The Birth, The Queen
• Hit Points: 6000
• Attack Damage: Electrocution (1-2 per interval / undodgable), Melee Stomp (instant death)
• Best Choice: RPG (~43), Devastator (~172)
• Worst Choice: Mighty Boot (N/A), Pistol (~1000), Shotgun (~85), Ripper (~667), Pipe Bomb (~43), Expander (~400), Shrinker (Immune), Trip Bomb (~60), Freezer (~300)
• Drop: N/A
• Threat Level: Extreme

The Alien Queen, being the cause of the invasion, the source of the alien invaders and her Protector Drones, is also the most lethal boss encountered in DN3D. With her electrocution powers and the ability to spawn new Drones in her underwater lair, The Alien Queen will be the last thing everyone will see if they are unfortunate enough to be caught by her attacks.