Arch-vile (Doom 3)

The Arch-Vile in Doom 3 is a large, off-white coloured humanoid demon, standing a head taller than a normal human even in its standard semi-crouched pose. Its elongated arms are both terminated in bloody tumor-like bloated hands with huge, inward-retracted claws. It is capable of summoning many of the non-boss demons (though Imps & zombie commandos are more common). It can also slash its victims at close range, as well as fire a fast-moving column of fire that can seriously hurt the player, causing up to 20 points of damage. In some special cases, it is capable of making the ground erupt in flames underneath the player similarly to its original attack, but this time, it's possible to dodge it, although it requires that players are on the move constantly.

The Arch-Vile is a relatively high-level demon, possessing more than 5 times as much health as an Imp and about half as much health as a Hell Knight. As with its previous Doom incarnations, the Arch-Vile can be easily underestimated. Though not nearly as durable as "powerhouse" creatures like Hell Knights or Mancubi, the Arch-Vile's varied attacks and ability to summon other demons make it one of the tougher enemies to defeat for it will instantly summon demons after its appearance (most commonly, far away from the player's position). Many players feel the Arch-Vile needs to be killed as soon as possible, often with the Soul Cube, the BFG, or the Rocket launcher.

Fortunately, Arch-Viles are usually encountered alone, although they can quickly summon additional demons as backup.