Demon (Doom 3)

The demon, sometimes called Pinky, is a monster in Doom 3. It appears as a bulky, fleshy quadruped with mechanized hind legs and no apparent facial features other than a large mouth full of sharp teeth, and two straight, pointed horns which project downward along the sides of its head. When spotting an enemy, it will make a bellowing roar which shakes the player's view, and then run forward at a deceptively fast, startling speed for its size in an attempt to corner and bite its prey.

Gone in Doom 3 are the surging hordes of demons and spectres. This enemy is relatively uncommon, usually appearing alone, sometimes in sequences of two or three which attack one at a time. When accompanying lesser monsters (such as imps or Z-Secs), the demon often stays hidden until the others have been defeated. They often appear immediately behind a door, already roaring as it begins to open in an attempt to startle the player.

The demon is first introduced through a dramatic cutscene in Administration, where one uses its brute strength to warp a handrail, puts several dents into a door to the small area in which the player has been trapped, and then bursts through an otherwise indestructible glass window to attack.

Combat characteristics
Similar to its classic counterpart, a demon runs forward at the player and attacks with repeated vicious bites. Compared with the classic games, its attack speed and range are increased, and the player's slower movement means that it is more difficult to dodge or escape, especially in small areas. In addition to damage, a successful bite disrupts the player's aim, making counterattacks difficult.

Though appearing large and cumbersome, demons can use hidden agility to hop to the side several feet when shot when sufficient space is available. This does not occur often in the stock maps, but can be observed frequently in add-on levels which are more spacious. The player must quickly rotate to keep up, or risk wasting ammo and exposing his flank.

Tactical analysis
Ideally, one should kill a demon from a distance before it charges. The machine gun, chaingun and plasma gun can do this effectively. Unlike in the classic games, the chainsaw is not a good choice once the beast is in motion, due to its ability to bite past the attack. It can be used, at risk, during the brief window after it roars, and if the player continues to move slightly backward in order to stay out of range, inflicting damage in brief bursts. The shotgun is less effective, requiring several shots, and is only an option if the player is able to maneuver in and out of close range repeatedly. The super shotgun on the other hand, available in Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission, is brutally effective, and will kill a demon in one hit from a safe distance.

Though the demon seems fast, a sprinting player can just outrun it. Keeping enough stamina on hand to maintain speed when an encounter is approaching is a good idea.

Appearance statistics
The pinky demon is a quite rare enemy.