Soldier (Blaster)

A zombieman takes aim at the player.

This article is about the monster in Doom Eternal. For other games, see:

• Zombieman
• Possessed soldier

The soldier (blaster) is a monster in Doom Eternal, taking the place of the possessed soldier from Doom (2016). It reprises its role as an armed former human for the first time in a main-series Doom game since Doom 64, with a design heavily inspired by its appearance in that game (which was in turn directly based on the original). Like the possessed soldier before it, the soldier now attacks with a plasma-powered, projectile-based weapon which can either be fired off in single shots or charged up for a slower but more powerful blast. A version with a shield also exists, like the possessed security, named soldier (shield). Like all monsters in the game, soldiers are highly mobile - they even have a jet booster which allows them to make high jumps.

The soldier seems to retain even more intelligence than its forebears and speaks with others of its kind in a low-pitched demonic voice - this is similar to the radio chatter used by the likewise intelligent Z-Secs of Doom 3.

Tactical analysis

The soldier is faster and more aggressive than the basic zombie, and can deal fairly high damage with its charged shots. However, it is not much more durable than a zombie, with 400 HP (150 staggered) and can be staggered with a single point-blank combat shotgun blast.

They are ubiquitous throughout most of the levels, but their aim at long range is horrible, and their HP is low, so accurate rapid-fire weapons like the heavy cannon and its micro missiles and precision bolt work well. At melee range, they will whack you with their blaster arm, which deals a lot of damage, so avoid being directly next to them unless actively attacking them, since they flinch easily.

If you stagger one with a combat shotgun blast at point-blank, unless you need health, it is usually better to follow up with a second blast instead of a glory kill, so you can get directly back into the fray instead of locked in place for the duration of the animation. The sticky bombs work well, too, and should be used for groups of these enemies.

Lore

As the name suggests, soldiers were originally human troops, possessed by the power of Hell and forced to turn on their former allies.

Glory kills

The Doom Slayer executes a soldier using the Doomblade.

• The Slayer pulls back the soldier's head and then extends the Doomblade, impaling the soldier's skull through its mouth.
• The Slayer uses the Doomblade as a sword, sweeping the soldier off of its feet before decapitating it with a single clean slice through the neck.
• The Slayer grabs the soldier, turning it around before impaling it through its eye.
• The Slayer grabs the soldier's right arm, breaks the bone and punches it in the face.
• The Slayer grabs hold of the soldier's left arm before stabbing it twice in the chest.
• The Slayer slices the soldier's legs off and stabs it once through the back.

Gallery

• 

  Concept art by Emerson Tung. Note the Doom 64 zombieman sprite at upper left used as a design reference.

• 

  As seen in the collectible viewer.

• 

  The soldier's toy.

Trivia

• In noclip's Designing DOOM Eternal's New & Classic Demons video, the soldier is referred to as the 'hellified soldier', a name referenced by Hugo Martin.