Unitologist Soldiers are the footsoldiers of the Circle. They are well equipped soldiers who are fanatically loyal to Jacob Arthur Danik and the Church of Unitology.
Circle members are equipped with certain gear depending on their rank and position.
Variants[]
Light Infantry[]
The most common variant of these soldiers, they wear either black or white suits with armor and clothing filled with Marker symbols. The snow suit variants are equipped with more light-colored suits. They are equipped with Bullpup Rifles as well as hand and Stasis grenades. Rarely, a Hydraulic Eviscerator is seen attached to their Bullpup Rifles, making them deadly if they charge up-close, as a single melee can potentially kill the player on higher difficulties. They wear light armor and die relatively quickly, with a single shot to the head.
Suicide Bombers[]
These bombers are quite rare, as only three are met in the whole game. They start running towards the player far away and can be easily recognized by the red marking of the hand grenade they are wielding. Coming closer to the player, they start yelling "One mind, one body!" and other religious quotes of Unitology. They die instantly by any sort of weapon but can kill the player easily if one lets them get close enough. They appear to be part of the light infantry and are possibly hurt in some way, with suicide being the fastest option to die.
Heavy Infantry[]
There are two infantry variants of this type: shotgunners and bazooka-wielders. The shotgunners wear almost entirely black suits with a skull-like paint on the face mask and some Marker symbols in some areas. They are more armored than the light infantry variants, able to even withstand a shotgun blast to the chest area as well as a shot to the head on higher difficulties. They come equipped with a shotgun. They try to run in front of the player and shoot them while the rifle soldiers in the background attempt to take the player(s) out from a distance.
The second type are equipped with a customized rocket launcher consisting of a modified variant of the heavy standard frame, survey charge and a directed suspension field tip as well as a rocket holster on their back. They also wear some sort of protective goggles. They come equipped with grey and white armor and have about the same amount of health as the light infantry men. They can be easily recognized from the three orange laser beams coming from the suspension field tip. The rocket, which the soldiers launch, can be grabbed with Kinesis and be used against them if wanted to or against nearby enemies.
Necromorph Variants[]
When infected, the soldiers will become either Fodders, Shamblers, or Slashers. Usually this happens when Swarm Infectors are around, but sometimes they can be encountered emerging from vents (such as the Drill section) and from the snow. Shamblers can be found whenever there are dead bodies of the fanatics lying on the ground. They appear to have as much health as the other common, non-enhanced Slasher and Fodder as well as the other Shambler variants.
Quotes[]
Strategy[]
- The Unitologist Soldiers will first appear during Chapter 1, and after this, this type of enemy only returns in Chapter 10.
- They are completely absent from Chapter 13 and from Chapter 14. Also, on the Awakened DLC, they will appear only as unhostile NPCs.
- They have only brief, very minor appearances as enemies during Chapter 12 and Chapter 17.
- Just like the Crazed Colonist and the Scraper, a Unitologist Soldier always will die with a headshot, since they are normal human beings. Even a basic Plasma Cutter is lethal against them, however, they will constantly move to avoid being aimed at the head.
- If Creepers or Swarm Infectors are present, it's wise to quickly dismember their bodies after killing them, in order to prevent their transformation. Contrary to the previous human enemies, the Circle Soldiers becoming Necromorphs is a common occurrence.
- Despite their beliefs, they will shoot any Necromophs they come into contact with. Each type of Necromorph will target them with the exact same behavior they attack Isaac and Carver.
- When Circle Soldiers are encountered while fighting Necromorphs, they will not notice Isaac and Carver immediately, and even if they do, they will conflict between engaging the protagonists or fending off the creatures.
- A good tactic is to hide and simply let them fight; whoever comes out as the "winner" will be weakened and can be easily dispatched. If the Unitologists are no match for the Necromorphs, you can balance their fight by using Stasis on the Necromorphs.
- As shooters, they are far more dangerous than the Shamblers. Getting cover is mandatory on higher difficulties.
- However, when in cover, beware their grenades, as they can take large amounts of health or even instantly kill the player. Sometimes it is better to take damage from shooting rather than risking a nearby grenade blast.
- In Normal and above difficulties, one should be cautious of circle members armed with shotguns and rocket launchers. Damage from shotguns can easily put Isaac and Carver on yellow or below, and a direct hit from a rocket launcher will instantly kill Isaac and Carver.
- Airborne rockets and grenades can be grabbed with Kinesis and thrown back at them. This is very useful when Isaac or Carver is low on ammo.
- The Unitologist Soldiers can use Stasis grenades against Isaac and Carver, making them an easy target. If you are hit by a Stasis blast, try to resist the effects and move to somewhere safe until it fades away. You can also counter attack by using Stasis to stop the fight briefly if there is no safe place to hide.
- One single shot from any weapon will kill a suicide bomber, just use Stasis to stop them and shoot anywhere. Despite them being a dangerous one-hit-kill against Isaac and Carver, you don't have to bother with creating a strategy against them, since there are only three of these enemies in the entire game.
- When the Unitologist Soldiers are found during their suicide rituals, they are not a threat.
- Even though they are shown using weapons similar to Isaac and Carver's, their weapons can not be picked up for parts or resources, although their bodies always contain resources.
Trivia[]
- Some of the fanatics are voiced by Gavin Hammon. The heavy shotgunners appear to be voiced by Steve Blum.
- They are shown using 200 year old S.C.A.F. Bullpup Rifles and shotguns, despite not yet having discovered the abandoned S.C.A.F. colony on Tau Volantis. This is likely a limitation of the game as more contemporary weapons, such as the SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle, do not make a proper appearance in the game.
Gallery[]