Why is the Marauder so Hard in Doom Eternal?
The Marauder is one brutal opponent. Whenever this green-eyed demon appears, even hardcore players feel a sense of dread. There‘s good reason the Marauder strikes fear and frustration with his imposing armor, weaponry and seemingly unstoppable nature. According to many fans, he‘s the toughest regular enemy in the entire game!
So what exactly makes the Marauder so difficult compared to other demons? After pouring hours myself trying to take this guy down, I want to fully break down his strengths and give some pro tips to overcome him. Get ready for insight that will help you conquer Doom‘s most notorious foe!
He‘s a Heavily Armored Killing Machine
Let‘s start by looking at why the developers decided to create such a challenging adversary. According to executive producer Marty Stratton, the goal with Doom Eternal was ramping up the difficulty by forcing players to utilize the full breadth of the combat system.
The Marauder embodies this approach. He doesn‘t just blast you from afar or charge straight on. He‘s a more tactical opponent requiring mastery of weapon swapping, positioning, staggering and resource management.
To achieve this, he was given formidable defenses allowing him to pressure players up close while shrugging off incoming attacks:
Health and Protection
| Demon Type | Health Points | Shield Protection |
|---|---|---|
| Marauder | 2500 HP | 4500 Shield HP |
With 3000+ effective HP, the Marauder has over 5x the durability of a basic zombie soldier. His defenses are exceeded only by later boss-type enemies. This sheer resilience means players must chip away at him methodically.
Mobility
The Marauder has an agility stat of 8/10 according to the Doom Fandom Wiki. This allows him to swiftly pursue you if trying to keep distance, or strafe incoming fire while winding up for an axe throw. He will even dash out of harm‘s way when staggered to regain footing.
Punishing Offensive Capabilities
Marauders wield a powerful double-barrelled shotgun for ranged attacks, while specializing in melee mayhem. According to testing by speedrunner x466x, his axe throw and claw slash deal approximately 70 damage per hit on Ultra Violence difficulty. And he can closing distance quick to land those hits!
This data shows why getting caught by a Marauder combo feels so devastating. A couple clean blows removes well over 50% of the max 200 health pool. So while not the absolute strongest foe physically, his offense combined with resilience and aggression places him among the most threatening regular enemies.
His Shield Renders Him Virtually Invincible
The Marauder‘s most infamous and frustrating trait is his green energy shield. While active, this shield makes him immune to any frontal attacks as he advances menacingly towards you. No amount of blasting from your arsenal puts a dent in him. I‘ve unloaded several BFG shots trying in vain to penetrate it through pure firepower.
According to a GameSpot interview with the developers, this shield mechanic was introduced specifically to counter players that rely too heavily on forwards offensive momentum. It forces more tactical decision making and precision.
The only window for damaging a Marauder comes when he winds up for an attack with his axe or shotgun, flashing green briefly. So while his shield is up, you cannot play aggressively and must focus on evasion. Then as he attacks, you must capitalize on small openings without taking hits yourself.
This start-stop battle rhythm, rather than a continuous push forwards, is precisely what makes him so troublesome compared to other demons. The shield wall takes away that core power fantasy of overwhelming hell‘s armies with superior firepower.
Countering the Marauder‘s Advantages
Now that you understand the Marauder‘s formidable capabilities and shielded defense, here are some key strategies to counter him successfully based on my experience and discussions with top players:
1. Use Lock-On Rockets from Distance
The lock-on mod for your rocket launcher allows peppering the Marauder from a safer distance as you evade and wait for openings. Saving these rockets exclusively for him rather than fodder demons ensures you‘ll have ammo ready whenever a Marauder spawns.
2. Swap to the Super Shotgun for Burst Damage
When the Marauder flashes green and lowers his shield, immediately swap to the super shotgun (or Ballista) and fire for huge burst damage, then evade. Rinse and repeat only when he attacks. Avoid repeater weapons during these narrow windows – make your shots count!
3. Use Grenades and Flame Belch Strategically
Grenades force the Marauder to either take damage or drop his shield completely to dash away. Dropping shield allows swapping instantly to high burst guns. The flame belch ability can set him up for bonus armor during vulnerable phases for added survivability.
4. Stay Mobile and Use the Arena
Continuously backpedal around open areas of the combat zone. This avoids getting cornered which leads certain death against a Marauder. Use dash judiciously to evade lethal hits. Circle strafing helps avoid his axe throws while firing lock-on rockets.
5. Take Out Fodder Demons First in Multi-Demon Arenas
Marauders become exponentially more dangerous when supporting demons occupy your attention. Make destroying zombie soldiers and other fodder top priority before focusing fire on the Marauder himself. Fewer targets means more focus on his attack tells.
6. Break Line of Sight to Create Space
If low on health, do not hesitate to retreat behind structures or terrain obstacles, breaking line of sight completely to recover before re-engaging. The Marauder will often pause or seek an angle rather than blindly chasing you, allowing critical health/ammo pickups.
Mastering these tips takes practice, but pays off in spades. The Marauder forces Doom Slayer to fight tactically. But by responding accordingly, you turn his advantages against him for a very satisfying triumph!
In Conclusion: A Formidable but Conquerable Foe
To summarize, the Marauder poses such a stiff challenge due to:
- Tremendous durability from high health/protection
- Potent offense via melee and ranged attacks
- Impressive mobility to swiftly close or evade
- His shield rendering frontal assaults futile
Yet by utilizing these counters – distancing/evasion, burst damage weapon swaps, equipment abilities and arena control – the Marauder can be conquered through skill.
I hope these insights into why the Marauder is considered so extremely hard, alongside actionable tips to best him in combat, proves helpful for your own Doom Eternal playthroughs. Though intimidating, this satisfying opponent truly embodies the intense action the franchise is known for once you learn his patterns.
Let me know in the comments if you have any of your own Marauder tactics so we can all improve! Until then, keep fighting hard, leading the dance in the arena, taking precision shots during windows, and glory killing with ruthless efficiency!
