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This article is about monster in Doom. For the similarly named but different monster in Doom 3, see Commando/Doom 3. |
- "Geeze, weren't shotgun zombies bad enough? At least when you fade these jerks you get a cool chaingun."
- ― Doom II manual description
The Former Commando (also referred to as the Chaingunner or Heavy Weapon Dude) is the third and most powerful type of human which has been turned into a zombie during the invasion from Hell. It is the first new monster introduced in Doom II, greeting the player in MAP03.
Physical Appearance
The Former Commando has a different appearance from the other former human types in that he is burlier/overweight, as well as having a darker skin tone. The Commano appears as a robust, red-eyed, bald man with a bloody mouth, wearing bloodstained red body armor and boots over slate-gray pants, and carries a chaingun with its accompanying ammo belt.
Combat Characteristics
The Commando emits the same sounds as the Former Human and the Former Human Sergeant. When spotting the player, they will make one of three animalistic roars, and will emit a pained groaning and soft moaning sound while it is in pain and being active, respectively.
This enemy attacks by repeatedly firing its chaingun. While its chaingun does slightly less damage per bullet than the player's version and has a slower rate of fire, the damage buildup can increase considerably. Especially once the Commando begins to fire, it will continue until its target has been killed or left its line of sight, or if the monster itself, has been stunned (causing it to move immediately afterward) or killed.
When killed without being gibbed, he lets out the same three former human type death cries, his right body half rips apart, head exploding, left eyeball and right arm falling off as the other half of the body collapses backwards. Upon dying, he drops his chaingun, which contains 10 bullets. It contains 20 bullets on the ITYTD and NM skill levels. In common with other monsters, although the Chaingunner's weapon is shown in his right hand, the bullets emerge from his middle.
Tactical Analysis
Because of their unrelenting automatic fire, and their tendency to appear in large numbers, the Commandos are not enemies to be taken as lightly as other former human types are. They should be considered a high priority threat in cases where there are many in an enclosed area, even when they are accompanied by more powerful enemies.
As Commandos employ a ranged attack that starts quickly and continues in rapid succession (even the Spiderdemon pauses briefly in its tracks before firing, giving the player a fraction of a second to take cover), they are able to quickly drain the player's health while providing almost no opportunity to dodge. Therefore, the player must ensure they avoid staying in one place in open areas and frequently maintain cover.
Engaging the Commando at close range is generally risky, as it gives him more opportunity to land a hit on the player. However, should the player find themselves having no choice but to confront these monsters at close quarters, the super shotgun works best, as one point blank blast will guarantee a quick kill. Discretion must be taken however, if the player is forced to fight multiple Commandos at close range. The slow reloading animation the super shotgun provides would often render the player vulnerable if they are forced to deal with multiple Commandos in close quarters.
The chaingun would be a preferable option to take out multiple Commandos up close. The weapon's high rate of fire will guarantee to hit multiple of them at once. If there are multiple Chaingunners in a clustered formation from range, usage of the rocket launcher or plasma gun is recommended.
The Commando's high rate of fire makes him a formidable presence in monster-monster battles; they are the only enemies in their class that can stand as a worthy opponent against even the middle-tier demons; if it survives the initial hit (given their 70 hit points, this is usually the case with an unharmed one), one of these zombies is capable of defeating a healthy Cacodemon or Revenant. A Commando can also sometimes defeat a Hell Knight, a Mancubus, or an Arachnotron at close range, when the Chaingun manages to continuously stun the opponent, preventing any return fire. Like all hitscan-firing enemies, Commandos will gladly turn on each other if provoked.
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