Enemies

There are two major groups of enemies that attack you in this game: Trinity forces and Deathless. Trinity has regular, human forces that are trained for combat. They use Pistols, Shotguns, Rifles, grenades, and sometimes melee weapons if they need to. Deathless rely entirely on Bows and melee weaponry. They have extremely heavy armor and are tough to kill.

Trinity Soldier - Rifleman

Normal Soldiers rush to cover if they realize that a battle is starting and then begin firing bursts at Lara. They usually appear in groups, support each other to a fair extent, and only leave their cover if they see an opportunity to flank their target.

All weapons are effective against these Soldiers. Headshots are ideal, but any attack stuns them briefly, so chest shots are good enough to wound and eventually kill your target.

Trinity Soldier - Shock Trooper

Some Trinity Soldiers have melee weapons. They wear camouflaged clothing and don’t care about taking cover. Instead, they’ll race over to your position and try to draw you out of cover by engaging in melee. Focus your fire on these Soldiers so that you kill them before they get close to you.

Trinity Soldier - Grenadier

Grenadiers have orange outfits, so they’re sometimes easier to spot. Once they take cover, they’re exceptionally annoying to deal with because they hide most of the time and only pop up for a second to throw grenades at you. This forces you to change positions and be out in the open. Use your own indirect weaponry (Shrapnel Grenades, Molotov Cocktails, and Specialty Arrows) to snuff Grenadiers out without needing to wait for them to leave cover.

Trinity Soldier - Breacher

Breachers are armed with Shotguns for close-quarters combat. They’re not much of a threat at long range, and you can pick them off with a Bow or Rifle without worrying too much. However, Breachers deal tons of damage if they manage to get close to you. They are accurate and can take Lara out with only a couple shots.

If a Breacher is closing in on your position, backtrack to heavier cover so that they have to come around a corner to get to you. Ambush them there with a fast weapon. This improves your odds of getting off the first hit, and that often stuns the enemy long enough for you to secure the kill!

Trinity Soldier - Sharpshooter

Snipers have high-grade Rifles and fire accurately, and they give you a very hard time. The best way to defeat them is to exploit their lack of armor. Attack early, get a wound against them, and continue firing without giving the Sniper a chance to recover. Don’t get into a stand-up fight because you’re usually outnumbered and can’t afford to trade blows with multiple well-armed Soldiers.

Enforcers

Enforcers have heavy armor. They act as the vanguard of a Trinity force. They walk forward slowly but confidently and attack Lara as soon as they see her. You need to destroy their armor if you want to get a kill with normal weaponry. Aim for the head or chest long enough, and you knock off that section of plating. You can then kill an Enforcer by shooting that exposed portion of their body.

Another technique is to use Grenade Arrows or Poison Arrows against Enforcers. These attacks are very effective and don’t take much time to pull off, so they’re safer for Lara. Shrapnel Grenades and radio proximity mines are good too. The Reinforced Shaft upgrade on the Climbing Axe helps crack the armor off of these guys as well.

Don’t rely on fire to kill Enforcers. They’re pretty well armored against that, so it takes way too long to be worthwhile.

Defenders

Defenders have heavy shields that make it almost impossible to kill them with direct fire from standard weaponry. Grenade Arrows and Shrapnel Grenades are wonderful against them because you can shoot/throw the weapon behind them and the blast does all the work for you.

Few things are easier than killing Defenders with Poison Arrows. Take a shot directly into the Defender’s shield, instantly dooming your victim.

Another possibility when attacked by Defenders is to lure them into Grenades. If there are enemies tossing those around, lead the Defender around as you back up, and wait for someone to frag their own guy.

Fireflies

Fireflies are very tough to kill. Direct attacks don’t do much to them, fire is worthless, and poison doesn’t do anything either. The safest method is to use a fast weapon, such as an SMG, to shoot at the red tanks that are carried on the Fireflies’ backs. This damage distracts the enemy for a few seconds as they spin around. Use that time to deal heavy damage to the tanks with your Rifle or Shotgun. Repeat this tactic to kill the Firefly as safely as you can.

Never stand still and let a Firefly attack you. Their damage output is horrendous, and you can’t see anything when their flamethrower sprays you. Stay mobile and ensure that you put some solid cover between yourself and the Firefly.

Deathless Officers and Swordsmen

Many Deathless warriors have swords or axes at their disposal. All of them are wearing heavy armor, so direct attacks are only somewhat effective against them. Your own melee attacks are pretty good at smashing Deathless armor, but repeated shots from your ranged weapons do the trick as well. Poison and Grenade Arrows are quite good against all Deathless.

Deathless Archers

These Archers are a major hassle because they are accurate and deadly and their armor is still heavy enough to deflect multiple attacks. Grenade Arrows turn them into sauce, and heavy bursts of fire from your ranged weaponry do the job too. Melee is only a good solution if you can sneak up on the Archers or stun them with ranged attacks and then close the gap before the Archers recover!

Deathless Heavy Infantry

Deathless Heavy Infantry have the best defense in the game. Don’t try to pound through them with regular attacks. Either silence them immediately with a Poison Arrow or lure them around a corner and ambush them with a series of your own melee strikes.The Reinforced Shaft upgrade on the Climbing Axe helps crack the armor off of these guys as well.