Image: Mundfish, Focus Entertainment, 4Divinity / Koby Gibson Ross via HGG
My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
One of the most beloved things about Atomic Heart is all the unique and creepy enemies. From saw-blade-wielding worker drones to ballerina robots that double as bodyguards and everything in between… there is no shortage of interesting enemy types to be found in this game.
That’s why in this article, we are going to be going over and ranking each and every enemy type in the game, as well as going over some of their weaknesses and how to deal with them! We’ll be judging them based on their design and how fun/memorable they are to fight.
We won’t be ranking every single enemy variation, just the base-enemy types from worst to best, including the bosses! You’d better strap yourself in, we’ve got a lot of enemies that we are going to be covering!
Every Enemy in Atomic Heart, Ranked From Worst to Best
Without any more delays, let’s hop right into this ranking for Every Enemy in Atomic Heart ranked!
Regular Enemies
Let’s begin the first half of this article with the non-boss enemies in Atomic Heart. These are the baddies you’ll be encountering most often in the game’s world. They are numerous and well spread out throughout the facilities, and you’ll need to make sure you use your weapons wisely and tactically in order to fend them off successfully.
13/13
Drofa
For our first entry, we have the Drofa! Drofas are a flying enemy type that were designed to transport cargo. They often spawn in small groups and have the ability to fire off explosive rockets that can knock you over. They don’t get introduced as enemies until a little less than halfway through the game. Design-wise, they look very sleek and stylish. Unlike some of the other robots that look like they are straight out of a horror movie, this guy looks like he is from a dystopian sci-fi thriller.
You can find them pretty often when you are above ground. They are fast and agile, able to fly back and forth to avoid your fire. And while they do this, they can pelt you with explosive rockets! This attack is very annoying, and it can be frustrating getting knocked down by them. Especially when there is more than one firing at you. I recommend you upgrade your Shok ability to chain damage to nearby targets. When Shok is fully upgraded, it will very quickly make work of these guys.
12/13
WSP-9 Pchela
WSP-9 Pchela are the next bots on our list! This is a type of flying drone with a rotor attached to its head. They’re a fairly common enemy type, especially in the open-world segments of the game. Pchelas act as security bots and repair drones. We first see them within the opening hours of the game, around the time that P-3 begins his first chase of Petrov.
I think that the designs of these robots are cool and well-made… but I do wish that they looked a bit creepier. I actually think these guys are kinda cute. One of Atomic Heart‘s biggest strengths in my opinion is the creepy designs of the robots, and I wish that they made these bots look a bit more intimidating. As for how it feels to fight these guys, I honestly think that they are pretty annoying. Sure they can be killed in only a few hits, but there’s usually so many of them!
Throughout the facilities are places where they will constantly re-spawn, meaning you’ll usually be killing a lot of them. I really dislike the fact that they can repair broken-down robots, especially since these things re-spawn infinitely in open-world areas. And the ones with cameras attached to them that fly around the open world? Don’t even get me started.
11/13
RAF-9 Engineer
For our next choice, we have an “enemy” I’m not even sure I should be calling an enemy. It’s the RAF-9 Engineer. These hard-working engineer drones are designed to help humans out with repairs. You see them fairly often throughout the compound, both above and underground. With the exception of one during a story moment, they are normally passive robots that do not attack you unless you strike first.
I think the designs on these guys are cool, and they look like a good mix between being creepy and practical. I wish that Mundfish had used these guys more often as hostiles, as it’s so incredibly rare to ever actually fight one. The game could have used a bit more variety, especially considering how common Lab Assistants are. I wish I could put place these guys higher up on the list, but they are pretty underutilized and not that interesting gameplay-wise. They do get points for not being annoying, however.
10/13
DOC
And for the next robot, we have DOC! This is a mobile medical unit that sadly does not live up to its namesake. It does not heal any of the organic enemies in the game or have anything special about it that makes it stand out from the other melee enemies. So this guy is a bit of a disappointment, which really sucks. We first see him around the halfway point of the game, and DOC is a little less common than most of the other units which makes it pretty cool when you do see him.
I think the design of DOC is great. It has a distinct Soviet style and that drill/syringe thing on the front of him makes me feel uneasy! They can be dealt with like any of the other robotic melee enemies in Atomic Heart. I advise using the Frostbite skill on him to freeze him in his tracks. This will prevent DOC from using his charged up melee attacks on you.
9/13
Mother
Now for a more unique enemy, it’s the Mother! This is an organic enemy type that acts as a nest of sorts for the Sprout enemies. They take on the appearance of a strange, circular alien-looking plant. Mothers actually remind me of the save points from SOMA. These things are introduced fairly early on, alongside the mutants and sprouts.
I think the designs of these things are pretty great, especially how alien they look. Definitely not a thing you would want to be anywhere near. Thankfully, killing them is pretty easy. Each one has very little health and can be killed in just a few shots. One thing I dislike about them is how abundant they can be. This normally isn’t an issue, but sometimes you’ll enter rooms with half a dozen of them all constantly spawning Sprouts, which can get pretty annoying especially if you have to deal with enemies while trying to find them.
I recommend you use your scanning ability to look for them. And try to take them out as soon as you can, that way they don’t spawn more Sprouts.
8/13
Dandelion Security CCTV Camera
Next one up is the Dandelion Security Cameras! Do these things count as enemies? Or are they more like obstacles? Well, you can kill them, so let’s just count them as enemies. These dastardly little cameras will scan for the player, and once they are detected they will sound an alarm, sending enemy bots to come to your location! They are introduced very early on in the game, shortly after you crash land down onto the facilities.
They get the name “Dandelion” from the fact that they look like dandelion flowers. I do really like the look of these enemies, it feels unique and is visually pleasing. They can be found evenly scattered throughout the underground parts of the facility. They seem to be incredibly abundant in the above-ground village, however. The cameras are pretty easy to take down, you can either disable them with a Shok or just outright destroy them.
For the most part, they are not a hassle. But in some open-world segments (such as the village), they are extremely common. It can be very frustrating having to navigate around so many of them without getting spotted. When you are busy trying to focus on killing the bots in front of you, a lot of times you won’t even notice when you are in the middle of being detected! It’s very frustrating on the hardest difficulty, as you can get very easily overwhelmed.
7/13
Vatrushka
Onto spot number 7, we have the Vatrushkas! These little guys are fast and agile mobile turrets that can quickly move around, before re-deploying to lay down a stream of gunfire. We first see them more than a few hours into the game and are semi-common in both linear and open-world segments. Visually speaking, their models look pretty good and I like the different colors that they come in.
But like the flying drones mentioned earlier, I wish that they were a bit more intimidating to look at. Dealing with them is generally not that challenging, as they have relatively low health. They do get annoying when you are already dealing with a group of enemies and now you have to deal with a mobile turret that keeps following you around to shoot you. They can be taken care of easily with the Shok ability.
6/13
VOV-A6 Lab Tech
Now let’s take a second to talk about the Lab Techs. These dudes are the most abundant enemy type in Atomic Heart. They are androids with a humanoid shape. Primarily they do melee damage, but some variations of this enemy can send out ranged electrical shocks that deal damage to you. They first begin attacking you right at the start of the game, just after you crash land at the facility.
Visually, I like how uncanny valley these guys look. Their fake mustaches and almost humanoid look makes them really creepy. However, considering how common they are in the game, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they get old after a while. These guys also have a lot of health (if you are a melee user, anyway) so taking them down can be time-consuming, especially for the black ones and the ones with shields. I recommend you use your Polymer Shield to block and reflect their attacks.
5/13
Sprout
Onto another flying enemy, next up is the Sprout! Sprouts are organic creatures that fly through the air, looking for dead corpses to plant themselves into and take over as hosts. They are first shown as an escaped lab experiment fairly early on in Atomic Heart. After they escape the facility and multiply, they are common to encounter indoors and in tightly-inclosed spaces.
Visually, I think they look good. They have great designs that feel right at home and look like something you’d see in a mad scientist’s lab. These enemies have little health and can usually be taken down in one shot, but tend to spawn in big groups. I recommend that you kill them fast before they plant themselves inside of any dead bodies laying around. They spawn infinity from a nest called “Mother” so be sure to look for that and destroy it as soon as you can.
4/13
MTU-7 Bumblebee
Up next, we have the Bumblebee! This is a small but tanky enemy, designed for work in construction sites and various industrial locations. We are not introduced to these enemies until the first open-world segments. I don’t recall ever seeing one of them in interior spaces, which makes sense given their move set. More on that in a moment. Design wish, I think the Bumblebee is just okay. It looks kinda basic if you ask me, with a bulky appearance and unique animations but not much else.
Fighting these guys can be a bit of a pain if you are dealing with a big group of enemies. But one-on-one, they are perfectly manageable. They deal out a lot of ranged attacks, specifically in explosives that can knock you over if you don’t dodge out of the way quickly enough. When attacking, Bumblebees usually fire at you three times in one session.
After you dodge each one, they will usually be overheated and need to cool off by opening up their bodies, revealing a yellowish/orange light. Once you see that light, then you can safely open fire!
3/13
Mutant
The Mutant is the next enemy type we will be discussing on this list for Every Enemy in Atomic Heart Ranked. Another organic enemy, these are former humans whose bodies have been taken over by Sprouts! They essentially act as zombies, but most of them are the fast and aggressive type instead of the slow and dumb type. It’s pretty rare to ever see them above-ground, as the majority of them are located in interior spaces, usually underneath the compound.
I really, really love the look of Mutants! The fact that their head is literally split open by the Sprouts is just terrifying. I think that they did a good job of introducing a zombie-type enemy while making them feel more memorable. As for when you fight them, they exclusively deal melee damage and will often charge attack you, which can annoyingly knock you down at times. They also spawn in groups often, making them pretty dangerous.
I recommend you use fire cartridges against them, as they’re weak to that damage type. Mass Telekinesis is a good power for dealing with big groups of Mutants. When you are dealing with the bigger, slower variant, they’ll have a weak spot on their back that you can deal damage to. For these guys, I recommend using the Frostbite ability to stop them in their tracks so you can hit their weak spots more easily.
2/13
MFU-68 Laborer
Next up are the Laborers! These little guys were designed to be laborers in the forestry business and usually spawn in small pairs. They are melee-based enemies that will use their saws to hack and slash at P-3. I believe they are first introduced in the first open-world segment of the game, afterward becoming a regular enemy that you’ll often find above ground.
I’m especially fond of the intimidating and badass design of these robots! I remember watching some of the earlier trailers for Atomic Heart and being really creeped out by their designs. Laborers do not have that much health, so they can usually be killed with no trouble. While they do usually come in pairs, there are often other robots nearby, so you can expect a bit of a hassle when these guys are around.
I recommend using the Polymer Shield with these guys. It will block their attacks and allow you to deal a good amount of damage to them.
1/13
ARU-31/6 Rotorobot
Onto our top pick, it’s the Rotorbots! These are agricultural-based drones designed to work in wheat fields. They are big, bulky enemies with lots of health and some powerful melee attacks. They are first shown in one of the later open-world segments. I think that out of all the robot designs in the game, these guys are one of the best. They just look so creepy and intimidating!
As previously mentioned, these guys have lots of health so fighting them can be a pain. They have this attack that allows them to quickly dash to your location and do a lot of damage in one swing, which is a big headache to deal with. Once you get used to fighting them, it isn’t so bad. I recommend you use a high-damage weapon against them, such as the Fat Boy or the Gauss Rifle. You can also freeze them quickly in order to stop them from attacking you for a moment.
Boss Enemies
One of the most highly anticipated things about Atomic Heart is the bosses. The trailers showed off lots of different enemies for us to fight, and oh boy did these fights look intense. But do they live up to the hype? Are the bosses in Atomic Heart fun to fight? Let’s find out!
Just keep in mind that we will be excluding the bosses that also appear as regular enemies (such as the black lab tech you fight at the beginning of the game).
6/6
Dewdrop
Kicking off the second half of our ranking on all enemies in Atomic Heart, it’s Dewdrop. This is a polymer-based enemy which uses a metallic skeleton sort of like a vehicle. It features an orb-shaped body with long skinny legs it uses to attack P-3. This enemy is revealed close to the end of the game as one of the final bosses, and as far as I am aware it only appears once in the whole game.
Visually I really like this boss. It was one of the few enemies not shown off in any of the early trailers for Atomic Heart, so I was pretty impressed by it when I first saw it in-game. The enemy is very aggressive in the fight, and often does a lot of attacks that require you to dodge out of the way. I would advise you to use an adrenaline capsule before getting into this fight. This will greatly increase the rate at which your dodges recharge.
5/6
MA-9 “Belyash”
Taking spot number five, we have the enemy Belyash. This robotic monstrosity was officially designed to work as a welder. When encountered in the game, it acts as a fast and deadly melee-based enemy that wants nothing more than to smash P-3 into oblivion! Like most of the enemies in the game, I really enjoy the look of this guy. His creepy orange eyes look really intimidating, especially when it’s in the middle of trying to smash you to bits.
There are several times in the game in which you will need to fight this enemy, and for the most part, all fights are enjoyable. This boss feels a bit weaker than some of the other ones on this list, but it still puts up a good fight. I recommend that you use electric cartridges when going up against this boss. This will deal more damage to him and allow you to take him down faster.
4/6
Plyusch
Next up, we have the boss Plyusch. This enemy is introduced to players about halfway through the game, and damn does it leave an impression! A science experiment gone wrong, this creature has the brain of a common dog but a body made of a polymer exoskeleton. It is without a doubt one of the CREEPIEST enemies in Atomic Heart. It looks like someone ripped out a human nervous system and coated it in blood and polymer.
If we were judging solely on looks, this thing would for sure be in spot #1. I absolutely love the design of it and think it fits in fantastically with the game’s world. When it comes to actually fighting it, the fight is fast-paced and aggressive, constantly keeping you on your toes. However, this really isn’t a bad thing at all, and your first encounter with him is a lot of fun. But during subsequent encounters, the Plyusch is often supported by other enemies which makes fighting it a huge pain.
I recommend that you use a fire cartridge before starting a fight with him. And make sure you are constantly moving around to avoid his melee attacks.
3/6
HOG-7 Hedgie
Now onto our third-place pick, it’s the boss Hedgie! This is one of the first bosses that you fight in the game. It is a “civilian robot” that was designed as a surveying tool. Hedgie features a large, bulky, circular design. It reminds me a lot of the big robot from the Pixar movie The Incredibles. I really like the look of this thing, and I thought it was fun to take on.
The boss fight was very intense, and the song Mick Gordan made for this encounter was just fantastic. It can be a little bit annoying, however. During the later parts of the fight you need to press a button to raise an object above ground. Then you need to herd the robot into charging towards you, only for it to hit the object and get knocked over, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Aside from this, the fight is really great.
2/6
NA-T256 Natasha
And next up, we have Natasha for our number 2 pick! I went back and fourth a lot when deciding if she should be in the top spot or not. Her first encounter is incredibly fun, but she can be very frustrating to deal with in other encounters. This enemy is big and bulky, and she was designed as a repair bot. She kinda reminds me of Kit from Rachet & Clank in her war bot form, but ya know, less yellow and a lot less friendly.
Her first fight in the theater is really cool. I love the whole vibe and set up of the fight, with Petrov talking like crazy over the loudspeaker as you engage her. She is a pretty challenging but fair boss that has a lot of different attacks. While this first encounter is great, the next time you see her in one of the testing chambers, she’ll be surrounded by Owl robots. That particular fight is very frustrating, as you have to deal with her but also the infinitely re-spawning Owl bots shooting rockets at you and knocking you over constantly.
I recommend you drink some vodka to increase your damage as well as some condensed milk for better defense. This makes that second encounter much, much easier.
1/6
The Twins
Taking home the gold medal, we have the fight with the Twins! This is the final boss fight of the game, and it does not disappoint. The Twins are the robotic bodyguards of your boss, Dr. Sechenov. They are based on the ballerina models of robots that you never fight in game but often see on display when you are inside the facility’s theater. Visually these robots look pretty cool, and I like how unique their designs are. The lack of a face only adds to a feeling of uncanny creepiness.
As for the fight itself, it’s intense and definitely makes a great final boss. But, the fight is also a bit annoying. Having to deal with two enemies at once is not ideal, and the first fight with the Left twin before the final fight was also frustrating due to how aggressive some of her attacks were. Before you take on this enemy, I highly recommend you use an ice cartridge with your weapon. This will slow down whichever twin you are attacking, making her easier to deal with.
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