Slashers & Enhanced Slashers:
Your standard necromorph. The Slasher comes in a variety of forms: you can encounter them normally, with their legs cut off, in security uniforms, in civilian clothes, etc… You can also encounter “enhanced” versions, like the one pictured above, which are stronger than your normal slasher.
Make up: Standard human form with two blades that grow where the human’s arms used to be that it uses to “slash” at you.
One of the easiest enemies to kill. It will drop with two limbs shot off. Enhanced versions are naturally stronger and can withstand more punishment.
The Pack:
Smaller necromoprhs (about child size) that attempt to take Issac down with horde like methods.
Make up: Possibly the result of children being infected, as their stature suggests. They also seem to be able to tell each other when prey (Issac) has been found.
One of the easiest enemies in the game to defeat, just be sure to have your back covered as they like to surround you. Use of a fast weapon with weak ammo is suggested (Pulse Rifle).
Lurker and Enhanced Lurkers:
A small necromorph that often crawls on the walls and ceilings, it keeps its distance from its prey and uses ranged attacks (barbs) to kill. Enhanced lurkers are, like enhanced slashers, stronger than the normal variety.
Make up: Another possible transformation option for infected children (due to their low amount of mass), the lurker has three tentacles it uses to throw barbs at its enemies. Like enhanced slashers, enhanced lurkers are often greenish in color.
Finding a lurker can be difficult, but once you do taking off 2 tentacles will kill the creature for good.
Exploders:
A variant of the typical slashers, the exploder also takes a very humanish form but is devoid of the blades. Instead, it has a bright yellow growth on it that can cause massive damage if it explodes near you.
Make up: Human form with an explosive growth.
Killing an exploder should be of utmost importance. A well placed shot will explode the creature and (hopefully) kill anything around it.
Puker:
Another variant of the standard slasher, the puker uses a ranged shot that slows Issac down, acting like a necromorph version of stasis.
Make up: Human Form. The puker also seems to have a third leg. It also has a acidy bile sac that it makes use of, as it can grab you can it will try to pour the acid down Issac’s suit.
Given the creatures annoying stasis-like ability, priority should be given to it if you wish to avoid the status effect it can put on you. Staying on the move will make it miss consistently though.
Guardian:
A unique form of necromorphs, the guardian is actually not mobile and grows onto walls. From there, it spits out lumps of flesh that grow a tentacle and throw barbs at you.
Make up: Possibly uses multiple corpses to grow out on a wall, but keeps the top half of the human form present to intimidate prey. Multiple tentacles come out of the humans corpse and attach to the nearby wall, possibly to support the creature as it attacks.
To defeat a guardian you must shoot the tentacles that it sprouts while killing anything it spawns. Of course, any nearby flame barrels will make for a great ally.
Brutes and Enhanced Brutes:
One of the bigger forms of a necromorph that you’ll see, the Brute is a large beast-like necromorph that will constantly try to ram you, causing massive damage. Enhanced version take more shots to take down and are, again, greenish in color.
Make up: Unknown. It’s hard to imagine (but possible) that animals can be infected. Possibly multiple corpses were used in its creation, as its large mass would dictate.
The best way to kill a brute is to avoid it’s charging and aim for it’s shoulders. If you can get behind it with stasis, you’ll have even more time to shoot. Traps work wonders as well, and even kill a brute by themselves.
Leapers and Enhanced Leapers:
Able to crawl on walls, the leaper does its best to instill fear into you with large bounds, attempting to impale you with its tail. Despite having no legs, it is one of the fastest nercomorphs you will face. The enhanced versions take noticeably more shots to kill.
Make up: Human Form. Well, at least half of it anyway! The leaper manages to get around fast though and has grown a sturdy tail appendage to use as a weapon. They also tend to come in pairs.
Good reflexes are key, as lurkers are easily staggered by repeated shots. Take them out from range, as they can still swipe at you with their front half.
Infectors:
Ah, the mobile necromorph manufacturing machine, the infector can actually make slashers out of corpses by infecting them (making them a priority).
Make up: Most of a human corpse, it uses unused parts of the body to stretch can make “wings” which give it its distinctive shape.
Obviously since infectors turn corpses into slashers, they are a priority, but don’t go after them recklessly and get yourself into trouble! Also, this is the reason you should stomp up any corpses you see!
Cyst:
Another immobile necromorph mutation, the Cyst is like a mine: it sits in place and waits for an unsuspecting victim to walk by, than sends out its explosive innards.
Make up: Possible random body parts mutated into an explosive, even though it goes against the necromorph tendency of hunting down its prey.
You can easily kill cysts with a few shots. You can also walk near them and catch their explosives with your telekinesis.
Crawlers:
Another variant of the exploder (just a much smaller kind) the crawler packs an explosive punch!
Make up: The most twisted necromorph design to date (as I’m sure any parents would agree), the crawler is obviously an infected infant. A sad fate for one so innocent.
After overcoming and sad feeling you may have, it’s best to treat the crawler like the exploder and use weak ammo to explode it. You can also kill the creature without exploding it and use telekinesis to throw the left-behind explosive.
Dividers and Divider Parts:
You’ll undoubtedly run across these divider parts in your journey, as well as the creature that they come together to form: the divider. The divider is tall and lanky, making it difficult to fight. He also has his own distinct sounds as well as breaks up into the divider parts when you do hurt him enough.
Make up: Being so skinny and made out of parts, you have to imagine that the parts are made out of assorted muscle tissue/skeletal parts and organs. They come together to form a divider, resembling a human with the head.
Given their slight stature, dividers are harder to hit. Use a wide or powerful weapon to take them out (and perhaps some stasis). Parts are easily mopped up with the pulse rifle.
Pregnant (and swarms):
Looking much like a over-sized slasher, the pregnant will hulk towards you slowly. Be careful though, as the pregnant has a surprise hidden in its belly in the form of many small lumps of flesh which jump at Issac!
Make up: Possibly the fate of extremely overweight humans? Unnecessary organs and other mass may be used to make up its payload.
You can actually kill a pregnant without its payload erupting, although that takes careful aiming! Aim for its legs and arms. If you co erupt the creature, use your Pulse Rifle to wipe out the swarm that comes out.
Stalkers:
New in Dead Space 2 comes the Stalker, an enemy that tries to catch Issac off guard (and hides behind crates), and then rams full-speed into Issac, dealing damage with its hit-and-run tactics.
Make up: Appearing almost in a raptor-like form, the Stalker requires quite a bit of mutation to become what it is. Perhaps it picks the fastest runners out of the crew!
The Seeker Rifle is a godsend for stalkers, as well as traps. Stasis also takes all the challenge out of these “clever girls”.
Ubermorph:
The ultimate in necromorph evolution, the ubermorph is literally unkill-able. You can dismember him as much as you want, but he will still eventually come back together. He’ll even follow you from room to room.
Make up: Pretty close to an average slasher, actually, perhaps with a bigger corpse and less of a human appearance. It’s genetics make it come back together when it is dismembered and also provide it its distinctive red eyes.
My advice: RUN! If you need to buy yourself some time, dismember the ubermorph and then stasis the remains, buying yourself extra time to advance!
The Nest:
Another immobile enemy, the Nest is usually strategically placed to bar your way. This creature has three larger arms that it can retract into itself and it can also throw several homing projectiles as Issac. Encountered in areas with zero-gravity.
Make up: Due to its large mass, many corpses are used in its construction. It also develops several projectile weapons which seem to home in on you, suggesting some sort of intelligence in finding body heat (or DNA?).
As it is encountered in space/zero-G, you can use your boosters to avoid the projectiles. As you can see, it’s “arms” have large explosive sacks, which you must shoot in order to kill. Dodging skills and getting closer to it can help.
Tripod:
One of the largest enemies you’ll see in Dead Space 2, the tripod is named after it’s “legs”. Being rather large, it also has an impressive jumping ability, which it uses to try and hurt you. It also has a spiked “tongue” that it will try and impale you with too.
Make up: Again, several corpses are used to make a Tripod. It also has weak parts (in yellow) on it’s legs, which will kill it if all taken out (although it can still function while missing one). Interestingly enough, you can see the remains of an infant fused into its tongue at one point.
Tripods are rather rare, and sometimes just appear to put you on your guard. Whenever you can, aim for their weak yellow parts. Stasis and good aiming is required. Its jump is limited as well, so some strategic running well help.
Tormentor:
Aside from the Ubermorph, the Tormentor is quite possibly the best example of the necromorphs evolving. Not only does it have large mass on its side, but like a brute it also is covered in armor. Like the Tripod, its legs are weak, but they are covered by destroy-able armor.
Make up: Again, multiple corpses are needed. You can also see the remains of a face as well. The fact that the Tormentor has armored sections (as even a gunship can’t outright kill the creature) is a unique evolutionary response by the necromorphs. Perhaps they are tired of being hacked apart by mining tools?
Issac will encounter the Tormentor during several scripted scenes in the game. Precise shooting is required to break through its armor and hit it’s weak points, and past that you’ll need good aiming to make it go out with a BANG!
