History Main / EliteMooks

* [[BigBad Arawn]] employs two main varieties in the ''Literature/PrydainChronicles'', each with their own particular twist. The Cauldron-Born are undead, [[ImplacableMan implacable]], and virtually impervious to injury, but they're also progressively weakened the further they get from [[{{Mordor}} Annuvin]], making them more useful as elite guards than as an assault force. The Huntsmen of Annuvin, in contrast, are mortal men, but are magically bound to have UndyingLoyalty to Arawn and also have the ConservationOfNinjutsu as a superpower, with every surviving Huntsman becoming stronger whenever one is killed. They're more often used as fast moving strike forces and skirmishers.

* Near the end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Ra's Al Ghul sends 4 serious-looking ninjas in full metal body armor to fight Batman. They do marginally better than everyone else who's tried to fight Batman up to this point until they pushed him into a mob.

* In ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', even standard enemies will generally be replaced by their promoted counterparts in the later portions of each game.

** The [[CargoCult Monolith faction]] is comprised almost entirely of them, as they have access to almost all of the weapons in the games. This includes the deadly [[MagneticWeapons Gauss Rifle]].

** Also from ''New Vegas'' are the Powder Ganger bodyguards, who protect Eddie, their leader. Unlike other Powder Gangers, who are only armed with dynamite, pistols, single-barrel shotguns, and bolt action rifles and occasionally wear guard armor, these guys all wear armor and are armed with laser pistols and sub-machine guns, making them very deadly to early players in close quarters. The West Vegas Powder Gangers defending a pair of homesteads are likewise armed with [[FrickinLaserBeams energy weapons]] and are statistically similar to the bodyguards, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind but will probably be vastly outmatched by the time they're encountered]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' (2012), you have Cayman Global liquid armour troopers with their DeflectorShields that need to be Breached, as well as the Specters who are InvisibilityCloak-bearing [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Subverters.]] Cayman Global's reactive armour troopers and Eurocorp's electro armour troopers, with their multiple layers of shielding to be Breached and [[GatlingGood heavy]] [[FrickinLaserBeams firepower]], are more like BossInMookClothing or full minibosses.

* ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'' has the Shields of Torus Filney serve as this to Viscount Servantis. They are a group of heavily armed and armored knights, all highly skilled in combat beyond the abilities of the average Phobos soldier.

** Depending on the player's actions, [[spoiler:the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, [[TheRemnant the Enclave Remnants]], the Boomers, and the Great Khans]] can all become this to either the NCR or Caesar's Legion during the climax of the game.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', not that the Death Eaters in general aren't a force to be reckoned with, but every once in awhile we meet one who proves to be more dangerous to the heroes and takes more to defeat. Examples include Antonin Dolohov, Thorfinn Rowle, and Bellatrix Lestrange (though she's more of a MookLieutenant).

* For ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', your adventurers will be killing hordes of goblins, trolls and orcs that make up the forces of the Dark Gods. Their [[PowerLevel skill score]] runs around 6 or 7, the minimum. Adventurers often get some variety in bloodletting by shanking tougher skill 8 or 9 monster. But whenever an enemy without plot relevance with skill in the double digits shows up in a story, like Chaos Warriors, Chaos Knights or Spectres, you can expect some of the hardest fights in the book outside of the story's FinalBoss.

* For ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', your adventurers will be killing hordes of goblins, trolls and orcs that make up the forces of the Dark Gods. The adventurers occasionally get some variety in bloodletting by shanking a Dark Elf, a foe that's a just a bit tougher than the typical orc. The real elite comes whenever a Chaos Warrior or Chaos Champion shows up in a story, you can expect the 2nd toughest fight in the book outside of the story's boss.

* The varying ranks of Pig Soldiers in ''VideoGame/Mother3''.

* ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'':

* ''FanFic/TheFlashSentryChronicles'': Good example; Royal Knights are far superior to the standard [[RedShirtArmy Royal Guard]]. They are the second highest security force in Equestria, with only the princesses above them. At the start of the series only 12 Royal Knights are alive, and only a few apprentices are seen throughout the series.

Any variety of Mooks can be upgraded to become an Elite Mook, which can yield a BossInMookClothing or SuperPoweredMooks. Mooks can be transformed into {{Cyborg}}s, [=Zombies=] or {{Elite Zombie}}s if they were already zombies, made into {{Super Soldier}}s, or upgraded in other various ways.

Any variety of Mooks can be upgraded to become an Elite Mook, which can yield a BossInMookClothing or SuperPoweredMooks. Mooks can be transformed into {{Cyborg}}s, [=Zombies=] or {{Elite Zombie}}s if they were already zombies, made into SuperSoldiers, or upgraded in other various ways.

* Griffith's Apostle army in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', whose leaders serve as Mook Lieutenants.

* ''Manga/DigimonVTamer01'' has Angemon for Lord [=HolyAngemon=]'s army, Boltmon for Demon's forces and [=NeoDevimon=] for Neo's.
** These generally act as a given MookLieutenant's trump card in the first arc of ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars''. The armies of the second arc's [[OlympusMons Death Generals]] are this relative to the rest of the [[TheEmpire Bagra Army]]. Subverted in most cases of the latter, however, as the heroes are much more powerful by this point and able to curb-stomp anyone who isn't a major villain.

* The Type IV [[MechaMooks Gadget Drones]] in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', which guarded the path towards the engine of the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Saint's Cradle]] and managed to critically injure two main characters over the course of the season.

** Intergang itself sometimes has elite mook squads of its own, like the "Wall Crawler" assassins seen in some ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' stories.

** For more conventional criminals like Comicbook/SpiderMan and Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} archfoe the Kingpin of Crime, [[{{Ninja}} the Hand]] frequently serves as a group of killers and enforcers a cut above the average mob wiseguy. The Hand usually [[HiddenAgendaVillain has its own plans]], though. Unsurprisingly, the Hand and HYDRA share a history and have alternately served as elite mooks for one another on separate occasions.
** After years of BadassDecay, this has been done on a cosmic scale to the Celestials. Unlike other CosmicEntity types, Celestials are not unique so that's one notch against them and they can suffer from HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic or FacelessGoons tropes (sometimes they congregate in a massive herd and outside a named few like Arishem the Judge, they kinda have no identity except being a big Jack Kirby-style metal space giant). If you need to show a menace is a threat to the universe, chances are it'll get to kill a Celestial (such as the Many-Angled Ones slaughtering Celestials in ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}). It's gotten to the point where Thor kills an extra-powerful Celestial named Exetar the Executioner with nothing more than a cursed axe.

* Manute from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' had a squad of mobsters under his command but he sent a group of former IRA mercs to fight Dwight and the Old Town girls. They did a good job of it due to a lot of firepower and one managed to briefly catch Miho off-guard but they were all eventually defeated.

* Throughout the MLP FanFic ''FanFic/HarmonyTheory,'' Max Cash, one of the two [[BigBadEnsemble Big Bads]], had been mostly relying on hired-and occasionally brainwashed-thugs to do his bidding, sans his {{Dragon}} and personnel body guard. But when its time to raid the estate of a politician with a lot of security, he brings out a small army of top dollar mercenaries [[spoiler: Who are brainwashed into being completely loyal and willing to die for him]] with him. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for him, a now fully grown Spike, makes sure they never get to show their true ability.]]

* This is one of the many things {{Parodied}} in ''Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure'', with [[CardCarryingVillain Queen Celestia's]] Elite ''Elite'' Guards; Who are '''Alicorns''' in ScaryImpracticalArmour. They don't seem to be any more effective, than the regular elite guards.

* The Einsatzkommando from the movie adaptation of ''Film/TheKeep''. Just as in [[Literature/TheAdversaryCycle the novel]], however, they're "elite" in name only, and are no more effective against Molasar than their regular German army counterparts. In fact, as Woermann points out, the only thing these "elite" troops do effectively is slaughter large numbers of unarmed civilians (which in real life ''was'' the Einsatzkommando's entire reason for existing -- they were mobile death squads).

* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' has Rotti's shotgun-weilding henchgirls, and the faceless Repo Men.

** The Elite Praetorian Guards of Snoke in ''Film/TheLastJedi''. Clearly based on the Royal Guards from the original and prequel trilogy, [[spoiler:except they are actually trained to deal with Force users and give Rey and Kylo a run for their money. One of them even held their own and manages to get a couple hits in while fighting Rey one-on-one, while another comes surprisingly close to killing Kylo. Then again, given that Rey is UnskilledButStrong and has had literally zero training in lightsaber combat, that's not saying all that much.]]
** ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' uses the Knights of Ren [[FakeUltimateMook supposedly fulfill this role.]] They manage to temporarily capture [[spoiler:Chewie]] with little difficulty, and beat the tar out of [[spoiler:their former leader Ben Solo]] in the climax, [[spoiler:until he gets hold of a lightsaber and slaughters them.]]

** The Steel Inquisitors. A little more elite than most Elite Mooks; in the first book only [[BadassBookworm Sazed]] and [[MagnificentBastard Kelsier]] can take them on and live, and it's still not very advisable. [[spoiler: Kelsier killing one is treated like him snatching the sun out of the sky: everybody around falls still and can't believe their eyes]]. Oh, and they have literal SpikesOfVillainy...[[EyeScream through both of their eyes]].

* [[BigBad Arawn]] employs two main varieties in the ''Literature/PrydainChronicles'', each with their own particular twist. The Cauldron-Born are undead, [[ImplacableMan implacable]], and virtually impervious to injury, but they're also progressively weakened the further they get from [[{{Mordor}} Annuvin]], making them more useful as elite guards than as an assault force. The Huntsmen of Annuvin, in contrast, are mortal men, but are magically bound to have UndyingLoyalty to Arawn and also have the ConservationOfNinjitsu as a superpower, with every surviving Huntsman becoming stronger whenever one is killed. They're more often used as fast moving strike forces and skirmishers.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse''

* The ''Literature/{{Tunnels}}'' series has the Limiters, an elite regiment of [[HumanAliens Styx]] soldiers who patrol the Deeps and conduct covert operations Topsoil. They differ from the [[{{Mooks}} Styx Division]] by wearing khaki and brown [[BadassLongcoat trenchcoats]] instead of green and gray, but are presented as much more fearsome. It is commonly believed that [[ImAHumanitarian they are cannibals]], although that only occurs if they run out of supplies [[spoiler: and the point is moot because they are not human. Later in the series they are superseded by the [[StarfishAlien Armagi]], shape-shifting monsters produced by the Phase.]]

* ''Franchise/KamenRider''

** About halfway through ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'', Nanba Heavy Industries, who until this point have been selling their [[MechaMook Guardians]] to the highest bidder, unveils their own war-ready Hard Guardians, which are green, have twin machine gun hands and are powerful enough to give the heroes a hard time (at the power level they were at when they were introduced).

** The "Zordon Era" of ''Power Rangers'', lasting from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' to ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', did this regularly, with SoLastSeason existing before the changing-teams-every-year phenomenon, with each set of {{Mooks}} being considered "elite" as compared to the last, until reaching the standard {{Mook}} success rate about five episodes in. Z-putties are elite until the Rangers find out they can just hit the ''big giant Lord Zedd Z symbol'' on their chests and the Putties will lose power and shatter (though the fights still last a while because it has to be a hard direct hit). Then Tengas were elite until...they weren't. Series/PowerRangersZeo's MechaMooks, the Cogs, were equally hyped and actually tougher than Putties or Tengas...but that just meant the Rangers had to actually suit up to fight them. Rita also had a short-lived line of Super Putties who were tougher, stronger, and would pull a starfish and regenerate into two Super Putties if smashed, which forced the Rangers to retrieve special blasters in order to break them. These were not used again because Rita had only so much of the special clay used to make them.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Season 8 reveals the existence of the Knights of Hell, demonic super soldiers that served as [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]]'s chief enforcers. By the present, the Archangels have managed to wipe out all of them, [[LastOfHisKind save for]] [[FemmeFatale Abaddon]]. Season 9 reveals more about the Knights, including that they were founded, trained, and led by Cain (yes, ''[[Literature/TheBible that]]'' Cain) [[spoiler: until he -- not the Archangels, as it turns out -- killed them all for killing his wife, whose [[LoveRedeems love had redeemed him]].]]

** Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger has the High Zobiru, which are much stronger versions of the standard [[NightOfTheLivingMooks Zobiru]]. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] reveals that the first [[TheDragon Dragon]] is actually a mechanically modified version of aforementioned EliteMook.
** ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'' manages to combine this trope with MonsterOfTheWeek. {{Elite Mook}}s are created when numerous regular Mooks fight against each other. The strongest one survives the fight and gets upgraded into an EliteMook. Whenever the EliteMook in question receives enough negative energy by causing fear in innocent people, they get the power to change themselves into a MonsterOfTheWeek.

* ''Series/MaskedRider'' has the Maggots (comic relief stooge villains, used for jobs like distraction and MacGuffin theft) and the Commandoids (used to fight.) ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'' has three stages of grunt evolution (red normal {{Mooks}}, white stronger Elite Mooks, blue flying super-Mooks.)
* ''Series/{{Dominion}}'' has the Powers, the Higher Angels that have joined [[BigBad Gabriel]]'s campaign of extermination against humanity. Not only are they vastly more powerful than the Lesser Angels, the fact that they have bodies of their own and don't need to [[DemonicPossession possess human hosts]] means that they can slip right past the human defenses designed to detect angelic infiltration.
* ''Series/{{Colony}}'' has several levels of increasingly EliteMooks:
** The Special Operations Team aka Red Berets, who, unlike regular Red Hats, do not have face coverings and carry out important roles, like protecting the Proxy, leading the arrest of insurgents and overseeing the Gate Ways between Blocs.
** Whatever Will Bowman's unit is called, which appears to carry out prolonged investigations.
** The Grey Hats, who protect the Hosts and serve as the muscle for the Global Authority.
** The [[StateSec Intelligence Directorate]] (aka "Blackjacks") which reports directly to the Global Authority and is able to operate outside the Colony and can call down strikes by the Drones [[spoiler: and oversees the [[FinalSolution total rendition]] of the Colony]].
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': A couple of Wilson Fisk's henchmen seem to fill this role, particularly the ones that are able to pose a challenge to Matt. Rance in the first episode of season 1 (the assassin sent to kill Karen in her apartment) is a KnifeNut and martial artist. John Healy in "Rabbit in a Snowstorm" similarly gives Matt a run for his money. The standout one is Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, who is responsible for both of season 3's major character deaths (Father Lantom and Ray Nadeem), as well as a large number of minor character killings or hospitalizations (Ellison, Jasper Evans, etc) and whom manages to best Matt twice.
* [[spoiler: The Shadow Priests]] from ''Series/MortalKombatConquest''. They are skilled in both [[KungFuWizard martial arts and magic]], [[NoSell can deflect or counter any attack with a mere wave of their hand]], can outfight anyone and [[spoiler: kill every single cast member except Raiden. Makes you wonder why Shao Kahn never used them prior to the series finale.]]
* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': Witch soldiers seem to be this for the US government, since it's mentioned the military still has conventional (presumably {{muggle}}) forces as well.

* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'': Sometimes, usually when someone [[SummonMagic summons an army]], one particular group of minions will be a cut above the rest.
** More generally, there are entities that are not boss level but are still important to game progression and wield unusual powers, or are even just particularly powerful player summons.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''
** The Bohrok-Kal. The ordinary Bohrok rely heavily on ZergRush to overwhelm their foes. But there are only six Bohrok-Kal, who have unique powers, are intelligent enough to speak, and cunning enough to [[spoiler:steal the icon that is the source of the Toa Nuva's powers in order to render them inert.]]
** The original six Rahkshi were this as well, being powerful enough to fight the Toa Nuva on equal terms and get the better of them at multiple times, while latter Rahkshi could be dispatched by the dozens due to regular Toa. This was {{justified}} in that Rahkshi and their kraata controllers have different power levels, with the implication being those first six were made and piloted by high-quality kraata while latter were mass-produced weaker versions. Indeed, the comics and movie showed they were in fact piloted by Shadow Kraata, the absolute highest and strongest form.

* ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'' has the Elektrosoldats, who are the [[spoiler: [[CloningBlues cloned]]]] PraetorianGuard of the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Gessellschaft Society]] and are equipped with [[spoiler: copies of the game's {{Mac Guffin}}s, the Blitz Engine]]. One of them is a playable character [[spoiler: and [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters seeks to break free from the group]].]]

** ''VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns'' only had the weak Zombie Cards and the [[HeavilyArmoredMook Armored Cards]], which were much tougher and could counter-attack, needing to be attacked at specific times. There were also the [[BladeOnAStick naginata-wielding]] Daimyo wasps (elites of regular samurai wasps), and the [[ShieldBearingMook plate-carrying Madcaps]]. For the ruins, there were [[GiantMook Menacing Ruins]] and [[BossInMookClothing Collossal Ruins]].
* ''VideoGame/Area51FPS'' had the Illuminati [=RedOps=] troops, which commanded the regular Illuminati TacOps groups. They were better armored and had more powerful assault rifles.

* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', there are the High Security inmates, who attack you with knives and electrical sticks. The [[MiniBoss Titan Enhanced goons]] also qualify.

** There are also the improved variations of many enemy types. While some are simple stat increases (Large Red Flies) or come at expense of other stats (Red Boom Flies exploding into a longer-ranged but less damaging SpreadShot instead of exploding on death), others are unquestionable improvements. Examples include [[DefeatEqualsExplosion Explosive]] [[DemonicSpiders Leeches]], Angelic Babies (triple SpreadShot instead of a normal one & better health) and Psychic Maws (fire homing projectiles intead of normal ones).

* The all-red {{Mook}}s in the ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}'' series that will randomly replace an enemy in a level sometimes. They move around like a bat out of hell, can kill you in only a couple of hits, have tons of [=HPs=], and are better off avoided since you ''get no rewards whatsoever for actually killing them''.[[note]] Other than quite a bit of ExperiencePoints. However, by the time you can defeat them without wailing on them for half an hour, the PlayerCharacter is generally strong enough to defeat the FinalBoss.[[/note]]

* ''Condemned''

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''

* ''VideoGame/CryostasisSleepofReason'' had the firearm-using monsters appear more frequently later in the game, including a parka-wearing giant who dual-wielded [=PPSh=] submachineguns. There were also the extremely tough frozen spider enemies and the once-humanoid monsters that have grown moth-like wings.

* ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'':

** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' has Krumple, this iteration's "strong" Kremling. Dixie is completely powerless against him; Kiddy can trounce him with a Goomba Stomp.

* ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'' has the Elite Enemies, PaletteSwap versions of normal {{Mook}}s with higher stats, additional skills, and immunity from getting [[GrievousHarmWithABody thrown by dwarves]]. The [[BossInMookClothing Assassins]] in particular are considered by many to be harder than several of the bosses in the game. They are however, still vulnerable to status attacks bosses are immune to, such as [[OneHitKO Extinction]] and [[BewitchedAmphibians Curse]].

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

** The Enclave as a whole, could be seen as this towards other human enemies; their foot-soldiers wear PoweredArmour (albeit relatively weak power armor that can penetrated by repeated hits from AP rifle rounds) and they wield powerful energy weapons like laser and plasma rifles and heavy weapons like mini-guns and missile launchers. The ''Broken Steel'' DLC also has the Enclave Hellfire soldiers, with fire-resistant armor and Heavy Incinerators.

** There's also the Sentry Bot. While similar in appearance to the ones from ''[[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas New Vegas]]'' (which on their own were no pushover) these take "overkill" to a new level. Standing taller than a human in [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]], they can be armed with dual [[GatlingGood Miniguns]], [[BeamSpam Gatling Lasers]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre Missle Launchers]] or even [[ThrowDownTheBomblet Bomb Mortars]]. They start out with "only" 850 health (more than five times that of a super mutant), but bulk up to having over 1300 health, making them by far the toughest robotic enemy in the game. They're also heavily armored (to the point of surviving a ''mini nuke blast''), [[LightningBruiser can outrun the player]], and have a self - destruct. Their only "weakness" is they have to stop every thirty seconds to cool down (guns produce a lot of heat), exposing their [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak point]] - but surviving to that point is a challenge. The only reliable way to take one of these down is either to snipe at it from a distance, or shoot it point - blank with a Gatling Laser. Then run - they explode after being killed, as one more giant "screw you" to whoever brought the thing down. There's a reason the loading screen hint describes it as "The most dangerous robot ever created."
*** And if that wasn't enough, the ''Automatron'' DLC adds additional variants, ranging from weaker (at around 550 health) up to 1500. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill And just to prove that it can get worse]], the robots generated are modular, so if you're ''really'' unlucky, you can get a sentry bot with the [[OneHitKO Insta - Kill]] [[EyeBeams Eye - Laser]] of an Assaultron. [[UpToEleven Theoretically]] you could even get a ''Missle Launching, Laser Shooting , Stealth - Equipped, Armored Sentry Bot with Dual Bomb Mortars.'' Yeah, you should be scared.

* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'', there are two basic elite types: the "tall" model and the "fat" model. Both are much harder to send flying and have a lot more health.

** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' introduces the [[PrivateMilitaryContractor Merryweather Mercenaries]], a private military company, that serve as security for high-profile targets and eventually come after the protagonists, for robbing said targets [[spoiler: as well as pissing off [[BigBad one of their biggest shareholders. ]]]]

* Combine Elites in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', who wear white uniforms instead of the grey and black variety found in others, and have weapons with an "alternate fire" mode which can instantly disintegrate {{NPC}}s, whether RedShirt or {{Mook|s}}, are a mixed bag. InUniverse, they are a straight example, but in gameplay terms, they're closer to FakeUltimateMook: the dreaded pulse projectile only deals 15 damage to Gordon, they can't throw the grenades the ordinary Overwatch soldier is known and feared for using, and their health is negligibly higher than normal Overwatch.

* The aptly named Bastion Elite in ''VideoGame/{{Iconoclasts}}'' wear white breastplates over the standard grey uniform of One Concern troops, and possess heavier helmets with purple visors (over the standard troops' blue.) Instead of using a submachine-gun and grenades, their main weapon is evolved version of Robin's stun gun, whose bomb shots produce a fiery ShockwaveStomp running in both directions, while their primary shot is also powerful (though it can be deflected at them with a wrench.) They can also dodge shots and rapidly cover distance by sliding along the ground. However, a full burst from the Attacker's submachine gun still does far more damage, though it's easier for the player to dodge. As such, [[spoiler: the infighting between regular Attackers and Elites had a strict 1-1 ration, and by the end of the game, they are completely wiped out.]]

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' has [[BigBad Deidranna's]] Elite Guard, who have better stats and are far better equipped than her standard [[{{Mook}} redshirts]]. Depending on your game-settings, and how much [[LevelGrinding gear and experience]] your own team has accumulated, they can be anything from CannonFodder to a major threat.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'': Invisibles for pureblood heartless; devil-like heartless with wings and a big sword. They have the highest health of the non-boss enemies, have offensive and defensive stats equal to bosses, and are swift and aggressive. They are also the only non-boss enemies to have a desperation move, making them invulnerable until they strike. Angel Stars are elite mooks to the emblem heartless; also with powerful stats and magic attacks, immune to thunder, and can summon even more morning stars. Both heartless form very formidable groups, and are found in the endgame.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': Neoshadows are the strongest enemies found in the endgame, and they have the highest valued cards and health. They are very accurate, relentless, and hit very hard if you can't cardbreak them in time, and they come in groups.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': Nobodies bar the Dusks and Creepers are not very common, but they are stronger and much more unpredictable than the Heartlessthat the player finds everywhere else. The game's last world is filled almost exclusively with them. Sorcerer nobodies stand out, encountered only in the endgame, they are immune to most magic, have no reaction commands to exploit, and attacking them doesn't stop their deadly cube attacks. Sorcerers can be harder to deal with than most bosses even.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'': Samurai Nobodies have as much HP as bosses and deal tons of damage with their attacks. They only show up in a few missions at The Castle That Never Was as a part of tests for Roxas, or attempt to subdue him during his escape from the Organization on Day 356.
* The rare Nightmares in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' are simply a white PaletteSwap of the usual nightmare types, but have ''much'' higher stats, to the point where it's tough to cause more then ScratchDamage to them initially, plus they can always take a sizable chunk out of your health, even if you're considerably higher in level then them.

** "The Passing" {{DLC}} has the Fallen Survivor which drops useful supplies when killed, but is [[MadeOfIron very durable, having health rivaling the Witch]] and runs away when attacked.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': The Darknuts. Based on an enemy appearing in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI original game]] that could not be attacked from the front, this version is fully armored, with a [[BigFreakingSword huge flamberge]] and in some cases a shield, so they are very difficult to take in a head-on fight, and they hit like a truck. Parrying their attacks will cut off parts of their armor, but even without that it takes nearly twice as many hits as other types of mobs (and that's ''with'' a fully empowered Master Sword) to put them down for good. But what ''really'' puts them above the others is when they are disarmed; where other enemies will stand their ground when you come at them, Darknuts will actually ''evade''. If you come at them, they will jump back and out of range. Out of all the enemies you face short of bosses, darknuts are clearly the most heavily armed and armored as well as the most skilled.

*** Guardians are giant {{magitek}} structures taken over by Galamity Ganon in the game's present and are some of the most threatening enemies in the game thanks to their high-damaging, long-ranged laser beams. [[LightningBruiser They are fast, too.]] They are even used as the game's main way of detering players from just rushing to Hyrule Castle at the start unless they really know what they're doing, since the whole Central Hyrule area has fully-functional Guardians roaming around.

* The geth of ''Franchise/MassEffect'' start off with your regular Geth Troopers, Rocket Troopers and Snipers, but as the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 game]] progresses, Geth Shock Troopers and Destroyers start showing up as well as [[FragileSpeedster Geth Hoppers]]. Late in the game, [[GiantMook Giant Mook]] like Juggernauts and the [[BossInMookClothing pants-browningly potent Primes]] become present in nearly every encounter.

** The three mercenary gangs in the same game also had these. Blue Suns had the relatively weak Legionnaries and Centurions, who were tough but were equipped with slow-firing Vindicators. Eclipse had far more dangerous Engineers and biotic Vanguards, which were able to deploy drones and AoE attacks. These had more elite [[BossInMookClothing Operatives and Commandoes]]. Finally, Blood Pack had Krogan Warriors as its Elite troops, but they were [[MightyGlacier slow]] and restricted to short-range shotguns, making them [[FakeUltimateMook little better]] than their Vorcha Underlings.

* The latter half of ''VideoGame/MegaManX 8's'' final level gives us mass-produced copies of [[spoiler:'''''[[BigBad Sigma]]''''']].

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' has the Hi-Tech Soldiers, who are members of Solidus Snake's private guard and appear only during the alert phase during the latter half of the Plant Chapter (specifically after Raiden contacts Ames). Later, when the player reaches Arsenal Gear, they'll encounter the Tengu Commandos, who are armed with ninja-like gear.

** The all-female Haven Troopers/F.R.O.G.S in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', who are [[DistaffCounterpart female versions]] of the Tengu Commandos.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' series:

* The varying ranks of Pig Soldiers in ''VideoGame/Mother3''.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'': [[spoiler:In the ending, many of the fallen Earthrealm heroes have been [[ReforgedIntoAMinion transformed]] [[CameBackWrong into brainwashed revenants]] by Quan Chi and Shinnok, making them the Netherealm's PraetorianGuard so they'll be used in their invasion of Earthrealm in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. Liu Kang and Kitana voluntarily choose to become the CoDragons for Shinnok due to their intense hatred of a certain thunder god for condemning them to their FateWorseThanDeath.]]

** Better examples are in the ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger'' games, where the original has Elite Mooks, the sequel has Mook-like Admins with higher ups, and ''Guardian Signs'' has [[spoiler:two levels of admin.]]

* [[StateSec Blackwatch]] soldiers are this compared to Marines in ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'', though functionally there's no difference. However, Blackwatch later introduce ''their own'' SuperPoweredMooks, called SuperSoldiers.

** ''VideoGame/Prototype2'' has the Brawlers for the Infected, the [[SuperSoldiers Orions]] for Blackwatch, and eventually [[spoiler:the Evolved]]

** In the same series, both ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations Revelations]]'' titles have "Raid Mode," a game within a game (and one that heavily breaks the fourth wall in the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 second game]]). While the player will be constantly menaced by the same enemies from the game's main story (and in the sequel, enemies from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', and the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 first game]]), there are also "modified" enemies who are literally Elite versions of base enemies. Even worse, enemies who were already "minibosses" (like Iron Head or Re5' Executioner) can be further modified; some are 20 feet tall...and further, this perks can be randomly generated by another enemy perk called "Booster" which assigns a random perk to nearby enemies.

* ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'': The {{stripperific}} female SS Paranormal Elite Guards. Later, there's the Waffen SS, Paratroopers who carry [=FG42=] rifles, and the heavy weapon-wielding Venom Troopers.

* The Macintosh game ''VideoGame/SensoryOverload'' had, in its later levels, elite guards who looked like Nazi officers and wielded machine guns, and cyborg soldiers who talked like Darth Vader and threw plasma balls (the same projectile as the Electrogun). The unnamed female [[TheDragon Dragon]] and FinalBoss was a slightly enhanced (faster, and with a melee attack) PaletteSwap of the cyborgs, ie a type of KingMook (or queen mook, if you will).

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' hacks, Koopa Elites, originally from SMW YEAH!! (a game played by LetsPlay/{{raocow}})
* Throughout the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, there is a mode or stage where you engage in a MultiMookMelee, where you must defeat [[ConservationOfNinjutsu a band of relatively weak Mooks]]. However, from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' onwards, there is the "Cruel" variant of this mode which is like the "Endless" version except ''every enemy'' is extremely powerful and difficult to KO. Have fun defeating even ''one'' of them.
* The first ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune'' had the Order Troopers, and ''Double Helix'' had the Prometheus operatives. In ''Payback'', the BigBad's elite minions wear body armor similar to ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' agents, and like all mooks on the final mission, inflict much more damage than in previous missions, and can easily [[OneHitKill kill you in one hit]] on Hard difficulty.
* ''VideoGame/SniperElite''

*** The "Save Churchill" DownloadableContent campaign features the Schutzvollstrecker Unit, a top-secret German Army unit whose members are armed with a SuperPrototye rocket launcher known as the Teufelsfeuer, a mix of the Panzerschreck and the [=MG42=]. They're distinguished by their dark gray uniforms and goggles.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}''

* ''Star Wars'' games

* The infamous Hammer Brothers in most ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games.

** In general, the more evolved units of each type (artillery, gunners, spearmen, light infanty, heavy infantry, light cavalry and in some games heavy cavalry + archers) are this to their basic versions. For instance, the Armored Sergeants in ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' are Elite AntiCavalry mooks, the unique English Sherwood archers are Elite Archers, Scotland's Noble Pikemen are Elite Pikemen, etc.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'', the Disfavoured are an EliteArmy while their counterpart the Scarlet Chorus are an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores made up mostly of {{Slave Mook}}s. Because they're all {{Social Darwinist}}s who believe in AsskickingEqualsAuthority, however, those mooks who make it to the top of the Chorus hierarchy are very, ''very'' good at individual combat. The [[AmazonBrigade Scarlet Furies]], [[PraetorianGuard Crimson Spears]] and [[BloodMagic Blood Chanters]] are the elite mooks of the Scarlet Chorus and are individually some of the hardest enemies in the game if you get on the Chorus' bad side.

* In [[http://www.stickpage.com/combofactorygameplay.shtml Combo Factory]], there are the red stick figures, which stand out because of their bright color. They have more health, use more elaborate attacks, and behave more aggressively than the standard stick figures.
* Starting from second installment of ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'', some non-neutral units could have been upgraded, giving them better statistics, slightly altered appearance and sometimes completely new abilities that made a vast difference between them and the basic version. Green Dragons from the same game take this trope a level higher and can be upgraded twice from Red to Black Dragons. In III, V and VI all non-neutral units became upgradeable.
* ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2'' has the emperor's praetorian guard legions, both in game and in story. If not careful they can take out a tank character in two or three hits.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': Numerous. The Grineer have elite lancers above their basic lancers, and the Corpus have elite crewmen above their regular crewmen. Technically any unit above the most basic lancers, crewmen, and chargers (for Infested) count. However, the most obvious are the Eximus units, which are regular units with heavily enhanced stats, health, and a special ability like energy drain or a frost aura.

* ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' has two tiers of this. [[PuppetState ADVENT]] has the Trooper, which is the most generic, weakest alien unit; these are quickly rendered obsolete first by more advaced troop classes, such as the Stun Lancer and Shieldbearer, who are then superceded by the Advanced and Elite versions of those same units. With two such tiers of elite distinction, the weak, generic Trooper often ends up phased out after just a couple of months. This also applies to the ADVENT MEC unit, which initially appears in a basic form, but has a much more dangerous Heavy variant.

* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' has several different types. The most straightforward type are the "Enhanced" machines, who are colored black and red and have better overall specs then the standard models. Then there's the "Rampaging" machines, who appear after [[spoiler: Eve goes berserk, and starts causing other machines in the network to go berserk as well]] and look more broken and zombie-like, having an extra attack where they generate an electric field around themselves that causes contact damage. Finally, there's EMP attack units, who appear during Route C and can use EMP blasts to [[InterfaceScrew interfere with the player's HUD.]] Finally, there are unique non-respawning golden machines who appear in Route B and have [[DamageSpongeBoss absurd amounts of health, to the point that even hacking only takes small chunks off their life bar.]]

* The seven Disaster Masters from ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' who serve directly under the [[BigBad Nightmare Knight]] are each stationed in one of the seven kingdoms of Dreamside, causing havoc for the heroes. Each one is more stronger than the one before, and their powers are corruptions of the theme of the kingdom they're based in, from the first, a giant monstrous [[GiantSquid squid]] [[DumbMuscle Splashmaster]] of the Ripple Kingdom, to the seventh, the [[KnightOfCerebus eldtrich and ominous]] [[AIIsACrapShoot Glitchmaster]] of the Space Kingdom.

** Cobra Commander has his Crimson Guards, who were supposed to be of significantly higher quality than Cobra's basic blue-shirt mooks, but who (at least in the '80s cartoon version) generally proved as ineffective against G.I. Joe's named character squads as the lesser mooks. At least one or two Crimson Guardsmen got a minor SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome (i.e. the one who fights his way out of a top secret lab in one episode), but would usually screw it up at the last moment with a cringeworthy mistake (the aforementioned Siegie accidentally dropped the chemical he was stealing, creating a giant amoeba that ate him and half the county he was in... Cobra's experiments had a funny way of unexpectedly doing wacky stuff like that.)

* [[LouisCypher Lucius]] on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' has a supply of [[ALoadOfBull Minotaur]]-like enforcers, which are powerful enough to subdue even [[EnfanteTerrible Heloise]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' has the Ultra Bots, from [[Recap/SamuraiJackS2E5JackAndTheUltraRobots the episode of the same name]], who unlike Aku's regular {{mecha mook}}s which Jack regularly slices through with ease, are designed to be so tough, Jack is physically incapable of even scratching, even with his magic sword, were programmed with knowledge of all of Jack's combat moves, and each equipped with their own unique weapons and abillities, forcing Jack to find outside help from their creator and later ''DivineIntervention'' to put them down.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'', the Foot Clan has Elite Foot Ninjas (the guys in the red robes and coolie hats). Unlike many Elite Mooks, these guys actually ''were'' demonstrably better than the standard cannon fodder Mooks, able to fight evenly against the turtles and almost killing them in their first appearance. A big contributor to the Foot Elite always posing a threat would be that there's [[ConservationOfNinjitsu only four of them.]]

* After realizing that his regular mooks just weren't cutting it, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' Season Three BigBad, [[DiabolicalMastermind Brother Blood]], replaced them with completely mechanical copies of Titans member [[GeniusBruiser Cyborg]]. The Titans still managed to take them down, but it took a lot of strategizing and improvising where ordinary mooks would have just been effortlessly blasted through.

** The [[BigCreepyCrawlies Insecticons]] are massive, vicious, bestial Decepticons vastly superior to the general [[MechaMooks Vehicon troops]]. One on one, they can give even the strongest of the main cast a run for their money. Fortunately for the Autobots, [[ConservationOfNinjitsu they go down much more easily in groups than as individuals]]. And even then, when they're at larger numbers, they're usually in their more vulnerable beetle-like forms (which canonically have lighter armour). Insecticons in this series ''are'' subject to ConservationOfNinjutsu, but not to the same jarring degree as most mook squads. When they're at their most dangerous, they tend to fight in smaller squads and provide relatively tough opposition to the Autobots.

** The Monarch briefly employed Black Guards, who appear much more menacing than his regular henchmen (but {{Subverted}} as the Black Guards all used to be regular henchmen; even typical non-action villainess Dr. Girlfriend handles several in a fight without issue).

** ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' uses the Knights of Ren [[FakeUltimateMook supposedly fulfill this role.]]

* The SS battalion in ''Film/{{Fury}}'' that show up at the movie's climax. Whereas other Wehrmacht forces in the movie were disorganized, demoralized and undersupplied already, and many of them quickly surrendered, these guys are boldly marching to combat, singing, fully armed, and when they come across [[ThankGoodness Fury]] and find that she's operational, they make it their top priority to get rid of it and refuse to give up, even after taking heavy casualties.

** ''Series/UchuuSentaiKyuranger'' has Tsuyoindavers, which actually have little resemblance to the normal Mooks called Indavers. A few Tsuyoindavers can grow giant like monsters of the week can and several of the monsters of the week actually were unique Tsuyoindaver variants. Indavers themselves may have one of four different colors of stripes on their uniforms which may indicate different ranks (with the less common purple ones being commanders) but there seems to be very little or no difference in strength between them. One episode had a unique Indaver with a red uniform instead of a black one who lead a Sentai-like team of Indavers including one of each normal stripe color, but he and his team turned out to be no stronger than normal and were easily beaten.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' introduced the BX-series Commando Droids, the Elite Mook version of the standard Battle Droids. They had enhanced armor, nearly General Grevious-level agility, and a number of neat tricks such as magnetized feet to resist Force pushes (at least when there's a metal floor to attach to). They were a decent threat to clones, but still no match for the Jedi (although they were at least able to put up some resistance). In addition to enabling their enhanced agility, the more compact frames and smaller heads that lack the standard B1 Battle Droid's distinctive "snout" allows BX Commando Droids to [[MuggedForDisguise wear Clone Troooper armor]] for infiltration purposes. Though this is hindered by their retaining the tendency to finish conversations with [[VerbalTic "Roger-Roger."]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' introduced the counterpart for the clones, the Advanced Recon Commandos (ARC) Troopers (Pictured above). They starred in a few episodes, showing that a team of them could do what even Jedi would struggle to accomplish. (They notably force General Grievous to retreat in his first appearance, after he's taken out an entire team of Jedi solo.) ARC Troopers would later feature in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' where some of the recurring clone characters would undergo ARC training and become commandos.
** The Clone Troopers as a whole are this to their later Stormtrooper replacements, at least those few that remained in commission. If you happen to see an Imperial agent wearing Phase 2 clone trooper armor post-Battle of Yavin, ''run''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** The Monarch briefly employed Black Guards, who appear much more menacing than his regular henchmen (but {{Subverted}} as the Black Guards all used to be regular henchmen; even typical non-action villainess Dr. Girlfriend handles several in a fight without issue).
** Henchman 1, another Monarch follower, appears to be one; he's better-equipped and notably more skilled than the other henchmen. 21 and 24, {{Mauve Shirt}}s and savvy to this trope, immediately agree he's going to get taken down.
** Also the "Strangers", the team of soldiers used by the Guild, all appear to be Elite Mooks. Brock even seemed to be wary of them the first time they were shown. They have been seen freezing a room of people solid and then administering memory wipes in the event that [[HeKnowsTooMuch somebody is about to give away a crucial piece of information.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', the Nightcrawlers are an elite group of assassins that answer directly to [[EvilOverlord Master Cyclonis]] and are considered part of her personal guard. Unlike the normal Talon soldiers, they are [[UndyingLoyalty fanatically loyal]] to her, possess their own personal vehicles, and are extremely skilled in both armed and hand-to-hand combat. The Storm Hawks usually struggle harder to beat them any normal soldier, and in the finale Cyclonis upgrades them with even more tech to stand up to the Sky Knight army that attacks their base.