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The characters in Aliens: Dark Descent are organized by the in-game Codex into Main Characters, Secondary Characters, and Tertiary Characters. They are presented here in the same order. Beware potential unmarked spoilers.
Characters
Main Characters
Jonas Harper
USMC Sergeant—USS Otago
Born on Lethe, Jonas Harper enlisted in the USCM to escape a life in the mines. Since then, he has spent many of the intervening years in Hypersleep, traveling the outer rim as part of the USCM's response efforts. Most deployments ended without him seeing any action: rebellious colonists usually toe the line when a warship pulls into near-orbit, and the great majority of alien sightings are the work of overactive imaginations. On those other occasions, Harper quickly proved his worth, displaying leadership skills and quick thinking that set him on the path to becoming an NCO. Despite his lack of affection for Lethe, Harper has returned home for brief periods of leave over the years. There, he tried to start a family, but a Colonial Marine's life doesn't exactly allow for stability.
- Disappeared Dad: Deployments with the USCM meant he spent little time at home, and after the death of his wife he and his daughter became estranged.
- Mission Control: For much of the story, Harper has to remain in the team's ground transport vehicle, monitoring their status and coordinating their information and movements, and providing a base of mobile fire support when they need it.
- Sergeant Rock: Leads marines with a "get it done" attitude and a record of success.
- Spider-Sense: Harper displays some kind of psychic sensitivity to the alien hive, and can sense their aggressive intent. This can help keep a team of marines alerted to impending danger so they are prepared for it, but also often overwhelms Harper to the point of him being incapacitated with pain.
- You Are in Command Now: Harper returns to the Otago to find that the ship's CO died due to the Cerberus Protocol attack on the ship and it's subsequent crash landing. Martinez technically had seniority, but passes over the role saying that the the lieutenant wanted Harper specifically to take over in the event he was out of commission. As a result, Harper has to take command of the entire unit.
Maeko Hayes
Deputy Administrator—Pioneer Station
Maeko Hayes is a meticulous executive of the Weyland-Yutani, newly assigned as second-in-command aboard Pioneer Station, orbiting Lethe. Having had her careerist dreams sobered by the mechanical routine of the space station, Makeo wants to prove herself worth of an assignment to the moon. Whenever possible, she works alone and engages in social situations only when there is no other alternative, leaning heavily on protocol and company procedures to navigate confrontations. As a result, fellow employees tend to give Hayes all the distance she requires, and more. Underlings find her exacting and unapproachable, while superiors misread her and consider her to be an upstart. The truth is, however, that Hayes is a profoundly moral person who feels emotions deeply-she has simply learned that it's usually easier not to let them show.
- Ambition Is Evil: Inverted. Maeko's ambition and desire to excel is one of the things that differentiates her from characters like her boss, Chief Administrator MacDonald, who's lack of ambition is what leads to him becoming corrupt.
- By-the-Book Cop: Maeko leans heavily on rules, regulations, and proper corporate protocol, and holds herself to those same things. This has made her extremely unpopular on Pioneer Station, where bending or ignoring the rules is a way of life.
- Honest Corporate Executive: As much as she is ambitious and built up her career to the role of a minor executive, she's also a scrupulously moral person and won't hesitate to do the right thing.
- Mission Control: For most of the story, Maeko remains aboard the Otago, overseeing operations from the CIC station on the Otago's bridge. Turns out her administrative skills translate well to coordinating a military op.
- To Be Lawful or Good: When it becomes clear that Director Pryce is willing to see innocent lives expended to secure research into the creatures, Maeko must decide between her career with Weyland-Yutani and doing what she can to rescue as many people as she can. She considers leading an assault on Pharos Spire to be her "resignation letter".
- Volatile Second Tier Position: Her position on Pioneer Station. She's too good for the position, but her careerist attitude put her on her boss' shit-list because it threatened his side-business, leading to her being stuck in an untenable state.
- You Are in Command Now: After Harper falls into a coma, Maeko has to step up and take command of the Otago's crew.
Barbara Pryce
Colony Director—Pharos Spire
Barbara Pryce is held up as the perfect example of a Weyland-Yutani executive. A dedicated careerist, she has risen through the ranks with exemplary speed, helming a series of flourishing institutes and outposts to greater success and profitability. Having gone unsnarled by the politics and infighting that characterizes the Weyland-Yutani, Pryce is something special: a warm, considerate, and understanding woman who seeks to motivate through example and reason. It is thanks to these qualities-and the genius of several business partners-that she was able to turn Lethe around after the infamous uprising of '77. Yet, for all that Pryce's career is well-documented-and popularized-within the corporation, her personal life is veiled in secrecy.
- Ambiguously Human: Maeko accuses her of secretly being a synth, an accusation which Pryce vigorously denies. Maeko counters that even if she's not a synth, she doesn't think of her as human. Pryce seems genuinely upset by this implication, but there's no evidence that she is or isn't an artificial person. The question remains unresolved.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: "Corrupt" is a matter of perspective, as she has been an exemplar of the Weyland-Yutani corporation's corporate elite. However, given the company's track record of late, that's not saying a lot.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When her team sent to retrieve Cassandra drops out of contact, she loses what little leverage she had over Jonas Harper and forms a plan to seize control of the Otago the moment it has Marlow's research onboard. That Harper would allow her and her staff aboard even without that leverage doesn't seem to have occured to her.
- Just Think of the Potential!: Her rationale for indulging Marlow's obsession with the aliens and allowing his experimentation to go on in secret. She seems to genuinely believe that the aliens represent a paradigm shift in research as well as a huge boost to Weyland-Yutani's bottom line.
- Moral Sociopathy: She genuinely seems to consider the interests of Weyland-Yutani and the interests of the general good to be one and the same. She's a true believer in the company's ostensible vision, even if that vision is monopolistic capitalism under a MegaCorp.
- Uncertain Doom: Last seen at the top of a tower with hundreds of xenomorphs crawling up the sides. She's almost certainly dead if she is human; if she's a synth like Hayes theorizes the xenomorphs should leave her alone as long as she doesn't attack.
Major Theo Stern
Captain—Weyland-Yutani Commandos
While the majority of Weyland-Yutani commandos are indoctrinated fanatics, loyal to the corporation above all else, Stern is an ex-UJSCM officer, hired for his leadership and spec-ops skills. A veteran of the Tientsin campaign, Theo knows his way around the most difficult types of conflicts, those where politics get mixed up in the deaths of innocent people. Much like Harper, Stern is troubled by his past, and even his hefty salary isn't sufficient to make him forget where he came from.
- Corporate Samurai: As a captain in one of Weyland-Yutani's security subsidiaries with a ton of spec-ops military experience, employed directly under an executive level to handle the most sensitive of assignments to the company, Stern certainly qualifies as one.+
- 11th-Hour Ranger: After being rescued by the crew of the Otago, Stern refuses to go back to Weyland-Yutani and volunteers to do what he can to help the crew get off of Lethe. He finds himself having to step up almost immediately and take over Harper's role as Mission Control after Harper becomes overwhelmed and falls into a coma.
- Old Soldier: Served four tours of duty with the USCM, including during the infamous Tientsin campaign, and was part of a special forces unit. He's since retired to the civil sector and pulls a hefty salary as a captain in one of Weyland-Yutani's security forces.
- Sacrificial Lion: He dies right at the end, trying to hold his own against the Titan Xenomorph and getting a cargo container sized backhand for his trouble. This action serves to show that unlike every other Xenomorph in the game, you can't fight it.
Joseph Marlow
Bioengineer—Weyland-Yutani
Joseph Marlow is an unquestionable genius and polymath. Across the decades, he has proven himself to be a pioneer across the entire spectrum of human endeavour, playing key roles in the refinement of the Hypersleep process, pharmaceuticals, and other forward-thinking disciplines. Indeed, it has been said in many quarters that the United Americas would in no way be so far-flung were it not for his contributions to the cause. It was on Marlow's arrival on Lethe that his infamous eccentricity took a turn for the obsessive, however: year after year, this experiments grew more extreme to match—until the Weyland-Yutani assigned him the appropriate superiors, it would seem.
- Dark Messiah: The leader of the Darwin Era, titled the "Illuminary". He accepts the disaffected and downtrodden of Lethe, leading them against "the oppressors." However, he is willing to do this by engineering alien outbreaks, and Brainwashed his followers into believing that giving themselves to the aliens will result in them "ascending" to a new and more xenosythentic form, a belief that he too holds and subjected himself to.
- Dead All Along: The original Marlow died via Chestburster a long time ago, his dessicated corpse displayed in a position of reverence in the Precursor city beneath the Olduvai triminite mine.
- Mad Scientist: Marlow is legitimately a source of genius, having made many significant contributions to human understanding and practice and been an inspiration to and influence on many younger scientists who entered the field after him. He's also an infamous eccentric who's eccentricity finally outweighed his genius when he was introduced to the Precursor city under Olduvai.
- Me's a Crowd: Marlow continues his research and leadership of the Darwin Era post-death with a variety of synthetic recreations of himself, which he created out of (justified) paranoia that he couldn't trust his associates in Weyland-Yutani to understand his vision and not betray him.
Secondary Characters
Chief Administrator Hal Mac Donald
Chief Administrator—Pioneer Station
Hal MacDonald is Hayes' immediate superior on Pioneer Station. A jobsworth with an eye for making a bit of profit on the side, MacDonald is coming to the end of his career—though his working life with go on for some decades yet—and he knows it. Like the rest of the established crew on Pioneer, MacDonald considers Hayes an unwelcome intruder. Her careerist attitude and desire to succeed threaten to disrupt his cozy routine—and possibly expose MacDonald's side hustle in smuggling all sorts of goods.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Emphasis more on the "corrupt" part than the "executive" part. He's in charge of what is a relatively low-prestige posting on an aging station, and had probably reached the limits of his career competence. With no where else to go, he turned to accepting bribes to not examine cargoes too closely to pad out his retirement fund.
- Fat Bastard: MacDonald is out of shape and he looks like it, fitting with his personality of relaxing into cozy complacency even when it will cost him in the long run.
- We Barely Knew Ye: Does not survive the tutorial mission.
Doctor Donald Becker
Xenobiologist—USS Otago
The only survivor among several Weyland-Yutani scientists who were seconded to the Otago as consultants during it's refit and atmospheric readiness trials, Becker is a man for whom scientific discoveries go hand in hand with advancement and profit. An experienced xenobiologist in a broader sense, Donald balances his curiosity in the unfolding events on Lethe with a sense of horror. While he provides the Otago with invaluable research support, Becker's interest in the creature ultimately terrifies the ship's crew.
- Admiring the Abomination: He has an... unhealthy fascination with the aliens.
- Creepy Good: Working with the crew of the Otago, using his xenobiological knowledge to help them understand and fight the creatures overrunning Lethe, though his fascination with them is unnerving. However, how "good" he is does not last.
- Forced into Evil: Owes an immense amount of debt to Weyland-Yutani for ambiguous reasons. This is used as leverage over him by Pryce to help her take control of the Otago.
- The Mole: Secretly working for Pryce even as he's working with the Otago crew. This is copacetic when the interests of the two don't clash, but he turns deadly when they do.
Cassandra Swanson
Colonist—Lethe
Cassandra is the daughter of Jonas Harper and Becca Swanson. Her parents never married, and Becca's independence, combined with Harper's lengthy deployments, meant that Cassandra had to raise herself. Like most of her generation, Cassandra quickly dropped out of the official system and began to run with a succession of quasi-legal employers and street gangs. She allegedly disappeared with one of them after the death of her mother, who was killed in a crawler collision not far from the Toven's Gate settlement. Disaffected, estranged from her family, and shunned by the few friends she had left after her gang's downfall, Cassandra was easy prey for the Darwin Era.
- A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read: Her power to sense the will of the Hive causes her an intense amount of pain. The aliens' thoughts and emotions (to the extent they have them) aren't meant for the human mind to process.
- Blind Seer: She's forced to wear a helmet which blocks out her eyesight, and is put in a metallic sensory-deprivation "cocoon" as well. Only her sixth sense remains open to her in there.
- The Cassandra: Averted, though the namesake is deliberate. Marlow promises that he will always listen to her.
- Mind Rape: By forcing her to receive the thoughts of the Hive with no reprieve, she's subjected to an ongoing intimate mental assault.
- Telepathy: Has a rare ability for her mind to be receptive to whatever wavelength the Hive is communicating on. This is not a pleasant thing to experience.
- Waif Prophet: A young women kept bound-up by the Darwin Era and forced to endure the thoughts of the Hive, so that the things she speaks having touched them can be treated as gospel revelation.
Tertiary Characters
Corpswoman Marla Bookard
USCM Corpswoman—USS Otago
Otago's ranking medical officer, or rather NCO, since she has just recently been promoted to the rank of corporal. Bookard has taken charge of the ship's medical facilities. Diligent and methodical, she's an invaluable asset for keeping the Marines alive. Marla didn't expect so many responsibilities in so little time but has taken her role very seriously, even if it means appearing harsh to the rest of the crew.
- After-Action Patch-Up: She's responsible for getting the marines back up to fighting strength between deployments.
- The Medic: She's the ship's chief corpswoman, who's new to the responsibility but steps up to it admirably.
- No One Gets Left Behind: She refuses to leave the wounded when the evacuation alarm is triggered, leading to her being killed by the alien that gets loose aboard the Otago.
Sergeant Rick Martinez
USCM Sergeant—USS Otago
A veteran of the USCM, this hard-nosed Sergeant has experience, but neglects command—unless he has to assume command. Although he let Harper run their band of survivors, Martinez still fulfills the twin functions of armorer and quartermaster on the damaged Otago. Rick excels in both of these professions, where his severity is a necessity, and his resourceful spirit is fully appreciated.
- Artificial Limbs: He has one arm replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic.
- Bald Head of Toughness: He keeps his head shaved down, showing off his facial scar.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Downplayed, he's responsible for whipping some of the new recruits into shape, but he's not especially cruel about it. He just makes firmly sure that they're training intensively in the shooting range aboard the Otago.
- Eaten Alive: His fate. Devoured by the Titan Xenomorph's Nested Mouth.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Single cut scar that runs up his cheek, almost hits hit eye, and goes up well into his hairline.
- The Scrounger: He's known for his "resourcefulness" as a quartermaster and armorer.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: [[spoilier: He gets snatched by the Titan Xenomorph in the final dungeon. This death is the first indication it even exists.]]
Corporal Willa Hunslet
USCM Corporal—USS Otago
A college dropout from a blue-collar family, Willa (short for Wilhelmina, although no one dares call her that) signed up to avoid disappointing her parents. Much to her surprise, in doing so, Hunslet found her calling: the first time she laid hands on a simulator, she fell in love with flying and fought like hell to gain a dropship certification. Hunslet been a pilot ever since, and, reprimands for insubordination aside, she's a damn good one too. Despite her big mouth and cocky facade, Hunslet is deeply protective of the marines she supports in the field.
- Ace Pilot: Capable of dogfighting, or "dancing" in her words, in a Drop Ship.
- Embarrassing First Name: She prefers to go by "Willa" rather than her full first name "Wilhelmina".
- The Gadfly: Always quick to offer a sarcastic or factious commentary over the radio, no matter how often Harper has to tell her to "Stow it, Hunslet!"
- The Last DJ: She has been formally reprimanded for insubordination, but that has neither changed her behavior nor threatened her active flying position, because he marks for flying are just that good.
Councilor Saira Kabiri
Clinical Psychologist—USS Otago
As the Otago's main psychologist, Saira Kabiri is responsible for assessing, diagnosing, and treating members of the ship's crew who have mental or emotional disorders. While she presents an image of being a conciliatory woman, Saira takes no nonsense from those who would denigrate her work, in which she passionately believes. Curious and ambitious, she's always trying to learn more, as evidenced by her regular presence in the Medbay, she she sometimes helps Bookard.
- Freudian Couch: Played with. She doesn't have a therapy couch, she has an entire therapy room. This room is circular, and includes a circular conversation pit
in place of a couch, and projected images of calm forest scenery on the walls. - The Medic: Downplayed, she assists in the Medbay, but that's not her primary specialization.
- Serious Business: She takes her role as unit psychologist seriously and has little patience toward those who would downplay or disrespect the necessity and effectiveness of her work.
- The Shrink: The unit psychologist aboard the Otago, with a specialization in addressing post-traumatic stress due to combat.
Chief Engineer Alice Corrigan
Chief Engineer—USS Otago
Corrigan is the Otago's chief engineer, responsible for maintaining operational material, holding the remains of the ship together, and potentially getting the craft space-worthy again. A ferociously focused individual, Alice isn't much of a people person—she prefers spending time with her ship, although she does at least have the self-awareness to apologize after being brusque. She's a dedicated and gifted engineer, with an intuitive grasp of what needs to be done. Not so much a "miracle worker" as a methodical and experienced scientist whose experience is worth more than gold.
- The Engineer: Of the "Chief Engineer" type, she's responsible for ensuring the Otago remain spaceworthy (or become spaceworthy again after it crashes in the opening.) She's also responsible for making sure the armory has enough spare parts for the marine's weapons, and with enough resources, she can even produce an entire line of functional guns from just the spare parts her engineering bay manufactures.Corrigan: "Let's hope Aramat won't sue us."
Beastiary
Aliens
Drone
Voracious predators, Drones form the bulk of the Hive. They're the most common form of adult Xenomorph, generally spawned from human hosts. As such, they retain their host's bipedal structure, and yet they're extremely agile, moving equally well on all fours to climb walls and ceilings and crawl into confined spaces. Combined with impressive strength and surprising intelligence, this swiftness makes the Drones the principal offensive unit of their species. Combat isn't the only purpose of the Drones, though, as several specimens have been observed working on nests or capturing potential hosts for reproduction.- Alien Abduction: Will grab willing cultists, survivors, and even wounded marines to drag them back to the hive if given half a chance.
- Mooks: The most common xenomorph encountered.
- Roaming Enemy: They emerge from nesting holes and patrol around the mission areas frequently, alerting the hive if they spot the marines.
- Stationary Enemy: Sometimes found "in stasis", curled up in a sitting fetal position, effectively asleep, conserving their metabolism while awaiting prey. They will awaken and alert the hive if the marines remain in their line of sight for more than a few moments.
Warrior
Whether Drones and Warriors are two separate classes within the Hive is still up for debate. One thing is certain, though: specimens described as Warriors are considered even more dangerous. Most of them are recognizable by their ridged skulls and segmented tails, which make these bipedal Xenomorphs look even more sinister. Extra aggressive and crafty, Warriors pounce on their prey and stab it with their tail, which is comparable to a stinger-like barb. They're also said to stun certain targets, probably to help their kind capture hosts while in combat, or simply handicap groups of hostiles.- Deadly Lunge: Is capable of a leaping attack that crosses a large distance and knocks down any marines in it's landing arc.
- Elite Mooks: More dangerous on the attack than drones, and only shows up during alert phases where the hive is actively hunting marines.
Runner
Quite different to human-spawned Xenomorphs, Runners probably inherit their physiology from four-legged animals, like cows or dogs. As their name implies, Runners are exceptionally fast and athletic, but their speed comes at a cost, for they are nowhere near as resilient as Drones or Warriors. Fortunately for the Hive, the sheer mobility of Runners is usually enough to allow them to outmaneuver trespassers and attackers alike. Several reports indicate that the charging speed of these creatures, along with their long tail, allows the Runners to tackle even the toughest targets. And once on the ground, there's nothing one can do about their powerful jaws.- Fragile Speedster: They're smaller and faster than the other xenomorphs, but less robust and cannot absorb as much damage.
- Personal Space Invader: They use their speed to tackle a marine, knocking them down and pinning them to the floor, where they then proceed to rip into them.
Crusher
Presumably a later development stage of the Runner, Crushers usually appear when the Hive becomes more mature. These monstrous, four-legged creatures are sometimes described as the Xenomorph equivalent of a tank. They show up when brute strength or a discouraging degree of resilience are required. The Crushers' most notable feature is their large head crest, which can endure most forms of gunfire, explosive ammunition included. Once lowered into charging position, this crest allows Crushers to run through multiple enemies and even vehicles. This already intimidating sight is only heightened by the Crushers' habit of stomping, which is said to paralyze their prey in fear.- Boss in Mook's Clothing: Has a very large health pool and only shows up during events.
- Foe-Tossing Charge: It's primary mode of attack when enemies are distant from it, it makes a direct charge and knocks aside anything between it and it's target location.
- Shockwave Stomp: When enemies are nearby it, it will stomp it's feet on the ground, shaking the enemies around it and knocking them off their feet.
- Smash Mook: It has a very uncomplicated strategy of charge, stomp, repeat. It largely counts on it's resilience to see it through.
Praetorian
Theories state that Praetorians evolve from chosen Drones once a Hive nears its full development. Significantly larger and tougher than typical xenomorphs, these bipedal creatures can be identified by their broad head crest and longer dorsal spines. Cleverer than their cousins, Praetorians seem to act both as a Queen's bodyguards and as her army commanders, a dual role that makes them essential to the Hive. As well as being smarter, Praetorians are also more cunning. They are able to summon additional Drones to aid with their intimidating screech and are known to torment their prey before the finishing blow is finally delivered.- Alien Abduction: Similar to the Drone, they can abduct the marines in the squad. Unlike the drone, they don't need to wait until the marine is injured to do so.
- Boss in Mook's Clothing: They only show up for events and prove exceedingly dangerous when they do, often drawing out the encounter.
- Enemy Summoner: Their favored tactic when spotting the marines is to scream loudly, summoning drones from every near by entry point, potentially overwhelming an unprepared squad.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: The Praetorian prefers to stalk, summon, strike, and then fall back before going back to stalking again. Combined with it's Healing Factor, it forces the marines to try and corner it or hit it with enough burst damage that it can't slip back away for another attack.
- Healing Factor: They slowly regenerate health while outside of combat, making chipping away at them impractical.
Egg
Sometimes called Ovomorphs, Eggs are considered to be the first stage in the intricate life cycle of the Xenomorphs. Produced and laid by a Queen, these egg-like receptacles serve as protection for Facehuggers. Although they are seemingly inert, if not lifeless, some studies claim they are, in fact, complex organisms that life in a symbiotic relationship with the creature they are trusted to hold. According to the aforementioned research, Eggs would, for example, be responsible for detecting when a potential host approaches and transferring their remaining bioelectrical potential to their Facehugger—a sacrifice that ensures the Hive develops and spreads.- Smashed Eggs Hatching: Zigzagged. Shooting at an egg will cause it to release it's facehugger, unless the attack does enough damage in one hit to destroy it outright. Anything less will give the facehugger enough time to get out.
- Stationary Enemy: Eggs do not move, but are placed strategically by the creatures. Usually they're placed in small clusters just inside doors, around blind corners, and of course near flat walls covered in Meat Moss victims can be cocooned to.
Facehugger
When an Egg detects a suitable host, the Facehugger it contains comes to life. This spider-like, parasitic form of the Xenomorph exists solely to implant a Chestburster within a living creature. As such, Facehuggers are not particularly clever and will pursue a host until it is infected, despite the risks. That said, these parasites appear to have a sense of cunning, as they're known to ambush prey and use their acidic blood, long digits, or tail to ensure dominance over their victim. Once a Facehugger has done so, removing it is nearly impossible—it will only detach from its host and die once the infection has been secured.- Deadly Lunge: Telegraphed with a little icon, where the facehugger rears back on its tail and prepares to leap. This should be priority targets for the "Kill that bastard!" command, because once they leap they always land on target...
- Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: If one of them manages to reach one of your marines, it wraps itself around their head and they're not getting up again without an extraction device.
- Fragile Speedster: They can't withstand much damage, but they are small and quick and consequently hard to hit with firearms.
- One-Hit Kill: It may not do damage, but all it needs is one good grab to put a marine down for good...
- Suicidal Overconfidence: Facehuggers have only one strategy: go directly for the face. This makes it easy to, for example, lure them into the path of a flamethrower.
Queen
Every Hive is lead by a Queen. These specimens are regarded as the biggest and most intelligent form of the Xenomorph. A Queen's main purpose is to lay Eggs within the Hive itself, a mission she completes with the help of an Ovipositor, a sort of abdomen that produces Eggs. Generally surrounded by other Xenomorph castes that she can summon, a Queen is nevertheless perfectly capable of engaging in combat on her own, using her armored shell and incredibly sharp limbs to come out on top. Fortunately for those who cross paths with a Queen, she will usually let other creatures fight for her.- Boss Battle: Complete with a Life Meter across the edge of the screen, Queens are always a climatic battle in any mission.
- Foe-Tossing Charge: When the Queen gets into range and has line-of-sight to a target in the open, she'll break into a sprit, using her size and momentum to knock over her foes. Add to that her deadly close-combat attacks, and recieving a charge from her can be a Total Party Kill.
- "Instant Death" Radius: The Queen has a One-Hit Kill ability that she can use up close, necessitating Hit-and-Run Tactics or simply doing enough damage quickly enough to burn her health down before she can get to them.
- Recurring Boss: There are several Queens on Lethe, and the marines will have to fight them again and again.
- Skippable Boss: Not every Queen needs to be fought. There are a few missions where the marines can bypass a Queen instead of engaging with her.
Chestburster
This worm-like creature is considered the infant form of the Xenomorph. Introduced into its host by a Facehugger, the Chestburster usually grows within the chest, quickly developing a serpentine body, metallic teeth, and sometimes arms. It has been theorized that many factors influence the gestation process. Mainly the host's DNA, partly copied by the creature, but also the form of the cavity where it will grow, and even the resistance of the victim's rib cage. In any case, once fully developed, the Chestburster eventually breaks free. The host the experiences cramps and convulsions until the creature brutally erupts from their chest, killing them almost instantly.- Chestburster: An example of the Trope Namer.
- Scripted Battle: Chestbursters are never encountered as "regular" enemies, only making appearances during scripted encounters, usually during the birthing event for which they're named. Even when marines fire at them, their small size makes them hard to hit and they usually just slither away quickly to go and grow into an adult form.
Xeno Titan
Not much is known about these creatures. Massive and snake-like, they were found in the extraterrestrial city buried deep below the Olduvai Dig Site. As such, it is assumed that they were the original owners of the megalopolis. But despite their civilization's might, it seems that—much like Lethe's human settlements—it ultimately succumbed to an infestation of the xenomorphs, which eventually adapted to their formidable morphology. Those who are curious as to the reason for this believe that the Titans originally bred the creatures on Lethe or that their moon perhaps fell victim to a rival species.- Advancing Boss of Doom: There is no way for you to kill it with the weaponry you have. As such, the final encounter is spent running away from it for dear life.
- Final Boss: The Xeno Titan serves as the final opponent of the game, though you don't actually get a chance to fight back.
- Monstrous Mandibles: Its lower jaw consists of bifurcated jawbones.
- Nested Mouths: Of course, since it is one of the most notable features of any Xenomorph, but this creature has an unusual variation. Instead of the inner mouth being separate from the front mouth like a tongue, this one is actually an extension of the Titan's lower jaw that unhinges from the rest to snap forward.
- Snake People: It has a humanoid upper torso with a snake-like lower half, primarily moving around by using its arms to drag itself forward. Interestingly, it does have a pelvis with tiny claw-like legs sticking out of it, which are probably meant to help with gripping the ground.
- Uncertain Doom: It's not clear at the end if it died from the Cerberus strikes, or if it survived due to being deep underground as it's not seen trying to pursue Hayes and Cassandra as they escape it on the elevator.
Humanoid
Weyland-Yutani Commando
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation stated to employ private military companies pretty early in its history. After years of outsourcing, Weyland-Yutani eventually simply decided to buy these companies outright, thus creating an entire branch that was fully dedicated to protecting the company's assets. The PMC operators usually wear white body armor. They are armed as well as the USCM—if not better. After all, they are responsible for the security of Weyland-Yutani's most secret operations. This mainly involves researching the Xenomorphs, a task that is entrusted only to those whom the company calls its commandos: elite contractors who are usually former special forces from the Three World Empire.- Doom Troops: They look intimidating in their masks, helmets, and full body armor, all in clinical white.
- Drop Ship: Like the UNSC, they employ a variation of the UD-4 "Cheyenne" Dropship in different colors to perform insertions.
- Elite Mooks: They're just as well-equipped as Colonial Marines and typical dispatched on missions critical to the company.
- Private Military Contractors: Part of a PMC owned as a subsidiary of Weyland-Yutani.
- The Worf Effect: While supposedly well-trained and certainly well-equipped, the W-Y commandos aren't necessarily and more prepared for the xenomorphs and the most frequent times the marines encounter them is to find a pile of their bodies spread out on the ground to sell just how deadly things got.
Synthetic
These old maintenance synths, which were originally manufactured by Seegson, were purchased by Weyland-Yutani on outdated stations and then repurposed with a better AI to serve on Pioneer. This approach is typical of Weyland-Yutani, who always seek to reduce costs on their most remote colonies. But the cheap price isn't the only benefit of these modifications. Recycling old synthetics is also a good way to get around the laws on artificial persons. In the case of Pioneer, this allowed the company to secretly implant a program in the syths' processors to ensure that they will protect the Cerberus Protocol when the program is activated.- Canon Immigrant: Descended from the earlier generation of Working Joes in Alien: Isolation.
- The Engineer: They function primarily to conduct simple and/or repetitive maintenance work that wouldn't be cost-effective to hire a human to do.
- "Second Law" My Ass!: An advantage (from the company's standpoint) of Working Joes over more modern and intelligent synthetics is that the regulations around primary synthetic programming concerning not harming humans can be more easily subverted via commands from their Master Computer. Hence when the Cerberus Protocol is put into effect, they immediately stop responding to commands from humans and are capable of lethal actions to make sure that protocol is enforced.
- Robot: Seegson never was able to produce genuinely convincing robots, but to their fortune they discovered that there was a market for obviously robotic workers and stopped trying to push them across the Uncanny Valley. This generation of Working Joes forgo the rubber-mask look of previous ones to present an image of a harmless robotic coworker.
- Static Stun Gun: They wield long electric prods that can knock over and stun a marine with the discharge on a hit.
- Unique Enemy: Only appear as enemies on Pioneer Station. All other Working Joes encountered are damaged models that can be repaired and returned to the Otago to assist its engineers.
- Upgrade Artifact: Working Joes are individually less intelligent than Hyperdyne and W-Y synthetics and must be controlled by a Master Computer to be effective. When Weyland-Yutani bought up an old line of Working Joes, they upgraded the Master Computer to consequently upgrade the intelligence of every Working Joe connected to it without having to pay to enhance each unit individually.
Darwin Era
Cultist
Some members of the Darwin Era are dyed-in-the-wool fanatics. Others are simply lost souls, seeking an escape from a bleak life. Most of them believe that the Xenomorphs are reborn humans, and as such, they seek to get infected by them—but not before the enigmatic purposes of the Darwin Era have been brought to fruition. To this end, they will follow the orders of their strict hierarchy to the letter and at the cost of their own lives. The cultists select their weapons (improvised melee armaments, or firearms for the luckiest among them) and then charge into battle with rage in their stomachs and misguided dreams in their heads.- Admiring the Abomination: When confronted with xenomorphs, the cultists will fall to their knees, spreading their arms in religious ecstasy and willingly giving themselves to them.
- Cult: Recruited from the disaffected of Lethe and brainwashed into fanaticism.
- Improvised Weapon: Those who can't get their hands on firearms will wield hammers, pickaxes, and sections of pipe instead, rushing into melee combat against fully armed opposition.
- Martyrdom Culture: They will eagerly march to their deaths for the cause.
- Mooks: The closest thing to "basic" enemies as this game gets.
Guardian
Guardians are the elite of the Darwin Era, not only in combat sense but in a cultural one as well. These fanatics voluntarily undergo implantation of a device that Marlow named "Embryostasis," which slows down the Xenomorph life cycle by postponing the "birth" of the creature. Equipped with such an apparatus, Guardians are able to walk among the Xenomorphs without risk. Guardians are therefore usually assigned to patrol nests. But some, like the Numinous, a cult within the cult, are deployed as shock troops to accomplish special missions or to simply boost the morale of the Darwin Era's lower ranks.- Chestburster: They're not one themselves, but they do play host to one, their implants slowing down it's gestation. However that doesn't stop the gestation entirely, just suspends it temporarily.
- Cyborg: They're augmented with a special cryonic rig implanted across their chest, back, neck, and face. By means of this implant, they can be implanted with a chestburster and postpone it's moment of birth.
- Elite Mooks: Unlike the more junior cultists, the Guardians are exclusively equipped with firearms, and their modifications make them able to absorb more damage.
- Why Isn't It Attacking?: Invoked by the Embyrostasis device. By getting this device implanted, they can be host to a chestburster for an indeterminate length of time, and so long as they don't threaten themselves or the aliens they can walk among them undisturbed.
- Willing Channeler: Less "spirit" and more "parasite", but otherwise the Guardian plays a willing host to another entity that gestates inside of them.
