While gamers have grown accustomed to mowing down all manner of enemies in first-person shooter games over the years, from enemy combatants to alien invaders, Arkane Studios decided to take a different path for its recently released Redfall. Rather than tasking players with taking down the usual hordes of soldiers clad in tactical armor, Arkane’s spooky shooter opts instead to put multiple types of vampires squarely in Redfall players’ crosshairs.
Each of the different types of vampires in Redfall possess their own unique skills and abilities, and all of them can quickly take down players who wander into a fight unprepared. Luckily, with a bit of proper preparation, even many of Redfall’s most fearsome undead foes can be quickly dispatched by gamers who know how to exploit their weaknesses. While players will inevitably devise their own strategy for dispatching Redfall’s blood-sucking baddies, knowing what to expect before entering battle can make the difference between survival and meeting a bloody, untimely end.
Every Type of Vampire in Redfall
Vampires - The standard vampires are the most common undead enemy that players will encounter in Redfall. Roaming the streets even during daytime thanks to the eclipse cast over Redfall, vampires are easy enough to defeat on their own but can quickly overwhelm players when encountered in a group. Vampires float across the map and will use their teleportation ability to quickly jump behind players where they can unleash melee attacks with their claws. Vampires can either be killed with a stake to the heart or by being shattered when petrified by UV weapons.
Siphon - The Siphon is one of the first special vampires players will encounter in Redfall. Unlike the melee attacks of standard vampires, Siphons unleash a spell that slowly drains players of their health while replenishing their own. Players will eventually encounter more powerful Siphons that can surround themselves with an energy shield, forcing survivors to find a gap in the shields to be able to take them down. Like standard vampires, Siphons can be either killed with a stake or a UV weapon.
Angler - Anglers are another of the special vampire types found in Redfall. Able to turn invisible to sneak up on prey, Anglers will stealthily stalk players before unleashing their powerful harpoon attack. Once harpooned, players will be pulled toward the hungry Angler who can wipe out a significant chunk of health with a single bite. It’s possible to spot and attack invisible Anglers thanks to their menacing red eyes and wispy form when cloaked, and these special vampires can only be eliminated by staking them.
Watcher - Redfall’s Watchers are former cultists who have been transformed into sentries by their vampire overlords. Usually perched atop rooftops and spires, Watchers emit bright yellow beams from their eyes that scan the streets below looking for prey. It is possible to sneak past Watchers by carefully plotting a path through the areas they surveil but, if spotted, players will have to contend not only with the Watcher’s now-deadly eye beams, but also the vampiric reinforcements summoned by their cries. Watchers can be eliminated either with standard weapons or players’ special abilities.
Shroud - Sporting a sleeker, more sensual appearance than Redfall’s other vampires, Shrouds use powerful magic to disorient players by trapping them inside a sphere of darkness. Once under this spell, players are surrounded by a swirling haze that blots out much of the world around them until they either flee or defeat the Shroud. Shrouds also create vortexes that allow them to teleport around the map, letting them quickly unleash powerful ranged attacks at a distance. Normal weapons can harm Shrouds, but a stake through the heart is needed to finish them off for good.
Rook - First encountered by players during the Fall Like Lightning mission, Rooks are some of Redfall’s most powerful enemies. Arriving in a Rook Storm of red lightning capable of damaging survivors and setting environmental hazards alight, Rooks primarily rely on melee attacks to pummel players. Brutal enforcers for the Vampire Gods, after their initial appearance Rooks are summoned when players fill up the Rook Storm gauge by completing missions or eliminating special vampires and will hunt survivors down relentlessly until either they or the player is dead. Rooks require a stake through the heart to eliminate, and will often drop high-level weapons upon death.
Bloodbag - One of the more grotesque enemy types in Redfall, Bloodbags are cultists who have been turned into mobile food sources by the vampires they serve. Misshapen and bloated, Bloodbags won’t attack directly, choosing instead to get in close before exploding themselves like Left 4 Dead’s Boomers in a shower of blood that damages players. For this reason, players are advised to eliminate Bloodbags from a safe distance well outside the bloated creatures’ blast radius.
Sin-Eater - Redfall’s final breed of vampires are the Sin-Eaters. Not an enemy in the traditional sense, Sin-Eaters are encountered by players as they make their way through the memories of the four Vampire Gods. Unlike the other vampires in Redfall, Sin-Eaters won’t attack survivors and will attempt to flee instead. Though players aren’t required to kill Sin-Eaters, doing so will release Psychic Echoes that help to further flesh out Redfall’s story.
While Redfall may not be exactly the game players were hoping for given Arkane’s history of creating stylish, systems-heavy titles, it’s hard to deny that it has some of the most unique enemy designs of any recent shooter. And even though Redfall’s undead enemies mostly cease to be scary after repeated encounters throughout the game, their unique attacks and abilities should ensure that players still have fun fighting the fanged foes long after that initial fear factor has worn off.
Redfall is available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.