How to kill marauders in Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal is filled with plenty of demons for you to rip and tear apart. Most of them are not too difficult to deal with on their own; they tend to leave themselves open for punishment. It’s when they group in big packs that things tend to get a little hairy for the Doom Slayer.

Those rules don’t necessarily apply when it comes to marauders. These mini-boss jerks are a threat both offensively and defensively with multiple attack styles depending on how far away from them you are. On their own, they can be difficult, and with a group of other demons attacking alongside them can seem downright overwhelming if you don’t deal with the side fodder quickly. Here are some fighting methods to keep in mind when fighting marauders in Doom Eternal.

Tips to kill marauders

The first thing you want to keep in mind when fighting marauders is your weapon you’re attacking him with. Marauders can block all your attacks if you are not timing your shots right, and you only have a small window of opportunity. For this reason, you’re going to want to use the super shotgun. If you don’t have shotgun ammo, your next best bet is the ballista if you can hit your shots, but there are usually smaller demons spawning around the area to chainsaw for ammo during these fights.

Your only chance to deal significant damage on the marauder is when his eyes flash green. This only happens when he is midrange from you. He will charge at you with his axe. Blast him with the super shotgun the moment his eyes flash, and he will stagger back, allowing for another shot. If you try and shoot him any other time than when his eyes glow green, he will block your attack with his shield that is impenetrable.

You need to be mindful of how far away from the marauder you are when fighting him. If too close, he will shoot you with his shotgun, which deals a lot of damage to you while too far away he will slash projectiles at you with his axe. He can also call in a translucent orange wolf that will continually hunt you down until you kill it. It only takes one shot to kill the wolf, but the marauder can call it multiple times to make focusing on your positioning with him difficult.

While the super shotgun is the most surefire way to take down the marauder, you can whittle his health down with splash damage weapons like grenades and the rocket launchers. It’s only recommended to use the rocket launchers with the remote detonate mod at mastery. This allows you to shoot to the side of him and explode the rocket, which has a larger area of effect when mastered. Just be mindful that you’re far enough away when you detonate them. For those thinking they will use the BFG to take him down, unfortunately, it does not kill him, and if the shot hits his shield, it will end its path. It is excellent for clearing the room of other demons, though, so be sure to launch it in a different direction to give yourself more room to focus on him.

If you start getting low on health, don’t be afraid to run! He is quick and can keep up with you, but there are almost always smaller demons you can use for glory kills and fire belches as means of health and armor. Don’t panic or get too far ahead of yourself, and you will eventually take him down. Just be ready to do it multiple times in the campaign.