Muton (EU2012)

Mutons are among the most deadly alien creatures that XCOM will encounter. Tough, clever and loyal to their cause, do not expect a Muton to fall easily. Unlike most of the other alien species Mutons are team players - they work with a pack mentality and can use their Blood Call ability to strengthen the group while performing coordinated frontal attacks to wear down and kill enemy units. Despite their reputation for brute strength, Mutons are also one of the cleverest alien species in the game - they'll charge most of the time but they'll also retreat if outnumbered and lay Overwatch ambushes on advancing XCOM soldiers. In many ways Mutons are the bane of X-COM and you would do well to exercise extreme caution wherever Muton soldiers may be present.

Muton Soldier

1st Appearance	{{{appears}}}
HP	8/8/10/10
Aim	70
Defense	10
Will	10
Movement	12
Easy/Normal/Classic/Impossible

The very first Muton variant you will encounter, these brutal beasts can destroy the often ill equipped XCOM squads near the beginning of the game - without Laser weapons and Carapace armour you will be hard pressed to win against them. Mutons will be the first aliens you encounter with grenades, which they will not hesitate to use if you have two soldiers together, however regular Mutons do not have the Bombard ability, so cannot throw their grenades any further than normal. The first month you encounter them they will be armed with Light Plasma Rifles, but in subsequent months will upgrade to medium Plasma Rifles and will appear far more frequently in tactical missions.

Mutons are very susceptible to psionic attacks, and once you have access to Mind Control can be as much of an asset to you as to the enemy.

Muton Armaments

Weapon	Damage	Critical Chance	Terrain Damage	Range	Reaction Angle	Reaction Range	Size	Abilities
Muton Plasma Light Rifle	6	10	125	27	200	NA	Large	Suppression 20%
Muton Plasma Rifle	8	10	125	27	200	NA	Large	Suppression 20%
Alien Grenade	5	0	Any	250	17	240	Small

Abilities:

• Suppression: Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target if it moves. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty.
• Blood Call: Unleash a bestial roar that will inspire any other nearby Mutons (including Bezerkers/Elites) and give them +10 Will/Aim and +4 Movement bonuses for 2 turns. 4 turn cool down.
• Intimidate: Reacts unpredictably when wounded, provoking a Will test on the enemy unit responsible for the wound. If the enemy fails the Will test it will panic.
• Mutons carry Alien Grenades, allowing them to injure multiple troops at once and destroy cover.
• They carry light rifles on first month they appear, and rifles after that month.

Muton Berserker

1st Appearance	{{{appears}}}
HP	20/20/20/25
Aim	Melee
Defense	20
Will	80
Movement	17
Easy/Normal/Classic/Impossible

A hulking monstrosity, Muton Berserkers are Mutons who are consumed by a constant seething rage and hatred for all things human. They are given very tough armour in order to survive focus fire that usually comes their way.

Instead of a gun these Mutons are given fist mounted blades that can tear even the toughest soldiers to shreds. Instead of reaction fire, Muton Berserkers will run (during your turn) after the last unit that shot them, ready to shear them up next turn. Kill them quickly, as an instant death at their hands is a looming occurrence for any soldiers that stand in their way. They do tend to run straight into ambushes though, keeping your squad on overwatch can severely weaken or even kill Berserkers as soon as they are within firing range. Laser weapons are often enough to kill Berserkers but you will need extremely tough armour (Titan armour is enough to barely survive their blades) or Chitin Plating in order to survive surprise attacks from these titanic terrors.

These guys should be your priority in a firefight with Mutons but the final decisions are up to you. Their distinctive Bloodlust ability is a double edged sword, and "managing" it is essential to beating them. On the one hand, attacking a Berserker but not killing it can be deadly, because the free movement it gets from Bloodlust will almost certainly allow it to melee you in its next turn. On the other hand the predictability of it allows you to easily draw the Berserker in to a killing zone where your whole squad can gun it down at point blank range.

Note that Berserkers are actually incredibly resistant to psionic attacks. Do not expect much success when trying to flay their minds unless your soldier is equipped with Psi Armor and a Mind Shield.

Unlike Chryssalids, Berserkers do not have the Leap ability, so soldiers in inaccessible elevated positions can fire on them with impunity.

Mister Angry Red Suit is no longer a lie!

Berserker Armaments

Weapon	Damage	Critical Chance	Terrain Damage	Range	Reaction Angle	Reaction Range	Size	Abilities
Muton Blade	10	33	125	2	NA	Small	No reaction shot

Abilities:

• Bull Rush: Charges through cover and causes damage to any units within a small radius.
• Blood Lust: Allows the Berserker to charge an enemy that wounds it.
• Hardened: Hardened units receive extra protection against critical hits (-60% chance to score a critical hit.)
• Intimidate: Reacts unpredictably when wounded, provoking panic in enemies.

Muton Elite

(no picture available)
1st Appearance	{{{appears}}}
HP	14/14/14/18
Aim	80
Defense	20
Will	20
Movement	12
Easy/Normal/Classic/Impossible

Muton Elites serve primarily as guards to Alien command units. However they are sent out on abduction and terror missions as much as any other alien creature. They are clad in a red suit of armour and a helmet that protect them from heavier damage levels than that of a regular Muton. Muton Elites, combining their innate defense bonus with the ability to use cover are some of the toughest units in the game to take down.

They use devastating heavy plasma rifles and carry grenades like regular Mutons, but with their Bombard ability they can fling their grenades great distances. It pays to have a sniper nearby to provide accurate fire upon them. Using explosives will bypass their defense bonus. Be warned that they are often encountered in groups of three and they also guard incredibly tough units in UFO assaults, so sometimes the main threat does not come from the Elites themselves. Apply the same tactics against Elites as you would against regular Mutons but expect a tougher battle.

Elites are not actually any more resistant to psionic attacks than normal Muton troopers, so feel free to add their strength to your own through mind control. Muton Elites' high defense means you may have better luck using Mind Fray on them than trying to shoot them unless you can flank.

Weapons Used

Weapon	Damage	Critical Chance	Terrain Damage	Range	Reaction Angle	Reaction Range	Size	Abilities
Muton Heavy Plasma	10	10	125	27	200	27	Large	Suppression 35%
Alien Grenade	5	0	Any	250	17	240	Small

Abilities:

• Suppression: Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty.
• Bombard: Throw or launch grenades over exceptionally long distances.
• Enemy Defense: -20% Hit

Notes

• Mutons are back, but Silacoids and Celatids, their terror units of the original, are nowhere to be found.