Devil May Cry 4/Enemies

The Demon Hordes
The world of Devil May Cry 4 is populated with a variety of demonic enemies. How strong they are and where they appear is dependent on difficulty. The enemies on Human and Devil Hunter modes are not too tricky. On Son of Sparda mode there are more enemies on each level and the tougher ones appear much earlier in the game. All enemies gain a Devil Trigger in Dante Must Die if they are not dispatched quick enough. Dante Must Die also keeps the early appearing enemies, making it that much harder. This page covers all non-boss enemies, they appear under Bosses

Scarecrows
Scarecrows are the basic enemy in Devil May Cry 4. They are described as being burlap sacks filled with Trypoxylus, demonic worms equipped with executioner's blades.

Scarecrows(Arm) and (Leg)
There are two different types of scarecrow, one with the blade in place of an arm, the other on a leg. Of these two the leg ones are more vicious, able to execute a damaging aerial attack. Both are first encountered on mission two, Porte de L'Enfer. They are fairly weak and should die pretty quickly even on Dante must Die.

MegaScarecrows
Bigger, badder versions and these can be trouble. They have multiple blades on their arms and back. In addition to basic swipes they get three more attacks. One is where they curl up and roll at you, a second they send a trio of spinning blades at you. Finally when they are killed one of their blades flies in the air and falls to the ground. This can hurt so is to be avoided. They first appear in A New Beginning. Speed is the key for taking them down, as hitting them will knock them down and stop them using their more powerful attacks that need a build-up.

Demons
There are three enemies that are anatomically similar. They have four legs and are similar to the Blade enemies created by Mundus in the first game.

Frosts
Ice demons that make their first appearance on Cold Blooded. They have a range of attacks, ranging from a simple slash from their claws to firing icicles at you from across the room. They also have an aerial attack that scatters ice around the floor, which freezes you solid if it hits. If left alone for too long, they encase themselves in a cocoon of ice which restores their health. Frosts will not attack you if they are not on the screen, so rotate the camera so you can't see them and concentrate on one at a time to defeat them.

Assualts
These are denizens of the forest. They hold a shield on their front arm to block your attacks. They have several noteworthy attacks. One is to spit seeds at you and a second a roar that throws you back. The most damaging is their ability to burrow underground and pop up underneath you. On harder modes they can also lunge through the air multiple times which is extremely damaging. They make an entrance on The She-Viper on Human and Devil Hunter but are found in Fortuna Town in Porte de L'Enfer in other modes. Do not use the buster combo when there are multiple assaults around as Nero is likely to be hit in the middle of the combo when it is impossible to avoid.

Blitzs
The most powerful of the all the non-boss enemies in the game. They have an electric shield that damages anyone it touches. Blitzs are completely blind and rely on their sense of smell to attack. This results in Blitzs attacking other enemies as well as yourself. Don't be fooled though, they are not your friend. Blitzs can teleport around the level then lunge at you. This may hurt but it is the least powerful of their attacks. They can project electricity in beams or swipe them in front of them. These are easily dodged. Once sufficiently damaged their electricity turns from yellow to red and speeds them up. In this red mode they get an even more powerful attack, grabbing you in their mouth and then self destructing. This causes massive damage. Blitzs first appear on Fortuna Castle. Firearms are the key to take down blitzs. Nero is best with the charge shot 3 ability and Dante with the Coyote. When the electricity is down, use the Devil Bringer as Nero with the Devil Trigger up and use hammer shoot during the animation to pelt it with swords. It is possible to get three of these attacks in before the electricity returns, then just shoot it while it is recharging and it will die, leaving you a SSS rank. Dante can use the invincible armour in the royal guard style to not get hit.

Agnus' Demons
Agnus' strange experiments result in him creating three new types of enemies that he uses to complete his insane plan. He can also summon them in boss battles against him.

Gladius
This demon is a cross between a reptile and a sword. They can fly and rarely seen in the ground. It has two attacks, both which involve it curling into a sword shape and flying at your character. One has it spinning vertically, the other more damaging spins horizontally and sends you flying. If their attack misses they stick into the ground and if playing as Nero they can be grabbed and thrown at enemies. Agnus can summon them in all of his boss battles and wield them as swords. Gladius first appear in Resurrection. Use guns and the aerial sword combos to kill them quickly.

Cutlasses
The Cutlass is a mix of fish and sword. They have razor sharp dorsal fins that allow them to swim in solid land. They charge at you and cut you, but also dive out of the ground and slash you. As Nero these are not to dangerous and can be snatched out of the ground but Dante has considerable difficulty with them. Luckily they appear rarely, only in fights against Agnus and a limited number of other levels. These are easy to take down with Nero and the buster, but Dante has a much harder time fighting them.

Basilisks
A Basilisk is a cross breed of a dog and a gun. This gives them the bizarre ability to fire their own flaming skulls at you like bullets. These demons are fast but weak and doesn't take much to take them down. Alto Agnus can summon them during the battle with him. Nero can grab them with the Devil Bringer and fire the skulls at other targets. Despite the late introductin into the game, they are still really weak.

Angels
A combination of religious fervor and demonic experiments leaves the mighty Angels, or knights. These enchanted suits of armour were created by Agnus, but he cannot create these in the boss battles. There are two types:

Bianco Angelo
The standard type, their name means White Angel in Italian. They are enchanted suits of armour created by Agnus and carry lances that can be revved in a similar fashion to Nero's Red Queen. They have wings that fold into a shield, meaning they can fly or block but not both. The most effective moves against them is Neros Buster. Nero originally thinks of them as friends but is proved disastrously wrong. Biancos make the debut at the end of The White Wing. The shield only covers their fronts so jump behind them and attack their backs to do more damage.

Alto Angelo
Meaning High Angel, these are golden in appearance. They carry swords instead of lances and have the additional abilities to teleport and command the biancos. Individually they pose little threat but when combined with the lesser biancos they can be trouble. With the presence of the altos, the biancos gain a super lunging attack which goes one after the other and a energy cannon which is extremely damaging. They also get a suicide lunge when there wings are tinged red and they charge at you. Whether the hit or miss they explode, but this attack is a blessing in disguise. It is also harder to break their shields and impossible to grab them in the air, making them an improvement on the standard model. Altos first appear in For You.

Faults
These subterranean dwelling demons do not fit into other categories as they deal you no damage. Instead they appear underneath you and swallow you. Inside the fault are other demons that must be defeated to escape. Faults only appear above ground for a few seconds and are hard to kill before they disappear, but killing them always results in green orbs. Faults are only found on Forest of Ruin and The Destroyer.

Mephistos and Fausts
These ghostly enemies are fairly weak demons without there black cloaks, but can be frustrating

Mephistos
These enemies can float around you but possess few strong attacks. Their magic black cloaks hide their true form and allow them to fly through walls and the floor. Mephistos enter in the graveyard section in Trisagion. The only one of note is a tornado where they whirl their cloaks around them and does a lot of damage. They also get a dash when they enter through the floor but this is more an annoyance then a serious threat. Whilst immune to most melee attacks they are vulnerable to gunfire of Dantes' Lucifer weapon. Without their cloaks they cannot float and a only just stronger than scarecrows but they do not attack in this form, they cower away and wait for their cloaks to regenrate.

Fausts
The evolved version of the Mephisto is a lot more vicious. They have red claws that they swing and can also summon floating lances that chase you around in a similar fashion to Lucifer. They retain the mystic black cloaks of their inferior form but get an attack when the cloak is banished. The cloak is damaged by guns, Lucifer, or Nero's Devil Bringer, but regenerates over time.

Chimera
Chimera consist of two parts, a parasitic chimera seed and a unwilling host. Both share one body but can attack individually, ruining combos. The best strategy is to attack the seeds before they can possess a demon.

Chimera Seeds
The weakest enemy of the game, they possess only a basic melee attack and are no danger even on Dante Must Die. They are only a threat when in the vicinity of scarecrows (arm or leg but not the mega ones) or assaults. They can possess either of these and make them much more trouble, including being able to break out of Nero's buster move. Chimera seed appear first on The She-Viper.

Chimera (Scarecrow)
Not the worst of foes but they are an obstacle at times especially when you have little health. The best strategy is to attack the Chimera seed part from a distance, using Charge Shot 2/3 or Coyote/Pandora. This will temporarily burn off the chimera tentacles meaning they can be safely melee attacked or bustered.They also first appear in The She-Viper in the chapel section, just after the introduction of the seeds.

Chimera (Assaults)
Very dangerous. Chimera Assaults can break out of the buster, Nero's main method of attack against them. It also adds damage to their aerial attack and the Chimera seed part can attack you as the assault is just passing. The seed can temporarily be nullified by a Charge Shot 3 or a good hit from Pandora, then move in and hit it with the strongest attacks possible before the seed regenrate and whip you again.

Combat Adjudicators
Not strictly enemies as they have no attacks but there is a great reward for taking them out. They appear as a snake with a human head, with its shield like arms folded in front of it. The blue ones can only be hurt by Nero and the red ones by Dante. On the pillars in front of them is a number of fires and this denotes what stylish rank you have to gain to take them out. One fire is a Carnage and six for Smokin' Sick Style. The first time each is destroyed rewards you with a blue orb fragment and after that a stash of red orbs. Lucifer is particularly effective way for taking out these as Dante, Nero relies more on aerial combos.