Grunt

Grunts are Order Triarii, the trained front-line soldiers of the Order. They appear as hostile humanoid enemies and are commonly encountered patrolling fixed routes, holding stationary positions, or manning machine gun nests. Like other Order forces, they are hostile to anything not affiliated with the Order, including aliens, robots, and the player.

They are equipped for ranged combat and will usually attack from a distance, sometimes throwing grenades before closing in for melee if the player gets too close. They frequently miss shots and must reload when their magazine is empty, creating windows to counterattack. Their melee attacks are comparatively easy to avoid if the player backs away as soon as the attack animation starts.

Grunts can be found in a number of locations across the game, including the Office Sector, The Train, Manufacturing West, Cascade Laboratories, Hydroplant, and the Reactors area. They may appear in places such as Bio Lab D, the area under the Data Farm, cargo train cars, shipping rooms, the Synchrotron container area, the lab above the Lobby, the upper level of the Wildlife Pens, the Electrical Station, the sewers leading to the Waterfall Apartments, and the Gale Reactor area near the curved corridor and vending machines.

Their helmet provides passive protection for the head, so headshots are especially important when fighting them. In Apocalyptic difficulty, Grunts no longer lose their helmets from blunt hits to the head, which makes them harder to deal with unless the attack is lethal; lethal blows still guarantee the helmet will drop.

A Grunt can drop the following items:

• 9mm Ammo
• Military Electronics
• Military Pack
• Montese SMG
• Money
• Cracked Shoulder Light
• Military M.R.E.
• Light Gun Repair Kit

They can also yield:

• Human Skull
• Human Arm (Military)

Practical combat notes:

• Sharp weapons are effective against Grunts, and attacks aimed at the head deal more damage.
• Ranged weapons are useful because Grunts often try to reposition away from the player.
• Shields can block both their gunfire and melee attacks.
• Stealth attacks can kill them in one hit if used with a high-damage sharp weapon or a powerful blunt weapon and aimed at the head, provided the relevant stealth perks are unlocked.
• Point-blank headshots from a pistol or revolver can also often kill them instantly.
• Their headgear can be knocked off even after the Grunt is dead, but it only drops when struck with a blunt or heavy weapon, or when shot off; pistols and rifles do not remove it.

Trivia:

• Grunts are functionally identical to the Half-Life HECU Grunt, also known as the Human Grunt.
• Pistol-wielding Grunts are referred to internally as Guards. They have 150 head health and 190 torso health, do not wear helmets, and wear black pants.