History EliteMooks / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'' and ''VideoGame/DOOMEternal'' reconstruct some of these demons and add new ones to the roster:

* ''VideoGame/SkullGirls'': In Adam's proposed battle style, the first two thirds of his health would be represented by faceless Black Egrets with Adam himself taking to the stage for the last 33%. He could have attacks that the other two would not.

* '' VideoGame/ULTRAKILL'' has a great deal of enemies that are a step up compared to other ones:

* Throughout the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, there is a mode or stage where you engage in a MultiMookMelee, where you must defeat [[ConservationOfNinjutsu a band of relatively weak Mooks]]. However, from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' onwards, there is the "Cruel" variant of this mode which is like the "Endless" version except ''every enemy'' is extremely powerful and difficult to KO. Have fun defeating even ''one'' of them.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' (2012), you have Cayman Global liquid armour troopers with their DeflectorShields that need to be Breached, as well as the Specters who are InvisibilityCloak-bearing [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Subverters.]] Cayman Global's reactive armour troopers and Eurocorp's electro armour troopers, with their multiple layers of shielding to be Breached and [[GatlingGood heavy]] [[EnergyWeapon firepower]], are more like BossInMookClothing or full minibosses.

** Double subverted in ''Syphon Filter 3'' level "Convoy", with Afghan rebel forces providing high threats to the player due to their durability and accuracy, despite most of them not even wearing bulletproof vests (save for their three snipers), making the level one of the most frustrating parts of the series.

* The [[DemonicSpiders much-maligned Laser Soldiers]] in the final area of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1989''.

** Any guard unit in ''VideoGame/NapoleonTotalWar'', but the Old Guard is this beyond all doubt. One unit alone is enough to give even a veteran strategist a hard time, and several units can make a whole army collapse. Fighting this unit head on will result in a player losing or in them losing a hefty chunk of their army in seconds unless they are outflanked, and players will suicide their cavalry at them just to stop them from firing. Even on Waterloo, where the British have the high ground, the Old Guard will really put them on the ropes.
** Ninjas in ''[[VideoGame/ShogunTotalWar Shogun]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2 Shogun 2]]''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'', the Disfavoured are an EliteArmy while their counterpart the Scarlet Chorus are an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores made up mostly of SlaveMooks. Because they're all [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinists]] who believe in AsskickingLeadsToLeadership, however, those mooks who make it to the top of the Chorus hierarchy are very, ''very'' good at individual combat. The [[AmazonBrigade Scarlet Furies]], [[PraetorianGuard Crimson Spears]] and [[BloodMagic Blood Chanters]] are the elite mooks of the Scarlet Chorus and are individually some of the hardest enemies in the game if you get on the Chorus' bad side.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' series typically has two variants of these. One resembles standard {{Mooks}} but with significantly tougher armor that allows them to withstand multiple headshots and prevents them from flinching from most attacks. The other variant carry powerful weapons, like sniper rifles, grenade launchers or rocket launchers, and can kill you in one hit if you're careless.

*** ''VideoGame/Doom64'' has the Nightmare Imps who are as frail as [[TheGoomba regular Imps]], but [[FragileSpeedster they move twice as fast]] and [[GlassCannon their fireballs are twice as fast and powerful]] than their regular counterpart's.

*** ''VideoGame/Doom64'' has the Nightmare Imps who are as frail as [[TheGoomba Imps]], but [[FragileSpeedster they move twice as fast]] and [[GlassCannon their fireballs are twice as fast and powerful]] than their regular counterpart's.

*** As they are {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s to the Arch-Viles, the [[LeanAndMean Summoners]] are this too: they can move (or rather [[TeleportSpam teleport]]) extremely fast and... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well]]... [[EnemySummoner summon fellow demons]] to make your game even harder. The sequel replaces them by the [[RankScalesWithAsskicking Arch-Viles]] who not only summon enemies, but give them a StatusBuff, and create a fire line which forces you to stay in movement.

*** Starting in the first game, the [[BigRedDevil Barons of Hell]] behave like [[TheGoomba Imps]], but are way tougher and stronger. The [[PaletteSwap Hell Knights]] introduced in the sequel are a downgraded version of them. Even worse, [[LikeCannotCutLike neither of them can hurt each other like other enemies]].

*** ''VideoGame/Doom64'' has the Nightmare Imps who are [[GlassCannon as frail as]] [[TheGoomba Imps]], but their fireballs are more powerful and faster, making them harder to dodge.

*** Starting in the first game, the [[BigRedDevil Barons of Hell]] behave like [[TheGoomba Imps]], but are way tougher and stronger. The Hell Knights introduced in the sequel are a downgraded version of them. Even worse, [[LikeCannotCutLike neither of them can hurt each other like other enemies]].

*** The [[{{Cephalothorax}} Pain Elementals]] look like Cacodemons, but instead of spitting {{Energy Ball}}s, [[MookMaker they produce an infinite supply of]] [[DemonicSpiders Lost Souls]], making them mandatory to kill first (even if it's hard) if you don't want the room you share with them to become a nest of FlamingSkulls.

*** While [[TheGoomba Imps]] are now faster and more agile, Hell Knights are as well, and [[LightningBruiser they combine this with their strength and resilience]] to create {{Shockwave Stomp}}s you must dodge at the last minute. The Barons of Hell do it better and unlike their underlings, they can throw fireballs at you as well. The sequel introduces Dread Knights, which are intermediate between Hell Knights and Barons of Hell, and the latter are upgraded into Fireborne Barons who are as fast and strong as they originally were, but also ''tougher'' and ''more aggressive''.

** The rare Nightmares in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' are simply a white PaletteSwap of the usual nightmare types, but have ''much'' higher stats, to the point where it's tough to cause more than ScratchDamage to them initially, plus they can always take a sizable chunk out of your health, even if you're considerably higher in level then them.

* ''VideoGame/LordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing Return of the King]]'' tie-in games had Uruk-Hai as the general Elite Mooks to weaker Orcs. They had the heavily armored variants, the crossbowmen (which dealt much greater damage at range than Orc archers and could throw fire bombs) and the Berserkers. Those dealt plenty of damage, had greater attack range than the player because of their scythes and could block most of your attacks and rapidly counter-attack. Orcs themselves also have the [[ShieldBearingMook shield-bearing variants]], which were immune to damage until the shield was broken, and the rapidly attacking DualWielding orcs.

* ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'' has the Elektrosoldats, who are the [[spoiler:cloned]] PraetorianGuard of the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Gessellschaft Society]] and are equipped with [[spoiler: copies of the game's {{MacGuffin}}s, the Blitz Engine]]. One of them is a playable character [[spoiler: and [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters seeks to break free from the group]]]].

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aria_of_sorrow_skeletons_1.png]]]]

*** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation port of ''Doom'' has an exclusive monster in the name of the [[UndergroundMonkey Nightmare Spectre]], a faster and stronger version of the Spectre (invisible Pinkies).

%% Image removed per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17075788540.19219400
%% Please see thread to discuss a replacement.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elite_va_minions.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Valedictorians of the VA Minion Academy[[note]][[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Hammer Bro, Magikoopa]], [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Darknut, Blue Bokoblin, Golden Moblin, Guardian Stalker]], [[{{Franchise/Metroid}} Elite Pirate, Mawkin Chozo Solider]], Eggplant Wizard (''[[VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising Kid Icarus Uprising]]'' design), [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Sniper Joe]], [[Franchise/DragonQuest Dark Skeleton, Gigantes, Great Troll]], [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Slicer]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Guardroid σ]], [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Krusha, Tiki Doom, Fish Poker Pops]], and [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 Mass Produced Face]].[[/note]]]]

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' has the longsword-wielding Custom Cyborgs that you must parry three times in a row to CounterAttack as well as the bombsuit-clad, [[DropTheHammer Hammer-Dropping]] Heavily Armed Cyborgs who have {{Unblockable Attack}}s. Both of them are also better-armored than normal and have InjuredVulnerability.

** The Reapers have their own variants, in the form of the [[GiantMook Brute]], a monstrosity with the body and strength of a [[BloodKnight krogan]], and the head and intelligence of a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy turian]], which results in lethal efficency, the [[InsectoidAlien Ravager]], a [[BeePeople rachni]] husk, repurposed to bring heavy fire onto enemies, and have it's babies brainlessly swarm you, and, worst of all, the [[EldritchAbomination Banshee]], a Reaper-fied Ardat-Yakshi asari, who can hit you with an attack that deals damage to you over time, [[TeleportSpam biotically rush you]], [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice pick you up, and gut you with their long claws, and get their name because of their pants-wettingly horrifying scream. In the early stages, Marauders are built up as this, playing the role of coordination/enhancement units for the basic cannon-fodder Cannibals, but literally the next stage of the mission where they're introduced lets you meet your first Brute, and Marauders are instantly relegated to being little more than Cannibals with shields.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' Collectors supplement their standard drones with harder-hitting Assassins and more defensive-minded Guardians. Harbinger can convert any of them, even the bog standard drones, into an [[SuperpoweredMooks Even-More-Elite]] Mook by '[[VillainOverride taking over them itself]]'''. Also, [[BodyHorror Scions]], which are three husks gruesomely fused together, and can drain your shields in one shot. But the worst offender has to be [[BossInMookClothing the Praetorian]], a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot flying tank made up of THIRTY husks.]] Then, in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', under certain circumstances in multiplayer, Harbinger can possess Scions and Praetorians, turning them into a BossInMookClothing.

** In ''Dynasty Warriors 6'', enemy generals will sometimes be accompanied by nameless Lieutenants. This can lead to the odd situation where you [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] the general himelf, and then immediately find yourself getting slapped around by his elite goons.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Bonfire}}'', any enemy can potentially appear with an [[TieredByName adjective modifier]] that grants them increased stats and, sometimes, a starting buff. These modifiers can apply to any enemy, including bosses for some really tough encounters.

* Starting from second installment of ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'', some non-neutral units could have been upgraded, giving them better statistics, slightly altered appearance and sometimes completely new abilities that made a vast difference between them and the basic version. Green Dragons from the same game take this trope a level higher and can be upgraded twice from Red to Black Dragons. In III, V and VI all non-neutral units became upgradeable.
* The last level of ''VideoGame/{{Homefront}}'' features North Korean Special Forces soldiers called 718's. They are equipped with high-caliber weaponry and heavy body armour. allowing them to take 1 or 2 more bullets than standard NK goons. They also resemble the [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Juggernauts]].

* The aptly named Bastion Elite in ''VideoGame/{{Iconoclasts}}'' wear white breastplates over the standard grey uniform of One Concern troops, and possess heavier helmets with purple visors (over the standard troops' blue.) Instead of using a submachine-gun and grenades, their main weapon is evolved version of Robin's stun gun, whose bomb shots produce a fiery ShockwaveStomp running in both directions, while their primary shot is also powerful (though it can be deflected at them with a wrench.) They can also dodge shots and rapidly cover distance by sliding along the ground. However, a full burst from the Attacker's submachine gun still does far more damage, though it's easier for the player to dodge. As such, [[spoiler: the infighting between regular Attackers and Elites had a strict 1-1 ration, and by the end of the game, they are completely wiped out]].