Oddworld Soulstorm Enhanced Edition: Enemies Guide

The main enemies encountered throughout the Oddworld series are sligs, and Soulstorm is no exception. What does make Soulstorm stand out in this regard is the sheer amount of slig variants.
All sligs are dependent on the alarm system. Normally the alarm is ‘calm’. In this state, sligs will patrol with short range visors at walking speeds. Some will even go to sleep. However, if a slig hears a noise, the alarm will be raised to ‘medium’, the range of visor will extend. If a slig in the ‘calm’ state hears a noise, they will go and look at where the noise came from. This allows a skilled player to make a noise in one location, then sneak to the other side in order to avoid the slig’s vision when hoisting up or climbing down. If a slig hears a noise in the ‘medium’ state, they will just continue to look around. If a slig spots someone or hears the sound of chanting, the alarm is raised to ‘high’, sligs will run everywhere and look up and down with great speed. As long as nothing happens, the alarm will slowly go back down to ‘calm’.
In general there are two types of sligs: walking and flying sligs, both using the same weapons*. Aside from the obvious differences, flying sligs will always be knocked completely from one concussive item, where-as walking sligs may take multiple hits from some items (rocks, water bottles and rock candy) before going unconscious. Flying sligs will also not shoot immediately after spotting Abe or a follower mudokon, often backing up before shooting, giving you more time to position Abe into a safe position. In addition, trying to possess a flying slig with too little chi (the bar surrounding the chanting Mudokon icon that shows how much longer the possession orb will last) will terminate the flying slig. Flying sligs normally cannot be tied up; using a Bouncy Binding Tape will tie them up in a sense, but it causes their propeller pack to spin out of control, causing the pack to explode along with the slig.
Note the asterisk, we will get back to it later. For now, let’s get on to each slig weapon and how to deal with them.

Stun Gun
All sligs* carry a stun gun on them. If they see a follower mudokon who is unarmed or passive, they will pull out their stun gun and shoot a bolt at the mudokon which knocks them out and ties them up with a dyed bollamite silk. A possessed slig can also use the stun gun; pressing the right shoulder button will cause the slig to switch which gun they are using. If a stun bolt is fired at a slig, if will simply knock them out without the tying effect.

Sub-machine Guns
Most sligs are armed with sub-machine guns, wearing the standard lens masks. The bullets are fired with a deviation of around 45 degrees. In normal mode, each bullet deals about a fifth of Abe’s max health, in hard mode they deal about a third. Sligs can fire continuously for about four second before needing to reload. In addition, after enough bouts of continuous fire, the gun will overheat and slig will be stuck shaking their gun until the heat disperses.

Mortars and Rocket Launchers
There are rare cases of sligs that carry explosive weapons. These guys wear a different style of mask than other sligs. Mortar shells move in a parabola, while rockets will move in straight lines. Walking sligs tend to carry the mortars and flying sligs tend to carry rockets though it can be the other way around. Even though the explosives in these tend to be weak, it is always a terrible idea to get spotted by one of these sligs. There are many cases in the game where you’ll have to possess a flying slig carrying a shotgun in order to defend Abe from other flying sligs carrying rocket launchers.

Shotguns
Some sligs are armed with pump-action shotguns, they also wear the standard lens mask. These guns fire the same bullets as the sub-machine gun, but in a deadly spread shot. Given the range sligs tend to fire shotguns at, you’ll be lucky to survive any given blast.

Flamethrowers
Sligs carrying flamethrowers are some of the most dangerous around. They wear a special kind of mask that repels items and they are immune to fire damage. Their flamethrowers kill very quickly, and they can withstand arson tactics useful against other sligs. They still can be possessed or attacked by items as long as the blow is not to the head. Stun Mines shine here, as you can lay them outside of a slig’s range, then wait for the slig to walk over them.

Miniguns
Minigunner sligs are perhaps the deadliest of all sligs. Although the drum may take a second to start spinning, once it does the bullets are fast, frequent and lethal. A possessed flying minigunner can take out almost all opposition with ease, which is why such a sight is very rare. Trying to take on such a slig directly is most likely going to end badly, so I recommend attacking with a possessed slig or a Stun Mine.

Shock Rockers
Shock Rockers are a type of stun baton used by security forces on Oddworld. Sligs that wield stun batons have no stun guns, and no flying variant, hence the asterisks earlier. Upon seeing follower mudokons, shock rocker sligs will approach and knock them out for about half a minute. Upon seeing Abe, they will approach, and hit him repeatedly until he dies (this usually takes three hits). Once hit, Abe will try to get back up, but the slig will knock Abe down again, meaning getting hit once usually means dying. These sligs wear colanders on their heads which make them immune to possession, as well as any items aimed at the head. Their main weakness is the lack of any ranged attack, which means as long as you are not on the same platform as them, you are safe.

These furless, eyeless, merciless dogs are simple creatures: they see something, they chase it. Slogs found in the wild will usually be asleep, so you can sneak to move past them. However, if they are awake, they will chase without hesitation, so try and move to a platform below or above them, as slogs have no way to attack when not at the same elevation.
Slogs can also be found in slog huts. When the lights start blinking, it shows that proximity has been breached and once the lights turn red the slog hut opens and slogs tart rushing out. Either use a possessed slig or a puddle of fire in front of the door to kill all the slogs, as there isn’t usually a stealthy way to by-pass slog huts.

Self-advertising vending machines turned into electrocuting automatic security measures? It’s more likely than you think. Greeters are generally invincible (sligs tend to stay too far away from a greeter’s patrol beat for us to test how well a greeter would react to a mortar shell) and if they spot someone (slig or mudkon), a lethal shock is certain to follow. The only practical way to deal with greeters is to use stealth: pre-existing steam machines, improvised smoke screens and even hiding in lockers works.

Large stationary riot supressing tanks. The closest thing this game gets to a boss, and there’s only three of them in the whole game. They fire low yield mortar shells that can knock Abe back into the fires of its previous targets. The main weakness is the propane tank left beneath each Slig Mama. Make it overheat using a puddle of burning brew and the rest will follow.

Strange cavern infesting scaled blob creatures with four-way jaws and tongues as heavy as a hammer. This isn’t even the weirdest creature in the series. Whatever the case, these horrid blobs can fit into small crevices Abe cannot, and are able to make impressive vertical leaps, although they’re not as good at horizontal jumping. They attack by firing their heavy tongues at Abe, dealing about a third of Abe’s health with every hit. Being under a strong light results in a Sleech recoiling and being stunned for a second or so. Sleeches can be killed, but trying to lead them into traps is often more trouble than its worth. Just keep your distance and when you must approach, do it with a charge hand torch.