Destiny guide: complete tips guide for killing all standard enemies
The Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal. Nasty little blighters. Here's how to kill them all.
Tips for killing all Destiny enemies
You've already caught up on how to beat the early Fallen enemies in Destiny, but there are three more races of baddies and three more planets to come (two, actually, if you're going to be pedantic about the Moon.) Destiny's missions offer throw five or six enemy types at you at once, so knowing what you're facing and having tactics to succeed is key to getting to the end of the campaign.
Here's how you kill everything.
How to kill The Fallen
Dreg - Dregs are, as the name implies, the lowest caste of Fallen. They're easy meat, but they can be distracting in numbers and will quickly duck for cover. A few well-placed shots with pretty much any weapon will see them off, and clusters of them can be quickly erased with grenades. Don't waste your Supers on Dregs.
Vandal - Vandals are more annoying than Dregs, being harder to kill, quicker to take cover and favour mid-range combat. The are variants of Vandal, which carry different weapons, but they're only really dangerous in a crowd. On there own, they don't last long against basic weapons. Pulse rifles are a good choice for dealing with Vandals, and be mindful before lobbing grenades at them: they're more than capable of getting out of the way.
Captain - Careful with these. Captains can use Arc shields and have the ability to teleport out of the line of fire. The white line above their health is the shield level, and if you knock it too low the Captain will retreat and try to recharge. Flank them if possible, and try to use an Arc damage weapon.
Shank - Shanks are floating drones used as support for other Fallen. At low levels they're easy, and can usually be dispatched with a melee strike or a few shots. Later, you'll see Shanks with Solar shields: use Solar damage to end them quickly.
Servitor - This is the fabled "giant eye", a hovering globe with a short-range teleport. They're slow, making it easy to target the central weak spot, so take out any accompanying troops first. Servitors can heal themselves, but they'll never cause you too much trouble.
Skiff - The Fallen's dropship, a unit that dumps reinforcements into battle. They're fairly harmless. Target the turrets if a Skiff gets frisky with you, but otherwise just ignore them. Don't, however, ignore the things it's transporting.
How to kill The Hive
Thrall - Thrall are rush units with no weapons which simply exist to surround and kill you. Shoot them as a priority, preferably with an auto-rifle. If they get too close, switch to a shotgun and melee attacks. They may be harmless at range, but a pack of them can cause you serious problems up close. Get rid of them quickly.
Cursed Thrall - A variant of the regular Thrall, Curse Thrall explode either when they get close to a player or get shot. Target them in a pack of other Thrall to create a grenade-like effect and kill everything around them. Cursed Thrall glow white, so you can easily spot them, and for good reason: the explosion is very powerful. Don't get anywhere near them.
Acolyte - The Acolyte is a dumb Hive. They're easily killed with your primary weapon or melee attacks, but they get more accurate if you let them find cover. Just shoot them and they'll die.
Knight - Knights are serious business. They come in several variants, all of which are bad news. The most common Knight uses a projectile weapon and shields itself with a black wall, but in this state they are susceptible to flanking. They can absorb a lot of health, so take care when you see them in the pack. And, whatever you do, don't get close to a Knight with a sword: it'll probably kill you.
Wizard - Wizards can be infuriating. They float, ducking and diving above combat, and pound you with white missiles while healing other Hive. You'll need a precision weapon and some distance to get rid of them, and don't even think about grenades. What you're looking for here is DPS.
Ogre - Despite their size, Ogres aren't as fearsome as they look. They have a beam of Void energy that shoots from their single eye and a ground smash that damages enemies front and back. Don't get close, stay in cover to avoid the beam and just smash it with precision fire. They're slow, so they shouldn't cause you too many problems. They carry a lot of health, so the odd rocket doesn't go amiss with an Ogre.
Shrieker - The Shrieker is a stationary turret which just appears, usually where you least want it to be. You hardly ever see them - they spawn only a few times in the campaign, but they're powerful, shooting Void energy from long distance. Stay in cover, and use precision fire or rockets.
Tomb Ship - Another dropship, this time carrying Hive. It can phase in and out of the sky, and is more dangerous than its Fallen counterpart, the Skiff. Aim for the turrets if a Tomb Ship becomes problematic.
How to kill The Vex
Goblin - Goblins are robotic cannon fodder. Aim for the boy; if you shoot the head, it'll come off and the body will charge at you regardless. Goblins are relatively weak, so just drop them with your standard weapons.
Hobgoblin - A Goblin variant with sniper weapons called Line Rifles. They put up a flaming shield as soon as they're hit, but this is a plus. Shoot them, watch them put the shield up and line up the shot in the meantime. As soon as the shield drops, blast them. You should have turned Mr Hobgoblin into Mr Dead Hobgoblin.
Harpy - Another floating drone along the lines of the Shank. The eye is the weak point. At higher levels, and in groups, Harpies can cause a great deal of damage and be difficult to deal with thanks to their high mobility. Keep moving, and be prepared to switch to a shotgun if you get surrounded. Use Arc weapons to destroy Harpies on Mythic difficulty.
Hydra - You're in trouble here. The Hydra is a large, hovering Vex fronted by an energy shield and Torch Hammers. You need to get in cover and try to land shots on its eye. Stay out of this guy's way: failure to do so will result in quick death.
Minotaur - A group of Minotaurs is the worst thing you can see on the general Destiny battlefield. This is a straight-up disaster fight: smash them with Arc weapons to remove the shields and just try to lay down as much fire as possible to stop them regenerating. Minotaurs teleport frequently and will attempt to get close to you to engage in melee combat. By that point, you're probably looking at the respawn screen. Pummel them with everything you've got as quickly as you can.
How to kill The Cabal
Legionary - The Cabal's Warhammer 40K-esque standard trooper. They have jet packs and jump around to try to get close to you, but they're slow and stagger when hit, making them as easy kill for auto-weapons.
Phalanx - This is essentially a Legionary with a shield instead of a jet pack. They aren't especially dangerous but they're difficult to kill. Aim for a limb or exposed leg. Once hit, the Phalanx will throw up its shield and stagger, making space for further hits. They're also vulnerable to flanking.
Centurion - Very nasty. A large Cabal, the Centurion brings considerable fire-power, a jet pack, shields and a ton of health to the party. Use a Solar weapon on the shields and consider Supers and rockets to bring them down. Like the Wizard, the Centurion will hide to recharge its shields. If it gets into cover once you've depleted the white line, try rushing it with a shotgun. Fear is for the weak, remember.
Colossus - The Colossus is a large robot which can make you quickly dead with its ground pound and powerful long-range fire. Use precision headshots from a distance and never get close.
Psion - Small, Dreg-like Cabal which dart around and shoot from cover. They apparently have an Arc energy weapon, but they're so weak they hardly ever get a chance to use it. Shoot them quickly.
Harvester - The Harvester is the Cabal's dropship. Again, aim at the turrets if you must, but it's usually better to let it vanish and deal with the troops it deploys.
Be sure to check the rest of our Destiny guide for more tips and info.