Callisto Protocol Enemies Guide – An Army of Biophage

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Victor Espinosa

Victor is a passionate content writer who is also an avid gaming fan of the survival-horror genre. He is up-to-date on the hottest games and covers upcoming game trials and remakes. He enjoys conquering and surviving hostile lands. Some of the video games he enjoys are Resident Evil, Dead Space, and Back 4 Blood. When he's not writing, he enjoys the outdoors, climbs mountains, and explores nature.

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The Callisto Protocol, the spiritual successor to the twisted and confusing Dead Space series, is developed by Striking Distance Studios and is a game full of guns, grime, and gore. It’s a story-driven experience that puts players in the shoes of Jacob Lee, the captain of a cargo ship, who’s just trying to get by in an empty, lonely solar system. Unfortunately, Jacob is tossed into Black Iron Prison and forced to defend himself from a deadly alien outbreak. Talk about unfortunate circumstances.

While The Callisto Protocol features A-list actors and puts their narrative front and center, 70% of the gameplay boils down to intense, do-or-die combat. Players must rely on all their tools, resources, and intelligence to make it out of the infected prison alive.

The enemies of The Callisto Protocol are brutal, unforgiving, and just plain rude. They don’t wait their turn, they don’t telegraph their presence before an attack, and they certainly don’t give you any breathing room. Once they see you, they relentlessly desire to murder you.

If you find yourself struggling to survive the harrowing encounters of the Callisto Protocol, just remember: knowledge is power. And in this Callisto Protocol Enemies Guide, I will give you all the knowledge you could possibly need on Callisto’s enemies.

Buckle up.

Key Info Up Front

Want to avoid reading The Callisto Enemy Primer?

I won’t take it personally.

But here’s the most I can offer in bite-sized tidbits. 

Around eleven enemies await you in the haunted hallways of Black Iron Prison. While some require different tactics to defeat, most can be dispatched with an easy GRP pull, and most can be dodged.

Now you know.

What Is the Biophage

So we all know that Callisto is essentially Dead Space, right?

Same story, same setting, same beats, same themes, and frightfully similar enemies.

The source of enemies in Callisto is nearly the same as in Dead Space.

While digging mines beneath their settlement, colonists encountered an ancient alien lifeform. The alien attacked, the colonists fought back, and the alien died. But not before it released spores that infected the entire colony. The infected colonists turned into murderous, mutated monsters–the first appearance of the Biophage–and the United Jupiter Company (UJC) decided to cover up the incident by burring the colony and all its inhabitants.

The UJC effectively owns Jupiter, including all of its moons, so they could do what they wanted on Callisto.

But while the UJC was trying to cover up the incident, they were also studying it. This alien and its subsequent infection could be harnessed and controlled. And so, a shadowy cabal of powerful politicians and business elites took control of UJC and started experimenting with controlled infections. They built Black Iron Prison directly on top of the old Callisto colony and used the inmates as test subjects.

Fast forward to the events of The Callisto Protocol. The Warden of Black Iron, Warden Cole, is no longer interested in controlled tests. He wants wild evolution. So he unleashes the Biophage infection throughout the prison.

The player, controlling Jacob Lee, wakes up in Black Iron Prison immediately after the outbreak. And so, with Biophage mutants running around, Jacob must escape the prison, Callisto, and the orbit of Jupiter if he wants to survive the UJC and their plan to force human evolution.

Unlike Dead Space, the enemies of Callisto don’t have officially documented titles. Yet. Dead Space didn’t just have a necromorph outbreak; they labeled each version of the necromorph’s mutation. While there are some loosely accepted names, I always call enemies by their nicknames. It helps me remember their abilities.

So as I detail each version of the Biophage, you’ll find their generally accepted name followed by my better, more descriptive title.

You’re welcome. 

Standard Infected – Fodder

The first and most common infected you will encounter across Callisto’s frozen atmosphere, the Standard Infected is fast, angry, and deadly. I called them Fodder because the game uses them as chaff most of the time. And once you realize that, dealing with them becomes much easier. They can come in different appearances:

• Some are dressed as guards.
• Some are shirtless.
• Some are wearing inmate uniforms.
• Some are on fire.

Fodder enemies attack close range with their arms. So, if you break their arms off with the Stun Baton, there isn’t much they can do. The GRP module can also grab them and toss them around like rag dolls.

The sooner you get comfortable taking these guys out, the better. They’re in every single chapter of the game.

Heavy Infected – Chubby Guy

Ah, yes. The Chubby Guy. A bit insensitive? Perhaps. But you’ll be beheading, delimbing, and straight-up disemboweling people all through your Callisto journey. Which is more insensitive?

The Heavy Infected is no different than the Standard Infected; he’s just fatter. He hits a little harder and takes a few more swings to put down, but his attack pattern is identical to that of the Standard Infected. Just throw in an extra Stun Baton combo or a few extra bullets, and you’ll put him down quickly enough. 

Hawker – Two-Face

The Hawker, Spitter, or Two-Face enemy is larger than the Chubby and Standard Infected. He looks like two bodies morphed into each other, with the remains of two faces watching your every movement. His jaw drops down into his chest, making his mouth abnormally large.

Does anyone want to guess why? 

That’s right, class. So he can spit acidic larvae at players.

The Two-Face likes to stand at a distance and attack players from range. He shoots out little larvae-like creatures that can do severe damage if they hit players. If players are within melee range, the Two-Face will most likely opt to grab them instead of attack. If they attack, it’s only one swing with both arms. They don’t string attacks together in a combo like other infected.

Hawkers appear larger than the Standard and Chubby Infected, but you can still GRP them all the same. So don’t be afraid of them.

Long Neck – Demon Giraffe

These enemies are nigh pointless. You’ll never see them coming, and the only way to avoid their attacks is to know where they spawn.

Long Necks hide in the fleshy sacks you see growing along the walls and floors of Black Iron Prison. Every so often, one of the sacks will contain a Demon Giraffe, launching itself at players from across the room. The only way to deal with a Demon Giraffe is to button mash. There’s no defending, and you can only kill them if you know which flesh sack they’ll pop out of.

Long Necks were disappointing as enemies. They attempt to recreate the deadly tentacle monsters from Dead Space but fail miserably.

Larvae – Stupid Worm Things

Little Stupid Worm Things are everywhere in The Callisto Protocol. Every chapter and every environment will have at least a handful of these slimy, squishy little freaks. One of my biggest gripes about Callisto’s experience is its need for more consistency. And one enemy that lacked consistency was the Larvae. 

Sometimes you can block their attacks with their Stun Baton, and sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you can dodge their leaps, and sometimes you can’t.

So the best tactic you can adopt is to memorize where each larva in the game is and avoid it. Kind of a tall order, though.

The good thing is you can kill several of them at once with a single fire from your Hand Cannon. And even if you miss and they latch onto you, dispatch them with some simple button mashing. Like the Long Necks, these Larvae pose little real threat to players. They’re more an annoyance than anything deadly. 

Crawlers – Explody Dudes

Continuing with the Dead Space theme, Crawlers are Callisto’s recreation of the Exploder. The Exploder was an enemy in Dead Space that limped towards players with an enlarged limb somewhere on their body. That limb was explosive; if players let the enemy get too close, they’d go boom. He was a particular problem in tight spaces. 

The Explody Dudes are much faster than the normally shambling Exploders of Dead Space. Though their legs don’t work and they are army crawling everywhere, they can move almost as fast as other Biophage enemies.

However, they die in a single shot and can be GRP pushed into other enemies for explosive results.

Big Mouth – Spider-Man

The four-headed Big Mouth of The Callisto Protocol could’ve been a terrifyingly iconic enemy. But the developers gave it the ability to turn invisible and camouflage into any environment, so players hardly ever get a good look at this multi-limbed abomination. The Big Mouth is what happens when the Biophage morphs humans into spiders. The result is a true Spider-Man.

Big Mouths can be a pain in the ass to manage. The invisibility feat sometimes feels unfair, and thanks to their many legs, they can charge players at ungodly speeds. Thankfully, there are few engagements with the Spider-Men. Any time you face off against these monstrosities, there will be an abundance of explosive canisters around. It will be a part of the chapter when you should have the most ammo or right after a store.

I didn’t have trouble with Big Mouths. Just put your back to a wall, grab an explosive canister, and wait for one to appear. You’ll never face that many at once, so take your time when they show up. And if you can’t find any explosives or aren’t quick enough with the GRP module, four well-placed Hand Cannon bullets will also do the trick.

The Blinded – Clickers

Did you ever play The Last Of Us? Part one or two?

Good, then you’ve fought the Blinded before.

The Blinded of The Callisto Protocol are Clickers from The Last Of Us, but easier.

The Blinded are, well, blind. No eyes. But they can hear you easily enough, so don’t make too much noise. The Blinded can lead to fairly tense situations throughout Jacob’s prison escape if you don’t know how to handle them. But once you understand their limitations, you realize they are–no joke–the easiest enemies in the game.

Players can execute enemies with stealth assassinations thanks to a new stealth feature in Callisto. Sneak up behind an enemy, pull your shiv out, and go to town. It was supposed to add a whole new combat mechanic to the gameplay, but since enemies are so chaotic, manic, and wild, it’s nearly impossible to sneak up on them.

Except for the Blinded.

The Blinded are so blind you could be crouched right in front of them, they could walk into and bump off of you, and they still wouldn’t react. Which means it’s almost too easy to sneak up and stealth kill them. No ammo, no GRP charges, just a good old-fashioned sneak, and stab.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of stealth, however. The Blinded can be killed as quickly as any other enemy. Bash them with the Stun Baton, unload a clip into them, or GRP them into spikes. 

Tentacle Mutation – Oh, Great

The Standard, Chubby, and Two-Face Biophage enemies can all mutate into a bigger, stronger tentacled version of themselves. While fighting an enemy, beware of a tentacled growth on their chest. When this appears, it means the creature is mutating. If you don’t put them down quickly enough, they will grow longer arms and a massive, cyst-covered head. When they transform, they regain all their health, so you’ll need to start the violence all over again.

When you see the tentacles, shoot them. When they appear, they are a weakspot, and you can put the enemy down before it mutates if you shoot the tentacles. 

Dark Mutation – Unnecessary

Players will encounter darker versions of enemies in the last few chapters of the game. Their skin and pimples are gray and black, and these dark versions only occur with the Standard and Chubby Infected. The darker versions are somehow quicker and stronger than their regular counterparts, so be careful. Instead of surviving an entire three-hit combo, these enemies will kill you in two hits. And the dark version of Chubby Infected will kill you if you’re not at full health.

Two-Head – Asshole

The Two-Head is the most iconic enemy of The Callisto Protocol, featured on their posters and promotional material. It’s like the Two-Face, but so much worse. The Two-Head is a boss, plain and simple. You fight three different Two-Heads throughout the story of Callisto, and each one is a challenge.

You cannot GRP this asshole, and your regular bullets will do remarkably little damage. They certainly won’t slow him down. Your best bet with Two-Heads is to use your secondary fire option as much as possible. Explosive canisters can help, but don’t get caught up trying to be clever and use the environment.

I found the best strat for dealing with Two-Heads was to stock up with ammo before the fight and pretend I was an action movie star. No clever timing mechanics and no special items to use. Keep your distance and unload all your ammo. 

Patient Alpha – Patient Asshole

Patient Asshole, played by the ever-talented Sam Witwer, is the game’s final boss. Supposedly, he’s the only person in this entire outbreak who’s managed to keep their sanity during the transformation. He’s a hulking monster that kills you in one hit. He can spew larvae at you, similar to the Two-Face, and he will charge you from across the map whenever he feels like it. But aside from those two attacks, he’s a relatively slow, lumbering enemy.

When you fight Patient Alpha, you’ll have a wonderfully large area to run around in. You’ll find health, ammo, and explosive canisters littered around, and you should use them all to your advantage. While fighting Patient Alpha, Explody Dudes will crawl out of air vents and chase you down. If you’re strategic with your shots, you can shoot the Explody Dudes when they’re next to Patient Asshole and cause explosive damage. Otherwise, it would be best if you dealt with them separately.

I dealt with Patient Alpha–on Maximum Security mode–with the same strategy I used on the Two-Head. Stock up on ammunition–more ammunition than you think you’ll need–and walk in there like Keanu Reeves getting revenge for his dead puppy. I used nothing but my secondary fire for the Hand Cannon and Riot Gun and put Patient Alpha down in a handful of minutes.

Surviving Enemy Encounters

Most enemies in The Callisto Protocol can be GRP manipulated. The key to surviving Dead Space on Hardcore mode was using your kinesis module to the fullest, and the key to survival in Callisto is no different. Pull them closer to beat the crap out of them, or push them into dangerous machinery. Whichever you choose, the GRP is the ultimate weapon in Callisto. Most encounters become trivial with a moderately upgraded GRP module, which allows you to conserve all your ammo and health.

And for all the enemies that can’t be GRP manipulated, well, that’s why you conserved all your ammo. You saved it for those specific enemies. Using GRP on the majority of enemies and your guns on the rest is the perfect way to balance combat in The Callisto Protocol.

FAQs

Wrapping Up Callisto’s Enemies

The enemies of The Callisto Protocol are slimy and gross. They’re wild, strong, and unsightly up close. But they all follow specific rules and patterns, and if you can read those patterns, you’ll make it through Callisto unscathed.

If you’re looking for more help with Callisto’s enemies, be sure to check out our Callisto Protocol Weapon Guide.

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