Muton (EU2012)

Muton Interrogation

Muton On first impressions, the captive Muton would appear to be among the least intelligent of any of the alien species we've encountered. Hulking and brutish in form, we were surprised to discover a great deal of knowledge had been ingrained in this subject's memory. We realized during the interrogation process that it was only logical for the aliens to provide the Muton with a complete understanding of their weaponry and tactics, as this beast represents their most formidable front-line combatant. Although the Muton was quite resistant to our techniques, despite heavy sedation, we've learned a great deal from the captive about the alien weaponry, particularly their advanced plasma-based armaments. The research team will begin analyzing this data for possible use in a new breed of weapons of our own design.

Source: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) Research Archives

Muton Autopsy

Muton Autopsy Standing well over two meters tall, the ratio of this subject's lean muscle to the rest of its body mass is staggering. Its bones are highly durable yet very light in weight, and it seems to lack extramuscular fatty tissue of any kind. There is no part of this subject that has not been genetically engineered for combat. These "Mutons" (a moniker given by the troops) have clearly been bred and modified from birth, with every enhancement contributing to its function as a sort of "organic tank." As such, the Mutons are capable of withstanding otherworldly amounts of damage and seem to have an incredible tolerance for pain. During the autopsy, we also noted a variety of ritualistic markings and unusual tattoos, which imply some sort of past tribal structure among the Muton species. We've also noticed a number of distinct similarities between the genetic structure of the Muton and Floater specimens. Although I can only guess as to the alien's intentions, it certainly appears that the Floaters may have at one time been Mutons themselves. If the aliens have been experimenting with the Muton physiology, perhaps the Floaters are a byproduct of their less successful attempts at genetic manipulation. We may be able to gain further insight into this creature's combat capabilities by targeting another example in the field in the Unit Analysis View.

Source: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) Research Archives

Mutons are among the most deadly alien creatures that XCOM will encounter. Tough, clever and loyal to their cause, do not expect a Muton to fall easily. Unlike most of the other alien species Mutons are team players - they work with a pack mentality and can use their Blood Call ability to strengthen the group while performing coordinated frontal attacks to wear down and kill enemy units. Despite their reputation for brute strength, Mutons are also one of the cleverest alien species in the game - they'll charge most of the time but they'll also retreat if outnumbered and lay Overwatch ambushes on advancing XCOM soldiers. In many ways Mutons are the bane of XCOM and you would do well to exercise extreme caution wherever Muton soldiers may be present.

Stats

1st Appearance	{{{appears}}}
HP	8/8/10/10
Aim	70
Defense	10
Will	10
Movement	12
Easy/Normal/Classic/Impossible

The very first Muton variant you will encounter, these brutal beasts can destroy the often ill equipped XCOM squads near the beginning of the game - without Laser weapons and Carapace armour you will be hard pressed to win against them. Mutons will be the first aliens you encounter with grenades, which they will not hesitate to use if you have two soldiers together, however regular Mutons do not have the Bombard ability, so cannot throw their grenades any further than normal. The first month you encounter them they will be armed with Light Plasma Rifles, but in subsequent months will upgrade to medium Plasma Rifles and will appear far more frequently in tactical missions.

Mutons are very susceptible to psionic attacks, and once you have access to Mind Control can be as much of an asset to you as to the enemy.

Muton Armaments

Weapon	Damage	Critical Chance	Abilities
Muton Light Plasma Rifle	6	10	Suppression 20%
Muton Plasma Rifle	8	10	Suppression 20%
Alien Grenade	5	0	NA

Abilities:

• Suppression: Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target if it moves. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty.
• Blood Call: Unleash a bestial roar that will inspire any other nearby Mutons (including Bezerkers/Elites) and give them +10 Will/Aim and +4 Movement bonuses for 2 turns. 4 turn cool down.
• Intimidate: Reacts unpredictably when wounded, provoking a Will test on the enemy unit responsible for the wound. If the enemy fails the Will test it will panic.
• Mutons carry Alien Grenades, allowing them to injure multiple troops at once and destroy cover.
• They carry Light Plasma Rifles on first month they appear, and rifles after that month.

Tactical Advice

The main assault force of the alien collective, their corpses are the most expendable for sale on the grey market. Heavily armored, they are difficult to take down with conventional weapons (though basic grenades can at least rob them of their cover). When facing regular or Elite Mutons, never have soldiers within a few squares of another (at least not visibly clustered to the Muton), as a Muton will usually use its grenade to do 5 damage to your troops, and remove their cover, while its squadmates finish your now-exposed troops.

Once the first Mutons appear, they will almost always be found in all missions, and you may find UFOs as large as Abductors staffed only by Mutons (besides the commander alien). When Berserkers appear, they will often be accompanied with one or two regular Mutons, and fortunatley not with other Berserkers in the same squad-- though if you encounter one Berserker in a mission, odds are that one of the other Muton squads will have another. Elites will appear either in their own squads, or guarding an Ethereal leader on a UFO's bridge.

Their one weakness is their very low Will rating, making them vulnerable to Mind Control. You can either MC their frontline troops, which will almost always be set upon by the others first and may possibly even ignore two of your troopers standing together to kill the traitor, or one in the back (which will then be your trooper in a flanking position. FYI; you may activate any other alien squads behind them, so be careful), forcing them to scatter first. Keep track of the "reload" timer of MC on the Controlling trooper's Abilitiy tiles: if it reads T-3, that means the controlled alien will be free at the start of the next turn. If you have no further use for a Muton and don't want to fight it once Mind Control wears off you can make it kill itself by tossing its own alien grenade at its feet, assuming it has not been used already. A Muton Elite guarding an Ethereal is a prime choice for an MC attack, as the Ethereal's next move will almost always be to kill that Elite first. Additionally, an MCed Elite drops their Heavy Plasma intact when killed, giving you a very powerful weapon to use, and Council sales requests of them often exceed your monthly paycheck.

Notes

• When completing the Plasma Rifle research, a cutscene is shown with a test of the rifle on a large printout of the 1994 UFOpaedia Muton graphic.
• Not to be confused with Mutton.