MJ12 Trooper

MJ12 Troopers (in-game label: MJ12 Troop) are the rank-and-file soldiers of Majestic 12. MJ12 troopers are a common type of non-player character in Deus Ex, appearing regularly after early missions of the game.

Background
MJ12 troopers are the backbone of the organization's military force and commonly deployed as guards for MJ12 facilities and more rarely, as regular field units. By 2052, MJ12 units were being deployed more and more openly, posing as "UN security forces," displacing UNATCO, FEMA, and local security forces. However, they were still far from being commonly recognized, at least in the United States, where MJ12 troopers were perceived as a private security force. When Ford Schick was held captive by MJ12 troopers in a sewers lab below Hell's Kitchen, he believed that he was being held by "private security for a biotech company or something."

Within the MJ12 hierarchy, troopers are among the lowest. Although they all wear the same kind of uniform and combat kit (uncomfortable and chafing), some recruits are little more than mercenaries unaware of who they really work with, believing MJ12 to be a private security organization. Most don't ask questions, as MJ12 doesn't ask questions either, even if someone was dishonorably discharged from the military. However, trust and awareness of MJ12's true nature and operations grows with length of service and intermittent loyalty checks. Veteran troopers who serve long enough become eligible for promotion to MJ12 Commandos, and are typically aware of what Majestic 12 is and who their sworn enemies, the Illuminati, are. Many of these veterans are part of assault units and hold disdain for opportunists and civilians. Howard Strong in particular drew the ire of 1st Force Recon Company troops, who also disliked the fact that Page was trusting civilians and Walton Simons' carelessness.

In the field, MJ12 troopers are often led by men in black or women in black. In Hong Kong, Maggie Chow was given a contingent of troopers to handle local operations.

Characteristics
MJ12 troopers wear black combat uniforms with grey metallic-looking body armor, black dress shirts, grey leg armor, black pants, and a red "XII" (the Roman numeral for 12) written on the front of their helmets. They also wear black goggles.

MJ12 troopers have stats that are generic to all common troopers. Therefore, by default, MJ12 troopers are identical to UNATCO troopers in terms of combat characteristics. MJ12 troopers have no special resistances against any damage type. While troopers carry assault rifles by default, they can be seen with an assortment of weapons, including assault shotguns, Sniper rifles, and mini-crossbows. Compared to other types of common troopers, MJ12 trooper are more often seen carrying GEP guns and other heavy weapons.

Locations
MJ12 troopers are first seen in the sewers during the Hell's Kitchen portion of the second mission. If JC rescues Ford from the troopers, JC will observe, "I don't recognize the uniforms of the soldiers...Corporate security isn't usually outfitted to fight a ground-war." From the fifth mission onward, MJ12 troopers are the most common type of human enemies encountered.