MJ12 Commando

MJ12 Commandos are elite troops equipped with electrically powered combat armours. The armour, codenamed "Obsidian", was invented in MJ12 laboratories in Hong Kong and Zürich. Its equipment include:


 * integrated rebreather, making them invulnerable to poisonous gas


 * heat-dispersing microcore foam, protecting from fire and plasma


 * ballistic shielding


 * two 7.62mm machine guns and short range rocket launchers


 * various scanning devices

All of this is powered by standard bioelectric cells. Detachments of the Commandos have been assigned to guard important Majestic 12 facilities and to support major assaults on bases of organizations opossing MJ12.

Tactics
Commandos are the most dangerous humanoid enemies in Deus Ex. Their twin guns do significantly more damage than the basic assault rifles carried by most human opponents, giving them a major advantage in firepower, and their rocket launchers can inflict a serious amount of damage. Moreover, they aim in the head with their machine guns whenever possible. On Realistic difficulty setting, they can make an instant death headshot if player is close enough. Also, their exoskeletons makes them immune to posionous gases and provides decent damage resistance aganist energy attacks. They are not so tough against ballistic weaponry, but they can still endure more punishment than ordinary MJ12 Troops (but not as much as Men in Black). Also unlike standard troops, Commandos never retreat from the fight, even if they suffer heavy injuries.

However, their main weakness lies in the fact that they are not efficient at range; they switches from machine guns to rockets on long range, which are much easier to dodge than bullet fire. If you can, try to put a decent amount of distance between yourself and a Commando, and then open fire. If you can't, then sneak behind the Commando and open fire on his head at point blank range; it takes some time for him to swivel to you, which gives you an extra shot or two before he fires back. High-powered weapons can take out a Commando in one to two shots (depending on your skill with the weapon) before he can fire back. Although Commandos are encased in power armours, they are more susceptible to anti-personnel than anti-armour ammunition, so buckshot is better choice if you are going to use shotgun against them.

Another good way to deal with Commandos is to utilise a fully upgrade Aggressive Defense System, which will destroy their rockets when they are fired. The explosions will cause splash damage. They will be killed in at least 5 explosions from the ADS. Unfortunately, it is useless against their machine guns, which are extremely powerful. Another downside is that they do not use their rockets unless you are far away. The GEP gun is another perfect way for dealing with Commandos, especially if they are grouped together with other enemies.

Despite what may be believed, an MJ12 Commando can be rendered unconscious if you must sneak to him and hit him in the back with a Riot prod. Tranquilizer darts work as well, but you need to shoot several of them. Some players have spread a rumor about their belt being an extra sensitive area, but there is no evidence to support this claim.