Soldiers



Wielding heavier armor and more powerful weapons than their lesser counterparts, Soldiers form the elite force of both the Founders and the Vox Populi. Encountered mainly later in the game, they are easily distinguishable from other enemies by their padding and ammo belts.

There are three kinds of soldiers Booker DeWitt encounters. The first are allied with Cornelius Slate, and willingly throw themselves at Booker in the hope of an honorable death. They are weaker than soldiers found later in the game, and are found exclusively in and around the Hall of Heroes. They are easily recognizable due to their brightly-colored and ornamented military uniforms.

The Vox Populi counts several soldier-like enemies among their ranks. Though not professionally trained like their Founders counterparts, the Vox weapons they wield deal heavy damage while their armor offers them extra protection. They typically wear red hoods with stylized horns.

Soldiers also form the military arm of the Founders in Columbia, also known as the Flying Squad. They greatly resemble the American Soldiers of World War I, as they are outfitted with blue uniforms, metal helmets, and backpacks. Among their recruitment process, Duke & Dimwit propaganda was used to encourage kids to join their ranks. They are mainly encountered once Booker and Elizabeth enter Emporia. Male soldiers wear blue uniforms and wear metal helmets, while female soldiers wear white and stylized Statue of Liberty masks.

Types
In BioShock Infinite, the player encounters various types of soldiers, split between the Founders and the Vox.

Shared Types
These types of soldiers can be found fighting for the Founders, Slate, in the Good Time Club fighting alongside Booker's "rival candidates", as Civilians, for the Columbian Police, or the Vox Populi.
 * Baton-users - These soldiers are lightly armored and their sole weapon is a baton, which they use to bludgeon the player. Despite their seemingly inadequate armament and armor, they are highly mobile and deal a lot of damage upon a successful hit. However, their light armor means that they can be quickly dealt with by melee or a few shots from any weapon.
 * Pistol-users - These soldiers are mostly seen fighting as Police or Vox Populi, though female Founder Soldiers can be seen fighting like this alongside their male-counterparts on a few occasions (such as in Shantytown). They are lightly armored and use Broadsider Pistols. They are more or less a nuisance to the player, peppering them from a distance and retreating to maintain one. They, however, can be easily dealt with with melee or a few shots from any weapon.
 * Hand Cannon-users - First encountered when entering the Bull Yard, these soldiers are armed with the Paddywhacker Hand Cannon. Unlike their Pistol-wielding counterparts, these soldiers have an increased threat level, since letting them get out a shot can quickly wipe away Booker's shields.
 * Machine Gun-users - These soldiers are more armored and use Machine Guns, providing a continuous stream of fire on the player. They are possibly the most common type of opponent in the game. In earlier levels, they are more lightly armored and can be fairly quickly dispatched. However, later in the game they begin to wear more armor and have much higher health, causing the player to have to use multiple melee strikes or a lot of bullets to take them down. It is advised to aim for the head to gain the most damage multipliers to deal with them.
 * Shotgunners - Seen after Battleship Bay, these soldiers are less armored than their Machine Gun-using counterparts, but can pack quite a punch using their China Broom Shotguns at a close range against the player. They usually slowly advance toward the player or outflank them, hammering the player with shotgun shots at close-range. They can be seen with more armor later, causing the player to hit them more to deal with them. Melee, shooting them from a distance, or using other or same close-range weapons can deal with them.

Founder-specific Types
These types of soldiers are only seen fighting for the Founders, using Founder-specific weapons.
 * Carbine-users - These soldiers carry the Huntsman Carbine and can deal damage up close or farther away, since the Carbine is a long-ranged weapon. Though lightly armored, one should be wary when encountering them, as they are surprisingly very accurate.

Vox-specific Types
These types of soldiers are only seen fighting for the Vox Populi, using Vox-specific weapons.
 * Repeater-users - Along with Vox Machine Gun users, these are the main fist of Vox forces. They fight similarly to Machine Gun users encountered elsewhere. Some are, however, more lightly armored than more "Soldier"-like Vox troops, many of whom use Machine Guns instead. They are more slowly firing, but are also more accurate. Similar strategy is advised for Machine-Gun users.
 * Heater-users - Similar to Shotgun-users, these are lightly armored Vox who use a Heater to deal high damage to the player up close. They are slow-firing, but deal a heavy hit. Same general strategy applies as Shotgun-users.
 * Burstgun-users - Just like those who use the Carbine, Vox militants who carry the Burstgun can deal damage close up or farther away. They are slightly less threatening than the Carbine-wielders, as the Burstgun does have a chance of missing its target. The same tactics as the Carbine-users are applied.