Elite Shock Trooper Killzone Mercenary
Regular Shock Trooper (Officer Killzone Mercenary)
Shock Troopers appear in Killzone: Liberation and Killzone 2. They also appear when you are clearing the Museum in Killzone 3.
The shock troopers of the Helghast army are used to overwhelm and thin out entrenched positions by rushing in fast. They move in a zigzag pattern moving sideways and even rolling to avoid getting shot and are lightly armoured for maximum mobility. As they get closer, they form more of a threat with their StA-11 Submachine Gun or their knives.
Shock Trooper from Killzone: Liberation
Killzone: Liberation
Shock Troopers are a specialist breed of infantry deployed by the Helghan Empire.
These Helghast were deployed once it became apparent for the need for assault infantry that could engage the enemy in close quarter combat. They are equipped with the fast-firing IvP-18 S-FOX machine pistols to riddle untold numbers of bodies with still greater volumes of bullets.
During the invasion, General Metrac reassigned large numbers of the newly created Shock Trooper regiments to Vekta.
Shock Trooper from Killzone 2
The Elite Shock Troopers train for every possible battle situation and can work as an independent unit with no need of support.
Killzone 2
Shocktroopers serve as officers in the Helghan army. They come in three kinds: Regular, Advanced, and Elite. They all carry StA-11 Submachine Gun and rush their foes. For close quarters combat, they use M32 Knives.
Analysis
Shock Troopers are members of the Helghast special forces and as such have received more training than the standard Helghast Assault Infantry. They are often used to quickly overwhelm enemies or serve as guards to high value assets. While they are lightly armored and not very durable, they make up for this by being fast and evasive. Unlike Assault Infantry, who heavily rely on cover, Shock Troopers rarely seek and use cover, favoring instead to rush or flank their enemy's position. While rushing they will often zig-zag and dive roll to evade incoming fire and make it harder for enemies to target them as well as throw smoke grenades to mask their movements. They are equipped with StA-11 Submachine Guns and combat knives, both of which are very deadly at close range.
When confronting a single Shock Trooper; bring the battle to him. Rush towards him, taking care to weave and zig-zag to avoid his SMG fire. Firing in bursts while rushing is recommended as gunfire will stun him for a moment, allowing you to more easily close the distance. When you get in close, the Trooper will pause for a second to put his gun away and pull out his knife to attack you. During that moment, quickly slash him with your knife or shoot him to prevent him from doing the same to you, as his knife attacks are very damaging, and on higher difficulties may result in instant death. If you were unable to get in a strike or didn't finish him off by the time he starts moving again, simply step back and the trooper will pause to pull out his gun again. During this pause you can either rush back in for a knife strike or finish him off with gunfire.
When facing down a large group of Shock Troopers, which is far more common, it is best to stay back and stay in cover, picking them off with weapon fire or grenades as they advance towards you. If they get to close, do not hesitate to move back to another position. If you get flanked or surrounded by Shock Troopers, draw your knife and rush towards the Shock Trooper and quickly take him out.
Killzone 3
Shock Troopers appear occasionally during Killzone 3. Their appearance, behavior, and combat stats are identical to their Killzone 2 incarnation. They appear most prominently in the game's first combat mission, Evacuation Orders. After the first couple of missions, they become noticeably rarer than they were in Killzone 2. This may be due to replacement by more advanced units or dwindling numbers of highly-trained Helghast soldiers due to the ISA resistance movement.
Killzone Mercenary
In Killzone Mercenary, Shock Troopers are much rarer than in the previous 2 games (KZ2 and 3) and appear only in Mission 3 "Lightning Strike" and Mission 4 "Diplomatic Incident", where you have to defend Boris and Justus in the form of Elite Shock Troopers, which Boris handles while you protect him from the rockets. Apperantly, the regular shock troopers (the ones first encountered in KZ2 and 3/the ones with the light hats and the "fuzz" on their heads) under Vyktor Kratek are officers (who you can interrogate for intel and money) and have instead of StA-11 SMGs StA-52 Assault Rifles unlike their cousins under Metrac and Radec's command and their female cousins at the first embassy mission ("Diplomatic Incident").
Health: 50
Weapons: StA11 SMG, StA-52 Assault Rifle (Helghast Officers in KZ Mercenary), Smoke Grenade, M32 Combat Knife
First Appearance: Blood Meridian: Dakurol Alley
Trivia
- In the Killzone 2: Collector's Guide to Campaign and Warzone (Hardcover), the Shock Trooper and the Advanced Shock Trooper have their pictures switched.
- Interestingly enough, when you blow away the Shock Trooper's garrison cap, you will see that he in fact has hair (albeit it being "peach fuzz"), whereas normal Helghast soldiers are bald.
- The basic Shock Troopers in Killzone 2 appear to be wearing much less advanced equipment than even basic Assault infantry - leather patches, a brown overcoat, and garrison cap and very basic goggles and respirators. It is possible that, instead, they are the "conscripts" of KZ2's Helghast army, albeit fanatical enough to charge in and engage the enemy at close range, similar to the real-world Volksturm of Nazi Germany.