Imp/Doom Eternal

The imp makes yet another appearance in Doom Eternal. They are first seen from the very start of the game and remain a constant pest to the Slayer throughout the campaign.

Imps still maintain their hunched over design from Doom (2016) but have undergone some slight design changes to more closely resemble their appearance in the original Doom.

Codex
''Scavengers of the underworld, Imps are among the most common of beasts found on the scorched surface of the Hellscape. Lesser demons of Hell, the Imp possesses limited intelligence, driven only by a hunter's impulse to seek out prey - a task for which the Imp is naturally suited due to its innate capacity for violence. As a result of these attributes, the Imp makes for an ideal footsoldier and is oft deployed in the warring legions of Hell, easily manipulated and controlled by commanding highborne demons at the behest of the sovereign chapters. It is common for the Imp to appear at the frontline of an offensive attack, an expendable resource unleashed in great numbers to overcome and break through the enemy front. ''

Appearance
The Imp has a slightly different appearance to its 2016 counterpart, possessing elongated back spines to more closely resemble its original design. It otherwise remains similar to its previous incarnation, being a nimble demon capable of pestering the Slayer from a distance and traversing terrain with ease.

Combat Analysis
The Imp remains behaves identically to its previous iteration, lobbing fireballs at the Slayer from a distance and clawing him at close range. It also retains its ability to charge up a much larger fireball that deals significant damage to the player if they are hit. Imps are very mobile demons, scampering around the battlefield and almost always on the move, which can make hitting them difficult.

However, they have paltry health and can be killed quite easily by any weapon. Notably, if an Imp is charging a large fireball, shooting them will cause them to drop the fireball and be temporarily stunned, allowing for an easy kill.

Trivia

 * According to the codex, it appears Imps rely on their emotional state and rage, letting their emotions guide them rather than objective thinking. What the codex is referring to, the "hunter's impulse", is completely factually and biologically incorrect, it does not exist in humans or any other animal, and it most certainly wouldn't exist in sapient creatures such as Imps. It is a common misconception. What a hunting animal does is based on intelligence, experience and personal choice, not on a magical impulse, and any outburst that occurs is based on an emotional reaction. That is the reason why carnivorous animals do not mindlessly attack everyone around them, they hunt when they so choose. Therefore, the Imps prefer to rely on their emotions and perform actions based on them rather than considering the alternative.