Arch-vile/Doom (2016)

"The Summoner, a cunning adversary, is primarily a defensive summoning unit."

- Stat profile

The Summoner is a demon that can summon other demons. It often teleports away from the player, attacks using Hell energy waves, and should be considered a priority target in battle. The Summoner is more likely to summon more resilient enemies to assist in attacking the player. Summoners are thought to be a highly evolved form of the Imp. It first appears in the Argent Facility.

It has a similar function as the Arch-vile, especially the version in Doom Eternal. It also makes an appearance in the form of the Spirit in Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part One.

In-Game Description
UAC REPORT FILE: 6WYG6KW

''The Summoner, a cunning adversary, is primarily a defensive summoning unit. As the demon-horde swarms the enemy, the Summoner sustains the battle by opening a rift to Hell and calling forth reinforcements. To prevent being overrun by the relentless horde, the Summoner should become a primary target in any battle strategy.''

''When directly challenged in combat, the Summoner is capable of channeling Hell energy into an Argent wave. Although this wave kills most humans, an occasional victim will be transformed into The Possessed.''

''Surviving an Argent wave attack is extremely unlikely but does not appear to be random. There is evidence that the Summoner selects the most resilient of combatants for induction to the army of Hell.''

UAC REPORT FILE: MW6FL0J

''The Lazarus Project has managed to successfully capture several Summoner demons. The imprisonment process requires careful preparation, as a Summoner will immediately launch multiple Argent wave attacks when trapped. To prevent this, Hell energy must be continuously drained from the demon until it is sufficiently sedated. Anatomical study of the Summoner suggests that it is a highly evolved sub-genus of the Imp form.''

Appearance
The Summoner is a very thin, slim built demon with a body type similar to that of an Imp or a Prowler. It has a light blue body that covers fleshy red skin. Its head is shaped similar to a Hell Knight's, albeit with a large, round bone structure that covers the back of its head. Two large, fleshy wing-like appendages hang off the Summoner's back.

Combat Characteristics
The Summoner is a very fast enemy that can deliver a killing blow with ease. Coupled with this, it is able to summon lesser demons. The Summoner will spawn and immediately begin summoning demons such as; Imps, The Possessed and Possessed Soldiers. After this, the Summoner will instantly disappear and move at an extraordinary speed, appearing only as a red streak. They will then stop and begin summoning demons again. If they are within range of the player, they will send waves of Hell energy to deal great damage and will occasionally swipe at the player if close enough.

Tactical Analysis
The Summoner will typically spawn when demons appear in waves to attack the player. As a result of this, the player should eliminate it as fast as possible after spotting it. In order to do this, it is advisable to use the Rocket Launcher with the Lock-On-Burst mod. The player can also use the Gauss Cannon at long range or the Super Shotgun at close range. The Plasma rifle's Stun Bomb mod can stun a Summoner, allowing extra time to kill it, or deal with its summoned allies. If the Summoner is on the move, it is wise to follow the red streak that it leaves behind so as to track the Summoner's movements. If within range of the Summoner, it is wise to avoid the Summoner's Hell wave attack, which it will send in a straight line.

Trivia

 * The Summoner bears many similarities to the Arch-vile seen in previous Doom games. They are both among the fastest enemies in their respective games, they both have a tall, emaciated physique, they share the ability to bring demons into battle (in Doom II, an Arch-vile can resurrect slain demons, while the Summoner can summon reinforcements, a trait shared with the version seen in Doom 3), and they both have the devastating attack of sending a straight line of energy to attack the player (the Arch-vile sends a wave of fire to attack the player, while the Summoner sends a wave of Hell energy).
 * It's more obviously closely related to Doom Eternal's Arch-vile. The main difference, besides appearance, is Eternal's Arch-vile appears to summon enemies more quickly, and on top of that, they're buffed.
 * It can be assumed that the Arch-vile was replaced with the Summoner due to the Arch-vile's infamous reputation amongst players due to its ludicrously high damage attacks and ability to resurrect demons an infinite amount of times. Alternatively, the developers may have chosen to give the Summoner a different name due to its rather different design compared to the original Arch-vile, fearing that such drastic changes to a monster's appearance wouldn't sit well with players. In Eternal, the developers brought back the Arch-vile, but with the new Summoner's method of attack but stronger.
 * The name summoner could be a reference to the "summon" command in popular ZDoom and GZdoom sourceports of the original games.
 * The Summoner can be viewed as a fallen angel or Hell's copy of one.
 * According to Joon Hyung Kim, the Summoner was designed to be feminine in contrast to most other demons. The shoulders and skirt-like protuberances of the Summoner are based on gowns worn by wealthy women during the late Middle Ages, which were characterised by their puffed shoulders, also known as gigots. They also give off woman-like vocalizations, groans, and other noises when casting spells or being injured. Interestingly, the Summoner being female would suggest that the Imps in this game may also be female, even if it isn't obvious in their case.
 * During the showcasing of Doom Eternal at QuakeCon 2018, there was concept art of other worlds and realms taken by hell as part of the Doom Universe. Within one of these concept arts one can see what seems to be a summoner holding a staff while standing in a room of highly advanced technology. This may hint that contrary to the UAC logs, the Summoner may actually be a demonized version of another intelligent race similar to humans turning into the Possessed.