Imp (DOOM)

The Imp is a common type of demon from the DOOM video game series. They appear in every game in the franchise and are considered the "backbone" of Hell's army.

DOOM (Classic series)
Imps are humanoid demons which are found in just about every stage in the game. They appear as hairless, brown-skinned creatures with red eyes, fanged mouths and spikes growing out of their shoulders, arms, chest and knees. They are fairly quick and can attack the player from a distance or at close range. Up close, they swipe with their claws and deal a small amount of damage. From afar, they will cast fireballs at the player.

An imp can be dispatched in short order with any weapon. It can take up to six pistol bullets to kill one imp, otherwise they can be slain much easier with one shotgun blast. They are frequently encountered in groups, so the shotgun is the best choice for attacking them up close whereas other weapons will do for killing more distant targets.

DOOM 3
In DOOM 3, the imp is once more a common foot soldier in the armies of Hell. Like most of the enemies in the game, it looks very different from its counterpart in the preceding games. While still human-sized and quite lean, this version of the imp has a more alien appearance; it has an almost segmented body structure like an insect, mottled grey skin, and ten small eyes in its head.

Imps tend to teleport right into an area when the player enters. They will only walk slowly and occasionally crawl across walls and ceilings. They can cast explosive fireballs that do a medium level of damage, or else they will claw at the player if they get in close. Any weapon will do for dispatching imps, though the best choices are the Shotgun when battling at close range and the Chaingun when attacking distant imps. In combat, imps will actively try to avoid attacks by jumping to the side.

DOOM (Modern series)
In DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, imps appear as wiry humanoid demons with light-brown skin covering their heads, chests and upper arms. The skin around their mouths, on their hands, their midsections and lower legs is considerably darker. They have glowing red eyes, three clawed digits on each arm and two toes on each foot. They also have short spikes on their backs. In DOOM Eternal, their spikes are much longer.

Imps are much more agile in the modern DOOM games; in combat, they will run around an area throwing fireballs in an arching pattern at the Doom Slayer, clambering over terrain and up walls to keep out of the Slayer's range. The fireballs they throw are small, but they are capable of charging up Argent energy in their hands to produce a larger, more powerful projectile, though doing so leaves them immobile for a short time.

Imps are the most common hellspawn the player will encounter and appear in great numbers. Though nimble, they are fairly weak and can be killed easily with any weapon.