This page details all of the enemy types from the Court of Owls faction, including their damage types, resistances, weaknesses, and how to defeat them. We’ll also cover the types of crimes that you’ll encounter with the Court of Owls.

Court of Owls Enemy Types¶

There are five different types of enemies that you’ll face from the Court of Owls faction: Brawlers, Shooters, Feral Talons, Gladiator Talons, and Hunter Talons. The Brawlers and Shooters are relatively weak compared with the Talons, especially since you’ll need to employ specific tactics to even hit the Talons at times. We’ll cover how to defeat each of these and the kinds of weapons that you might find beneficial when fighting them below.

Brawler¶

“We don’t know much about the Court’s membership, but most of them don’t seem to have much combat training. They can become a problem in large groups, so watch your back.”

The Court of Owls Brawler is pretty much the same as any other type of Brawler from different factions. They focus on melee combat and they’re fairly weak to most attacks. You’ll find it easy to kill these in small groups, but they can become a nuisance when they’re backed up by allies if you don’t deal with them early on. The Veteran variants inflict Toxic damage which gives them an edge over the others, but their overall damage output is still relatively low. Both variants are weak to cryogenic elemental damage, as are all other Court of Owls enemies, so if you have any weapons or abilities which inflict this type of damage, be sure to make good use of them.

Shooter¶

“Unsurprisingly, there are members of the Court who prefer to attack from a distance rather than get their hands dirty. They seem well-practiced and have solid aim, making them a legitimate threat.”

The Court of Owls Shooters are another fairly standard type of enemy, but the difference between these Shooters and those fro mother factions is that they tend to use pistols rather than automatic rifles. This makes them less annoying since they can’t really pin you in one place in the same way that Shooters with rifles can, but keep in mind that the Veteran variants inflict Toxic damage, making their hits potentially more damaging. They also have the Armored Attack special ability, which means they will occasionally perform an unblockable attack that you’ll need to dodge. Ultimately these aren’t difficult enemies to deal with, but the same principle applies to them as with other Shooters: dodge the laser sights at the last moment to avoid being shot, rather than when you first see them.

Feral Talon¶

“Undead and vicious, Feral Talons fight like animals, relying on instinct. They’re unpredictable fighters and should be engaged with caution.”

The Feral Talons are likely to be the first type of Talons that you encounter during fights with the Court of Owls. These are powerful undead creatures which specialize in agility. You’ll notice that both variants, Regular and Veteran, have the exact same damage, resistance, immunity, weakness, and special abilities. The main difference between them is that the Veterans are much tougher and they inflict more damage.

You will find it almost impossible to hit these enemies with direct melee strikes. They are far too agile and their Evade Flurry special ability allows them to avoid most melee attacks by default. However, if you use a heavy ranged attack by holding the button for your ranged attacks down, you will instantly knock down the Talon so long as you’re facing them when you aim. This will leave them vulnerable to any attack while they recover, giving you enough time to inflict some damage before doing the same thing again.

If you’re finding it difficult to land ranged attacks to knock the Talons down, most Momentum Abilities will also hit the Talons by default, especially Area of Effect ones.

Gladiator Talon¶

“A more refined variation on the Talon, Gladiators maintain a calculated combat prowess. Their size and reach advantage make them a very real threat in close quarters.”

The Gladiator Talons are essentially a more sophisticated version of the Feral Talons. They’re much larger and they have a greater reach than most enemies in melee combat. Where the Feral Talon excels at avoiding your attacks with Evade Flurry, the Gladiator Talon specializes in blocking most of your attacks with their shield. You can break through this fairly easily so long as you begin the fight with heavy attacks, but any light attack will be useless against the Gladiators until you’ve broken their Guard. Momentum Abilities are extremely useful when facing these foes, especially if they utilize cryogenic elemental damage. If you’re out of momentum, it’ll be a matter of combining heavy attacks with light attacks and dodges while you slowly whither the health of the Gladiator down. In addition to the melee attacks, the Gladiator will also sometimes shoot at you if you keep your distance for too long, marked by a red indicator when the shot is incoming.

These are tough, tanky enemies and you can expect to be fighting them for much longer than the regular Talons, especially at the higher difficulty levels. The fights are extended for even longer once you bring the Gladiator down to anywhere between 25% - 50% of their health, since at this point they will also perform a heal which you can’t interrupt with most attacks. They will also use brutal, unblockable melee combos throughout the fight, making use of their shield and mace, so you’ll need to be ready to dodge these. For a detailed overview of how to defeat a Gladiator Talon, see our page on that here.

Hunter Talon¶

“Precise aim and quick reflexes make the Hunter a formidable enemy. Adept with blades of various size, move quickly if you want to keep your blood where it belongs.”

The Hunter Talons can be seen as improved versions of Feral Talons. You’ll be facing similar unblockable melee combos from them, and they will still be difficult to hit. However, in some ways they are much easier to hit than the Feral Talons, since they don’t have the Evade Flurry special ability. This means that you’ll be able to land hits with light attack combos if you’re quick enough. With that said, what the Hunter Talon lacks in evasion, it makes up for in offensive capabilities. These guys are relentless in their melee combos, making it difficult for you to get a hit in without exposing yourself to a retaliatory blow. For this reason Momentum Abilities will be especially useful when fighting Hunter Talons, so you should aim to slowly build your momentum and them use these if you’re having trouble hitting them with regular strikes and staying safe at the same time.

In addition to their greater damage output, the Hunter Talons are tougher than Feral Talons, so you can expect fights with them to last a bit longer. Although not quite as tough as Gladiator Talons, they can inflict more damage in a short amount of time, and you won’t be able to kite them as easily around an area. Well timed dodges will be crucial against these enemies, and clever use of cryogenic elemental damage if it’s available to you. You’ll also need to look out for ranged attacks from Hunter Talons, which come in the form of multiple blades being thrown at once.

Court of Owls Crimes¶

You’ll find that most of your encounters with the Court of Owls during crimes comes in the form of Owls Nests. These are essentially strongholds which at first seem abandoned when you enter, but you’ll soon find that you’re ambushed by Gladiators, Hunters, and Feral Talons when you try to loot anything. You’ll need to defeat the ambush to complete the crime, then loot the nearby chest. You’ll earn Organic Composite and Electrum from these encounters.