This youtube video made by Killpo1 has greatly assisted in the making of this guide. I recommend watching it if you want an in-depth guide on understanding your enemies.
This guide serves as a quick handbook on identifying soldiers and understanding how to deal with them accordingly.

It may be easier to identify the faction that a soldier serves rather than its specific rank, which can help with certain quests and improving your favor with factions.

Europan Indications
• More human-like
  
• Cybernetic armor
  
• Tend to travel in small groups
  
• Generally have a basic militaristic look

Eurasian Indications
• More robot than man
  
• Tend to look like futuristic cyborg/robots
  
• Melee focused

Euruskan Indications
• Aggressive combat
  
• Monstrous appearances
  
• Bulky armor

Using these loose identifiers, you can swiftly trace what soldiers belong to which factions.

Basic Europan infantry travel in small groups, and attack targets together.
They can come in armored and non-armored variants.
Appear to be basic militaristic units, wearing dark armor and carrying rifles.
Their numbers can become a problem, but their low health and low damage makes them easy to deal with.

Very similar to basic infantry, but carry more advanced rifle and tend to travel with a pilot.
Can appear as a lighter armored variant.
Combat is feasible.


The Pilot is a weak soldier carrying a small weapon and bears little armor.
Very weak on their own, but their dangerous capability lies in the fact that they are almost always surrounded and escorted by higher level soldiers.


Travelling in groups, these shock troopers will make quick work of a scav.
Wield staggering shotguns and also shoot rifles.
Sleeker designs compared to basic infantry and wear unique helmets.
Scavengers are best advised to sneak around them. If combat is engaged, try to find cover to shield yourself from staggering shotgun fire.


Around two snipers and one spotter keeping watch on average.
Will travel around the warzone and attack scavs without any aggro.
Snipers can be identified by their long-scoped rifles and their methodical movements.
Stealth killing is advised in order to deal with them. Facing the trio head on will cause the spotter to make short work of the average scav.


The EOD is a bulky and slow moving soldier that tends to work in groups of 3.
The most common form of Hunter Killer in the game.
It also has a powerful shotgun variant with stagger damage.
Highly dangerous troop that should be avoided due to higher health and damage.
When deployed as a Hunter Killer, try to find cover to peek from, and take rapid shots to whittle its health down, as open space combat with an EOD will lead to catastrophic results.


Europan drones are easily identified by their cylindrical appearance.
Scans the battlefield constantly, and will engage in combat with a scav without any aggro indication.
High rates of fire and decent health make the Europan drone a real threat.
Taking cover is key, try to find a roof to hide under or a building for both evasion and combat.


Very easy to identify, as no other faction utilizes turrets.
Stationary placement, slow turning, inaccurate firing, and low damage makes this turret easy to evade.
Takes a lot of pestering to aggro.
There is usually no need to deal with turrets, but if you must, stealthily make your way towards it and use sustained fire.


Bulky war machine often wielding the support of lower level infantry.
Rather than actively seek combat, this mech will tend to patrol areas.
Staggering damage and high health makes this relatively small mech a big threat.
Significant damage is needed to kill, so utilize grenade launchers or high power rifles if you must. Don't forget to take cover.


Very powerful vehicle with one-shot capabilities.
Stereotypical tank appearance.
Unique in the fact that it will ignore scavs unless they open fire on the tank.
Requires extreme levels of damage to be eliminated.
Scavs are best advised to live and let live.


Large piloted machine that can be distinctly identified by its rear mount gatling gun and large cannon.
Very powerful unit.
Will seek out combat with other vehicles, and will ignore scavengers. However, if there are no other fish to fry, it will engage in battle with any scav it sees.
Lay low when traversing near them. Do not attempt combat.

Basic Euruskan soldiers wearing little armor.
Wielding rifles and traveling in squads, these weak troops will patrol areas and engage in combat quickly.
Similarly to the Europan infantry, these units can be dealt with relatively easily if they are approached correctly.
Utilize cover and aim for their heads.


Highly powerful foot soldiers that can be identified by their large shoulder plates and long coats.
High health and powerful weaponry, utilizing staggering shotguns.
Armored Officers will wield grenade launchers.
Travel in squads and will focus their fire on any scav they see.
If engaged in combat, focus on their exposed heads to kill them swiftly, and take cover to shield from their sustained rifle fire and shotgun blasts.


Swift and agile soldiers wearing all black and a gas mask.
These units are low threat damage-wise, and they are weak in health.
Their real threat lies in their speed, as they move quickly throughout the map.
Combat is relatively easy as most weapons will dispose of the rider swiftly.


Highly powerful tank unit.
Dark appearance with some lights around it.
Similar to the Europan tank, it will disregard any scav it sees, and will focus on vehicle warfare.
Be warned, just because it disregards you does not mean it respects you. If you stand in its path, it will run you over like a bug, and any aggression towards it will result in its high-damage fury.
Move carefully when crossing its turf.


Large human-shaped war machine.
Very high health and damage.
Wields a large caliber cannon.
Focuses on fighting enemy soldiers, but if there are none around, it will actively hunt scavs.
Combat is heavily advised against, as it will take many grenade shots to kill. Lay low and move swiftly around this machine.


Unkillable one-shotting demon of death and despair.
Imposing human-like shape, painted all black and towering over every other unit.
Bloodthirsty and looking to kill, this troop will actively seek any kind of combat.
Avoid at all costs.
If you are so unlucky as to encounter it, dash for the evac immediately, or utilize the landscape and its geometry to evade the Orgamech.


Unkillable and swift quadripedal bloodthirsy machine.
Can be deployed as a Hunter Killer.
Utilizes a strategy of attacking, then retreating, then attacking again.
Actively roams the map until it finds a scavenger. It will aggro easily and will endlessly give chase unless properly evaded.
Utilize map geometry or evac immediately in order to escape its doggy wrath.


Unkillable slow-moving mech.
Very powerful attacks, and will usually prioritize vehicle combat.
Can be deployed as a Hunter Killer.
Avoid combat at all costs.
If you happen to come into combat with one, run and take cover, and make swift movements to further and further covers, as "toothy" is very slow and will not be able to keep up with you.

Human-like cyborg machines.
Low health but decent damage.
Travel in large groups and move quickly.
Lay low to avoid combat, but combat is feasible as long as you take steps to not get overwhelmed.
Maintain your distance and aim for the head.


Similar to the Melee variant in appearance.
Move like wild dogs on all fours, utilizing evasive maneuvers in order to get close and deal damage.
Usually move in groups of two among Melee cyborgs.
Treat similarly to Melees, keep your distance and aim for the head.


Bulky cyborg with high damage and high health.
Wields a machine gun, and has a Melee oriented variant.
Usually travel in groups of 1-3.
Relatively slow, but will charge at a target.
Very dangerous, combat is advised against. Evade carefully.


Decently strong flying drone.
Can be easily identified by its wasp-like appearance.
Tends to be attracted to firefights.
Powerful machine gun will be utilized on any scav it sees.
Combat is feasible, but advised against.
If engaged in combat, utilize cover and buildings and use sustained fire.


Very high health and very high damage.
Utilizes rifle fire and staggering fire.
Extremely aggressive, will engage in combat with both vehicles and infantry.
Hard to kill due to its positioning in the air.
Avoid combat with the Chopper.
Due to it being often distracted by other units, sneaking past it and its wrath is usually no problem.


Unkillable one-shotting unit.
Passively scavenges cyborg corpses for recycling.
Firefights will draw her attention, and when she spots a scav, she will scoop them up and tear them apart.
If she is drawn to your location, use evasive movement and cover to hide from her.
Avoid combat at all costs.