Dead as Disco Guitar Soldiers — Enemy Guide & How to Beat Them

Variant table

Variant	Where	HP	Attack	Counter	Drop
Standard Guitar Soldier	Dex’s Stage warm-up corridor + Free Play waves	120	Pluck Strike — single beat poke	Parry on the upbeat	Broken Drumstick (1st kill, then ~10% rate).
Power Chord Soldier	Dex P1 + Hemlock Hard waves	180	4-string sweep on every other bar	Dodge backward, Heavy on recovery	Shred Magazine page.
Tremolo Soldier	Dex P2 catwalks	220	Sustained tremolo — DOT damage if you stand in front	Side-strafe on-beat, parry the closer	Dex Sticker (cosmetic).
Whammy Soldier	Dex P3 floor + Infinite Disco wave 18+	260	Pitch-bend wave that disables Special meter for 1 bar	Special-pop them first	Air Guitar progress.
Encore Guitar Soldier (rare)	Dex Encore phase + Hard Mode only	320	Mirrors your last 4-hit combo back at you	Vary combo strings — never repeat	Mirror Pickguard mic skin.

Dex side quest — 30 Guitar Soldier kills

Pick up the Broken Drumstick from the first Standard Guitar Soldier in Dex’s warm-up corridor (100% drop). Equip it from the Encore inventory, then farm 30 kills across any combination of Free Play, Story replays and Infinite Disco. Reward: Air Guitar dance move.

FAQ

What are Guitar Soldiers in Dead as Disco?

Guitar Soldiers are Dex’s elite enemy class — humanoid adds armed with electric guitars that attack on the music’s downbeat. They first appear in Dex’s warm-up corridor and recur in his fight, in Hard Mode Hemlock waves, and across Infinite Disco from wave 18 onwards.

How many Guitar Soldier types are there?

Five variants in the v0.1.x EA build: Standard, Power Chord, Tremolo, Whammy and the Hard-only Encore Guitar Soldier. The Encore variant mirrors your last 4-hit combo back at you, so vary your strings.

How do you beat Guitar Soldiers?

Parry the upbeat for Standard and Tremolo, dodge backward against Power Chord sweeps, and Special-pop Whammy Soldiers before they fire the pitch-bend wave (which disables your Special meter for one bar). Encore Guitar Soldiers require combo variation — never repeat the same 4-hit string.

Where do Guitar Soldiers spawn?

Dex’s Stage (every phase), Hard Mode Hemlock waves, Free Play custom waves, and Infinite Disco from wave 18+. The Dex side quest (Dex Quest — Guitar Soldiers) tracks 30 kills toward the Air Guitar dance move.

Do Guitar Soldiers drop anything useful?

Standard Guitar Soldiers drop the Broken Drumstick on first kill (used in the Drumkit Restoration side quest). Power Chord drops Shred Magazine pages, Whammy drops Air Guitar progress, and the Encore variant drops the Mirror Pickguard mic skin (Hard only).