Bug enemies will sometimes lose their head upon death, but no humanoid characters are decapitated. Additionally, an oft-humanized machine (the drilldozer) has a "head" which pops off at the end of each mission, but which can be brought back, implying whatever consciousness it has remains in-tact.
No, although some voice lines reference loss as well as a specific dwarf named Karl, who is only ever suggested but could be assumed to have died in the caves.
Certain enemies have sharpened claws for attacking, and the player can use a pickaxe to attack enemies. However, the violence is largely unfocused and light, and using these attacks effectively operates the same as any other damage source in the game.
See "is someone stalked?" - certain enemies and lore details suggest a rival corporation is watching the actions of the focus mining company, potentially including the player.
There isn't an actual "hell", but there's a zone that's pretty much a volcanic cave which could remind someone of it. If that still bothers you, you can avoid it by not picking that zone.
Glyphids are often victims of deadly or crippling mutations. Ebonite and Kursite-infected enemies can be encountered if you start a Machine Event. These events can be avoided by simply not activating Overcharge Sprinklers or Kursite Grinders.
Season 3, Plaguefall, introduced a new faction of extraterrestrial lithiophage called Rockpox. Lithiophage Parasites and Rockpox Spikes attack and corrupt not just the surrounding terrain, but mutate Glyphids as well with large yellow pustules and big red veiny coverings. This disease is outright said to be agonizing and fatal.
As of current no disease or parasite can affect the playable Dwarves.
TL;DR: No human or human-adjacent characters are diseased, but Glyphids are very susceptible and suffer from highly dangerous and fatal mutations that vastly change their appearance.
Ocasionally rival robots will fly past the Space Rig, and the Nemesis was designed for the sole purpose of exterminating DRG employees, so it’s safe to say you’re on the rival corporation’s radar.
The Glyphid Bulk Detonator will slowly follow you through the map and try to kill you with its Hellfire if it catches up, digging through terrain to get to you.
The Rival Tech Nemesis patrols the caves looking for Dwarves and calling out in the voice of your teammates. When it sees you, it’ll attempt to kill you while making threats.
One of the voicelines notes that Red Sugar, a healing consumable, is apparently addictive. However whether or not it actually is isn’t clear since your character won’t consume any more of it if they’re at full health
Until the addition of the OMEN Modular Exterminator and later the rival robots, all the enemies you fight are animals. Most are scary, but there’s also the cute Lootbugs that purr and wiggle when you pet them. And since they’re full of minerals, it’s not unlikely a teammate will kill them. There’s even an ability that causes them to explode when you get close to them.
It is possible to have an optional perk called "Beastmaster" where you can tame an enemy glyphid. They will usually die, generally prompting a sad or remorseful remark from your character. This can be somewhat distressing to some players. You can avoid this by not taking the perk, but other players you can join with may have it. The safest option is to play solo or w/ people you know aren't using it.
If grabbed by certain enemies (like the Glyphid Stingail, and the Cave Leech) then yes. Though, you can bring a perk that gives you a brief warning before it happens.
One Glyphid variant has its forearms replaced with giant blades which it uses to attack you. The Driller class also has throwing axes which stick into surfaces and enemies.
Cargo in the form of Hacking Pods, Drop Pods, and Supply Pods have large drills on the bottom to ploughing through terrain and will reduce the health of anything they hit on the way down to zero. Dwarves will be downed and robotic NPCs will shrug it off, enemies including tamable Grunts will be crushed to death instantly.
TL;DR: No humans or human-adjacent characters are crushed to death, but you can use Supply Drops to kill enemies.
Glyphids are subject to many diseases, including Rockpox, Kursite, and Ebonite. It covers their body in boils, parasites, stones, and scar tissue. The Glyphid Bulk Detonator in particular exploits this trope, having massive glowing boils and a body covered in tumors and scar tissue. You can avoid these infections by choosing not to activate Kursite Grinders or Overcharge Sprinklers as well as checking for Rockpox mutation on levels. Exploders and Detonators however spawn at random.
This is the main threat in “low-oxygen” hazard mutation levels. The playable Dwarves will begin to have a hard time breathing and call out for oxygen as their oxygen meter decreases. If this is a trigger for you, make sure to check for this mutation. Asphyxiation doesn’t occur at any other point in the game’s story or outside of these hazard levels.
If you or another player drinks too much at the Abyss Bar, they’ll blackout and wake-up in the medbay. You get the same result if you fail a mission as well.
Unknown horror is a sort of ghost entity that appears to be a giant exploder (hinting by the blobs on it's back), and is invincible, it's simply called unknown horror, and has no real name. although, keep your distance, because it will decimate you upon getting in range, and it will chase down the team slowly.
The Cave Leech, Glyphid Exploder, and Mactera Grabber all do this as part of their attacks. It’s also easy to get jumpscared when enemies come out of hiding or spawn in
BET-C is found mind controlled by two Xynarch Charge-suckers which have rewired her to attack you, and her already stilted and unpredictable movements don’t help reduce the creep factor.
Killing the Xynarchs and repairing BET-C will bring her back to her normal self.
No human characters have outright cancer but Glyphids get it pretty damn hard with visible body horror.
Exploders/Detonators are covered in tumorous growths and have big yellow boils that can be popped for extra damage.
Rockpox also causes tumorous growths in the form of Squishable Parasites on the skin of Glyphids. Kursite causes yellow crystalline growths to jut through the flesh of infected Glyphids. Ebonite causes rocky growths to entirely envelop infected Glyphids.
There is a photosensitive mode, but it is currently a WIP and it does not rid of things such as the intense muzzle flash, the VHS filter over the game, and some bugs where flashing is not supposed to happen.
The Brood Nexus constantly spews Glyphid Spawns, genetic clones of an enemy called the Glyphid, from its multiple pulsating mouths. The Naedocyte Breeder also lays egg clusters in the same fashion, though it only has one "mouth".
No, however the Driller and Gunner will tell the Scout to “stop whining” or “pull yourself together” at the beginning of missions if certain voice lines play. This is barely comparable to the trigger though.
As of yet the game has no ending, but individual missions do. If your team, including one of the escort mission NPCs, miss the droppod they end up being recovered off screen anyway, as seen with one mission failure animation where a drone hauls you back onto the Spacerig.
While the blood of enemies is usually green and for some blue or orange, you and your teammates have red human blood. It’s hard to notice though other than a quick red flash. Though if bodily fluids or blood substitutes still freak you out, may not be the best game to play since you can get entire areas splattered in alien blood that covers the terrain.