Poltergeist

The Poltergeist (Typhon dysmorpha) is a hostile Typhon encountered on Talos I in Prey and on Pytheas moon base in Prey: Mooncrash.

Overview
Occasionally, weavers aren't fully successful in their attempt to reanimate a phantom from a corpse, creating a poltergeist instead. Unlike phantoms, who patrol Talos I's corridors openly in search of prey, Poltergeists lurk out of sight, waiting for the right moment to hurl objects or throw their victims into the air.

Thus, poltergeists are ambush predators. However, unlike mimics, which disguise themselves as commonplace objects placed strategically within reach in the environment, poltergeists have the unique ability to turn invisible, which they use to attack from afar in places unseen. It's not at all uncommon to notice a poltergeist's presence only once it's already begun its attack. It may chose to throw objects telekinetically across the room, or generate a lift field, making its target easy prey for other aliens or crushing them against a low ceiling.

When they speak, they parrot many of the phrases from other phantom types, but their voices sound disembodied, projected through the speaker system. It should be noted that, despite poltergeists' ability to reproduce human speech and their resemblance to phantoms, not one of them is named or has a tracking bracelet on or inside them, perhaps for reasons similar to those of unnamed phantoms' existence.

The lift field power is unlocked by scanning this enemy. Alternatively, the lift field power and the poltergeist research data can be acquired via transferring a file from Sylvain Bellamy's workstation. On Pytheas, not only are the Poltergeist able to generate lift fields and to throw objects at their target, but they are also able to try and grab any object held in hands by their target, being sometimes able to disarm them.

Design
They look like deformed phantoms with thin springy arms that they use to drag themselves or crawl, and seemingly unusable legs and two eyes instead of twelve. Each of a poltergeist's two hands has five digits, one of them opposable. Poltergeists appear to have scoliosis.

Strategy
The first sign that there is a poltergeist nearby is a change to a harsh ambient music that sounds like a continuous ringing noise. Electronic-sounding shifting noises can also be heard soon after entering one's domain. Objects may start moving around and it can also be heard chattering through nearby speakers. Poltergeists will be made temporarily visible once struck, GLOO in particular can make them to remain this way longer if completely encased. You can use your psychoscope to track it if you look at it through the psychoscope and enemy markers are enabled in the HUD. Turrets can somehow detect poltergeists even when they are cloaked.

Unlike its cousin, the phantom, it lacks a melee attack, however, this should not be taken as an invitation to get in close as they are the only Typhon that actually do damage by just getting hit by wrench or ballistics (a sort of kinetic damage reflection, except they take damage too). This ability, like its invisibility, cannot be scanned, and does not appear to have much cool-down time between instances. While this makes the wrench non-advisable, the shotgun's wide spread makes it a useful tool to feel out its position in a room while also dealing moderate damage, though it can return damage from shotgun shells as well. The Q-beam can bypass this defense, and thus not result in any damage reflection. This "damage reflection" ability is passive, meaning that it is not disabled by psychoshock or nullwave transmitter. It is interesting to note that poltergeists are only vulnerable to the fear-inducing effects of backlash when they use passive damage reflection against you to counter kinetic damage you deal it. If you strike one while your backlash is active, it will flee and leave behind a light blue "fear trail" in the air, which will make tracking it easier for a short while.

Be careful to look at the floor, so you can see the lift field coming. If you get trapped in the lift field, use the Artax Propulsion System (found in the Hardware Labs) to escape. If in an open area this becomes less of a danger, but in rooms with low ceilings their field can deal critical damage.

Poltergeists are very susceptible to mines (aside from EMP). Not very evasive, it can be difficult for one to escape the radius of one once activated. In addition, their habit of drawing in objects to throw at you can be countered by planting them on objects such as chairs, tables and other small to medium sized fixtures they seem to prefer to weaponize, drawing them in to their own peril.

Poltergeists are instantly killed by descending grav shafts. They can go from full health to zero health just as they are about to exit the downward grav shaft they used.

Trivia

 * Despite apparently being derived by weavers from a process similar to phantom genesis, and their tendency to parrot human phrases, none of them can be identified as having been humans, or have any organic material in them. They appear to be as purely exotic as weavers and nightmares are.