Hell Knights were introduced in Doom II with the primary intent of adding more balance to the game, after complaints that the similar Barons of Hell were too tough in terms of strength, but not in terms of threat to the player, acting essentially as "meat shields"; with their lowered toughness, these creatures can be used more frequently in the game. Hell Knights appear and act like Barons of Hell, although Knights have half the hit points (500), a different tanned color and also emit different sounds. The Knights' long range attack consists of launching greenish fireballs, while at close range they will try to scratch a target with their claws. Hell Knights are relatively difficult to cause to participate in monster infighting (compared to other Doom monsters) with each other or Barons, however they will react against all the other creatures if fired upon (in Doom 64, Hell Knights and Barons can fight each other, though it is not as easy as other enemies).