Pods — deadspace

Pods are small embryo-like Necromorphs that Guardians eject as a means of self-defense.

Overview

Alone, Pods can do very little, but in larger groups they can deal serious damage. When threatened, the Pod extends a tentacle that is capable of flinging sharp projectiles at Isaac. On the body, a heavily distorted mouth and eyes can be made out. The Pod is apparently filled with an organic explosive that causes it to burst when the tentacle is severed. Pods can be found wherever a Guardian is located, and are occasionally spawned from the Corruption as seen in Chapter 7 and also in Chapter 10.

Pods have the appearance of a human baby; it is thought they are made from underdeveloped fetuses or newborn infants, as in the original concept art Pods can been seen to have a fully intact head with two glowing yellow eyes, an upper trunk and two fully-formed infant arms including fingers.

Strategy

Pods are more of a pest than an endangerment. In most cases, Pods are most threatening on Impossible when Isaac is low on health. Therefore, it is safest to not charge a group on harder difficulties.
Pods in Dead Space 2 deal a deceptively large amount of damage to Isaac when they explode. On Casual difficulty, a single Pod explosion drops health down to critical levels. Keep your distance from any Pod, especially on higher difficulties or during hardcore runs.
The tentacle sprouted from a Pod is extremely vulnerable and a single shot from a Plasma Cutter or anything else should kill it on any difficulty.
Some weapons are better suited for severing a Pod's tentacle, more specifically weapons with a wide-ranged blast such as the Line Gun. A well placed shot can kill a group with a single blast, conserving ammunition.
After a Pod fires a projectile it takes time for it to "recharge", giving you a small window of opportunity to sever the tentacle.
If all else fails or you're low on ammo, use Stasis on multiple Pods and run past them. They will spring up in slow motion, and when the Stasis effect wears off, they will explode. Be careful not to run too close to the Guardian they were spat from, as it can decapitate you no matter how much health you have.
In the 2023 remake, Pods' explosions no longer deal damage to Isaac. On top of this, they are able to be killed in a single stomp. These two things combined make the stomp an extremely valuable tool for saving ammo when dealing with Guardians and while also being the easiest way to get the Backbreaker achievement.

Gallery

Death Scenes

If the player is hit with a projectile launched by a Pod while they have low enough health, Isaac will simply fall down, then squirm for a little bit before dying. This has a possibility of having Isaac end up dismembered, depending on where he's hit on the final blow.
If the player walks over to a Pod while they are low on health, the Pod will spring up and explode, killing and gibbing Isaac.