Yaghra are a variety of fantastic creatures, followers of an unspoken social hierarchy that live in Nirn’s many oceans and seas. The extent of the Yaghra’s spread across the world is generally unknown, and they have no names known to surface-dwellers. These creatures seem to be susceptible to the power of necromancy, or the mind-control of Sea Sload. There are four main types of Yaghra; each with their own hierarchy and attacks.
Yaghra Larva
Description
Created from a species of crustacean-like bottom-feeders, Yaghra Larva have (or had) a symbiotic relationship with other sea life. They are workers, peons, and servants, low in the Yaghra social hierarchy. There are Minion, Suicide, and Hoarder varieties, all with main abilities, and each with a unique ability or two.
Abilities
- Quick Attack (Flog): The Larva holds its position, rears up, and bashes its forelegs on you. Avoid or block.
- Quick Attack (Body Bash): The Larva holds its position, pushes up, and pierces or bashes you with its bulbous abdomen. Avoid or block.
- Ranged Attack (Spiked Missile): This attack is attempted primarily on targets that have been “marked” by a Spewer using its Luminescent Mark ability. The Larva hunkers down, then launches itself, sticking to the target for a brief time (Crowd Control). Avoid or block. Roll dodge to dislodge one if it attaches to you.
- Defensive Spurt (Momentous Discharge): The Larva launches a disgusting spray of goo at you with explosive speed, while simultaneously propelling itself backward. Avoid this.
- Suicidal Burst (Explosive Toxins): The longer the Larva is in combat, the more likely it is to stop attacking at range, charge you, and explode in a burst of poisonous damage. Larva that emerge from Monstrosities are more likely to execute this attack. The ensuing Area Denial is also problematic, so dodge this if you can. The “Suicide” Larvae immediately launches this attack.
- Running (Scuttle and Chromatophorus) (Hoarder-only): The Larva Hoarder runs in a random direction, then begins pulsating before camouflaging into the environment. As these foes drop rare or valuable crafting materials, gold, and weapons or armor upon death, try to ascertain where they are and slay them. Hoarders are a rare spawn variant from the Monstrosity and have a small chance to spawn from small geysers and tidal pools.
Yaghra Strider
Description
Extremely aggressive, Striders show an impressive amount of unwavering loyalty to the greater Monstrosities, whom they view as their leaders. They also seem to revere Sea Sload as their gods. Striders act as soldiers, defending the Yaghra nest.
Abilities
- Quick Attack (Lacerate): The Strider lashes and pinches at its target with either front limb. This causes bleeding if it connects. Dodge or otherwise avoid it.
- Heavy Attack (Reave): The Strider aggressively extends its lower mandibles and bites you. This can stun and knock down, so be sure to block it.
- Multiple Attack Combo (Frenzy): The Strider makes a strange noise before beginning a sequence of vicious physical attacks, with increasing damage if left uninterrupted. Nearby Yaghra Striders that hear the noise also have a high chance of frenzying. Expect faster basic attacks and a high probability of this attack occurring if a Monstrosity has completed its Luminescent Mark ability on one of you. Interrupt this, ideally when you hear the noise before the attacks start.
- Closing the Gap (Lunge): The Strider suddenly lunges, teeth-first, and lands where you were when it started the attack. If you didn’t move, it sinks its teeth into you. So move! The landing AoE also creates damage, so retreat far from your position when the attack starts, if possible.
Yaghra Spewer
Description
Spewers have a similar social standing but exhibit more conservative ranged combat. They seem to call out targets for Striders to focus on and are intent on creating dangerous areas for their enemies to avoid.
Abilities
- Quick Attack (Purge): The Spewer fills its fluid sac with a quick inhale before forcing the blast at you. Avoid it.
- Quick Attack (Streaking Swipe): The Spewer, when engaged at melee range, slashes and pinches at you with its front limbs, dealing physical damage. Block or avoid it.
- Sky Projectile (Deluge): The Spewer aims its head upward and excretes projectiles several times until it runs out of fluid or is interrupted. The excretions land randomly around you, inflicting ticking damage to those entering the AoE they create. These filth bubbles burst after a few seconds, dealing heavy damage to those nearby. Enter the AoE radius before the burst, and you can expect to force the bursting with associated damage. Interrupt the attack to minimize the bubbles, and avoid the bubbles entirely.
- Projectile Marking (Luminescent Mark): After filling its back sac, the Spewer forces facial excretion at you, covering you with filth and marking you as a prime target for other enemies (in addition to minor ticking damage). The Spewer is propelled backward a little when it launches the attack. Expect to be targeted by the Strider’s Frenzy, and Larva’s Spiked Missile abilities if marked. Avoid.
Yaghra Monstrosity
Description
An obvious source of the Yaghra Larvae, these steadfast commanders oppress the battlefield through rapid reproduction and an almost unnatural (yet commanding) bond with all their lesser brethren.
Abilities
- Quick Attack (Stab): The Monstrosity uses either of its massive front limbs to stab at you with a downward motion. Avoid.
- Heavy Attack (Impale): The Monstrosity stands on its rear legs and slams down at you in an attempt to impale your skull. Expect an AoE immediately in front of the foe. Avoid.
- Summoning (Tocochlea): The Monstrosity convulses and forces Larva foes from its frontal abdominal orifice. Afterward, the Monstrosity jumps to its feet and continues combat or runs at you and explodes. This is a passive, defensive maneuver.
- Summoning (Hoarder): A Larva Hoarder may be summoned by a Monstrosity. Expect this to occur more often if combat against the Monstrosity is taking time to complete.
- Projectile (Pustulent Eruption): The Monstrosity shakes its rear abdomen, spilling fluids in all directions; these multiple line attacks are AoE, interruptible, and leave a pool of filth at the end of them for a few seconds before they bubble and burst apart, causing poisonous damage to affected targets. Interrupt this attack and avoid the projectiles.