Lambent

Polyp

Enemy Stats

The insect-like Polyps are the weakest of all hostiles you encounter, but even fodder finds strength in numbers. Though you may find a stray Polyp lurking in an abandoned car or ruptured pipe, Polyps tend to congregate in groups of six or more. Though it isn’t unheard of for Polyps to spawn from Stalk Pods, they most often deploy via a Leviathan’s tentacles. Polyps favor dark, narrow spaces where they can lie in wait of their prey. Be extra careful around sewers and ductwork. Lastly, some of Sera’s more resourceful inhabitants have taken to corralling large numbers of Polyps for use as booby traps. Consider yourself warned!

Polyps can spit Imulsion at their targets from a moderate distance, but they primarily attack with a jumping melee strike. They scamper across the floor at considerable speed and hurl themselves at their targets. You can kill Polyps easily with any weapon, though rate of fire and magazine capacity are important. We recommend backing away while you spray bullets at them from any assault rifle.

Lambent Wretch

Enemy Stats

The lowly Wretch was the first breed of Locust to be contaminated by Imulsion and turn Lambent—they’ve been a haunting thorn in the Gears’ side for a long time. Lambent Wretches have not changed since Delta Squad’s first encounter with them on that stormy night so many years ago. They tend to attack in small groups, but often take a less direct path to their prey than Polyps do. Capable of using their claws to clamber along walls and ceilings, Lambent Wretches can literally attack from any direction—even above!

Lambent Wretches lack a ranged attack and are forced to close in on their targets in an attempt to surround and claw them to death. It’s vitally important to keep Lambent Wretches from surrounding you—their claws inflict damage and they burst forth Imulsion upon dying. Lambent Wretches can leap over low cover, so keep your distance, stay mobile, and attack with an assault rifle or Scorcher from medium range. Switch to the Gnasher if they manage to encircle you. Blast one to create an opening, and then quickly somersault away from the others.

Former

Enemy Stats

Anyone who has ever wondered if Imulsion could turn humans Lambent now has the answer. Formers represent the final stage of Imulsion sickness. What begins with a fever and a cough, commonly referred to as “rust lung,” ends with a transformation into an otherworldly Former, also known as a Lambent human. Formers are primarily restricted to once-thriving human cities where the healthy made efforts to quarantine the diseased. Unfortunately, little can hold back the Formers once they catch the scent of flesh in the air.

Formers possess superhuman athletic ability and strength. They bound over rooftops, break down barricades, and disjoint their limbs to crawl under any obstacle in their path. They’re exceedingly fast and attack in swarming mobs that can easily overwhelm the Gears. Formers don’t hesitate to mantle over cover and can deliver a surprisingly hefty mantle kick. Defend against Formers by spraying your Lancer from the hip or by firing the Gnasher or Scorcher at them. Look to funnel the Formers through chokepoints, where you can eliminate large numbers of them with a single planted grenade. Formers explode on death and release only a minor amount of Imulsion.

Lambent Drone

Enemy Stats

Lambent Drones retain many of the traits common to regular Locust Drones, as they have only recently begun to feel the effects of the Lambent conversion. Lambent Drones spawn from Stalk Pods and are highly aggressive creatures, typically armed with a Hammerburst or Lancer. Lambent Drones are the most common type of Lambent enemy, and they often attack in small fire teams of three to four. Though they seldom attempt flanking maneuvers, Lambent Drones utilize cover if they have the opportunity, particularly if they spawn at a distance from their targets.

Unlike more advanced Lambent forms, Lambent Drones have no particular weakness. As is the case with Locust Drones, they’re susceptible to headshots and all manner of gunfire. It’s best to confront Lambent Drones at medium to long range, where you can best utilize cover and avoid their Imulsion bursts. Lambent Drones emit a sizable shot of Imulsion upon death, which can be lethal to injured Gears on harder difficulty settings. Think twice about executing Lambent Drones, and try to avoid blasting two Lambent Drones simultaneously with the Sawed-Off Shotgun, as the double Imulsion burst may be lethal at extremely close range.

Drudge

Enemy Stats

Drudges are the most complex Lambent species. Similar in size to a Lambent Drone, you can easily identify the Drudge by its large, glowing torso filled with Imulsion. This, along with its head, is its primary weaknesses and is where the COG should focus their fire. Drudges spawn from Stalk Pods and behave similarly to Lambent Drones—that is, until they’re drained of their HP. That’s when the Drudge’s power really shows itself.

Unless you defeat them with an explosion (e.g. Frag Grenade tag, Boomshot, Hammer of Dawn, or OneShot), Drudges have a chance to mutate randomly upon death. Once it’s drained of health, the Drudge may simply charge you in an attempt to catch you in the Imulsion explosion, or it may perform a leg mutation, arm mutation, head mutation, or some combination thereof. Each mutation poses a unique risk and demands the Gears’ full attention.

Leg Mutation: The Drudge grows in height, much like a stalk. The mutated torso and head gain a modified Hammerburst with increased accuracy and firepower—this weapon is not dropped upon death. Its tall stature allows the Drudge to shoot over low cover. Though it can’t move, Polyps spawn from the mutated Drudge’s base to distract players from its head. Shoot the head for maximum effect, periodically glancing toward its base to spot any Polyps as they appear.

Arm Mutation: The Drudge sprouts lengthy arms that lob Imulsion bombs at its prey. This mutation may be combined with a leg mutation, in which case the torso may also wield a modified Hammerburst. The arms can engage multiple targets and throw the Imulsion over low cover, making it vitally important to find tall cover. Target the arms to quickly eliminate them, and then focus fire on the stalk. The arms regenerate roughly four seconds after they’re severed, making it necessary to move quickly.

Head Mutation: The most dangerous mutation is the head. The Drudge grows in height just as with the leg mutation, but its head gains the ability to breathe fire. It can spew fire a considerable distance and can easily engulf enemies behind low cover. Move to tall cover or retreat a safe distance and fire at the Drudge’s head. Severing the head instantly kills the body, but the head still lives in the form of a Drudge Head Snake (500 HP). This Head Snake chases its nearby foes, breathing a deadly stream of fire. It erupts in a deadly Imulsion explosion upon death, so run, use cover to evade the chasing Head Snake, and target it from afar, preferably from the rear.

Gunker

Enemy Stats

Gunkers represent the top of the Lambent food chain, and they’re guaranteed to haunt the dreams of even the most battle-tested Gears. These hulking beasts represent the disgusting effects of Imulsion on the Locust’s heavy units. Like a cross between an enlarged Boomer and Mauler, Gunkers can inflict mortal damage from any range. Gunkers drop from Stalk Pods much like Drudges, but they’re much larger and demand absolute attention at first sight. Gunkers have no known weaknesses—targeting their torsos inflicts the same amount of damage as does shooting their heads.

With one surprise encounter being the lone exception, Gunkers spawn at a distance and immediately lob their Imulsion bombs at the COG forces. The trajectory of these deadly projectiles depends on the distance between the Gunker and its target. If its target is very far away, the Gunker arcs the Imulsion bombs high into the air, much like a artillery shells. On the other hand, if the target is at mid range, it can fire these Imulsion bombs on a much flatter trajectory, not unlike Boomshot rockets. Finding tall cover is absolutely critical to surviving an encounter against a Gunker. Blind fire from behind tall cover, and focus all heavy weapons fire on the beast from afar.

The Gunker is also quite capable of defending itself at close range. It rears back with its right arm and lunges forward with a vicious arm stab attack—this can also cause damage to those behind the Gunker’s right shoulder. The Gunker may also perform a heavy backhand slap attack with its left hand if its target is standing in front and to the left of the Gunker. The only safe place to battle a Gunker at extreme close range is behind its left shoulder. Circle-strafe around the Gunker to keep pace with its rotations, and maintain position behind its left shoulder while you fire with an assault rifle, Gnasher, or Sawed-Off Shotgun.

Lambent Zerker

Enemy Stats

The Lambent Zerker is the rarest of all the enemies you encounter during the campaign, and it’s among the most deadly. As with the Berserker’s standard Locust variant, the Lambent Zerker uses its acute sense of hearing to determine a target. It then charges headlong at its objective in an attempt to trample it to death. To stand in this rampaging beast’s way is to dance with death. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you must do to defeat this monstrosity.

The Lambent Zerker has but one vulnerability: the glowing innards within its chest cavity. The Lambent Zerker’s ribs open up while it charges forward to attack. It’s up to you to get its attention and open fire on its glowing organs. Use the Lancer, Hammerburst, or Gorgon SMG to sink enough bullets into it during the charge to land a critical hit and stop the beast in its tracks. Otherwise, roll out of harm’s way before you get squashed. Players must land four critical hits on the Lambent Zerker to defeat it, but its attack patterns change with each hit.

At first, the Lambent Zerker can only charge at the Gears. After one critical hit, it gains the ability to leap into the air and perform a powerful ground slam. After two hits, it begins leaving a toxic Imulsion trail behind it. After a third hit, it leaves an even more deadly trail of foggy Imulsion vapor behind it. The player must stay clear of these hazards to gain the best chance to score a critical hit. Draw the Lambent Zerker’s attention from the greatest possible distance. This will help maximize your time to shoot at the exposed ribcage before you have to side roll out of the way.