User blog:Willbachbakal/Singleplayer Enemies: Sly Splicer



It's time for something new! Ever felt you were fighting a gaggle of idiots who simply ran at you, ignorant of their imminent and violent death? With the Sly Splicer around, not anymore.

Research Bonuses

 * Level 1: Hypnotize plasmid
 * Level 2: +Damage
 * Level 3: New Gene Tonic (will be added later)
 * Level 4: ++Damage
 * Level 5: Can have up to three hacked Security Bots around instead of two.

Description
Contrarily to what the picture suggests, these Splicers haven't found a way to melt into goo. However, these guys are fairly small (about two-thirds the size of a typical Splicer) and the fingernails on one of their arms have mutated into giant, serrated claws. Despite their seemingly weak build, they have more health than the average Splicer. They also have a wide range of other perks:

Magnetic Personality: Don't let this guy get anywhere near your machines, even if you've hacked them. In combat, he will instantly turn all nearby machinery, including friendly Security Devices, against his enemies. Thankfully, the machines revert to normal after he dies. This ability also means you'll frequently encounter him with an escort of one or two Security Bots.

Leader Streak: The Sly Splicer is, de facto, the brains of whichever operation is going on at the moment. Every Splicers near the Sly are not only faster, but also smarter: tbey'll try to dodge your shots, work as a team, and use battle tactics against you. For example, whereas you'd normally be fighting a horde of goons who'd run towards you one after the other, with this Splicer around some of them will take cover much more often and shoot you while you're not looking at them. Others will also try to flank you, trap you, and set off hazards near you.

Attention Seeker: This Splicer loves company. So much, in fact, that if you attack him while he's alone he'll let out a deafening scream, calling any Splicers in the area to him. Make sure there isn't some kind of angry mob in the next room when he does this.

Backseat Driver: This Splicer likes giving others a helping hand. So it comes off as natural when the little guy runs towards another Splicer, jumps onto their back, and sinks his claws into the poor guy's neck. The effect is immediately visible: the victim's eyes will glow an unnatural green, and they'll roughly double in size. The net result is: the Splicer who gave the Sly a piggyback ride is now faster, stronger, and far more deadly. Pray he doesn't do this to a nearby Brute.

Power Punch: Don't underestimate the little guy's strength. If you get too close to a Sly Splicer, he'll punch you with his clawed hand, sending you flying backwards.

As you can see, most of his abilities only work when he's around other Splicers and Security Devices. Alone, he's not much of a threat and can be dealt with fairly easily. Once he gets a few friends, though, he can be a major problem, more so even than a Brute Splicer in some cases (mainly because he'll be controlling a Brute, if you're that unlucky). The trick is to try and outsmart him: isolate him, and take him out when he's completely alone.

Evolution
You'd think this Splicer wouldn't be able to do much more against you, what with all the nasty little abilities he already has. But after the midpoint he gains the nastiest ability of all: he can resurrect the dead. He basically runs up to the nearest corpse, stabs them with his trusty claw-hand, and poof, dead people come back to life. Luckily for you, however, the corpses he resurrects are nothing more than mindless zombies: they have half the health they had when they were alive, and can only ataack you with their bare hands. They're also rather green and decayed, and explode harmlessly into a shower of putrid body parts if you kill them (again). Not so threatening when he does this to a lone ex-Thuggish Splicer. More problematic if he does this to an entire group of enemies, or even one of the big guys (Brute, Big Daddy... not Big Sister, though).

Sorry this took some time, I was scouring the internet for more news nuggets concerning Minerva's Den. Happy?

Back to the enemies section.

Back to the Hub.