| |
| Arachnid | |
| Health |
1000 (base value)
|
| Attack Damage |
Railgun: 50 |
| Drops | |
| Found in | |
| [Source] | |
| “ | He uses dual railguns (one on each arm) for long range attacks, but can also swing each railgun equipped arm when his prey is in closer range. | ” |
—Quake II manual | ||
The Arachnid is a Strogg introduced in the Playstation version of Quake II - it is one of two Strogg enemies that was originally exclusive to the Playstation port, the other being the Guardian. The Arachnid combines a humanoid torso (somewhat resembling the upper body of a Gunner) with a semi-organic set of legs and a pair of railguns on its arms, used for both long-range and melee attacks. The Arachnid is relatively slow but sturdy, with health even greater than the Tank and only outmatched by the boss enemies. It is also among the rarest of enemies, only encountered in two levels - the Torture Chambers and the Power Plant.
The 2023 remaster of Quake II introduces the Arachnid to the PC, and a single Arachnid makes an appearance in the single-player campaign Call of the Machine. However, the Arachnid did not receive a graphics update as almost all other enemies and weapons did in the remaster, and so it retains its blocky, low-resolution appearance; it also lacks the graphics changes showing when its health has been reduced to less than half, as with most other Strogg. At this point, the damage inflicted by its railguns was reduced.
In October 2024, the unofficial community project Quake II PSX was released. This project provides the Arachnid with a brand-new model (including pain skins for when it is down to less than half health) and a complete rework of its combat characteristics.
Weapons[]
Railguns: The Arachnid's dual railguns are fired one after the other, right first. Like the railgun fired by the Gladiator, it is a hitscan weapon but it can be avoided by consistent strafing to either side; so long as the player is strafing, it will fire at the point the player was a moment ago.
Melee: In melee range, the Arachnid uses the railguns as improvised clubs, striking twice in succession.
Strategies[]
- The Arachnid can be confronted out in the open without taking damage if the player is careful. Facing an Arachnid in the open, the same general tactics used against a Gladiator should be used here too; its railguns can be dodged by strafing, although the player should be careful not to change direction just as the Arachnid is about to fire, or the player may dodge back into the path of the shot. If facing an Arachnid in the open in this fashion, the ideal weapon would be the Chain Gun or Hyperblaster due to their excellent damage output. Despite the Arachnid's sturdy health, either of these weapons can bring it down in around five seconds.
- The player can use "peekaboo" tactics instead, popping out behind cover just long enough to take a shot then ducking back out of sight to avoid its return fire. The Arachnid is a large enough target that the Super Shotgun can be used effectively here, otherwise the Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher are worthy options.
- As with the Gladiator, it is possible for the player to approach the Arachnid close enough to provoke its melee attack then backing away to dodge it, although this tactic is less effective against the Arachnid encountered in the 2023 remaster; if the player continues to try to provoke the melee attack repeatedly, the Arachnid may simply fire its railguns instead at point-blank range. In the original Playstation version, the Arachnid would sometimes get "stuck" when the player is close, although it might be inadvisable to rely on this as a tactic.
- The Arachnid can be reasonably expected to defeat other Strogg if infighting occurs. If encountered alongside lesser Strogg such as Gunners or Iron Maidens, it may be possible to goad them into hitting each other accidentally. However, in the PC version, beware that the railguns of the Arachnid can pass through a Strogg to hit anything behind, just as your own Railgun can.
- Quake II PSX gives the Arachnid a new attack behaviour; if the player repeatedly dodges the Arachnid's attacks, it may fire a volley of three very accurate shots. The Arachnid will perform a threat display before unleashing the volley, at which point the player should take cover if possible.
Appearance statistics[]
| Campaign | Easy | Medium | Hard/Nightmare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quake II | - | - | - |
| The Reckoning | - | - | - |
| Ground Zero | - | - | - |
| Quake II 64 | - | - | - |
| Quake II (Playstation) | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Call of the Machine* | 1 | 1 | 1 |
*The Arachnid in Call of the Machine has 1500 health rather than the usual 1000.
Quake II PSX[]
Quake II PSX introduces several balance changes to the Arachnid:
- the health of those Arachnids seen in the PSX campaign have been increased to 1500, matching the one in Call of the Machine
- railgun damage increased to 50 (from 35), matching the original Playstation port
- no longer susceptible to infighting
- a new attack behaviour that the Arachnid can employ if the player repeatedly dodges its railgun attacks. The Arachnid will perform a threat display and then unleash a volley of three very accurate shots.
- on Nightmare difficulty, the Arachnid can summon up to two Stalkers when performing its threat display
Furthermore, on the harder difficulty settings, two additional Arachnids are added to the Quake II PSX campaign that were not present in the original Playstation campaign, in Defense Command and Gravity Booster.
Trivia[]
- Despite its name, the Arachnid actually only has six legs.
- Its sound effects in the Playstation version were recycled from the Brains, an enemy that was not present in the Playstation campaign.
- Arachnids often drop cells when they are killed, although their railguns use slugs as ammunition.
Gallery[]
