List of Gears of War characters
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This article is a list of characters, creatures, and organizations encountered in Epic Games' Xbox 360 video game Gears of War.
Coalition of Ordered Governments (C.O.G.)
During the seventy-nine year Pendulum Wars, the Coalition of Ordered Governments, or COG, became a legitimate minor political party. Founded long before the Pendulum Wars by fanatical socialist Alexiy Desipich, the party was based on an obscure world-government philosophy based on eight guiding principle values: Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humility.
The Pendulum Wars finally ended with the COG establishing control over Sera, with magnificent cities and culture returning to the war-torn planet. Fuel problems arose later in the age however, but the COG discovered a substance dubbed "Imulsion" that was pumped by the tons out of the planet, and would end Sera's fuel problems forever. Many believed a new golden age was upon them, until the event known as "Emergence Day."
Delta Squad
Throughout the Gears of War campaign, the game experience is centered around the members of a COG unit known as Delta Squad. During the first act of the game, several characters will rotate in and out of Delta Squad. The first to die in Delta Squad is Private Carmine, who gets shot in the head by an enemy sniper while trying to fix his jammed Lancer rifle. Later, Delta comes across Alpha Squad Augustus "Cole Train" Cole. When Delta reaches Alpha Squad, Lieutenant Kim is separated and killed by General RAAM. After Kim dies, Delta and Alpha retreat in a nearby building in which they meet up with Private Damon Baird.
Marcus Fenix
Marcus Fenix (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the protagonist of the game. He once led a famed military career,[1] but unjustly receives a court marshal and prison sentence for leaving his post in order to make a vain attempt to save his father.[2] Four years into the sentence,[3] his friend, Dominic Santiago, liberates him from the prison and reinstates him into the military during the game's opening cinematic.
Dominic Santiago
Dominic (voiced by Carlos Ferro) is a vocal, colorful, yet practical soldier. He is loyal to a fault, especially with his friends, and has no patience for those who think of themselves first.[citation needed] He steadfastly believes in his country and leaders,[citation needed] though he finds his faith slipping in the face of endless war, prompted by his wife's disappearance during the Emergence Day cataclysm. For him, the fight against the Locust is deeply personal.[citation needed]
Augustus Cole
Augustus Cole, aka "The Cole Train", is a former professional "Thrashball" player for the Cougars, number 83, according to Baird. It is not explained exactly what Thrashball is, but its terminology and social aspects make it seem like a close cousin of American football. Members of the stranded as well as fellow COG soldiers often recognize him based on his Thrashball days. He craves action and prefers the most direct path to his next fight. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up for in raw energy. Along with his child-like enthusiasm and charm, Cole is confident in his own abilities to overcome anything. He has yet to be proven wrong. Cole is member of Alpha squad but joins Delta Squad during Act 1, and teams up with Baird or Dom when the team splits up. He is voiced by Lester Speight, a.k.a. the Mighty Rasta.
Damon Baird
A cynical and reluctant soldier, Baird's main strengths lie in his intelligence. He is Delta Squad's technical specialist, and is highly knowledgable about the Locust Horde. For this reason, he is a great asset to his fellow Gears. Among other things, he also excels in mechanics, hacking and other repair-related tasks, such as repairing a damaged APC and hacking into geobots.
Minh Young Kim
Lieutenant Kim is a strict soldier, who closely follows the COG’s rules and code of conduct. During the game’s first act, Hoffman entrusts Kim to lead Fenix and the rest of Delta Squadron to locate Alpha Squad. He succeeds in finding the remnants of Alpha Squad, but fails to acquire extraction. Kim is separated from his comrades during an intense fire-fight with the Locust. While attempting to give orders, General RAAM kills Kim with a Serrated sword. Fenix is promoted to sergeant and is selected to succeed Kim. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.
Carmine
Carmine, along with Lieutenant Kim, is one of the original members of Delta Squad. He possesses a bright and gung-ho attitude. Also, Carmine is the only soldier in Delta Squad whose face is masked by a helmet. Carmine meets Fenix en route to Colonel Hoffman’s location, and serves with him in Delta Squad through portions of the game’s first act. A Locust sniper kills Carmine after he leaves his cover and complains about his malfunctioning Lancer rifle. Carmine's character is voiced by Michael Gough.
Other COG Characters
Anya Stroud
Lieutenant Anya Stroud is the only female member of COG visually seen in Gears of War. She is usually detailing location information through radio for Fenix, Dom, or Kim — particularly where to go next, if the Hammer of Dawn is online or whether hostiles are en route, and during act 3, directs mine carts used by Delta squad for transportation. She is only visible once throughout the entire game, on board a King Raven towards the end of the opening cutscene of Act 1. She is voiced by Nan McNamara.
Victor Hoffman
Colonel Victor Hoffman commands the Fenix and Delta Squad. He makes brief appearances two cinematic sequences near the game’s beginning and ending. He primarily communicates with Delta squad through a radio. In the beginning of Gears of War, Hoffman is reluctant to reinstate Fenix into the military. However, given the COG Army's lack of proper talent and personnel, he allows Fenix to fight. Hoffman eventually grows to trust Fenix; Hoffman allows Fenix to lead Delta Squadron, and ultimately helps save him from falling in the game's end. During the game Delta Squad is working on his plan to destroy the Locust Stronghold by finding and deploying a resonator and then deploying the Lightmass Bomb once the targeting data is recived. Hoffman delivers a victory speech during the game’s final cinematic after the Lightmass Bomb destroys the Locust Stronghold and most of the Horde, and vows the humans will rebuild their civilization on Sera. He is voiced by Jamie Alcroft.
Rojas
A member of Alpha Squad, Rojas is killed by Locusts while making their way through the House of Sovereigns. After rescuing Private Augustus Cole, Marcus, Dom, and Kim come across Rojas's corpse. Players never see Rojas in the game apart from his dead body. He is known to have a two year old son.
Other COG Gears
Several other anonymous, helmeted COG Gears appear in the game as well. Many are corpses, though several are alive and play a minor role in the story.
- Towards the end of Act 1, when Baird is first met, two Gears accompany him. One is killed in the chaos that follows the helicopter's destruction. The other, identified as "Redshirt Gyules" in the credits, escapes to the Tomb of the Unknowns with the rest of the squad, but panics when the Beserker approaches, runs from the squad, and is beaten to death off-screen. Gyules is voiced by Bruce DuBose.
- Another COG is brought to General RAAM at the end of Act 3, and is promptly shot in the head with a Boltok pistol.
- At the beginning of Act 4, a helicopter with a Gear clearly visible is shot down by Nemacysts. When the squad reaches the chopper, dead Gears are found, as well as one fairly healthy Gear and another who is throwing up his own blood. Their fates are unknown, but it is assumed that they were evacuated, as Cole and Baird stay back to help them.
Jack
A Jack of all Trades robot, Jack for short.[4] It has limited A.I., does not talk, and responds only to simple commands. It is always alongside Delta Squad, hovering about with a cloaking device that makes the robot unseen until it decloaks to make itself useful.
Jack is used for cutting doors, communications, first aid and minor field surgery, as well as other delicate operations both during and outside of combat.[4] Often the Gears will have to defend Jack while it cuts open doors. In Act 4 of Gears of War, Jack is also used to download and store Adam Fenix's research data, which contained detailed maps of the Locust underground systems, and would be used with the Lightmass bomb to destroy many of the underground Locust forces.
Locust Horde
The Locust Horde are a collection of various species, some bipedal and some distinctly bestial. The Horde inhabited the subterranean regions of Sera, until Emergence Day, when they emerged across the surface in a massive, overwhelming attack against the human population. The Horde's only known objective is the complete and total annihilation of the human population of Sera. The Locust Horde exists in underground tunnels known as the Hollow, which is a short term used to describe the hollow portions of planet Sera.[5] The Locust Horde was named as such because of their aggressive and violent nature, destroying everything in their path like a swarm of hungry locusts. Humans refer to the Locust Horde as "grubs," a derogatory term connected to their name. At the end of Act 4 it is discovered that the Locust Tunnels are honeycombed throughout the crust of the entire planet and are bigger than anyone ever anticipated. The Hollow is destroyed in the end of the game by Fenix and Dom with the Lightmass Bomb but is revealed that at least some of the Locust survived the explosion.
Leaders
Locust Queen (Myrrah)
This section's information is based on speculation. View this article's talk page or discuss it on the Gears of War forums at Epic Games for further discussion.
At various times throughout the game, narration is provided by a female character; her voice is heard during the opening cinematic, the death of Lt. Kim, and the end-game sequence; as well as during split-screen or online multiplayer when the Locust side loses or wins. The tone and words of her speech indicate that this is some form of faction leader, or Locust Queen. In the credits sequence the game mentions the character 'Myrrah', voice acted by Carolyn Seymour. She is never seen in game or during any of the cutscenes. There is also evidence pointing to the voice being the queen in multiplayer, as the COG players are spoken to by Colonel Hoffman, the Locust players are briefed by the same female character from the campaign.
There is very clear evidence that there is a Locust Queen. For example, in the cut scene preluding the final boss battle, General RAAM emerges onto a platform on the train, and says "Serve the Queen!" In addition, during various parts of the campaign where players are faced against Boomers, they can be heard gargling "For Queen!" In multiplayer, if a downed Locust is revived, the Locust who revived him sometimes says For the Queen! When the Locust lose a match in multiplayer, the "Queen" can be heard saying, "Perhaps the Locust are not so mighty after all," or "Are the humans stronger than you, after all?" perhaps hinting that she is not of the Locust herself. However, in the end of game cut scene, she regards as to why "They do not understand why we wage this war," hinting that she is either a Locust or aligned with them.
General RAAM
General RAAM is the main villain and final boss of Gears of War voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He is a mostly silent and savage Locust general with a dark cinematic presence. He appears as a large Locust shrouded in Kryll. RAAM has pronounced facial features, with large, bony eyebrow ridges and a constant snarling expression. General RAAM's name implies that the Locust Horde follows a sort of military command hierarchy, but the only known military title for the Locust Horde is General. Though Theron Guards are generally considered to be Locust field commanders.
Though he appears only three times in the entire game, General RAAM is nevertheless a fearsome and imposing figure. He is first seen at the end of Act 1, when he lifts Lieutenant Kim off the ground with one hand and impales him with a serrated sword. He is seen again at the end of Act 3, as a nameless COG soldier is captured by the Locust, and RAAM is apparently using the soldier's radio to listen in on the conversation between Control and Delta Squad that reveals their objectives in East Barricade Academy. He then shoots the soldier in the head. His last appearance is in the game's climax, as the final obstacle between the Gears and the Lightmass bomb they need to detonate.
During the player's final battle with RAAM, he carries a Troika machine gun; although this weapon is traditionally mounted on a turret, RAAM wields the weapon by hand with apparent ease, suggesting his incredible strength. He is protected by a shield of swarming Kryll, which he commands to attack the player when they are away from light or in shadows. Without his Kryll shield, RAAM is momentarily vulnerable to damage. Eventually he is killed by Marcus, with the help of Dom and a King Raven helicopter with Baird and Cole acting as gunners.
Although it is shown that General RAAM stands several heads above a normal human during the campaign, the multiplayer model of RAAM is not the same size; rather, he retains a size similar to that of other models, but still being the largest (standing a bit taller than the Theron models, who are larger than the other in game models).
Drones
Drones appear to be the common race among the Locust Horde. They grow to be more than 2 meters tall and weigh 120 kilograms (roughly 265 pounds). They seem to appear larger than humans with white skin and gray patches. Some Drones, particularly snipers and Troika gunners, wear goggles.
They were bred in the Hollow to be bloodthirsty fighters and want one thing: to tear Gears limb from limb. When ordered, Drones will throw their lives away by the hundreds to kill one entrenched Gear. They often crawl out of "Emergence Holes", which the Locust use as a bridge between underground and the surface world. Drones are intelligent opponents, trained from birth to destroy Coalition troops, who follow basic infantry tactics of flanking, dominating the terrain, and setting up ambushes.
They usually wield the Hammerburst, a burst-fire assault rifle. Some regular Drones also use the Lancer assault rifle, and will utilize the chainsaw bayonet to lethal effect. Most basic Drones wear a helmet and body armor while Grenadiers (who normally wield Gnasher shotguns and frag grenades) mainly go into battle without chest armour, due to their lower combat life expectancy. The Drone Grenadier's plan of attack is simple: to charge the enemy gun blazing. Although Grenadiers are seen unarmored, their lack of chest armor does not affect their amount of hit points. It is also stated in the Gears of War Versus Character Selection that Drone Grenadiers possess an extremely thick skull and skin, giving them extra protection than an average Drone trooper. There are also sniper Drones, who wield the longshot rifle. Although snipers can attack from afar, their low hit points make them vulnerable to counterfire.
The standard Drone, Grenadier, Grenadier Elite, and Sniper are all playable in multiplayer.
Boomers
Boomers are large and slow moving Locusts carrying heavy weaponry. A Boomer's weapon of choice is a rocket launcher specifically modified for its large size: the Boomshot, which they will fire while shouting "Boom!" (which acts as a warning for players to attempt evasive action). They are often seen partnered with other Boomers or Drones. The slow reload time of the Boomshot and lumbering speed are a Boomer's biggest weakness, and a lone Boomer poses little problem to a COG soldier who is adept at using cover. A Boomer can lend a powerful swipe with one massive arm, causing considerable damage or injury to any human that gets too close. A Boomer's massive footsteps can be felt if the controller rumbles, indicating that a Boomer is near.
Berserkers
Berserkers are immense female Locust who fight using sheer strength and toughness. They grow to be 2.2 meters tall and weigh 260 kilograms (573.2 lb). They cannot see, instead using sound and scent to detect enemies. The slightest click of a gun can be heard by these creatures. Berserkers charge forward and rip apart any living creature upon even the least threatening noise, such as the flutter of bird wings. The Berserkers will also charge when a player is too close, picking up their scent. They walk slowly, often with their hand out to feel their surroundings. While appearing as the version of a Locust Drone, Berserkers are still extremely dangerous to be around even to their own kind, as seen during the game when a Berserker is escorted by two Drones who use metal chains to restrain the creature. This proves useless as the roused Berserker breaks both restraints and apparently kills both of the Drones. Charging Berserkers are powerful enough to smash through solid stone walls with ease and can kill armored humans in a single blow. Berserkers are immune to small arms and most explosives, but can be harmed by the satellite-based Hammer of Dawn. If confronted by a Berserker whilst the Hammer of Dawn is unusable, a COG soldier will have to be quick-footed and very resourceful if they hope to survive the encounter; yet, out of three encounters in the game, there is only one with a Berserker that puts the player in a situation where the Hammer of Dawn is offline.
Theron Guards
Delta Squad first encounters Theron Guards protecting the Imulsion pumping station at the end of Act 3. Cold, calculating, and vicious elite warriors, they are easily distinguished from Drones as they wear metallic masks and long leather-like coats that trail behind them as they move. Their sibilant voices have been known to scare Gears into fleeing. Theron Guards are faster, tougher, better-armed, more intelligent than an average Drone, and are described as being the best Locust soldier bred in the hollow. Theron Guards speak in hushed, short sentences, often saying single words. They often appear to be tasked with commanding groups of Locust Drones and are often seen leading them into battle. Their primary weapon is the Torque Bow, though they always keep a back-up weapon in case their Bows run out, particularly Boltok Pistols. In addition, many Theron guards also use the Lancer (including the chainsaw) to devastating effect.
Two types of Theron guards, the standard and the higher-ranking Theron Sentinel, are playable in multiplayer. Theron sentinels are much tougher than guards, but seem slightly slower and fewer in number.
Wretches
Small, aggressive members of the Locust Horde that are capable of climbing almost any surface. They run at the player on all fours, and attack with the claws on their forearms. Their tactics include climbing on surfaces and jumping forward in a frenzy to attack their prey. They are weak yet fast and come in large numbers, often used as a distraction or cannon fodder by the Locust. They often make their presence known before attacking by letting out a high-pitched scream that often shatters nearby glass or objects. They are very dangerous to Gears that forget to look up or are overwhelmed by a subsequent attack.
Later in the game, a new kind of Wretch is encountered, a type that has become lambent after exposure to Imulsion. This kind of Wretch is called a "Dark" or "Lambent" Wretch and explodes when killed, injuring players who are too close, making them extremely dangerous. Lambent Wretches also kill one another when they explode, causing chain reactions, sometimes clearing entire rooms.
Seeders
Large, arachnid-like Locust that launch Nemacysts into the air. When Seeders are present in an area, they scramble COG radio frequencies. Spawned Nemacysts then home in on the player, exploding on impact. Seeders can only be killed using the Hammer of Dawn. In the game, jammed communications prelude Seeder encounters. Although the Seeders can launch Nemacysts out of their posterior (their "heads" remain underground), they do not attack the player by themselves.
Nemacyst
Globe shaped Locust with tentacles hanging from their underbelly, Nemacyst are used as self-guided explosives, often launching themselves at vehicles, buildings, and Humans. At several points throughout the game, Nemacysts attack and destroy COG King Raven Helicopters. In large numbers, Nemacysts are also capable of releasing a thick inky cloud in the air, blotting out the sky and preventing the Hammer of Dawn from being used. When impacted by a bullet or any other kind of weaponry projectile a Nemacyst will explode prematurely. It is also possible to down a Nemacyst by shooting the tentacles, causing the creature to crash and explode on the ground. Nemacyst are spawned by Seeders, released from their posteriors.
Reavers
Large, flying creatures about eight to ten times the size of a Drone. They are saddled up and ridden by a pilot Drone as well as a passenger Drone or Theron Guard. Reavers are vulnerable to all types of firearms, though chaingun turrets are particularly effective. During the final battle with General RAAM, Reavers fly alongside the train and attack both the player and Colonel Hoffman's King Raven helicopter, making it extremely difficult to hide from enemy fire on harder difficulties. Strangely, all therons who ride reavers do not wear helmets.
'Rhino' Reaver
A large, flying creature similar in appearance to the Reaver, but has a head reminiscent of a rhinoceros beetle and it is larger. It is seen only once during the end game cutscene and is never encountered by the player during combat. The Rhino Reaver is piloted by a Theron Sentinel who wears a long slender cape. The Rhino Reaver also appears to have a mounted machine-gun and other machinery assimilated into its flesh.
Corpser
The Corpser is an arachnid variant of a Locust. It is a large spider-like creature with multiple eyes and large elongated teeth. The Corpser has eight thick armored legs that guard its vulnerable underbelly, which is the only exposed part of its body. Corpsers are very resistant to damage, and even when hit in critical areas, small arms only seem to cause them irritation and pain rather than any significant injury. The Locust Horde uses the Corpser to dig tunnels through the soil of Sera, allowing the other members of The Horde to move about undetected, even allowing them to dig behind COG lines. The Jacinto Plateau, which is positioned on a huge slab of granite, is the only place on Sera that the Horde could not dig through. It appears in Gears of War in the prison level of Act 1, as a boss battle in Act 3, and is seen in the game's final cutscene. Throughout the beginning of Act 2, the player is also stalked by a Corpser, which causes random earthquakes and digs tunnels to allow other Locust to attack the player.
Only one Corpser makes an appearance as a combatable enemy throughout the game. The Corpser is battled in Act 3, where Marcus and Dom defeat it by gradually forcing it back, shooting at its underbelly when it raises its legs to attack and shooting at its open mouth. After forcing it back three times, Marcus and Dom then destroy the clamps that held the platform the Corpser is on, plunging the Corpser to its death in the pool of Imulsion directly underneath.
At the end of Act 5, when the Lightmass Bomb has been detonated, and the catacombs and warrens the Locust dwell in are being destroyed, the final cutscene shows many Corpsers all trying to escape. They are seen climbing as fast as they can up one of the holes near the King Raven Chopper bearing Delta Squad.
The Corpser appears in the "Mad World" advertisement of Gears of War where it appears to attempt to attack Marcus Fenix, the main character.
Brumak
Brumaks are gargantuan monstrosities with extraordinarily thick hides. They often grow to at least 12 meters in height and tend to weigh around 10,000 kilograms (22,046 lbs). They were apparently bred by the Locust Horde from smaller native apes. Brumaks are lethal at close range, and they have also been rumored to carry energy beam cannons to kill at a range.[6] Their heads resemble the Corpser's features, but their bodies have more in common with humanoids than spiders.
While featured in many of the game's promotional material and pre-release articles, the player does not directly combat the Brumak, though it still appears at the end of Act 4 and in the resulting cutscene. It appeared to have rocket launchers of some sort, firing them as the APC Delta Squad was driving away. However in the recently announced PC version of Gears of War, gameplay videos show Marcus and Dom combating the Brumak in a PC exclusive boss battle.
Other adversaries
Kryll
Kryll are nocturnal, small, carnivorous, flying, bat-like creatures that hunt in massive, piranha-like swarms. They stay deep underground during the day and come up to the surface the moment the sun has subsided into the night. Kryll avoid lit areas and can be dispatched by using a UV light or direct sunlight, but they cannot be harmed by anything else. Kryll apparently feed on humanoids, and they will literally strip the flesh from bones within a few seconds. They will eat both humans and Locust if they are caught in the darkness. General RAAM knows the secret behind what drives the Kryll, as he shields himself with them in Desperation: Pale Horse, the final chapter of Gears of War. It is unknown if they are native creatures or only appeared with the Locust Horde.
The Kryll primarily appear in Act 2, where they are a constant menace due to nightfall. In addition, they appear when fighting General RAAM at the end of Act 5, as well as in the multiplayer maps "Bullet Marsh" and "Fuel Depot", though Bullet Marsh is the only multiplayer map where they actually attack players.
The Stranded
The Stranded are the Human survivors living outside of Jacinto. They live in poor conditions, ravaged by war and suffering from malnutrition. Their former way of life was destroyed by the COG enacting a scorched earth strategy to stop the Locust assaults. Because of this, the Stranded usually refer to COG's as "fascist pigs". Neither the Gears nor the Stranded get along very well, but will fight together against the common enemy, the Locust Horde. The allied firefight in the chapter The Last Stand at the end of Act 2 is an example of Stranded and Gears fighting alongside one another.
The Stranded are seen to live in camps along the city streets, where there is good lighting, even at night. They also are seen to link important areas together safely with strategically placed lighting, be it propane tanks for emergency use, or strings of party lights. However, they don't only live in cities. In Act 3, Marcus and Dom encounter a Stranded in the Lethia Imulsion Facility, one who has apparently only been alone for a while. In the room preceding the cutscene, there are mutilated corpses strewn across the room, torn apart by Lambent Wretches.
Franklin
Franklin is one of the Stranded that owes Dominic Santiago a favor. Apparently Franklin has come into possession of a Junker APC, and Dominic acquires the Junker's keys with his favor. Little else is known about Franklin, beyond that he commands a number of Stranded and is involved with an unidentified "business" which is affected by the presence of the Gears. He spends most of the Nightfall act in Gears of War guiding Dominic and Marcus through the ruined city and two checkpoints to Chap's Aspho Gas Station. He is also the one helping Dominic find a mysterious "Lady" (possibly Dom's missing wife, Maria Santiago). He is voiced by John DiMaggio.
Chap
Chap is the elderly Stranded who runs the gas station where Franklin's Junker sits. He also accompanies Marcus and Dom on the highway as they drive the Junker back to the Stranded base camp, giving notices as to where Kryll burst from during their run. Chap apparently does not think very highly of the player's driving skills, making comments like "Next time I'll stay with the exploding gas station." His weapon of choice is the Boltok Revolver. He may or may not be mentally unstable, as during the defense of the gas station, he can be heard crying "They're shooting Laverne!" when the Junker is being fired upon. He is last seen at the end of Act 2.
Factory Stranded
A Factory Stranded is encountered in the Lethia Imulsion Facility. He appears to be trapped and is the only surviving Stranded in the area, as the others were killed by lambent Wretches. He accompanies Marcus and Dom, and is killed when leading them across wooden floorboards. When the boards suddenly break, he falls through and is torn apart by the Wretches underneath.
References
- ^ Carmine: Are you the Marcus Fenix? The one who fought at Aspho Fields?
- ^ Dom: That trial was a sham.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IGN-Personalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Destroyed Beauty - An Inside Look at Gears of War", page 10.
- ^ Cliff Bleszinski (2006-08-08). "Torque Bow question to EPIC". Epic Games Forums. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Destroyed Beauty - An Inside Look at Gears of War", page 14.