Palace Guard
From Gears of War
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The Palace Guard, also known as the Royal Guard, Theron Lord and Templar, is the title given to a Locust Theron Sentinel who has been selected as a bodyguard of the Locust Queen. While Theron Guards and Theron Sentinels represent elite soldiers of the Locust Hollow, Palace Guards are higher ranked than either Theron Sentinels or Theron Guards. Palace Guards are encountered only in Nexus.
Presumably, Palace Guards are selected form veteran Locust soldiers with outstanding service and dedication to the Locust Horde. The Triplex-Worm mark on the back of the some Palace Guards' armor indicate that they are trained by the Kantus, which would not only make Palace Guards the elite honor guards of the Locust Queen but also members of the Locust priesthood.
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[edit] Characteristics
Palace Guards wear heavy, white-chased armor ornately decorated with engravings and the Locust symbol. Palace Guards are well equipped and proficient with a variety weapons such as the Hammerburst II, Torque Bow, Gnasher Shotgun, Boltok Pistol, Frag Grenade and Ink Grenade. Palace Guards have a particular tendency to use the Hammerburst II in mid-range combat while maintaining relatively high accuracy (and lethality) with the Torque Bow and Boltok Pistol at longer ranges and the Gnasher Shotgun at shorter ranges.
[edit] Gameplay
When compared to Theron Guards and Theron Sentinels, Palace Guards are considerably more durable, aggressive, and intelligent in combat. Palace Guards usually operate using coordinated squad tactics to kill enemies with surgical precision, and are virtually never encountered alone. Palace Guards have been known to take cover directly in front of an enemy to draw fire while other Palace Guards perform a flanking maneuver to ambush an enemy from behind, and focus fire on an exposed enemy. In addition, Palace Guards are able to use dropped weapons, such as the Boomshot Grenade Launcher, Longshot Sniper Rifle, or Mulcher.
However, Like Theron Guards and Theron Sentinels, Palace Guards employ deceptive tactics (such as feigning retreats to lure Gears out of out of cover) and use Drones as cannon fodder to draw enemy fire. . Palace Guards also will cease firing for periods of time.
Palace Guards are also capable of riding on Bloodmounts. Palace Guards are able to use Torque Bows and Gnasher Shotguns while riding on a Bloodmount, making them considerably more dangerous than Beast Riders. While the accuracy of Palace Guards riding on Bloodmounts does decrease, they still possess superior accuracy and durability than other Locust. In addition, Bloodmounts will not kill a dismounted Palace Guard, in contrast to Beast Riders. However, Palace Guard is weaker when dismounted (due to a temporary stun when knocked off) compared to a Bloodmount.
[edit] Tactics
It goes without saying that a canny Gear should follow the Golden Rule of the Gears to minimize the chances of Torque Bow fatalities, and keep a close eye on the rest of his squad, so as to be aware of Palace Guards trying to focus fire on an exposed target. One member of their squads will often pop up before or after the others, in an attempt to lure a foe out to shoot a shot off and expose themselves. They are vulnerable to the Longshot, but their distinctive crested helmets give them a level of protection from small-arms fire; you will need either a particularly well-placed head-shot or a Perfect Reload to finish one off in a single blast. Ideally, shots should be placed on the white Locust Emblem on their helmets; this marks a weak-spot and is the surest way to bring down a Palace guard, as their crested helmets blends well with their armor, making sniper shots difficult to eyeball without this reference mark.
[edit] Trivia
- Palace Guards rarely speak, but they have a deeper hissing voice than a regular Theron.
- Palace Guards are virtually never encountered singly unless riding a Bloodmount.
- Some of the Palace Guards supposedly have the triple worm symbol on the back.
- Palace Guards sound strikingly similar to RAAM.
- They are the only non-playable Theron subspecies.
- Palace Guards have been recreated in figure format.
[edit] References
| Drone variants | ||
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| Beast Rider · Bolter · Cyclops · Flame Grenadier · Grappler · Grenadier · Grenadier Elite · Gunner · Sniper · Spotter Theron Guard · Theron Sentinels · Palace Guard | ||
