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"That's the ugliest damn thing I've ever seen."
Marcus Fenix, after killing a Reaver from aboard the Tyro Pillar

A Reaver was a large flying creature utilized by the Locust Horde that also possessed the ability to walk on the ground. They could carry one pilot and one additional passenger, and were armed with a variety of weapons. They were used by the Locust to suppress Coalition of Ordered Governments air support and dominate Gears on the ground.

History[]

Locust War[]

Destruction of Halvo Bay[]

Reaver on E Day

Reavers on E Day

A large number of Reavers aided General Karn in his quest to take over Halvo Bay. They completely covered the sky of Halvo Bay and laid onslaught to the city. Kilo Squad found several Reavers on their way to the Lightmass Missile. Cadet Sofia Hendrick claimed that when the Gears assaulted Enfield Bridge, near the Halvo Bay Academy, they had to deal with a heavy Reaver assault with low ammunition and without access to Longshots. The Reavers had already attacked the academy and murdered everyone on their path but were eventually slain by the Gears. More Reavers attacked Kurt Elliott's mansion inside Seahorse Hills but were unable to make major damage due to multiple defenses all over the mansion. One Reaver did try to take out Kilo Squad while they dealt with a Mortar squad but it was destroyed.

Another Reaver attacked Kilo at the State Street Rooftops. Armed with only Longshots and Boltoks, the Gears had a hard time against the creature but eventually managed to destroy it. They spotted some Reavers while they passed through the First Avenue Rooftops and wondered what they were doing. They later found out they were preparing for a large attack over the rooftops but managed to avoid it. Two more Reavers attacked the Gears after they had launched the Missile; both were slain again by the Gears. Yet another Reaver attacked Kilo inside the Grand Courtroom shortly after the Locust had entered the courtroom but it, too, was killed.

Evacuation of Ilima[]

"What-two Reavers!? What else has this guy got?"
Michael Barrick, after RAAM's Reaver brings some "friends" to the party
RAAM's Reaver

RAAM riding his personal Reaver.

Multiple Reavers attacked the Coalition of Ordered Governments forces during the Evacuation of Ilima City. They first appeared at Zeta-Six's evacuation outpost after a Corpser opened an E-Hole in front of it. The Gears managed to hold them off with a Chain Gun but, as more E-Holes spawned, Grenadiers and Drones managed to breach Zeta's perimeter. Zeta lost their turret and failed to contain the incoming Reavers, which prompted Lt. Minh Young Kim to use the Hammer of Dawn command center to deal with the Reavers, along with any surviving Boomers and Drones. Two more Reavers would later attack Zeta-Six at Ilima City Hall but failed to kill the Gear squad.

General RAAM himself used a Reaver which could utilize a Kryll shield, except when attacking, and could fire Kryll Grenades. It was first called upon by the General when he summoned three Seeders at Alpha Squad's evacuation outpost. It was called yet again at Dr. Gregory Wisen's School of Hope to pick up RAAM before he could be killed by Zeta-Six after killing Alicia Valera. RAAM then destroyed the APC nearby and the bridge that led to the orphanage and killed two Gears after the death of his lieutenant and his Mauler Elites. After Zeta's members managed to reach the orphanage again, they battled RAAM and his Reaver, using explosive weapons, until they forced the creature to drop RAAM, who was forced to battle Zeta and Jace Stratton until his mount returned with two more Reavers protecting it. Zeta took down both Reavers and then continued to attack RAAM's Reaver until they managed to kill it. RAAM survived the crash of his mount but was severely injured and trapped, unable to stop Zeta from escaping before the Kryllstorm arrived.

Battle of Ephyra[]

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West Barricade Campaign[]

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Raid on the CIC[]

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Lightmass Offensive[]

Two Reavers were seen near an Emergence Hole near the House of Sovereigns but only landed for a second and soon fled the scene. When Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago boarded the Tyro Pillar and tried to reach the Lightmass Bomb, many Reavers that were waiting on the fields of Timgad for the train to pass followed the Tyro Pillar, and began to attack the pair of Humans. However, they were able to reach the Chain Guns above the train and took them all out. Some Reavers later tried to give air support to General RAAM but a King Raven operated by Augustus Cole, Damon Baird, and Col. Victor Hoffman managed to stop them from drastically interfering.

Mission to Jilane[]

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An unknown amount of Reavers gave aerial support to the Locust forces laying siege to Jilane, carrying out the orders they received from their Kantus commander. Presumably, most of them were destroyed by the incoming blast that destroyed the city.

Operation Hollow Storm[]

Reaver 4
Raid on Jacinto Med[]
"Nice one, boys! Takes care of them buzzards."
Dizzy Wallin, after Delta had repelled the "buzzards"

Several Reavers participated in the Raid on Jacinto Med, providing air support for Locust ground forces. KR Seven-Five and Centaur Zero-Nine reported that several Reavers were inbound from the north to Jacinto Medical Center and were rapidly approaching. A Reaver landed in the hospital's courtyard to deal with the Gears inside it, however it was soon defeated. Another one landed outside of the hospital but was also destroyed. A suicidal Reaver crashed into the top of a building but was unable to destroy it.

Assault on Landown[]

At the beginning of the Assault on Landown, at least six Reavers attacked the Assault Derricks on their way to Landown and managed to destroy one of the Rigs. Delta Squad was able to repel or kill all the Reavers. They once again attacked Delta while they repaired Rig 314, but retreated quickly. A single Reaver appeared outside a tunnel Delta had to pass through. Despite having a tactical advantage, it was destroyed. A pair of them gave support to the Locust attacking the Rigs at the drill zone but were killed by Mortars fired from the Rigs.

Inside the Hollow[]

Inside the Inner Hollows, multiple Reavers attacked Gear squads deployed in the Hollows and one of them was seen protecting a Locust Forward base. Four Reavers attacked Delta in the Ilima sinkhole while they searched for any surviving Stranded. When Delta Squad hijacked a Beast Barge inside the Hollow, a large group of Reavers tried to take it down with their rockets, but all of them where either repelled or killed with the Troika inside the barge.

Mission to New Hope[]

A swarm of Reavers appeared at the New Hope Research Facility, attacking Delta Squad while they fixed their Centaur Tank, but the Gears killed two of them. As the rest of the swarm landed, Baird fixed the Centaur just in time and they managed to escape.

Infiltration of Nexus[]

Dozens of Reavers appeared at Mount Kadar, trying to stop the Centaur from reaching the entrance to Nexus, but most, if not all, were killed. As Delta made progress into the Hollow again, they found a suitable location to deploy JACK's beacon. While he was transmitting, a pair of Reavers attempted to stop him. The Gears raised cover around their location before finally killing the Reavers and all other Locust. After deploying the beacon, the Gears tried to use a Locust Gondola to reach the Queen's Palace. While the Gears were on it, several Reavers attempted to bring it down. First, a group of five Reavers attacked the Gondola, one by one, from the left flank. Though they managed to cause some damage, they were taken care of with a Mulcher the Gears retrieved from a Grinder they had previously killed. Just as Delta boarded another Gondola - after taking too much damage on their own one - another pair of Reavers tried to take it down but were also destroyed.

Escaping the Hollow[]
"I always wanted me a little horsey... but it's a flying one. It ain't cool. But let's just get the fuck out of here."
Augustus Cole while riding a Reaver

When Delta Squad found Queen Myrrah inside the Palace, she was forced to retreat on a Reaver before the Gears could capture or kill her. After finding out that there were still two Reavers in the nearby pen, Delta decided to use them to quickly return to Jacinto. Many Reavers were used in the counterattack led by Locust General Skorge against Delta. While they were riding them, Private Augustus Cole made a remark about a flying horsey, and even named the beast just that. While riding them, the Gears had to face several Locust Turrets, Boomers, Grinders, and Brumaks before being chased down again by Skorge. After repelling him in a cave, the Hydra got stuck in a small exit and the Reavers managed to escape. Shortly afterwards, Delta's Reavers came under attack from more Reavers ridden by Locust. They killed many Reavers throughout the forest until they stopped attacking. However, they soon got chased by the Hydra again. After shooting its claws and head with the turrets and rocket launchers from the Reaver, the Hydra was finally killed, along with Skorge. The Gears continued their way atop their Reavers towards Jacinto. As they arrived at Jacinto, however, they came under attack by the city's defenses, mistaking them to be hostile Locust forces. The Reaver used by Cole and Marcus died of its wounds from the flak after crash-landing, while the other one flew away shortly after they landed at CIC.

Siege of Jacinto and flooding of the Hollows[]

Reavers attacked Delta once they returned to Jacinto. A Reaver landed in front of Delta Squad as soon as they landed, however focused fire quickly killed the Reaver and the two Locust riding it. Another Reaver attacked the south platform, along with Grapplers, and killed several Gears before being killed by KR Three-Six. They continued to attack the Gears on their way towards the Jacinto sinkhole. Later, several Reavers tried to attack Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago while atop a hijacked Brumak, which later turned Lambent and was blown up in lieu of the Lightmass Bomb, although a few Reavers managed to escape the flooding.

Lambent Pandemic[]

When KR Zero-Four discovered the remnant of the Locust Horde at Endeavor Naval Shipyard, the Locust sent Reavers to chase it. Myrrah ordered all of her forces to find the origin of the Raven. One month after the recon mission, a Beast Rider riding a Reaver found the Maelstrom device but was unable to bypass it. Myrrah later ordered her forces to dive underneath it and to shut down the generator. Reavers later took part during the incoming assault on the island led by the Locust Horde.

The first re-encounter with Reavers was in the Deadlands, where two of them, along with their Beast Riders, escorted Queen Myrrah. More Reavers attacked Dizzy's armory but were defeated by powerful weapons Delta found inside the armory. After that, a number of them tried to take down the Gas Barge Delta had hijacked but were destroyed by the Multi-Turrets inside the barge.

"Heads up! We got buzzards comin' in!"
—Dizzy Wallin warning his squadmates about Reavers at the highway

A small number of Reavers attacked the main gates of Anvil Gate later that night but the Gears stationed there were able to stop them from causing major damage. On the road to Mercy, Delta came across several Reavers that attempted to crash their Rat Trucks but were destroyed by the Vulcan Cannons they carried. More Reavers attacked them at Endeavour Naval Shipyard while they searched for fuel and a rotor to repair the CNV Adamant. Several Reavers attacked Delta while they tried to secure some fuel for the Adamant. The Gears used Chain Guns, a Silverback, and the Hammer of Dawn to stop them from blowing up their fuel. A single Reaver landed in front of Delta Squad as they exited a Ship Hull in a dry dock while they were using a Mechanical Loader to carry the rotor to Dizzy. The Gears secured the Loader and killed the Reaver and the Locust around them. Another Reaver landed as the last set of doors to release the Adamant into the sea opened. It was torn apart by another Vulcan Cannon wielded by the Gears. Simultaneously, more Reavers attacked Damon Baird and his squad during their Mission to Halvo Bay many times inside an Imulsion rig, at a police station, and near Regency Hotel.

"Delta to Trescu-we've taken one artillery position, but look out for Reavers. We're engaging."
—Anya Stroud warning Miran Trescu of Reavers at a hydro-electric damn

At Azura, several Reavers tried to stop Delta from reaching the Maelstrom device but failed and were destroyed, mainly by their Silverback and other weapons, allowing several COG and Gorasni forces to arrive on the island. However, they couldn't send Ravens in because of several Siegebeasts around the island. The humans used one of those Siegebeasts to take down a swarm of Reavers at a dam, however they were too fast and too many for the Gears to handle and they had to destroy the dam and kill all the Locust. At Pinnacle Tower, one Reaver broke through the windows and attacked Delta but was destroyed by Torque Bows. More tried to take down the elevator Marcus and Anya were in. They repelled them but not before destroying the cable that held the elevator. They managed to jump into the other elevator before their own plummeted. It remains unknown if the Reavers died out when the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon was activated.

Background[]

The Reaver's body structure and resulting function is complex, especially in the matters of how it is able to fly. The Reaver's raptor-like head is small in comparison to its large body, which is tough with several tentacles in the back which probably act as the Reaver's flying limbs. There are also two small, hook-shaped limbs on the Reaver's "belly" that appear to be vestigial, though they may help the Reaver cling onto objects for easier landing. The tentacles are powerful, of which Reavers can attack with them as well; their tentacles also have a gland that can secrete an oily mist to obscure visibility, and maybe one of the ways the Reaver could help 'ink' the sky from Hammer of Dawn strikes alongside the Nemacyst.[1] They may fly with lighter than air gas, like Gas Barges, which explains their violent explosion upon death.

Reavers serve as flying vehicles for other Locust, deployed to launch quick, bloody raids against the humans and reinforce faltering Locust attacks or defensive lines. The creature has two seats: one for the pilot and one for the gunner, the latter being either a standard Drone or a more threatening Theron Guard. Reavers have little or no armor, but they have tough skin, making them difficult to kill, but not impossible. A small red bulge is located on their underbelly. This spot is vulnerable and, if a Gear can manage to bypass the Reaver's weaponry and tentacles, they can kill it with relative ease.

Reaver2

Reaver's concept art.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Reaver's original name was Geist Reaper, back during development when the Locust were going to be called the Geist.
  • Reavers are actually seen very early in the game in the Act 1 chapter, Knock Knock. Simply walk to the giant Emergence Hole down the street from the location in front of the House of Sovereigns stairway and you will be told that there is a point of interest. While holding the 'Y' button, you will see a couple of Reavers land and fly away in the distance. The resulting force also causes the cars near the hole to fall into it.
  • Like many weapons, the Reaver has several affiliation lights on their saddle and helmet that will become blue or red, in relation to the pilot's affiliation.
  • When the Reavers are on the ground or in the air and used as combat walkers, the saddle mounted rocket launcher will still fire even if both pilots have been killed.
  • If a player is killed by a Reaver in Horde, it will say that it used a Boomshot to kill you. This is odd, since if it used Boomshots, it would be loud, but it isn't.
  • In some beta versions of Gears of War 3, the Reaver was a playable Locust in Beast Mode. However, in the final version, it was cut-off for unknown reasons.
  • Reavers are bosses in Horde 2.0 and are piloted by Theron Guards. Although many consider them to be the easiest bosses to deal with in Horde, they can be really dangerous if not checked on higher waves, especially on Insane. The Therons on their backs can down a player with one or two shots and their missiles can be devastating at times. Their melee attack is capable of stunning a player but if it fails, it gives the player time to attack the creature's belly while it attempts to free itself. It is better to deal with them once all the other enemies have been killed, as every fallen Reaver will be replaced by another until the end of the wave.
  • Reavers received the nickname "buzzards" from Dizzy Wallin in both Gears of War 2 and 3.
  • Very rarely, when you aim at Reavers in Horde Mode, it will be named "spot" instead of "Reaver".

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Guide Book pg.43
Hollow and Enemy Creatures
Locust Horde
Queen
Berserker (Matriarch) · Boomer (Butcher, Flame Boomer, Grinder, Mauler, Mauler Elite, Savage Boomer, Tremor) · Drone (Beast Rider, Bolter, Cyclops, Disciple, Flame Drone, Grappler, Gunner, Miner, Savage Drone, Savage Hunter, Savage Marauder, Sniper, Spotter) · Grenadier (Flame Grenadier, Grenadier Elite, Hunter, Hunter Elite, Savage Grenadier, Savage Grenadier Elite, Ravager) · Kantus (Armored Kantus, Savage Kantus, Zealot) · Rager · Sire · Theron (Cleaver Theron, Palace Guard, Savage Theron, Theron Elite, Theron Sentinel)
Hollow Creatures
Bloodmount · Brumak · Corpser (Shibboleth) · Digger · Gas Barge · Heart Leech · Kraken · Kryll · Leviathan · Mangler · Nemacyst (Ink Grenade) · Nemacyte · Reaver (Assault Barque, Hydra) · Riftworm · Rockworm · Rock Shrew · Seeder · Serapede · Siegebeast · Tempest (Shrieker) · Ticker · Torture Barge · Wretch
Lambent
Imulsion
Former · Lambent Berserker · Lambent Brumak · Lambent Bull · Lambent Dog · Lambent Drone (Lambent Drudge) · Lambent Grenadier · Lambent Gunker · Lambent Leviathan · Lambent Polyp · Lambent Stalk · Lambent Theron · Lambent Wretch
Swarm
Queen
Canker · Carrier · DeeBees (Bastion, Reject, Stump) · Drone (Elite Drone, Grenadier, Elite Grenadier, Hunter, Elite Hunter, Imago, Sniper, Elite Sniper) · Flock (Leech) · Hive Beast · Juvie (Screamer, Popper) · Kraken · Locust (Drone · Matriarch · Sire) · Scion (Armored Scion, Heavy Scion, Scion Elite, Warden) · Snatcher (Pouncer) · Swarmak
DeeBees
DR-1 · Shepherd (Deadeye) · Tracker (Shock Tracker) · Watcher (Guardian, Sentinel)
Vehicles and Transportation
Ground
COG: All-Terrain Vehicle · Ambulance · Armadillo · Assault Derrick · Behemoth · Bot-Transport Cart · Car · Cargo Cart · Cargo Truck · Centaur · CIC Truck · COG APC · COG Tank · COG Train · Construction Mech · Cougar Interceptor · Emergency Management Command Vehicle · Forklift · Gondola Lift · Grindlift · Mammoth · Mechanical Loader · Mega Mech · Mine Cart · Minotaur · Nethercutt Tunnel Boring Machine · Ore Transporter · Port Gantry Crane · Packhorse · Rat Bike · Rat Truck · Rock Cutter Machine · Silverback · Tac-Com Vehicle · Track Mule · Tyro Pillar
UIR: Asp · Car · Cargo Cart · Forklift · Light Armored Vehicle · Matador Sport · Pariah Tank · Rocket Gantry Crane · Rocket Transport Train · Ski-Bike · UIR APC · Vasgari Passenger Train
Locust Horde: Bloodmount · Brumak · Seeder · Shibboleth · Siegebeast · Swarmak · Torture Barge
Other: Horse Wagon · Junker · Skiff
Marine
COG: Amphibious Assault Ship · Battle Trawler · COG Attack Submarine · COG Battleship · COG Boat · COG Cargo Ship · COG Patrol Boat · COG Imulsion Tanker · Fishing Boat · Landing Craft Tank · Marlin · Raven's Nest Class · Rowboat · Seabass Model · Submersible
UIR: Fishing Boat · Gelen Class Frigate · Gorasni Attack Submarine · Gorasni Destroyer · Rowboat · UIR Battleship · UIR Cargo Ship · UIR Imulsion Tanker · UIR Miniature Submarine · Vasgari Cruise Ship
Locust Horde: Assault Barque · Locust Barge · Locust Gunboat
Other: Reaction Ferry · Weilehan Raft
Aerospace
COG: COG Rocket · Condor · Corva · Kestrel · King Raven · King Raven Mark 2 · Petrel · Sea Raven · Tern · Vulture
UIR: Khimera · UIR Rocket · UIR Space Capsule · UIR Transport Helicopter · Vasgari Passenger Plane
Locust Horde: Gas Barge · Hydra · Reaver · Tempest
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