Ticker Biographical information Homeland The Hollow Date of death 17 A.E. Physical description and equipment Height 2'0" ft. (Average) Eye color None Weapons Back-Strapped Imulsion Explosive Equipment Back-Strapped Imulsion Explosive Chronological and political information Era(s) Locust War Lambent Pandemic Subclasses Wild Ticker Affiliation Locust Horde Savage Locust

"What are those things?
Tickers, Locust use them like landmines, so keep your distance."

— Tai Kaliso and Benjamin Carmine discussing Tickers.

Tickers were creatures found in the Hollow that the Locust used as a mobile land mine by strapping Imulsion tanks to them.^[1] They were named after the ticking sound they make while scurrying across the battlefield. They are small creatures that somewhat resemble a cross between a rodent and a reptile. Tickers are always seen in large numbers, and are used mainly as mines against COG vehicles. However, the Locust use them against COG ground troops as well; an example of this being the Kantus, which summon them two at a time and use them as a last defense when under direct threat by COG units. They are quick moving and relatively difficult to detect despite the sounds they emit, making them dangerous and unpredictable adversaries, especially in large groups. Due to the gas released by tickers when about to explode, and the tanks mounted on their backs, it would seem that Imulsion is used to cause the explosions.

HistoryEdit

Destruction of Halvo BayEdit

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While defending a courtyard inside the Halvo Bay Military Academy, Kilo Squad had to fight waves of Tickers trying to breach through their defences, aided by other Locust creatures they managed to cause damage to their fortifications but despite their efforts they were dispatched by the gears.

Evacuation of IlimaEdit

While Zeta-Six was moving through the abandoned high school's cafeteria, they were ambushed by a swarm of Tickers both with and without imulsion tanks. They cleared all of the "Ticking Bastards", as referred to by Michael Barrick, and proceeded to the locker rooms. Zeta found a group out of the school as they were searching for seeders.^[2] When Zeta-Six tried to reach Dr.Wisen's Orphanage groups of Tickers tried to prevent them from reaching their destination. At the last part of the Evacuation many tickers gave support to the Theron Elite in his final battle against Zeta-Six, but failed to keep the Locust alive.^[3]

Operation MidnightEdit

Many Tickers were used by the Theron Guards to deal with Midnight Squad at the Ferro Bridge, a large group attacked both Gil Gonzalez and Rufus, Gil and Rufus managed to destroy the ones that attacked them and regrouped with the rest of the squad, Ahman and Takashi were also threatened by Tickers but managed to escape from them.

Post-Lightmass OffensiveEdit

During an urban battle between the Locust Horde and the COG, several tickers were defending a sniper nest but their Imulsion pack explosives caused a chain reaction when used against them by a single Gear named Alex Brand.^[4]

Liberation of JilaneEdit

Over a dozen of Tickers were encountered by Delta Squad on their mission to Jilane, when Jace and Thecelia walked near the tunnels inside the facility, a large group of Tickers and Drones attacked them, however Jace managed to destroy most of the Tickers before they came close.

Operation: Hollow StormEdit

"What the hell happened to Lola?!"
"My rig? We hit some mines. Tickers, I think. The whole area's infested."

— Dizzy Wallin and Tai Kaliso after Rig D77 was destroyed by Tickers

During Operation: Hollow Storm, packs of Tickers were used against the COG’s Assault Derricks. During the Assault on Landown, at least one Rig was destroyed by Tickers. Rig D77 only had one survivor, Tai Kaliso.^[5] Dozens of Tickers were inside the old buildings inside Landown and tunnels, but Delta-One was able to escort their Rig to safety. Inside the Inner Hollows they ambushed several gears while they were deployed inside the Hollow, including Omega-One, Alpha-7, Gamma-Three and Delta Squad and attacked the gears in several occasions as they made progress inside the Hollow. They were used by Kantus Monks to help them finding survivors after the Ilima sinking and guarded the Locust processing center.

More Kantus summoned Tickers into battle as the gear squad returned to the Hollows to send reinforcements. After JACK prepared to launch his beacon, several Tickers attempted to stop him but again failed.

Delta-One was able to breach the Palace and engage in a duel with Skorge who summoned packs of Tickers to engage Marcus and Dominic.

During the Siege of Jacinto, packs of Tickers were located on rooftops on Jacinto.^[6]

Lambent PandemicEdit

"Whoa, those are different, no explosives!"

— Baird encountering a wild Ticker for the First time.

Tickers are encountered by Cole and his small unit of the Centennial Bridge as they are crossing to help the CNV Sovereign. They tip a crate of them over the edge of the bridge onto the Lambent Leviathan attacking their ship.

After the bridge collapses they wash up on the Hanover coast and come across Wild Tickers that eat the wreckage of the ship, ammunition, weapons, and rummage through anything useful. Baird hates them for this even though, as said by Dom, he does the same thing. They live in small caves and appear to be shy creatures.

Later, the re-grouped Delta infiltrate the Locust stronghold in the Deadlands and discover a Ticker assembly line where Drones are applying the imulsion tanks to Tickers that are chained to a moving rail.

They were part of the Locust forces encountered at Halvo Bay by part of Delta-One.

Behind the ScenesEdit

Combat StrategyEdit

Nearby tickers can be identified by the distinct ticking/clicking sound they emit. It is advisable to eliminate tickers before they close in, as their explosions are harmless at long range. Tickers move quickly and zig-zag towards targets; long bursts of gunfire should be avoided as recoil makes targeting even more difficult.

One strategy for dealing with extremely nearby tickers is to melee them when they approach, throwing them several meters away, temporarily knocking them on their backs and stunning them. However if you melee the same ticker twice it will blow up as if having been shot and will down you from which state you'll have to be revived by a squadmate. Hitting Tickers will provide time to escape their blast radius and attack them from greater range. However, if a Ticker is already emitting fire, the best course of action is to roll away, as it is about to explode. Oddly, if a ticker has already lit its tanks, and is struck and knocked away, it won't detonate, as it seems to be able to extinguish its tanks at will.

Be sure to check the Ticker corpses after attacking them: if a body is still intact, it is still alive and will attack again.

A good use of tickers is to turn their power against the Locust themselves, they are bombs after all. An experienced player can smack a ticker into the centre of a group of Locust and then shoot it; an even more experienced player can shoot it in mid-air, causing head/upper-body damage. This is an especially useful tactic when fighting the later rounds of Horde mode: the Locust often bunch up together and Tickers run rampant.

Newly introduced in Horde 2.0, wild tickers appear in larger groups, eat weapons that lie on the floor, deal a lot of damage to barriers and melee attack players. A melee attack instantly kills them and they aren`t more resistant to bullets than the "normal" tickers. You can tell by their glowing belly that they carry something in them. Sometimes they hop out of a green box (bonus wave reward), revealing an ammo clip upon kill.

Achievement UnlockedEdit

Buffing a Ticker with a melee attack thirty times unlocks the "Takes a Licking" Achievement. Lancer melee attacks do not count towards this achievement. The name of the achievement is a reference to the phrase: "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.", because Tickers can survive one melee and still attack you. They keep on ticking.

MultiplayerEdit

In Beast mode, two kinds of Tickers are available to play as: Wild Tickers, which do not have Imulsion packs strapped to them but can eat grenades and melee attack with their claws. However, after having eaten a tagged-on grenade, the wild tickers melee abilities are reduced to one explosion, just like a normal Ticker that can be used in Beast Mode as well.

Xbox Live MarketplaceEdit

You can get a pet ticker as a prop for your avatar through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

TriviaEdit

• In Gears of War 3, Act 2, Chapter 4 there is an Easter-Egg of fighting Tickers. The player must clear the room of enemies, after this a yellow box will appear on the wall where there's a painted Ticker, then press X when prompted. The player will peer through the yellow box into a room where Drones and Boomers appear to be watching and betting on two unarmed Tickers fighting. In the end, one of the tickers leaps into the air, and lands on the other ticker, killing it. ^[7]
• Weather it was coincidence or intentional, Tickers did have a real world counterpart. For a time During WWII, the Soviet Army trained dogs to run under German tanks with time bombs on, and this is similar to how the tickers ambushed Tai's Derrick during the Assault on Landown. However, the practicality of the weapon was called into question when the dogs ran under the Russian tanks instead.
• Tickers appear to have no eyes, this could be because they live in dark caves. Real world cave creatures have also evolved like this.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Gears of War 2 Bio
2. ↑ RAAM's Shadow: Hide and Seek
3. ↑ RAAM's Shadow: Kryllstorm
4. ↑ Gears of War: Barren Part One
5. ↑ Gears of War 2
6. ↑ Gears of War 2
7. ↑ Gears of War 3: Act II-Chapter III: Forced Entry