Ticker
From Gears of War
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- "What are those things?"
- — Ben Carmine
- "Tickers, Locust use them like landmines, so keep your distance"
- — Tai Kaliso and Benjamin Carmine discussing what tickers are
Tickers (called so because they emit a 'ticking' sound, and explode like a time-bomb) are small creatures that the Locust use as mines, mainly against COG vehicles. However, they are also devastating to COG infantry, and are used in this way particularly by the Kantus, who 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.
[edit] Combat Strategy
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.
[edit] Achievement Unlocked
Buffing a Ticker with a melee attack 30 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.
| The Locust Horde | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boomer · Drone · Theron Guard · Berserker The Lambent | ||
| Locust Creatures | ||
| Bloodmount ·Brumak · Corpser · Hydra · Leviathan · Nemacyst · Reaver · Riftworm · Seeder · Ticker · Torture Barge ·Wretch | ||
