Wretch
From Gears of War
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- "There! That's the monkey-dog thing I saw!"
- — Benjamin Carmine, upon seeing a wretch
While many Gears consider the Locust Drone to be the "lowest" form of Locust, this isn't entirely accurate; the Wretch is, as its name implies, the weakest and lowest form of Locust encountered. Simpering and pitiful, they are nearly mindless creatures that are nonetheless dangerous in combat situations due to their savagery and fury. They rush into combat at the urging of more powerful Locust, blindly plunging into battle and utterly heedless of any danger. While they are profoundly stupid, and largely ineffective combatants, they can nonetheless be extremely effective against unprepared Stranded and Gears, especially in large groups.
Wretches often act as guard dogs and bloodhounds for the Locust Horde; in combat situations, packs of Wretches are sent into areas where enemies are believed to be, and the Wretches alert other Locust in the area with their piercing screams.
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[edit] Basic Information
Wretches are arguably the weakest sentient members of the Locust Horde; they have relatively little health, but come in large numbers, generally acting as cannon fodder and attempting to overwhelm foes with sheer numbers and rage. Like Boomers, Wretches will gleefully rush into the most dangerous combat situations without a second thought, and often without taking cover (a few seem to possess the glimmer of initiative to notice that rushing headlong on a Lancer-armed Gear isn't exactly the best course of action). Agile and fast-moving, Wretches can use their claws to cling on surfaces such as ceilings and walls, and use this to attack unexpectedly; they love to attack from Ambush if possible.
When they sense prey, Wretches emit a horrid, piercing, high-decibel shriek that is capable of stunning nearby humanoids, shattering glass, and most importantly, alerting other Wretches in their packs and other Locust in the area that they've found their prey. As such, it's extremely common lead-off attack; the only resistance against it is to keep one's distance. Once in close, Wretches use their claws and teeth to down prey; a Wretch is capable of killing an unprepared gear quite quickly if they can land a few swipes.
Relatively weak, Wretches are vulnerable to small-arms fire. While powerful ordnance, such as the Torque Bow and Boomshot can work against them, it is generally considered overkill, and is thus ill-advised. The Lancer Assault Rifle and Hammerburst (and Hammerburst II) are considered solid choices for dealing with Wretches, whilst the Gnasher Shotgun, Boltok Pistol, Gorgon Pistol, and Snub Pistol Are considered ideal. While the Longshot is generally considered overkill, it's quite good for eliminating single wretches at extreme range, and a shot anywhere on a Wretch's body will be instantly fatal, Perfect Reload or not. Planted Bolo Grenades can be used to deal with entire packs of Wretches, but care must be taken to get clear of the site before detonation. Melee attacks likewise work well, often dropping Wretches in 1-2 attacks. If at point-blank range, the Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet is also a good deterrent for single Wretches that manage to get close.
Regardless of methodology, Wretches are best dealt with at medium-range. They are quite lethal if they are allowed to get close - especially on Hardcore and Insane - and, thankfully, their ultra-low health tends to make them vulnerable to most conventional weaponry. In close-combat, Wretches use a lot of leaping and clawing attacks, making them enfuriatingly hard to target; in many cases, the best course of action for dealing with a Wretch that gets too close is to Roadie Run away.
[edit] Common Wretch
The common Wretch, used by the Locust Horde as hunter and watchdog units, and quite capable of climbing most surfaces, are an enfuriatingly common foe in Gears of War, especially so when in extremely cramped conditions. In Gears of War 2 they are less common - Operation Hollow Storm means the Locust are on the defensive, and thus unable to make use of Wretches as hunter/scout units - but they do still appear in several locations, still a nuisance and threat.
Wretches have an infuriating tendency to be encountered in large groups in cramped conditions, making their attacks all the more dangerous. Because of this, the Gnasher Shotgun and various Pistols are the weapons of choice for dealing with Wretches in close combat, though both Assault Rifles offer a solid alternative. Melee attacks are quite viable, and in an emergency, the Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet can be used to finish off a Wretch in close-combat.
[edit] Appearances
The Wretches are first introduced in the Hammer chapter of Act 1. They are the first to ambush Delta Squad as JACK is opening a door. They are seen in the rest of Act 1, Acts 2 and 4, and the Special Delivery chapter of Act 5; however, they do not appear in Acts 3 or the rest of Act 5, making way for their Lambent counterparts. They have various appearances in Gears of War 2.
[edit] Lambent Wretches
Lambent Wretches are a unique form of Wretch that has become Lambent after direct - and prolonged - exposure to Imulsion. The effects Imulsion has on the Wretch's physiology are profound; they become faster, tougher, and far more dangerous. Lambent Wretches are easily-identified - they have a jet-black carapace and their eyes and mouths glow with a hellish white light. Lambent Wretches have notably more health than normal Wretches on Hardcore and Insane, and they deal more damage in close-combat as well. Lambent Wretches also appear smarter; they are prone to ambush-style attacks and popping out of seemingly nowhere to do so. This tendency to ambush emphasizes the need for Gears to remain vigilant and keep active tabs on one's surroundings.
In addition to being considerably tougher, sneakier, and more powerful than a normal Wretch, Lambent Wretches are extremely volatile; if slain, the Imulsion infused in the Wretches body causes what appears to be a biological meltdown - this triggers an incandescent explosion capable of causing considerable damage to anything within a 10-foot radius - friend or foe. It is quite possible to cause a chain-reaction if an explosion occurs in proximity to another Lambent Wretch; this can clear entire rooms if a Gear is particularly canny with distributing damage amongst an entire pack of Lambent Wretches. Lambent Wretch explosions are lethal to the Locust as well; triggering a Lambent Wretch's death explosion can destroy several Locust at once given a lucky blast.
While most anti-wretch tactics work on their Lambent counterparts, one important caveat remains - naturally, due to the innate volatility of Lambent Wretches, close-combat is not recommended. It goes without saying that one should NEVER Chainsaw a Lambent Wretch; the exploding Wretch can cause heavy - if not lethal - damage to not only the Gear doing so, but all within range.
Lambent Wretches appear to be the only form of Lambent Locust that are not innately hostile to non-lambent Locust - they are used by the Locust in the Lethia Imulsion Facility in much the same way as their non-Lambent counterparts. This is believed to stem from the fact that Wretches are profoundly stupid in the first place, with little in the means of reasoning capability or independent thought beyond "find and kill things" - but the truth, to this day, remains uncertain.
[edit] Appearances
Lambent Wretches first appear in the Act 3 chapter, Downpour. They are seen in the rest of Act 3 (except for Tip of the Iceberg, making way for Therons) as well as in the later parts of the Train Wreck chapter onboard the Tyro Pillar.
[edit] Trivia
- Many of the Stranded at the Lethia Imulsion Factory were killed (and eaten) by Wretches.
- It is believed that the handle on their backs are for restraining them until a fight because the Wretches don't seem to be terribly smart, and in the locust hierarchy are some thing akin to attack dogs or trained monkeys. Ironic, since Ben Carmine referred to them as "Monkey-dogs".
- Wretches *can* disable the lasers on Security during Horde - This is ironic because Wretches lack any real reasoning ability and show virtually no subtlety or finesse when facing enemy soldiers.
[edit] Glitches
- Sometimes a Wretch that was climbing on a ceiling may jump off the ceiling but still look like they are attached to it. These Wretch have been dubbed "Floating Wretches" because they hover above the ground as if they were climbing a really low ceiling.
- Sometimes in Gears of War if you shoot a Wretch's arm and legs but not its head you can see its heart still beating.
