Chimera FAQ for Resistance: Fall of Man Version 1.0 The following FAQ will provide useful information about all strains of Chimera creatures, including basic information, combat tactics, and suggested course of elimination. No part of this FAQ may be reproduced or distributed in any way without my consent. This FAQ is copyright to me, PhazonInfuser. The Chimera are mutant creatures, and are the main enemy in Resistance: Fall of Man. Born from an unknown virus, they are a ruthless and blood-thirsty kind who want only global domination. The majority of the ones you will face were born from once normal humans, who were infected by this virus, and slowly mutated from within. The following guide will provide helpful information on all strains in the game, and tactics on how to eliminate them all. Chimera Strains: Hybrid Crawler Leaper Menial Cocoon Carrier Howler Steelhead Titan Slipskull Leaper Pod Gray Jack Hardfang Roller Widowmaker Advanced Hybrid Angel ........................... Hybrids – These are the basic soldier class strain of the Chimera creatures, and the most common. You will literally be facing and killing hundreds and hundreds of them. Hybrids are intelligent, and display military style battle tactics. Hybrids are armed with the Bullseye, which is the standard Chimera infantry weapon. Seldom found in groups of less then two, they are not to be taken lightly. While not too much of a threat in groups of four or less, they become much more lethal in larger groups, which is quite common later in the game. There are times when you will literally be facing more then ten at a time, and caution must be exercised. Although dangerous in large numbers, they don’t take much to bring down. Small groups can easily be eliminated with the Carbine, but for larger groups, I suggest the Bullseye, as it has a faster rate of fire, will take one out quicker, and you won’t run out as they will drop ammo for it. If there is a handful of them tightly grouped together, lob a frag grenade or hedgehog at them, or fire a 40mm shell from your Carbine to take them all out. Just be cautious, and take cover when you need if you’re facing a large group. Crawler – Crawlers are small, beetle like creatures that have the sole purpose of spreading the Chimera virus, and infecting humans. They travel in very large swarms, and overwhelm human soldiers. They usually emerge from Spire Attacks. They then crawl into their bodies through the mouth or airways, where they infect the person. Crawlers are not encountered during the gameplay; only in cutscenes, so there is obviously no battle tactics for it. Leaper – Leapers are scorpion like creatures, about the size of a medium sized dog. Fast and tricky, they can prove to be a threat if you’re not careful. Leapers actually evolve from Crawlers that fail to infect a human with the virus. Leapers never travel alone, and always attack in large swarms. Distance is your friend when fighting Leapers. Don’t let them get close to you. If you do, you will regret it. They quickly try to surround and swarm on you, so make sure you take as many out as you can before they get close. Their main attack is jumping onto you and going to town with its teeth and claws. They do a considerable amount of damage, so watch it. The best weapon against Leapers is the Carbine, because it is very accurate, so you can take out Leapers from a distance, and it has the 40mm shell launcher, which is also very useful against Leapers. I have also found that if a large group is able to swarm close to you, then the L11 -2 Dragon is a great weapon to use for its very large damage radius. But you wont have it until your second time through the game. Menial – Menials are the worker class of Chimera creatures. They are pretty much found only in Chimera Conversion Centers, and any kind of Chimera Base. Menials are perhaps the most human like of all the Chimeras. They retain the most human like appearance. Used strictly for labor, Menials carry out duties such as overseeing and running the conversion process of infected humans, and any other basic duties. They are not armed, and usually focus on their duties. But if they see you, they will approach you and attack. Although not armed, they will jump and grab onto you if they get close enough, and deal considerable damage until you shake them off. Take them out before get close. It only takes about four shots to kill them, so the Carbine is plenty power to stop them. Howlers – Howlers are fairly large, four legged Chimera creatures. Purely animalistic and ruthless, they will violently charge you and attempt to maul you to a bloody pulp. It is usually not easy to eliminate them from a distance. This is because of a combination of scarcely seeing them before they attack you, and the fact that they very quickly charge at you. As the name suggests, you can usually hear its howl before it attacks you, but if you’re in an open area, you must take care it does not sneak up behind you. The best tactic is to simply run backward as it charges you and fire as it chases you until it slumps to the ground dead. I suggest using the Auger against Howlers, for its higher firepower, and good accuracy, or the Hailstorm. The Dual Reapers are also a good choice, as they can lock onto the Howler, and the shots will divert in mid-air to hit them; very useful as you are running and strafing backwards to avoid their attacks. Steelhead – Steelheads are similar to a typical Hybrid in regards to appearance and overall battle tactics. The difference is they are bigger, stronger, harder to take down, and wield the powerful Auger instead of the Bullseye. What makes Steelheads more difficult is the fact that taking cover will not protect you. The Auger which they wield can penetrate all objects and walls, with exception to the Auger’s own Force Barrier. They will continue to shoot at you through whatever you are hiding behind. You are not safe until you retreat a very far ways away, or eliminate them. One advantage is the shots from the Auger get slowed drastically as they pass through objects or walls, so as long as you keep moving, you will be able to avoid them. The best offensive against the Steelheads are their own weapon, the Auger. It’s powerful and accurate. Another favorite to use against them is the Hailstorm, but I prefer to save that ammo for harder enemies, as there is not a lot of it in the game. Of course, if you run out of Auger ammo, the Carbine and Bullseye will also do the job. Titan – Titan’s represent the limit of the Chimera virus’ effect on humans. Giant in size, being about twice as tall and wide as a normal human, Titan’s are very strong, and tough to take down. They can take a lot of damage and punishment before they finally go down. The Titan is armed with a very large flamethrower. A direct hit will deal major damage. However, it must charge, and if your observant, you can see when it charges, and dodge out of the way before it is fired. In addition to that, Titan’s will also perform devastating melee attacks on nearby soldiers. Because of its size, the Titan is slow and cumbersome in its movements. It is not difficult to get behind it, where it is safe. My preferred weapon to use against the Titan is the trusty Shotgun. Chances are you will be very close to it, so it will deal considerable damage. If you’re out of shells for the shotgun, retreat a little distance, and lob some grenades. If you don’t feel much like doing that, then finish it off with the Hailstorm. Slipskulls – The Slipskull is what you would call the ninja of the Chimera forces. Small, fast and agile wall crawlers, Slipskulls are more annoying than a threat. But that doesn’t mean they should not be ignored. Slipskulls, usually in groups of three or four, emerge suddenly once you enter a room, and quickly leap from wall to wall, taking pot shots at you. They employ a laser targeted projectile weapon, that does a decent amount of damage to you, but it takes them a second to lock onto you and fire. Constant movement will help you avoid taking hits. Because they are so small and fast, it can be difficult to hit them with most of your weapons. The best way to deal with Slipskulls is to enter the room, and make them emerge, and then backtrack so you are out of range from their weapons, but you can still see them. Whip out the Sniper Rifle, and carefully pick them off between jumps. If you are having a hard time hitting them from their fast movements, use the alternate function of the Sniper Rifle to slow down time to make it easier. If you don’t have any ammo for it, use the Carbine at closer range, as it is the next most accurate weapon, but make sure you don’t stand still for more than a second or two. I have also had luck with the Dual Reapers with their limited tracking capabilities. Gray Jack – Old, decaying and decrepit, Gray Jacks are merely aged Hybrids. As Hybrids age, their cooling units wear down, and their internal core temperature rises, causing necrosis from within, which gives Gray Jacks their decayed looking appearance. Age also seems to accelerate their metabolism even further, causing their bodies to grow exponentially, giving them the appearance of being too big for their skins. They are very tall, but look frail and stickly. But they are far from frail. They can take a considerable amount of damage we before going down, and they are surprisingly quick and are able to rush you in the blink of an eye. But they are still frail, so a constant stream of fire will keep them back until it kills them. I prefer the Bullseye for the Gray Jacks. Its fast rate of fire will keep them back and away from you until they take enough damage and die. During your second run through the game, after you have acquired the Arc Cannon, use that against them. Usually only one or two shots is all it takes to take down a Gray Jack. Hardfang – Hardfangs are more elite Hybrids. They are tougher and much stronger then a normal Hybrid. In addition to that, Hardfangs wield the Arc Cannon, a very deadly and powerful weapon. It releases a potent stream of energy which arcs towards enemies, which is you. It will very quickly drain your health, and constant movement will not help to avoid the blast. The best way to eliminate Hardfangs is to simply rush them with guns blazing. Take them down before they can do much damage to you. This is an enemy which you have been saving the Hailstorm ammo for. The Auger is also a prime choice to use, as you can take cover and eliminate them without taking hits. If you have it, use your own Arc Cannon to take them out. Roller – Rollers are merely adult Leapers. They almost exactly like Leapers, except slightly stronger, and can roll themselves into balls to move much quicker. The tactics for Rollers are pretty much the same as Leapers. Take as many out from a distance with the Carbine. If a large group gets close to you, use that trusty L11 -2 Dragon after you get it in your second time through the game Widowmaker – Widowmaker’s are very large, spider like Chimera. I want to emphasize large...large meaning the size of a small building. They are very tough and resilient. Their most devastating attack is them trying to impale you with one of their sharp tipped legs. This attack does not do damage; it kills you, so be very cautious when battling a Widowmaker. You’re going to definitely want to take these things on with your LAARK. If you are out of ammo for it, then I recommend the Hailstorm or Arc Cannon. You are definitely going to want some firepower for them. Advanced Hybrid – As the name suggests, these are merely a more advanced type of Hybrid. Stronger, faster, and does more damage. Advanced Hybrids carry the Bullseye Mark II, which is an upgraded version of the Bullseye, which is very fitting for an upgraded Hybrid. Luckily, you will be picking up this new Bullseye right before you face Advanced Hybrids for the first time, so you will be on equal ground. Saying that however, extreme care must be taken. Advanced Hybrids are much, much more deadly, and a small group can overwhelm and kill you very quickly. Pick them off from the safety of cover whenever possible; they are much harder to dodge then normal Hybrids, so constantly strafing will do you little good. For small groups, use their own Bullseye Mark II. For larger groups, I have found the Hailstorm very effective, as the shots can cover a large area, and take them out fairly quickly; before they take you out. The Arc Charger is also nicely effective against them, if they are somewhat close together. Angel – The Angels are the “Big Bosses” of all the Chimera. They control every other strain of the Chimera Virus, which means they control all the Chimera. They are large, but not as large as the Widowmaker. Saying that however, they are equipped with some kind of rocket unit, which allows them to fly, and make long leaps from walls and/or pillars. Avoid their attacks at all cost; they are very deadly. Maximum firepower is highly recommended against the Angels. And KEEP MOVING. Never stand still for a second when fighting an Angel. The LAARK is a prime weapon for them; just be sure to time your shots while they are stationary, or you can easily miss, and waste ammo. If you do run out of rockets, finish them off with the Hailstorm. The fast moving shots will easily hit the Angel, and deal massive damage. That’s It…Hopefully someone will find this guide useful. Good Luck!!!