"What the hell are you?."
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- "A heavy siege Alien, the Ravager has bladed limbs that can tear through starship hulls. Unlike other aliens, the Ravager kills its prey outright."
- ―Ravager description (from Aliens versus Predator: Extinction)
The Ravager is a Xenomorph caste and one evolutionary finality of the Praetorian, particulary those found on LV-742. Unlike other Xenomorphs, it is a hyper-aggressive killing machine with absolutely no interest in capturing victims alive to act as hosts for more Xenomorphs.
Information[]
Physiology and Biology[]
The standard ravager is a massive form of the Xenomorph, towering above its smaller siblings and even over the notably larger Praetorian. It is presumed to be the Xenomorph evolutionary response to heavy munitions used by prey species; as such, it has a mesoskeleton that can resist small and medium caliber weapons and it is one of the few Xenomorphs that has some resistance to fire.
It is also one of the only Xenomorphs to stand at a similar height to a Queen Xenomorph, possessing her same defensive attributes in regards to mesoskeletal integrity. Over all, the Ravager resembles an oversized mature Drone, complete with a blue-ish shell, dorsal tubes, and a tail blade, however its hull blades set it solidly apart from most other known castes, with the possible exception of the Mantis Alien. Even so, the Ravager's upper extremities terminate into proper blades, which are made of diamond-hard Chitin and capable of shredding starcraft. There is said to be no metal capable of withstanding the strength of the Ravager's cleaves or the sharpness with which the blades cut. These blades are heavy to the point where the creature itself waddles somewhat with the weight of them as it walks. The blades themselves have a metallic sheen that reflects conspicuously in the light.
Colossal Resilience[]
An adapted Ravager, called a Colossal Ravager, is more dangerous still. Its bodily resistance mirrors that of the War Empress, with a tougher carapace and even greater fire resistance. It has a noticeably more bulky shell around its shoulders which resemble cauldrons, in addition to some ornamental features on the cranial carapace and an extra set of dorsal spines, numbering at six instead of the previous four. Being such a large creature and lacking dexterous hands, the Ravager is severely limited with regard to kinetic ability, even in comparison to the similarly limited Praetorian. The Colossal Ravager also develops an ability reminiscent of the Warrior's Onslaught genome adaptation. When slain, it enters a state called regenesis instead of dying and can return to battle at half strength after a brief moment in this cataleptic state. However, fire and extreme damage such as decapitation prevent regenesis. Further damage in this state can also result in death.
While most other Xenomorphs hiss and screech, the Ravager has a deep barking-roar; it often punctuates each attack with this roar-bark. Its sole weapon seems to be its blades. Although it presumably has an inner jaw and teeth with which to bite, as well as a barbed tail, it likely cannot use these weapons due to its physiology.
Creation[]
Ravagers evolve from Praetorians at a considerable cost to the hive's resources. However, Praetorians must be adapted for speciated metamorphosis before evolution can take place. When a hive has considerable threats levied against it, the adaptation will take place at the command of a Queen. However, a hive must have a Queen first in order for a ravager to exist, as the species will prioritize royal transformation over all else.
Role In The Hive[]
- "The Ravager excels at dismantling anything it encounters, even heavily armored targets."
- ― Bestiary, Extinction
As mentioned previously, the Ravager is the adaptive Xenomorph response to advanced weaponry used by enemies. They have so far only been observed on LV-742, typically in mature and well established hives. Queens of the planet began adapting them after being captured and outnumbered by humans, after being kidnapped by Yautja, and during the final war with the K-Series Xenomorph subspecies. However, they are also simply present in outsized hives, as the Predalien Queen was known to have had several in her brood. Ravagers are perhaps the only Xenomorph unconcerned with the expansion of the horde, killing enemies outright with its blades by decapitating them. This makes them a poor offensive choice when the hive is in need of hosts, as they actively hamper numbers, but in times of war the Ravager is an asset and a force that smaller swarm castes such as Warriors and Predaliens can rally around.
The Ravager works well as both an offensive and defensive unit against all types of enemies. It can even outmatch a Queen one to one and can be used to devastating effect on enemy Xenomorphs during hive wars.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- It is possible that "hive resources" could be Royal Jelly, as it is known to force Xenomorphs to evolve into larger forms.
- The Ravager notably seems to incorporate metal in its biology, similar to the Crusher, which ingests metal in order to evolve.
- The Ravager is the only known naturally occurring Xenomorph that can outmatch a Queen.
- It is unknown what type of classification a Ravager would have been. Evolving from a Praetorian would typically make it stage 6, but the unique maturation process of LV-742 Praetorians may actually make it a stage 4 xenomorph.