Antlion Guardian

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Antlion Guardian
General information
Faction	Antlions
Type	Insect
Personal information
Health	500
Attack(s)	Running head smash (20 + poison effect inside caves) Headbutt (10) Punt objects
Game information
Entity	npc_antlionguard

 

"Ah-the ancient guardian! Retrieving the extract may not be unchallenging."

― Lone Vort

The Antlion Guardian (referred to as "Ancient Guardian" by the Vortigaunts) is a variant of the Antlion Guard encountered in Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Overview

Antlion Guardians appear physically identical to Antlion Guards, but have a different coloration and are capable of bioluminescence.

Apparently, each Antlion hive has one Guardian that lurks near the larval clusters, who patrols the "Nectarium" located in the center of the nest, keeping watch for nest raiders. Guardians are extremely protective of Antlion Grubs, the extract of which is used by Vortigaunts to manipulate the Vortessence, and will ferociously attack intruders in order to protect them. Should someone enter the Nectarium for larval extract, the Guardian will attack and may pursue the thieves for a long distance, such as in Episode Two when a Guardian follows Gordon Freeman and his Vortigaunt companion who had taken the extract out of the nest to battle them.

It is notable that although the Guardian shares similarities with the Guard both in name and appearance, there are still numerous differences between them: the Guardian often lives deeper within the nests, protecting the eggs and ruling over the Antlions within. Comparatively, the Guard usually works closer to the surface, protecting nest entrances and offering backup for Soldiers. One point also worth noting is the Guardian's natural bioluminescence and predominantly green colored exoskeleton, which are presumably traits evolved to adapt to its darker living conditions, while the Guard has a very different coloration, consisting of more varied and contrasting colors.

Behavior and skills

Guardians have basically the same capabilities as an Antlion Guard, being able to ram into and fling enemies with their head, but with the additional effect of inflicting a neurotoxic damage to their foes somewhat like that of the Poison Headcrab. However, the Guardian didn't demonstrate this ability when fought on the surface in the chapter Freeman Pontifex.

Tactics

When fighting the Guardian, be sure to keep a good distance away from it. Its headbutt attack is quite powerful, and can send the player flying quite a distance — or result in instant death if they should happen to be pinned against a wall. These attacks also have a poisonous side effect, which reduces the player's health, regardless of the current amount, to 12 .

When the Guardian chases the player through the hive tunnels, one should not attempt to fight it as it is invincible. The narrow tunnels do not offer much room to dodge around the Guard and avoid its charge, so it is advisable to take cover in the 'grub tunnels' instead. This has another added benefit as the grub tunnels lead to the next part of the chase, and it is impossible to succeed without using them.

Be aware that the Guardian is able to move much faster than the player, even while sprinting. If necessary, the player can try to use the Submachine Gun's grenade launcher to stun the creature for a few seconds if it is hit it in the midsection.

Related Achievements

Half-Life 2: Episode Two
	Twofer (5G)
	Defeat both Antlion Guards outside the White Forest.

Behind the scenes

The original Antlion Guardian with blue skin.

• The Antlion Guardian is a recycled and completed version of the Antlion King, originally intended to appear in Half-Life 2.

• As seen in the first Episode Two teaser released with Episode One, the Antlion Guardian originally had a blue skin. This skin can be found as a leftover in the Episode One files, as it was already finished when Episode One released.

Trivia

• The Orange Box Prima Guide states that Antlion Guardians are Antlion Guards that have been mutated. This is likely incorrect, since the game was not fully completed when the guide was written and the purpose of the Guard — protecting the Grubs — is natural.

• The Guardian's running speed has been decreased since the game release, giving players an easier chance to run away from it. However, because it has more hit points than a normal Antlion Guard and its attack is higher, it is technically the strongest Antlion out of the species.

• The Lone Vort claims that if the Guardian is killed, they emit a scream that affects the larvae in some unspecified way that renders them useless for extracting.

• Despite what the Vortigaunt claims, it is impossible to kill the Antlion Guardian before the battle with it.

Gallery

• 

  Early "blue" Antlion Guardian in Episode Two Trailer.

List of appearances

Main games

• Half-Life 2: Episode One (First appearance) (Game files only)
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Other

• Source Particle Benchmark (Game files only) (Non-canonical appearance)