Fast Headcrab
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| Fast Headcrab | |
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| General information | |
| Faction |
Xen wildlife |
| Type |
Hyperactive Headcrab subspecies |
| Personal information | |
| Health |
10[1] |
| Attack(s) |
Bite (5)[1] |
| Game information | |
| Entity |
|
| Designer(s) | |
The Fast Headcrab is a Headcrab subspecies previously unknown before the Combine invasion. It is unknown whether they were native to Xen, a recent mutation, or the result of the genetic manipulation of the normal Headcrab by the Combine for use as biological weapons.
Contents
Overview[edit]
The Fast Headcrab looks much slimmer and is more agile than a normal Headcrab, having thinner, spindly legs, smoother, lighter bodies, and no visible mouthparts. Fast Headcrabs share many of the vocalizations of the Classic Headcrab. Examined up close, Fast Headcrabs have wart-like bumps on their skin. The legs of a Fast Headcrab also have elongated claws, which serve as weapons as well as a way to latch onto surfaces, waiting to attack unsuspecting prey. This is seen in Half-Life 2: Episode One, Lowlife. They drop off when the player gets too close or shines their flashlight on them.
The Fast Headcrab is first seen at Station 6. When going back to Arlene after leaving with the Airboat, she appears to have been killed by the only Fast Headcrab of the area, although it did not turn her into a Fast Zombie. Fast Headcrabs are later seen being cooked in the Singing Vortigaunt's cave near the dam before Black Mesa East. Fast Headcrabs are not seen again until Ravenholm.
Behavior and skills[edit]
The Fast Headcrab attacks in much the same way as a normal Headcrab, and does about the same amount of damage. The main difference is that Fast Headcrabs close the distance between themselves and their target very quickly before proceeding to frantically leap at their target. Their speed and unpredictable movement patterns make them difficult targets and can be very dangerous in groups of three or more.
Fast Zombie[edit]
Like all other Headcrabs, Fast Headcrabs can latch onto a human's head and take control of their nervous system, creating a mindless 'zombie' that submits to the will of the Headcrab. Fast zombies have a number of key differences from Classic Zombies, including increased speed and agility.
Since Fast Headcrabs lack a beak, it is unknown how they take control of their hosts. They could possibly use their longer-than-average legs to burrow deep into the host's body and manipulate the nervous system through the spine rather than directly manipulating the motor cortex of the victim. Another theory is that this species of Headcrab has hooked teeth that help them hold on when they latch on.
Tactics[edit]
Fast Headcrabs can be defeated with the same tactics as Classic Headcrabs, but their attacks are slightly more powerful and their agility makes them harder to hit. On higher difficulties, automatic weapons, such as the Submachine Gun, are surprisingly effective due to their constant impact on them.
Behind the scenes[edit]
In the initial stages of the game's development, the Fast Headcrab was to be a direct successor to the original Half-Life Headcrab, with the more faithful Classic Headcrab being introduced at a later point in the development. This is also evidenced by the fact that the name of the Fast Headcrab's model is simply "headcrab.mdl".
The Fast Headcrab was originally to be used as a weapon in Half-Life 2, mirroring the Snark from Half-Life, as part of the Brickbat weapon. This weapon was to include other props that could be picked up and thrown on enemies by the player (spawning the Molotov cocktail in the playable Half-Life 2 leak will show Freeman holding a Fast Headcrab, while it appears as a regular Molotov when thrown).
The Fast Headcrab was planned to appear in Half-Life: Alyx but was cut early on along with the Fast Zombie due to the developers considering their ability to latch onto the player's face so quickly with a little forewarning to be too shocking in a VR environment.[3] The npc_headcrab_fast entity still works in the game and creates a mostly functional Fast Headcrab with a completely new model. While similar to its previous appearance with its thin, spindly legs and slender body, it now has shiny black skin, similar to the original Poison Headcrab, and several rows of sharp teeth. The red tips of their legs glow in the dark. This model contains some of the Reviver's animations showing it burrowing into and reanimating a Zombie, suggesting the model may have been used for the Reviver at some point.
Gallery[edit]
Half-Life 2 and its Episodes[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
Concept art.
Leak Fast Headcrab.
Ditto, squashed version.
The Molotov Cocktail appearing as the Brickbat Fast Headcrab.
Retail[edit]
Models[edit]
Fast Headcrab model.
Ditto, underside.
Screenshots[edit]
First appearance, near Arlene's corpse.
At the end of the Canals, roasting above the Singing Vortigaunt's fire.
Ditto.
A Fast Headcrab near explosives.
Fast Headcrabs in the Ravenholm mines.
A Fast Headcrab emerging from a Headcrab Shell.
Two Fast Headcrabs in ceiling ambush mode in Lowlife.
Ravenholm[edit]
A Fast Headcrab seen in Ravenholm footage.
Half-Life: Alyx[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
The unused Fast Headcrab model in Half-Life: Alyx.
The underside, showing its rows of sharp teeth.
Other[edit]
Icon of the Source SDK's Model Viewer, featuring a wireframe view of the Fast Headcrab model above a yellow Lambda logo.
List of appearances[edit]
Main games[edit]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Other[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Half-Life 2 Prima Guide
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 74
- ↑ Half-Life: Alyx Cut Enemies That Were Too Scary In VR on Gamespot
