Nihilanth

This article is about the creature. For the Half-Life chapter, see Nihilanth (chapter).

Nihilanth
Biographical information
Died	During the Black Mesa Incident
Function(s) / Belongings
Rank / Occupation	Supreme leader
Weapons	Electrical orb (30 per orb) Teleportation orb (no direct damage)
Physical description
Eye color	Black
Health	800/800/1000 (+30/30/45 per energy sphere)
Chronological and political information
Era(s)	Black Mesa Incident
Faction	Xen
Game information
Voiced by	Bill Van Buren
Designer(s)	Ted Backman
Entity	monster_nihilanth
Voice sample(s)

 

"The last... I am the last..."

― The Nihilanth

The Nihilanth is the leader of the Xen military forces that invade Black Mesa during the Black Mesa Incident. It acts as the primary antagonist and the final boss in Half-Life.

Overview

The Nihilanth is a massive, floating being that resembles an abnormally proportioned humanoid fetus, with a large head atop a smaller body. It shares many physical traits with other intelligent Xen life forms, especially with the Alien Controllers, and is related to the Vortigaunts, as indicated by their vestigial chest-arms, which is why it had a particular ability to control them. It also wears shackles similar to those worn by enslaved Vortigaunts. The Nihilanth's body features what appears to be the remains of some sort of surgical procedure, and its minuscule legs appear to be either vestigial or the remains of amputation.

Some of its backstory was revealed in a series of conversations with the developers. According to Doug Lombardi (restating something that was told to him by Marc Laidlaw), the Nihilanth's homeworld was invaded by the Combine long before the events of Half-Life, prompting the migration and takeover of Xen by the Nihilanth. It was also said the Nihilanth, the Vortigaunts, and the Alien Grunts were all from the same world.

Behavior and skills

The Nihilanth appears to be floating in a meditation pose. It has two attack moves. The first attack is a stream of purple-colored energy projectiles, similar to the Alien Controller's fireballs, but stronger. The second attack is a large green sphere that teleports the player to other areas populated with aliens. These spheres can be destroyed by the player. The Nihilanth can also summon Vortigaunts and Alien Controllers for help in the battle.

A series of orange-colored "energy spheres" orbit around the Nihilanth's head, and provide it with energy. It uses this energy to protect itself from harm and to attack the player. When this energy runs low (after being attacked by the player), the Nihilanth replenishes the spheres by absorbing energy from one of the crystals in the chamber.

When the crystals are destroyed, the Nihilanth becomes vulnerable, and its head opens up like a flower after some time, revealing a large energy sphere atop a fleshy prong inside his head, which is its only weak spot. Eventually, the Nihilanth floats up with beams and green spheres coming out of its body and dies in a massive green explosion.

Appearances

Half-Life

The Nihilanth replenishing its energy.

The scientists suspect there is an immense portal at the borderworld, created by the intense concentration of a single powerful being. Gordon Freeman is sent to kill the Nihilanth to stop the invasion, and close the dimensional rift between the worlds. While he is in Xen, the Nihilanth regularly contacts Gordon telepathically and speaks to him in English.

Decay

Dr. Richard Keller thinks that something is interfering from the other side of the rift, when Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green attempt to reset the dampening fields to prevent another cascade. Keller says whatever held the rift open did so with intent, and aliens may not all be here by accident. Furthermore, in the bonus chapter Xen Attacks, the Nihilanth sends two Vortigaunts, drone subjects X-8973 and R-4913, to retrieve several stolen Xen crystals.

Half-Life 2

The Nihilanth is mentioned by Vortigaunts throughout the game in random conversations. It is revealed through these messages that the Vortigaunts see Gordon as a messianic figure after he liberates them by killing the Nihilanth. This is also the only in-game instance in the series where the Nihilanth's name is mentioned by the characters.

Half-Life: Alyx

In Half-Life: Alyx, a mural painting of the Nihilanth, and its enslavement of the Vortigaunts, and liberation by Gordon Freeman can be seen near the lair of the lone Vortigaunt in the chapter The Quarantine Zone.

Behind the scenes

The Nihilanth's design was influenced by the horror aspects of pregnancy and childbirth, to which Valve turned after being inspired by the birth of Gray Newell, Gabe Newell's son. Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar states that the first part of the Nihilanth's name references nihilism (from the Latin nihil, meaning nothing), while -anth is a common suffix that is related to flowers (such as chrysanthemum) and is a reference to how his scalp peels open like a blossom. Marc Laidlaw admitted that he came up with this name at the last minute.

Although in an e-mail conversation with a fan, Marc Laidlaw said that the Nihilanth was last of its kind, and some of its predecessors might have been captured by the Combine, he later commented that "there was only one Nihilanth." He eventually gave no definite answer, stating that he "could be wrong" about revising his words as "apparently in the games there are references to more than one."

Gallery

• 

  Concept art.

• 

  The Nihilanth.

• 

  The revealed energy sphere inside its head.

• 

  The Nihilanth is defeated.

• 

  The Nihilanth's enslavement of the Vortigaunts depicted in Gary's mural.

• 

  The death of the Nihilanth and its network of Controllers.

List of appearances

Main games

• Half-Life (First appearance)
• Half-Life: Decay (Mentioned only) (Heard only)
• Half-Life 2 (Mentioned only)
• Half-Life: Alyx (Mural only)

Other

• Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar

References

Combine OverWiki has a list of quotes for Nihilanth.