Raven
Talk8this wiki
| [Source] | |
The Raven was a Xenomorph of unknown breed that was encountered on LV-426 by a squad of Colonial Marines from the USS Sephora. The creature was found dwelling in the sewers beneath Hadley's Hope. It was eventually killed by Corporal Winter, who fought the creature in a Power Loader.
Contents |
Overview
Edit
The Raven resembles an ordinary Xenomorph, but larger and almost entirely encased in a red-tinted, armored, spiked exoskeleton. Its tail has ridge of spines at the base of its harpoon-like blade and like the Queen, the Raven also has high heel protrusions from its feet. Its head possesses a ridged carapace, much like a Warrior, along with a line of spikes on the top of its head. The Raven's face is scarred, exposing evidence of human features beneath the skin, including eye sockets, a nasal cavity and jaws and teeth that are significantly more human in appearance than on most other Xenomorphs; the teeth themselves are not silver and metallic as on most Xenomorph variants. The creature also has two small tusk-like protrusions either side of its lower jaw.
Unlike most Xenomorph castes, which produce screeching and hissing vocalizations, the Raven can produce an extremely loud, deep roar which can be heard across long distances.
Strategy
Edit
The Raven is a massive xenomorph that is immune to bullets and other forms of damage. There is no possible way it can be harmed or killed before its scripted fight and so until the player confronts it in a Power Loader, they can only outrun it and avoid it at all costs.
Trivia
Edit
- The human features of the Raven's "face" were likely inspired by the design of the original Alien in Alien, which included a human skull at the front of its head as part of its design (although this was not easily visible in the final film).
- Considering the large size of the Raven compared to other Xenomorphs, and its distinct appearance, some have theorized that this is the creature that emerged from the chest of the Pilot aboard the Derelict Ship. However, the length of time between the Derelict crashing and the events of Aliens: Colonial Marines makes this unlikely, as the creature would have to be over 2,000 years old; while Eggs have been known to survive that long, it is unknown if adult Xenomorphs can do the same.
- A further theory is that the Raven and the other new Xenomorphs in the game are the result of the radiation from the explosion of the Atmosphere Processor in Aliens. However, this is never clarified in-game. Furthermore, it is never even stated whether the explosion of an Atmosphere Processor creates significant levels of radiation, as the Marines in the game are seen to take refuge in Hadley's Hope for some time without any concern for radioactive fallout. Even if high levels of radiation were generated, radiation poisoning does not work in such a manner, typically causing cancer and/or deformities and not beneficial mutations (although this fact is only true pertaining to real-world creatures).
- The Raven is seen attacking other Xenomorph's after escaping the Hive, indicating it may be a mutated pre-Praetorian, or also possibly a rogue Xenomorph. The behavior is similar to the Male Xenomorph or King Alien known as "The Rogue". However, it appears to work with the other Xenomorphs in attempting to kill you and the other Marines during the Power Loader battle, although it may simply be ignoring the other Aliens in its attempts to kill the player.
- Ultimately, it is possible that the Raven is simply a Xenomorph that has been alive long enough to evolve further, similar to a Praetorian, or is some other form of naturally-occurring mutation. The game has yet to provide a definitive background.
- It is possible to kill the Raven at the sewer entrance right before the battle in the Power Loader using a flamethrower or explosives (the S.H.A.R.P. Rifle is recommended). While it is possible to kill the creature this way, it takes an inordinate amount of ammunition. Doing so will trigger the cutscene you see after killing it with the Power Loader. However, repeatedly luring the Raven back to the sewer entrance can result in the creature glitching into the tunnel and subsequently killing the player in short order.
- A multiplayer skin for the Lurker, known as Cataphractus, bears some resemblance to the Raven, including a human skull at the front of the head and spines jutting out of the back of the carapace.