Anthropod (Apocalypse)

Anthropod

The Anthropod is capable of performing all the actions of an equivalent human soldier and can use weapons and equipment. It can feed voraciously, but strangely it does not seem to live very long in our environment, with a life span of only five days. There seems to be no further stage of development beyond this form.

Source: X-COM Apocalypse Ufopedia

Anthropod Autopsy

This creature was built for warfare, immensely strong and aggressive. Underneath the thick outer skin a significant digestive system is revealed. There is a well protected brain structure that seems to match human size in terms of its neuron count. The well formed brain is vulnerable to Psionic influence although it is not capable of Psionic attacks. This indicates an important weakness of this species. The tissues recovered from this specimen will contribute to our biological warfare research.

Source: X-COM Apocalypse Ufopedia

Anthropod
Time Units		56-64
Health		60-69
Stamina		30-34.5
Reactions		22-25
Strength		35
Bravery		80
Psi Energy		0
Psi Attack		0
Psi Defense		40-49
Accuracy		0-16
Hidden Attributes
Head Armor		5-8
Torso Armor		6-9
Arm Armor		6-9
Leg Armor		5-8
Score		10
Size X		32
Size Y		5
Other information
Damage Modifier Group		Anthropod
Inventory		yes
Innate Weapon		none
Unique Attributes		none

The Anthropod is the basic footsoldier of the alien forces, and the first of only two species of aliens that can use tools. It resembles a vein-covered blue-skinned humanoid with no neck and thick elephant-like limbs with pincers for manipulating objects.

Anthropods are, along with the Brainsuckers, the first aliens that will normally be encountered by X-COM. One or more of them are hiding in one of Mega-Primus's buildings at the beginning of the game; an alert will be raised when they are discovered, prompting X-COM to perform its first building investigation.

Encountered in all manned UFOs and all alien buildings except the Dimension Gate Generator, usually in large quantities, Anthropods will also be deployed as part of all alien infiltration forces. If unchecked, they will spread through the buildings of Mega-Primus and work towards turning the organizations that own them to the alien cause.

Anthropods are one of the possible aliens that can emerge from a Chrysalis if it survives long enough. As the in-game Ufopedia notes, they will not develop into any further form, and all infiltrators will eventually die off.

Anthropods make growling noises, which can alert X-COM agents to their presence even if they are not yet visible.

Tactical Notes

Anthropods are the alien equivalent to X-COM's soldiers. Except for their higher Bravery and Health, their stats are on par with or lower than that of human troops. Their mediocre Speed and Stamina limit their mobility, while their Accuracy ranges from poor to abysmal, depending on difficulty level. Their Health advantage is effectively negated by their low armor ratings. Contrary to the in-game Ufopaedia's claim, their Strength is also rather low. Anthropods are slightly more difficult to affect with Mind Bender psionic attacks than most humans, though still quite vulnerable.

Thanks to their ability to use weapons and tools, Anthropods quickly progress from being minor nuisances to dangerous threats as alien field equipment technology evolves. At the beginning of the game, Anthropods will only be equipped with Brainsucker Launchers and cannot directly damage X-COM troops, but as the war progresses and the aliens begin to take X-COM more seriously they will be equipped with disruptor weapons, grenades and eventually Dimension Missile Launchers. Their modest defensive capabilities will be greatly improved once they gain access to shields and cloaking devices. The latter will also allow them to attack X-COM agents from outside the agents' visual range.

Anthropods are intelligent enough to use basic tactics. For example, they can kneel or go prone to increase the accuracy of their shots, retreat when clearly outmatched, and use smoke grenades to conceal their advance or cancel out harmful gas or fire. If disarmed, they will pick up and use almost any weapon they find lying on the ground. However, when using high explosives, they possess absolutely no sense of self-preservation and will use them to attack nearby targets, regardless of the danger to their own selves or any nearby allies or explosive terrain objects.

One danger involving mid-to-late game Anthropods comes from the sheer number of explosives they carry. As the aliens are cut down, the combat zone will quickly become littered with dropped Vortex Mines and Boomeroids, which can easily set off a chain explosion powerful enough to seriously damage or kill even the best-protected X-COM Agents.

See Also

• Aliens
• Alien Life Forms