Tentaculat

General Information

Tentaculat

Not even the depths of a Lovecraftian nightmare could spawn such as this indescribable creature. No comparison to any Earth animal exists, the environment that could produce such as this beyond imagination. Armed with long tentacles the Tentaculat paralyses its victims then transmutes them into mindless things. These progeny can cause death on touch, even through armour. The Tentaculat is the most fearsome alien yet encountered by X-Com.

Source: Terror From The Deep Ufopaedia

Tentaculat Autopsy

The autopsy reveals small cybernetic implants are lodged in the creature's large brain. The vision system is a complex combination of visible light and thermal imaging acquisition. Even in the inky depths of the ocean this monster can navigate with unerring accuracy. There are vestigial organs that seem to be the bare minimum for survival. Each creature has a small stomach with an external connector, it is logical to assume the being is fed by direct nutrient input by its masters.

Source: Terror From The Deep Ufopaedia

Tentaculat
Time Units		99 - 146
Health		96
Energy		140 - 207
Reactions		90 - 122
Strength		100 - 124
Bravery		110
Firing Accuracy		20 - 81
Throwing Accuracy		50
MC Skill		0
MC Strength		100 - 124
Front Armour		18 - 54
Left Armour		12 - 30
Right Armour		12 - 30
Back Armour		7 - 18
Under Armour		2 - 6
Hidden Attributes
Melee Accuracy		80 - 118
Energy Recharge		40
Victory Points		25
Standing Height		?
Kneeling Height		?
Intelligence		8
Aggression		2
Other information
Armour category		Tentaculat
Possible Ranks		Terrorist
Unique Attributes		Melee Attack, Can "Fly", Zombification

Tentaculats are a race of what can only be described as floating brains. While they possess no ranged weapons, their speed and special melee attack makes them one of the most powerful Aliens in the Second Alien War. Only Bio-Drones have a comparable threat level.

They are encountered almost exclusively underwater, defending important Alien structures such as Alien Colonies or Artefact Sites. They are also known to act as watchdogs for some of the larger Alien Subs that have touched down on the sea bed, such as the Dreadnaught.

Tentaculats are armed with powerful beaks that can pierce many inches of thick armour, regardless of the material. With their spine-line appendages, a Tentaculat paralyses its victims and bites them to transmute them into mindless things by injecting a fast acting agent. In addition to the mind destroying effects, the Tentaculat's transmutation process accelerates rigor mortis and bloats the victim until it rips through and destroys any suit of armour being worn. The victim will wander mindlessly in a shuffle and try to strangle or strike any X-Com target it comes across with inhuman strength.

Even if one of the zombified victims is killed, somehow, a new Tentaculat bursts from the corpse - unless the killing blow is done with a phosphorous round. This appears to cause the incubating Tentaculat's growth process to fail.

Basically a flying Chryssalid with an unusual distribution of armour.

Tactics

Tentaculats are extremely dangerous, especially since they have the potential to transform you own Aquanauts into more Tentaculats. Some things to keep in mind when fighting them:

• Unlike with Chryssalids, "flying" offers no protection against the Tentaculat's attacks... which means many of the standard anti-Chryssalid tactis won't work.
• Submersible Weapons Systems, especially Displasers, are highly resistant to their attacks and cannot be zombified.
• Like Chryssalids, they can exhaust their Energy in prolonged battles, which will slow them down considerably.
• Tentaculats are water-bound and are never found on land. X-Com Aquanauts do not have to suffer the same mass infestations as their predecessors had to whenever a Chryssalid was dropped into an urban area.
• Always try to leave TUs unused so that your Aquanauts can reaction fire - even a glancing shot will sometimes cause the Tentaculat to retreat. You can also use Particle Disturbance Grenades to achieve a similar effect.
• Later in the game you can use M.C.'d Aliens for scouting, so that the Tentaculats kill them instead of your Aquanauts (this will not result in zombification).
• Try to make sure any fallen Tentaculats are truly dead by listening for the death scream or picking up the body to see if it is a corpse. If in doubt, throw a grenade on the body. It will automatically kill off any unconscious Aliens in the blast. If you do not want to destroy nearby equipment or unconscious aliens, revive the Tentaculat with a Medi-Kit and shoot it again.
• Their Front Armour is rather strong, so try to attack them from the sides or rear for better damage.
• Tentaculats are vulnerable to explosives. However, they also have a high amount of health, so don't count on a single Magna-Blast Grenade to reliably take out a Tentaculat.

Notes

• Takes 0.8x damage from armour piercing attacks, 0.9x from Gauss attacks, 1.1x damage from Sonic, Stun and melee attacks and 1.5x damage from explosives.
• It is found almost exclusively underwater, and is a fairly common terror unit in the mid- and late-game. It is usually found defending alien Colonies or Artifact Sites, or accompanying Tasoths or Lobster Men. There is a small chance of meeting one on land, if your base gets attacked by a Mixed crew Dreadnought. This is likely a bug or design oversight.
• Is very fast (very high TU). Slower than a Chryssalid on Beginner, but faster on Superhuman.
• High Health.
• Very high Energy.
• Very high Reactions. While this may seem to be of little use to an unarmed creature, it helps prevent X-Com reaction shots against them.
• Very high Strength.
• Very high MC Strength, making them very difficult to affect with MC attacks.
• Bravery is so high they never panic.
• Can move up and down levels freely (i.e. "fly").

See Also

• Alien Life Forms
• Overviews of Aliens
• Terror Units
• Zombie (TFTD)
• Lobsterman
• Tasoth
• Bio-Drone
• Chryssalid