The second mini-boss you have to face in Harbinger is a gladiator of an advanced design. Apart from being considered nearly unbeatable in face-to-face combat, this hulking brute was instrumental in the capture of your friend Pho by the Vantir.
When I faced the Gladiator with my human hero, I understood why it was considered to be unbeatable by the NPCs. For one thing, this Gladiator is, beyond doubt, the fastest adversary you will ever encounter on Harbinger. Unless you are playing with the Culibine, you have little hope of outrunning the brute. Besides, its melee attacks, simultaneously executed with both arms, can deal tremendous damage.
I had to use 15 (yes, fifteen) health packs during this battle, which is more than what I had to use while fighting all the other bosses, combined! Oh, and I forgot to mention, this engine of destruction also happens to be nearly immune to the effects of EMP mines. I tried using a couple, which it triggered, but did not take any damage. I did not have the option to try placing more mines.
I had to use 15 (yes, fifteen) health packs during this battle, which is more than what I had to use while fighting all the other bosses, combined! Oh, and I forgot to mention, this engine of destruction also happens to be nearly immune to the effects of EMP mines. I tried using a couple, which it triggered, but did not take any damage. I did not have the option to try placing more mines.
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| Yup, and it is ready to start pounding you in 3...2... Good Lord! It's here already! |
In short, when you are facing this mini boss, be prepared to run like crazy throughout the battle! Bring along tons of health packs, equip the best armor you can find (and afford), and put Plasma mods in your weapon.
One bit of good news - you will get armor made of the same material as the body of this boss. Unfortunately, when I got the one meant to be worn by my human hero, I found that it had no additional properties aside from pretty high armor rating. As a result, I went with the Beetle, and finished the game wearing that. Ah well, maybe the versions for Gladiator or Culibine will be more useful to them!
The blade it dropped, however, was simply awesome! Too bad I sold it without taking a screenshot. I'll remember to take one next time I face him, I promise! That is going to be the perfect melee weapon for the Gladiator character!
The blade it dropped, however, was simply awesome! Too bad I sold it without taking a screenshot. I'll remember to take one next time I face him, I promise! That is going to be the perfect melee weapon for the Gladiator character!
I couldn't believe the date you posted this article, and I still can't! You have played Harbinger in 2012 !? You are restoring my faith in retro gaming. Cause it's not just about Tetris and Mario. Kudos to you, awesome gamer.
ReplyDeleteHarbinger is that game I never talk about to other gamers. I think it's because we might be 3 people to know it in France.
The meeting with Smiley is one of the most moving scenes I have ever experienced in a videogame.
Ha ha... thanks! Yes, I do enjoy retro games... and Harbinger has been one of my favorites since I picked it up in 2010 as part of a budget game collection. :)
DeleteP.S.: Yes, Smiley was indeed a memorable character. I wanted to keep him alive... too bad he had made other plans already!
Smiley made a very empathetic character. I was kind of sad when he met his fate. That's what I love about the game: very engaging storyline and the sympathetic characters.
DeleteWik was also interesting. Remember what Smiley said about the him early on in the game:
"And now all he [Wik] has in an electronic box to remind him of the life he no longer tends."
A very astute comment on the today's modern society. And easily my favorite quote from the game.
Oh yes, I remember that quote!
DeleteThis level has that sneaky bridge that retracts. Your EZ stash is on the other side and you can no longer get to it. :( Bummer. But you can drop healthpacks/mines/cameras on the other side and go back to get them if need be. That is a bit tedious, but once or twice I ran out of said items and could not have continued without them.
ReplyDeleteAgain it is easier to kill the Advance Gladiator with the human character, followed by the Culibine and Gladiator.
I found that using a bunch of EMP mines set out by the human character did help. I think I used 10-15 (3 stacks). Using the Mark 2 version helps too as they cause more damage. You have to lay them out before triggering the cut scene. Then lure the Advance Gladiator into them. This brings its health down to half. The other trick is to run to the power green power recharge areas to keep your gun charged.
This level overall was easier with the Culibine. The EMP radial blast often took out two or three combat gladiators with one discharge. Staying close or luring them to the power recharge areas helps. The human was a bit more annoying as the EMP setting on my gun took three or four hits to take out a single combat gladiator. The final Advanced Gladiator boss fight was easier with the human if you use a lot of mines. Oddly enough the Culibine's EMP radial blast didn't do lots of damage to the Advanced Gladiator, so it was a task to run, shoot, let the AG get close enough for a radial blast but get away quickly as not to take too much damage. Also the Amp attached with EMP modules helps too.
The Gladiator character was the hardest although using EMP robots to soften up the AG helps.
Somehow, when I faced this brute, he was pretty much immune to EMP mines. I have heard from a few other gamers that they have faced similar situations. This might be a rare bug!
DeleteSuch situations also occur with Ballastre, as far as I have heard. Some gamers have found him to be near-immune to disruption effects, whereas in my case, disruption pulses drained his health rapidly and consistently.
I just finished this level with the Gladiator. Much easier this time. After taking out the two turrets and the two Advanced Gladiator minions, I sent two camerakazi robots to soften up the Advanced Gladiator, and then an MRTR camera to finish him off. Didn't use a single health pack.
DeleteWhile I wouldn't call the game buggy by any means, I've run into a few glitches from time to time. I had to start over when playing the Gladiator character this time. After completing the first quest, Torvus would not highlight when putting the cursor on him. I couldn't complete the mission, and couldn't trigger any subsequent quests.
Also, during my Culibine campaign, the first meeting with the Silverbacks in Wik's and Silus' area would crash the game.
Despite these setbacks the game does run very well for the most part.
True, the glitches in Harbinger are quite forgiving and usually go away of you reload from a save.
DeleteI have never faced a serious bug, but bosses reacting differently to similar attacks on different encounters is quite common. In fact, I personally think it was intentionally done, in order to increase replay value of the title.