- "Should have packed holy water."
- ―Father Mikhail[src]
The Aurigan Haemovore is a strange enemy introduced in Serious Sam 4. It makes a second appearance in the expansion pack, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. Haemovores have a range of attacks that they will use depending on their range from the target.
Overview[]
The Aurigan Haemovore is a pale-skinned, levitating humanoid creature that wears a black cape. The Haemovore originates from an unnamed planet located in the binary star system of Beta Aurigae, where its species primarily inhabits a vast system of subterranean caves.[1]
By a strange twist of fate, the ancestors of these beings happened to resemble a creature not unlike a vampire that appeared in the folklore of the Aurigan sentients. As this trait constituted an evolutionary advantage, making the sentients fear the Haemovore, over the millennia the Haemovore evolved and gained more vampiric-like traits, such as acquiring a thirst for blood, the ability to levitate objects, and super-fast movement by camouflaging themselves as a swarm of night creatures.[1]
Application[]
An Aurigan Haemovore's main purpose is to harass the target and overwhelm them with their attacks and teleporting abilities. They usually spawn in small to medium groups. Rarely, they may appear in a large horde.
Appearances[]
Haemovores are common enemies, and usually appear on the second or third levels of the game they appear in. At first, they appear sparingly, but as the player progresses, they become a lot more numerous.
Serious Sam 4[]
Haemovores are fairly common enemies in the campaign, first appearing on the second level Death from Below, which attack Father Mikhail, Kenny, and Sam. In the later portions of the game, they are encountered in medium to large groups. Their main purpose is to harass the player while they are dealing with other enemies.
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]
Haemovores are first encountered during the side objective "Hide and Seek" in the level Siberiade. They appear sparingly in small groups later on, but are much more common when playing in New Game+.
Behavior and skills[]
The Aurigan Haemovore is an intelligent enemy, and has a number of abilities and attacks that it will use. This of course largely depends on its range from the target.
Upon spotting the target, a Haemovore will transform into a swarm of bats and get closer to them until they are within a suitable range to attack. They will also teleport should the Haemovore sense that the player attempts to kill it with weapons that fire projectiles, such as the XPML21 Rocket Launcher. The Haemovore prefers to teleport to places that grant it a good position of attack, such as pillars or columns. This way, they are harder to track and shoot at.
From medium to far range, the Haemovore will fire a screaming projectile at the player. This projectile deals minimal damage, but it has tracking capabilities and if it comes into contact with the player, it will cause their screen to flash and display a bright display of the creature's face for a few seconds that can obscure the player's vision. If the player gets too close to a Haemovore, it will scratch the player with its claws, which deals minimal damage. The Haemovore's third attack is to swoop down at the player, which they will occasionally do at close to medium range. They make a distinctive shriek when swooping, and if they succeed in catching the player, they will restrain them and drain their blood. This attack can quickly deplete the player's health and they will be unable to use their weapons unless they get the Haemovore off of them, which can be achieved by pressing the USE key when prompted.
The player can perform a finishing move on the Haemovore if they have unlocked The Bigger They Are skill using the Sirian Artefacts of Might system. When prompted by the Melee message after it shows up, pressing the USE key will have Sam take out his knife and stab the Haemovore in the chest. This will instantly kill the creature.
Like other enemies, a Haemovore will take extra damage (3x the usual amount of damage) when shot in the head.
Tactics[]
- The Haemovore is a fairly weak enemy; two or three shots from the 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun (one shot if the Haemovore is shot in the head), a close-range blast from the Double Barrel Coach Gun and a single slice from the Combat Knife is enough to kill one. The knife works especially well on them in the first few levels. However, Haemovores don't always appear alone, so these weapons are best reserved for lone Haemovores or small groups of them.
- The Haemovore makes a noticeable sound when teleporting; the player can use this to their advantage by quickly tracking down the Haemovore and finishing it off. Keep in mind that it is best to do this when there are no other enemies present so the player doesn't get distracted and fall into the line of fire from enemy projectiles.
- The Haemovore's screaming projectile can be avoided by sidestepping or hiding behind cover.
- Fire at the Haemovore's head whenever possible; this is its weak point and the pump-action shotgun can kill one in a single shot if most of the pellets connect.
- It should be noted that scoring a headshot on a Haemovore is not always easy, as they are fast and can teleport around. The best time to go for a headshot is when they fire their projectiles, as they don't move for a short period of time when using this attack.
- Haemovores make a distinctive shriek when performing their blood-sucking attack. This attack can be easily dodged by strafing sideways when the Hamemovore prepares to strike.
- When encountering medium or large groups of Haemovores, the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle or XL2 Lasergun are better options.
- A direct hit from a grenade fired by the GP-25 Kostyor can instantly kill a Haemovore, but it's necessary to predict its parabolic trajectory first. This tactic can also work with the MK III Grenade Launcher.
- Strong weapons like the A-24 Devastator, Autoshotgun, FRPCL, RAPTOR Sniper Rifle and XM214-A Minigun are effective against large groups of Haemovores.
- Haemovores tend to instantly teleport upon seeing incoming slow-moving projectiles. Because of that, one should avoid using the rocket launcher against them unless as a last resort.
- On their own, Haemovores a low-priority threat, but many of them in one area can become a nuisance if the player doesn't pay much attention and is busy taking out other enemies. On higher difficulties, Haemovores should be treated as medium or even high-priority targets and should be the first enemies to be targeted.
Trivia[]
- A sleeping Haemovore appears as a secret in Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Disturbing him will have him say a quote to the player that is a play on Dracula's lines from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He also has black hair and more health than an ordinary Haemovore.
- They are one of the few enemies that react to the player carrying certain weapon; this behavior is also shared with the Khnum.
- Based on its namesake, the Haemovore inhabits the same planet as the Aurigan Cave Demon.
- When a Haemovore is killed, they will be set on fire and their body will crumble away into dust.
- The Haemovore is called "Vampire" in the game files.
- They are likely based on the haemovore, a species of vampiric-like aliens that appear in the Doctor Who series.
- The Haemovore resembles Nosferatu, the titular character from the 1922 silent German vampire film of the same name.
Gallery[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 4 (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem