- "Should have packed holy water."
- ―Father Mikhail[src]
The Aurigan Haemovore, colloquially named as the "Vampire", 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 the 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 various attacks and teleporting abilities. They usually spawn in small to medium groups. Like Common Aludran Reptiloids and Octanian Snipers, they are often spawned on top of buildings or structures like pillars and columns, and also have a preference for teleporting on top of them.
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. They seldom appear in large numbers.
Serious Sam 4[]
Haemovores are fairly common enemies in the campaign. A group of them first appear on the second level of the game, "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[]
Being slightly rarer than in the previous game, Haemovores are not encountered until during the side quests "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 depending on how far the creature is from the player.
Upon spotting the target, a Haemovore will teleport (appearing as a swarm of bats) towards them and get closer until they are within a suitable range to attack. A Haemovore will also teleport should they 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 grants them a good position of attack, such as pillars. This way, they are harder to track and shoot at.
Once within attacking range, the Haemovore will fire a projectile at the player. The projectile appears as a screaming white phantom that has tracking abilities and deals minimal damage should they make contact with the player. If the player gets hit by this projectile, it will cause their screen to flash and display a bright and more monstrous display of the creature's face for a few seconds that can obscure the player's vision. The projectile will eventually dissipate if it fails to make contact with the target after a certain amount of time or when it impacts with a surface or wall. Unlike the energy balls tossed by Aludran Reptiloids, the Haemovore's projectiles cannot be shot down.
If the player gets too close to a Haemovore, it will scratch them 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 begin sucking 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 with the Sirian Artefacts of Might skill tree. 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, instantly killing 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, a close-range blast from the Double Barrel Coach Gun.
- A Haemovore can be instantly killed with a single slice from the Combat Knife. The knife works especially well on them for 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 projectiles.
- The Haemovore's screaming projectile can be dodged by sidestepping or hiding behind cover. As these projectiles cannot be destroyed, this is the best strategy for dealing with them.
- Fire at the Haemovore's head whenever possible; this is its weak spot and the pump-action shotgun can kill one in a single shot if all of the pellets connect.
- It should be noted that scoring a headshot on a Haemovore isn't always easy, as they are fast and can teleport around. The best chance to go for a headshot is when they fire their projectiles, as they don't move for a short period of time when attacking.
- 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 targeted first.
Trivia[]
- A sleeping Haemovore appears as a secret in the level "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse". Disturbing him from his slumber will have him say a quote to the player that is a play on Dracula's lines ("What is a Sam? A miserable little pile of one-liners. But enough talk, have at you!") from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He also has black hair and much more health than a normal Haemovore.
- They are one of the few enemies that react to the player when they are carrying a 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.
- Also like the Demon, the Haemovore can essentially be described as an 'annoying' enemy.
- When a Haemovore is killed, their body will ignite and 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
References[]