Minor Bio-mechanoid

SS1
SS:NE
SSHD
SS:DD
SS:TRE
SS3
SSBD
IHRB
SS4

Minor Bio-mechanoid

General information

Type

Cyborg

Affiliation

Mental's Horde

Individual information

Health

30 (IHRB normal variant)
40 (IHRB tier 1 variant)
50 (IHRB tier 2 variant)
150 (other games)
200 (SSBD)

Attacks / weapons

Laser (5) (other games) (8) (SSBD)
Stomp (25) (SS4 & SS:SM)
Kicking (50) (SS3 onwards)

Size

15 ft (4.5 m) standing

Game information

Point value

40 (IHRB)
50 (IHRB Tier 1 variant)
60 (IHRB Tier 2 variant)
500 (SS:NE)
2000 (other games)

Experience

25 (SSBD)

Entity name

WalkerSoldier (SS1)
Walker_Blue (other games)

"Oh man, I hate these blue-ass pendejos. The only thing that sucks more is the big ones!"

―Rodriguez^[src]

The Minor Bio-mechanoid (Minor Mechanoid in Serious Sam: The Random Encounter) is an enemy that has made an appearance in almost every Serious Sam game. They are cyborgs armed with two pulse lasers that are attached to their sides. They are not as dangerous as their larger counterparts, which are armed with rocket launchers, though in numbers they can still pose a threat.

Overview[]

The Minor Bio-mechanoid is a blue cyborg standing about 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall. They are biological mechanisms that were grown in Mental's bio-tanks. The Minor's DNA has been genetically engineered to enable it to grow mechanical parts, such as the large battery contained within its skull.^[1] This device serves as a powerful energy source for the Bio-mechanoid's weaponry, but limits its tactical processing capacity to basic search-and-destroy operations.^[1] Like Major Bio-mechanoids, the Minor's legs contain servo rotors which are very loud when it moves, which can alert the player of its presence.^[2]

The two pulse lasers that consitute the creature's primary arnaments are separately manufactured and implanted in custom-grown weapon slots in the creature's flanks, which connect the lasers to the central nervous system and the Bio-mechanoid's internal power supply.

Application[]

Like the Major Bio-mechanoid, the Minor's main role is draw the player's attention away when faced with other enemies, or to provide support amongst groups of weaker enemies. They are relatively common enemies throughout the games, and appear in larger groups than the Major in the early portions of the game, before being replaced by the latter in the later stages.

Appearances[]

Minors are fairly common enemies in the series. When they appear, they usually appear sparingly and with other enemies. They become more frequent until they are eventually replaced by Major Bio-mechanoids. They also sometimes appear with Majors as well.

Serious Sam 1[]

In Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Minors first appear at the end of Sand Canyon, and then appear few at a time or in small groups. On the final level, The Great Pyramid, up to several dozen Minors are encountered during the large fight at the beginning of the level.

Like in the previous game, Minors appear on the second level in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, Valley of the Jaguar, along with Majors. They then appear in every level of the game onwards, right up to the final level.

Serious Sam: Double D[]

Minors first appear in Egyptian Assault, and then in many levels throughout the game. They usually appear on their own or in small groups and often with Major Bio-mechanoids.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

In this installment, Minors are much less numerous. In the original version of the game, they first appear in The Silent Riddler, but can be seen in small groups in Under the Iron Cloud in the Serious Sam Fusion version.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope[]

Minors are more common than they were in Serious Sam 3, appearing on most levels and with Major Bio-mechanoids.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

Minors are just as common in this game as they are in Serious Sam 1, often in small groups.

Serious Sam 4[]

In Serious Sam 4, Minors are first encountered in Death from Above. In the later levels, they become much more common, and usually a few Major Bio-mechanoids will spawn with them.

Behavior and skills[]

General[]

Minor Bio-mechanoids are armed with pulse lasers that are their only method of attack, with the exception of Serious Sam 4, where they have been given a melee attack. Compared to Major Bio-mechanoids, Minors are smaller, have less health, and deal less damage. They are still as fast as Majors, though.

Upon noticing the target, the Minor will fire a rapid burst of lasers, then stop and do it again. As they have low health points, it only takes one rocket or explosive round to kill them. The Minor Bio-mechanoid's fire rate depends on the difficulty; on Tourist and Easy, it will fire its beams at a slow rate. On Normal and higher, it will fire them more quickly. No matter the difficulty, the lasers travel very fast and can quickly hit a non-moving target.

From Serious Sam 3: BFE onwards, touching a Minor will inflict 50 Kicking damage to the player.

Serious Sam: Double D[]

Being a side-scrolling game, the Minor behaves quite differently compared to the 3D games; it will fire a laser upwards, then move down while firing lasers until its gun is pointed close to the ground. However, there are gaps between each laser, making it possible to avoid its lasers. Minor Bio-mechanoid corpses can be jumped on and used as platforms, which is handy for reaching certain parts of a level.

I Hate Running Backwards[]

Minors are the strongest ranged enemies in the game. They don't have as much health as they do in other games, though they are still dangerous if they are not eliminated quickly. The tier 2 variant switches its blue lasers for purple plasma balls. These travel at much faster speeds than the regular lasers, making them even more dangerous.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Minors have the same behavior as in Serious Sam 1, but in Serious Sam Fusion, when playing on Hard or Serious difficulty, Minors may sometimes spin around when attacking in an attempt to catch players who are strafing.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

The Minor behaves quite differently from its previous incarnations. Its firing pattern remains the same, but if the player is within close range to it, the Minor will charge into them, which deals heavy Kicking damage. It can also deliver a powerful kick with one of its feet, which deals half as much damage as its charge attack but is still rather powerful.

Like other enemies, the Minor can be temporarily stunned if it receives a large amount of damage. This only occurs if the Minor takes a powerful blow from a weapon at close range, but the weapon's firepower is not strong enough to kill it in one shot.

Riding[]

In Serious Sam 4 and Siberian Mayhem, once the player has unlocked the Rodeo Time skill using the Sirian Artefacts of Might system, they can ride on a Minor Bio-mechanoid. The same controls for driving a vehicle apply when riding a Minor Bio-mech. The player can fire its lasers while riding it with the primary fire key. The player is automatically dismounted from it when it dies.

Tactics[]

General[]

When facing Minor Bio-mechanoids, the player should always keep strafing. They cannot fire their lasers ahead of the player, making them harmless if they keep strafing in one direction.
When forced to change direction, the best way to avoid getting hit is by jumping over the laser stream.
The RAPTOR Sniper Rifle is useful at defeating them at longer ranges, as one zoomed shot is enough to kill one.
While the XPML21 Rocket Launcher is an ideal weapon against them, the AK-74MX, M29 Infantry Assault Rifle or Thompson submachine gun are decent substitutes if the player is low on rockets.

Serious Sam 1[]

Minors can be easily defeated with the MK III Grenade Launcher or rocket launcher; it takes only one grenade or rocket round to kill them. Even groups of Minors of any size can easily be dispatched with these weapons, making these weapons perfect against them.
Groups of Minors can be taken out with rapid-fire weapons such as the Thompson or XL2 Lasergun. Rapid-fire weapons can quickly inflict damage on enemies, allowing the player to clear through groups of them with ease. The RAPTOR is also perfect for clearing out groups of Minors, as each shot from the sniper rifle is a one-hit kill. With some quick reflexes, the sniper rifle can wipe out a group of Minors even faster than the Thompson, XM214-A Minigun or lasergun can.
On higher difficulty levels, Minors can be dangerous if left unchecked. Their rapid-fire lasers combined with the damage they do can drain the player's health if they aren't paying attention. Much like Beheaded Firecrackers, the player should attempt to kill them as soon as possible so that they can't destroy the player's health while they're busy fighting off other enemies. On lower difficulties, they are mid-priority targets as there are enemies with harder-to-dodge attacks like Common Aludran Reptiloids, hordes of Kleer Skeletons, and Arachnoids.

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

If the player constantly moves to the side, they will be able to dodge all of the Minor's lasers with ease.
Its lasers can be jumped over, which is very useful in emergencies.
The Double-Barrel Shotgun is very effective against the Minor Bio-mechanoid at close or medium range. One shot is usually needed to kill them.
Minors at a distance can be taken out with either the XPML4000 Rocket Launcher or the sniper rifle. The RAPTOR works better if they need to be taken out immediately.
Groups of Minors can be killed with the XM4000 Minigun, or, later in the game, the Sirian Power Gun. Both have a high rate of fire and can quickly do enough damage to cut down a group of Minors with ease.
Much like their Serious Sam 1 counterpart, they can become a nuisance if left unchecked. They should be taken out whenever the player gets a chance to do so.

Serious Sam: Double D[]

There is a noticeable gap between each laser fired by the Minor. Jump between these gaps in order to avoid the Minor's lasers.
Multiple rapid-fire weapons stacked together with a 12 Gauge Shotgun or an explosive weapon or two work very well against the Minor. The rapid-fire weapons and shotgun blasts can quickly inflict damage on a Minor, while explosive weapons can quickly kill the Minor if spammed by constantly hitting the fire key.
Multiple Minors should be dealt with by using a gunstack that has a mixture of powerful weapons, such as the shotgun and LM32 Rocket Launcher. Minors can easily be overwhelmed with powerful weapons, making it easy to cut down a group of them in no-time.
When paired with other enemies, the Minor is a high threat, but not because of the damage their lasers do. Its lasers can be quite annoying to dodge when trying to avoid other enemy's attacks, so the player should take it out as soon as they get a chance in order to give themselves more room to dodge other enemy projectiles.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

The assault rifle while aiming down the sights works great, as it has perfect accuracy while using the sights and has a fast-enough rate of fire that it can tear up a Minor quickly. If no other significant threat is nearby, it can even be dealt with quickly using a few shots of either shotgun.
Against groups, the A-24 Devastator, rocket launcher and lasergun are great weapons. The Devastator is a one-hit kill for a Minor, and can take out groups quickly without worrying about taking much damage or using up too much ammo.
The Sirian Mutilator is an ideal weapon, but only useful as a last resort and not when being swarmed by other enemies. The Minor can sometimes pull on the beam as well, putting the player at much greater risk of its lasers.
If the player has found the secret sniper rifle in The Silent Riddler, they can use it to clear out most of the Minors that come at them. Be warned that ammo for the sniper rifle is rare, so plan accordingly when using it.
Just like the previous games, the rocket launcher is a great weapon against individuals or groups of Minors.
The SOP38 Pistol is also an effective weapon, but it takes more than an entire magazine to kill one, making it only effective against individuals.
The Sirian Mutilator is not recommended to be used against this enemy, as it can sometimes pull the beam while being lassoed and can leave the player vulnerable to attacks. It also takes a significant amount of charge to kill a Minor with this weapon.
The player should not approach a Minor Bio-mech too closely, as it will immediately kick away the player for at least 25 damage.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

As with Minors in previous games, the player can avoid the Minor's lasers by strafing or dashing.
Groups of Minor Bio-mechanoids can be taken down with the SBC Cannon, Devastator or Erasergun. Rapid-firing weapons are also effective against them.
Minors can also be taken down with the Flamethrower or The Shaft, but the Shaft can be a better choice, considering that it deals extra damage to them.
Shotguns can be also used against the Minor, provided that the player is close to it and quick enough to dodge its lasers.
When paired with other enemies, the Minor should be a medium-priority target. Its lasers can deal a high amount of damage, and they can make it difficult to avoid other enemy projectiles. Therefore, the player should kill the Minor whenever they have a chance.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope[]

Dual-wield Laser Pistols or Laser Swords are extremely useful weapons to use when being swarmed by Minors.

I Hate Running Backwards[]

As Minors fire their lasers quickly and their beams cannot be deflected or blocked, this makes them a formidable foe in numbers, especially if they have not been eliminated in time.
Due to their low health, a single blast from a shotgun is enough to kill one.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

It is highly recommended to keep a safe distance from the Minor Bio-mechanoid due to how damaging its melee attacks are.
- However, if the player has unlocked the respective S.A.M. skill, they can quickly circle around the Minor Bio-mech and ride on it to then take on the other enemies until the Bio-mech is killed.
The GP-25 Kostyor is effective against small groups of Minors; a single grenade can deplete two-thirds of its health and it can be easily finished off with a few rounds from the pistol, assault rifle or a single shot from the pump-action shotgun.
The AK-74MX, M29 and sniper rifle are great weapons to use against Minors, especially for groups of them.
For groups, the Devastator, grenade launchers (both the MK III and the pump-action shotgun's grenade launcher) rocket launcher or TCC2 "Perun" Crossbow are needed to quickly take them out. The rocket launcher is especially useful if the player has the homing rocket upgrade for it, while the crossbow's projectiles can tear through several Minors in a single shot if they are lined up together.
For large groups or if the player is getting overwhelmed by Minors, the FRPCL works extremely well against them and can slice them all up in seconds.

Behind the scenes[]

In Test 1, an unused texture for the Minor Bio-mechanoid exists, which is grey. It can be seen in some old screenshots. The grey Minor Bio-mechanoid stayed until post-Test 2 time, as its sounds can be found in its files. Judging from the sounds, it could kick the player away.

Related achievements[]

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

Oops I dropped it	10

Rid the monster of its misery.

Trivia[]

In Serious Sam 1, the Minor Bio-mechanoid has the Major's rocket launchers instead of its laser weapons in its NETRICSA description except in Serious Sam HD, Serious Sam VR, and Serious Sam Classics: Revolution.
In Serious Sam 1 and Serious Sam HD, the Minor Bio-mechanoid's lasers curiously use the Piercing damage type despite that they cannot penetrate enemies. This was fixed in Serious Sam 3: BFE onwards by changing the damage type to Electricity and from Serious Sam 4 onwards by using the Plasma damage type instead.
- The Piercing damage type can be observed in Serious Sam Fusion by using the Serious Editor to add the HD Minor Bio-mechanoid to a map using the Serious Sam 3 game title and then dying to said enemy in the map, in which case the player's character will be gibbed.
In Serious Sam 3: BFE, Minors reuse the death sound from the Serious Sam 1 Minor when they are gibbed.
Despite the large size of their battery containment, Minors have the intellectual capacity of a cockroach.^[3]
In Serious Sam 1, the code for the Minor's lasers comes from the scrapped Cyborg enemy.
The Minor's lasers usually kill more members of Mental's Horde than EDF soldiers.^[3]
Research conducted at the Gnosis Alpha Orbital University suggests the Bio-mechanoid incorporates DNA from a species of Marsh Hopper found on Rigil Kentaurus.^[4]
Sleeping Minors can be encountered in both Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. Several sleeping Minors can be found in the underground ruins in The Last Man on Earth, and another one can be found in The Song Of The Stormbringer and Crime And Punishment.
Crushing the Minor with a container in The Song Of The Stormbringer while using the crane awards the player with the "Oops, I dropped it" achievement.