"Would you like at that, it's cute and practical!"
―Sam admires the Mutilator bracelet after he uses it to unlock a Sirian Door[src]
The Sirian Mutilator Bracelet, referred to as the 'Arrow' in ancient Egyptian hieroglpyhic texts, is an ancient artifact that is believed to have been made by the Sirians. It plays a crucial role throughout the Serious Sam 3: BFE campaign and the expansion pack, Jewel of the Nile.
Sam using the Mutilator on several Kleer Skeletons.
The Mutilator Bracelet is a strange and rather obscure device, presumably to be of Sirian origin. Little information is known about it, as NETRICSA could only analyze limited statistical data from the artifact.[1] The bracelet is made from some sort of gold or metallic texture with a black orb on it surrounded by four smaller blue orbs.
The Mutilator is made from some sort of metallic material, likely the same kind used by the Sirians in their construction projects underneath the ancient Egyptian temples.[2][3] The bracelet has a variety of functions, such as for opening Sirian doors or gaining access to underground complexes that are not normally accessible by conventional means.[1]
Aside from being a useful tool, the Mutilator can also be used as a weapon. It doesn't have an ammo count, but it will trigger a cool-down if it is used too often. This is identified by the blue bar rotating clockwise around the black orb. Once the blue bar has rotated all the way, it will overheat, and the weapon won't be usable for a short period of time until the bar has reset.[1] When used on an enemy, the Mutilator releases a light blue energy beam that 'lassos' onto the target. After a short period of time, the bracelet's orb will glow red, signifying that it has reached a sufficient charge. Once the charge has been reached and the beam has been released from the selected target(s), their body will be torn into pieces, which owes up to the Muitilator's name. For medium-sized enemies, such as Sirian Werebulls, they are decapitated, whilst using the bracelet on larger enemies such as Scrapjacks or Major Bio-mechanoids will just result in them dying normally. The size of the enemy and the number of targets the beam can catch varies as well.
With weak enemies, such as Beheaded Kamikazes or Beheaded Rocketeers, the Mutilator can lasso up to five of them at once and kill them in approximately two or three seconds - that is, if all of them were lassoed at roughly the same time. When it comes to larger and stronger enemies (e.g. Scrapjacks), only one can be lassoed at a time and it takes far much longer to kill the target. Large enemies can also pull on the beam, which will drag the user dangerously close to the enemy and even put them at risk of taking a lot of Kicking damage. Extremely large enemies, such as Khnums, cannot be lassoed and killed by the player with the Mutilator on their own; an extra player equipped with another Mutilator is required to lasso the Khnum.
The player can identify when a significant charge has been achieved for enemies by looking and seeing whether the black orb begins to glow red, which signifies the beam is powerful enough to kill whatever enemy is lassoed at the moment. The Mutilator will also make a specific sound which can also serve as a notification for when to release a charge. Experienced players can tell when enough time has passed for the weapon to gain a sufficent charge without even having to look at the orb.
The Mutilator can also be used on non-organic matter, such as walls, columns, or pillars. Using the Mutilator on such an object has the potential to use up a siginificant amount of the weapon's charge before it can be destroyed. This can prove useful for the player when traversing through obstacles or when they need to access secret items hidden on top of columns or pillars that are otherwise out of reach, such as the 'Hall of Developers' secret in the level "The Dark Bride".
The Mutilator only appears once in the game, in "The Silent Riddler". It is found inside the Oracle's shrine and resting place, nestled deep within the Great Pyramid, where it can be clearly seen (as shown by NETRICSA by the glowing red object) on his wrist. Sam is forced to take the device in order to open the door barring entry to the secret chamber he is trying to access. Later on in the campaign, he is required to use it to open the Sirian doors underneath the Shrine of Horus and Anubis, as well as four acquring the Sirian Seals located in the temples scattered around the complexes.[2][3]
The player starts with the Mutilator equipped, seeing as the expansion pack takes place after Sam is extracted by Wilson once the Time-Lock was believed to have been activated.[4] The Mutilator is required for solving the various puzzles and opening the mechanisms and doors in the mini-campaign.
Tactics[]
Since each enemy has a unique value as to how long they must be lassoed before being able to release a charge to kill the victim, it is not an advisable weapon for every situation. The larger the enemy, the longer the player must keep the victim lassoed, sometimes long enough to near the overheating threshold.
When using the Mutilator on Kleers, it is best to use it on them when they are lined up horizontally. Otherwise, if they are pursuing the player in a straight line, it will be more difficult for the player to use the Mutilator's beam to latch onto more Kleers and they will likely end up lassoing just one or two at a time.
The player can still be easily overwhelmed despite being able to target small groups of enemies at a time with this weapon. Larger enemies such as Khnums, Major Bio-mechanoids, or Scrapjacks will actually pull the lasso beam, thus bringing the player much closer to each one.
In a similar manner, Sirian Werebulls won't be immobilized by the beam and continue running, potentially dragging the player around with them. This can be extremely dangerous when dealing with Khnums, Werebulls, and Major Bio-mechanoids, as each can deal a significant amount of damage at close range. With enough practice, though, an experienced player can kill multiple Werebulls with the Mutilator once they are in range.
The Mutilator's is very useful when killing enemies with extra enemy strength as the weapon bypasses their increased damage resistance without increasing the duration of the orb.
Despite it pulling the player, it is entirely possible to kill such enemies with the Mutilator once the charge has been achieved, and released. However, Khnum]s cannot be killed with the Mutilator with one player; in order to kill a Khnum with a Mutilator, another player must assist with their Mutilator.
With enough practice, a skilled player can take out entire small to medium-sized groups of enemies with this weapon without having to use any of their other weapons. This helps to save ammo and can prove useful for during boss fights or when the player is forced to deal with a horde of enemies with the XM214-A Minigun or SBC Cannon.
Behind the scenes[]
An early look of the Mutilator or a similar weapon.
There is an early concept design of what appears to be a time-traveling gauntlet device, which is likely the Mutilator, although it could be that the Mutilator didn't exist in early design stages. Seeing the concept, the character in the sketch goes "poof" in the end, and combining it with the fact that there's a scrapped time-traveling feature (or "history switch" feature) found in the Serious Editor (at GlobalGameParameters.rsc), it could be very possible that the bracelet was going to be used as a time-traveling device.
It's unknown how exactly it would work, but looking at the feature at the editor, it probably was to be temporary. Time-travel duration could be extended by picking up a certain number of items (with a max "history time extension" of 5), and it also could fail ("history switch failure sound"), but these are speculations.
Related achievements[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Headsman
10
Decapitate a Khnum.
Killer Jewelry
Kill an enemy using the Mutilator.
Rodeo Surfer
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.
Serious Sam Fusion[]
Killer Jewelry
Kill an enemy using the Mutilator.
Rodeo Surfer
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.
Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]
Killer Jewelry
Kill an enemy using the Mutilator.
Rodeo Surfer
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.
Trivia[]
Several hieroglyphic texts found throughout the campaign make references to the Mutilator.
On rare occasions, the Mutilator will not be usable after Sam waves his hand in front of a statue (especially the one at the Osiris shrine) in "The Power of the Underworld". This is an error with a scripted animation corresponding to anything that the player does when Sam performs the waving animation (switching weapons, etc). The only way to fix is this is by going to another temple with a Sirian key the player has not found yet, or by reloading to the last save point.
The weapon is highlighted red by NETRICSA upon the player spotting it. This is unusual, as other weapons that appear in the game are displayed green. It's likely because the bracelet serves more of a key purpose in the game's story than a weapon.
The Mutilator is quite similar to the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a powerful weapon worn on the hand. It too, like the Mutilator, can fire a deadly beam at the intended target.
Some enemies will be temporarily stunned after being lassoed by the Mutilator's beam and will be unable to attack. This is noticeably seen when using it on Gnaars or Hatchling Arachnoids.
Despite Sam being equpped with the Mutilator after entering the Time-Lock at the end of the game, he does not get to keep it in Serious Sam: The First Encounter. This is likely due to the Time-Lock's properties, which strip whoever enters it of any non-organic matter, such as weapons or other equipment.[6]
Gallery[]
Worldmodel.
Viewmodel.
HUD icon.
Using the Mutilator on a group of Beheaded Rocketeers.
↑"I am Amunhirkopshef, Fanbearer on the King's Right Hand, Royal Scribe, Commander of the Troops, Wielder of the Arrow. I bring freedom and prosperity to all Egypt." Hieroglyphic tablet, "Born Again"
