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This subject appears in Serious Sam: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Next Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam Advance. This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Random Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 3: BFE. This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam's Bogus Detour.  This subject appears in I Hate Running Backwards.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 4.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.  This subject is from the Mental War era. 

 
"Now that's a lot of bull."
Sam Stone[src]
 

The Sirian Werebull is a very fast and dangerous enemy that attacks by charging into the target and ramming them with its horns. It is one of the fastest land-based enemies in the Serious Sam series, and has appeared in almost every game since the series began.

Overview[]

The Sirian Werebull is a strange hybrid animal that was created by crossbreeding Sirian DNA with an unknown species of cattle.[1] It is not known where they originated from, though the cattle they were bred from most likely originated on Earth. Their color varies between their appearances, but usually have yellowish or tan skin. They also have long, pointed horns, which they use to gore and impale their enemies.[1]

Behavior-wise, the Werebull behaves just like an ordinary bull, but they are several key differences that seperate a Werebull between normal cattle; perhaps the most noticeable part of the creature is its hands, which end with several fingers and an opposable thumb. They are also much larger than regular cattle (approximately 2.7 meters long), more aggressive and have sharp teeth as opposed to the flat teeth found in herbivores.

Application[]

Werebulls are usually deployed in areas where Mental's forces need more support or are being overrun by heavy resistance. The Werebull's main purpose is to harass the player, distract them and to flush them out of cover. Considering the Werebull's incredible speed, they are mostly used to force the target to deal with the Werebull first and into the way of other enemies.

Appearances[]

In all their appearances, Werebulls are fairly common enemies and first appear sparingly, and then in large groups in the later levels to make gameplay more challenging. In some games, they are first encountered as a miniboss.

Serious Sam 1[]

Werebulls are commonly encountered in both Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. In The First Encounter, the Werebull first appears in Sand Canyon. Many more Werebulls appear later in the game.

In The Second Encounter, Werebulls are more common than before, and first appear on the first level, Sierra de Chiapas, right up until The Grand Cathedral. A few tiny Werebulls called "deadly midgets" appear in Tower of Babel as a secret.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Werebulls are rarer enemies compared to the previous games. The first Werebull appears as a miniboss and has much more health than a standard Werebull. A few more Werebulls appear in The Silent Riddler, The Dark Bride, and other levels. In the final level, The Guardian of Time, a huge group of Werebulls will appear along with hordes of Kleer Skeletons and tough enemies like Khnums and Major Bio-mechanoids.

In the Jewel of the Nile levels, Werebulls are much more common, along with Scythian Witch-Harpies, which are also rare in the campaign.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

Werebulls are rather uncommon enemies. The first one is encountered in Public Library No:1 and they then appear one or two at a time later on in the game. They do not appear on the Moon base levels.

Serious Sam 4[]

Werebulls are very common in this game, appearing from the first level onwards as soon as the player obtains the Double Barrel Coach Gun. Later in the game they can be seen from small to medium-sized groups to up a dozen strong in the final level.

In the first level, there is a secret sign that, when shot at, spawns the Cow King and the message "the secret Cow King has been disturbed by your disrespect" will show up on the screen. This Werebull has four times as much health as a regular Werebull, is much larger, and wears a crown and various props on his body.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

Werebulls are encountered in every level of the game, following the same spawning mechanics as before. They first appear in A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails on any difficulty.

Behavior and skills[]

Compared to normal cattle, Werebulls are far more aggressive and dangerous, and will begin chasing the target as soon as they see them. They will not stop charging at the target until they either kill them or lose sight of them. A Werebull is so determined to kill its target that it will even charge through Mental-allied units and ram them out of the way.

A Werebull primarily attacks with its horns, which serve as its only defense.This does not make the Werebull an easy opponent; the horns are razor-sharp and the animal can be build up considerable speed during its characteristic attack charges.[2]

In-game, the Werebull has medium health and is one of the fastest enemies, making it a dangerous foe. The player cannot outrun a Werebull, even if they sprint away from it. The Werebull's health allows it to endure several hits from most weapons before dying. Its two attacks consist of ramming the player, which causes the player to go flying into the air, or if the player is not fast enough, it will attempt to gore the player with its horns, causing the same damage as a ram would. The Werebull is capable of throwing the player over walls using its horns. Occasionally, the player may end up getting stuck in an inaccessible part of the map, which can sometimes result in having to reload to the last save point. Worse, a Werebull can send a player falling to their death.

In The Second Encounter in The City of the Gods, there are several Werebulls armed with SBC Cannons that will fire a volley of fast cannonballs at the player. These cannonballs are hard to dodge and deal massive damage, if not kill and gib the player outright, although there is a chance that these Werebulls may kill themselves instead, particularly if the player lures one towards them and against a wall. This is the only instance in the entire series where they are seen using cannons.

In Serious Sam 4, like other enemies in the game, the Werebull will take triple damage when shot in the head, which allows the player to dispose of it more easily compared to previous games, where timing and precise aiming is needed to take down a Werebull.

Riding[]

Sam on Werebull

Sam riding a Werebull in Serious Sam 4.

Like other medium or large enemies in Serious Sam 4, the Werebull can be ridden by the player if they have unlocked the Rodeo Time skill in the Sirian Artefacts of Might system. When riding a Werebull, the same controls for riding a vehicle apply to the Werebull. As Werebulls are very fast, this makes them a great mode of transporation when playing on large, open maps and if there are no vehicles present. It is also useful for evading enemy projectiles and attacks, since the player can dodge them and attack enemies while mounted on the Werebull at the same time. The player can also fire their weapons from the Werebull while riding it. Like other mountable enemies, the Werebull's health will be displayed by a HUD icon on the bottom-left corner of the screen. Once the Werebull is dead, the player will be dismounted from it.

Tactics[]

General[]

  • By far, the most important thing a player can do against Werebulls is to keep moving and strafing. Continuously moving prevents the Werebull from catching up to the player, and strafing prevents the Werebull from being able to hit them.
  • Charged up SBC Cannon cannonballs are very effective against groups of Werebulls. A charged up ball can tear through an entire group with ease (compared to the one or two a non-charged cannonball can kill).
  • One or two Werebulls can be taken out with the Double Barrel Coach Gun. However, this should only be done if there are weak or easy to avoid enemies near the Werebull, as it takes time to kill the Werebulls because of the long reload time between coach gun shots.
  • When released in large numbers, Werebulls become a much higher threat. Precise iming is needed to dodge them and it can become a lot more challenging trying to do their attacks. It is best to have the Werebulls lined up so that they can be finished off more easily.
  • If the player doesn't have a cannon and needs to kill a group of Werebulls, the XM214-A Minigun and the XL2 Lasergun can inflict a significant amount of damage on groups as well.
  • At close range, explosive weapons are not recommended against Werebulls because there is a very real possibility of one getting close to the player while the explosive is in the air, causing the player to be harmed by the explosive's splash damage. At long range, it's a good option. Getting hit by a grenade makes a Werebull do a jump, though, so it's a bit harder to land a second shot.
  • When paired with other enemies, the Werebull is a high-priority target. Their charge attacks are powerful and trying to dodge them while dealing other enemies is difficult.
  • Taking a direct hit by a Werebull charge can send the player to high places, such as a ledge or roof that would otherwise be impossible or very difficult to jump or climb onto. This can be exploited to access otherwise impossible-to-reach secrets.

Serious Sam 1[]

  • Explosive weapons such as the MK III Grenade Launcher or the XPML21 Rocket Launcher are very effective against Werebulls from a distance. Only two rockets or grenades are needed to kill a Werebull. This works especially well when they are lined up, as the splash damage will deplete the health of the other Werebulls aside from the one being targeted.
  • When using the rocket launcher, the player should be careful not to fire at a Werebull at close range, as they risk damaging themselves from the blast radius and putting themselves at risk of being damaged by the Werebull as well, which can deal devastating damage to the player.
  • A skilled player can toss a single grenade or rocket at a Werebull to wound it and then finish it off with a blast from the coach gun or Military Knife. This helps to save ammo as well, considering the rarity of grenade ammo.
  • The XOP Flamethrower can deal major damage to a pack of Werebulls, but several seconds of continuous fire is needed to kill one.
  • A zoomed in RAPTOR Sniper Rifle shot will always kill a Werebull in one hit (except on I Am Ugh-Zan difficulty, where the Werebull's health is 375), which is useful for taking them out before they can even get close to the player.
  • In more confined areas, Werebulls are much more dangerous as they can turn around much faster. Aside from the charging attack, they can also stab the player with horns in these situations. The horn stab is not as damaging (except in HD, where it does 40 damage), but is much more difficult to avoid.
  • The more direct hits the player takes, the greater damage they receive. Jumping while dodging increases the chance of much smaller damage when getting hit, although the knockback is still retained. This is also true for Cucurbito the Pumpkin.
  • In The City of the Gods, the cannon-armed Werebulls are high-priority targets and must be killed with the cannon, MK III Grenade Launcher, or sniper rifle immediately once spotted because their cannonballs are difficult to dodge and can instantly gib the player if not killed soon enough. They are even more dangerous when playing on higher difficulties as a single cannonball can cause instant death to the player.

Serious Sam Advance[]

  • The Werebull's attack can be dodged by strafing to the left or right while it's charging. This will make the Werebull miss, giving the player a few seconds to attack it while it's trying to readjust itself to charge again.
  • The coach gun and Thompson submachine gun are effective against the Sirian Werebull. The Thompson can quickly do a good amount of damage on it per hit thanks to the amount of damage it does per bullet and its rate of fire. Its bullets can also briefly stun the Werebull, giving the player more of a change to dodge the Werebull. The coach gun is surprisingly not as effective as the Thompson because of its slow rate of fire and damage per second, but it works in a pinch.
  • The rocket launcher is effective against the Sirian Werebull, but it can be dangerous for the player if they are facing the Werebulls in a small arena. The Werebull can quickly close the distance between the player and itself while the rocket is in-air, which may cause it to explode close to the player, harming them.
  • Groups of Werebulls should be dealt with by using either the minigun or the rocket launcher. The Minigun's high rate of fire and lack of potential self-damage make it easy to kill Werebulls before they get too close, while the rocket launcher can kill multiple Werebulls with a few rockets, especially if they're close together.
  • When paired with other enemies, the Werebull is a high priority target. Trying to dodge them while dodging other enemy attacks can be difficult and cause the player a lot of grief. Eliminating them ASAP makes it much easier to dodge other enemy attacks.

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

  • The Double-Barrel Shotgun is very effective against Werebulls. One shot can kill them at short range.
  • Groups of Werebulls can be taken out with the XM4000 Minigun and Sirian Power Gun. Their high rate of fire can take down Werebulls in no time. The double-barrel shotgun is also a good choice if the player is good at dodging them, as it is a one-hit kill and has a somewhat-low reload speed.
  • Werebulls should be a high-priority target because of how damaging they are and how it can be easy to lose track of them in a large firefight.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

  • Like its classic counterpart, the Sirian Werebull's charge can be avoided by strafing in one direction. Strafing at an angle makes it easier to avoid its charge, so try that whenever it's possible.
  • The coach gun works great against the Sirian Werebull; two shots with it can kill a Werebull if most of the pellets hit. Alternatively, the Sledgehammer can kill them with a few hits. A sideways attack hits them more reliably than the downwards attack.
  • The best chance to shoot it with the coach gun is when it's close while dodging. It may take some practice, but the player can easily shoot the Werebull with every pellet connecting.
  • Using the Sirian Mutilator against a Werebull will lasso onto it and eventually decapitate it, though this can be rather risky, as this usually requires the player to directly face the Werebull. An experienced player can take out several Werebulls with the Mutilator at once with enough timing and safe distance.
  • Multiple Werebulls should be taken out with heavy-duty weapons, such as the A-24 Devastator, C-4 Demolition Charges or the SBC Cannon. One charge can wipe out a Werebull in one hit and greatly damage the other it if one of them walks over it when it blows up, or it's attached to the Werebull, while one cannonball can kill multiple Werebulls, even if it isn't charged up.
  • When paired with other enemies, the Sirian Werebull is a medium-high-priority threat. Its attacks are powerful, and trying to dodge it while dealing with other enemies is difficult. Killing it ASAP makes it easier for the player to avoid other enemies and their projectiles. However, some other targets firing hitscan projectiles should be dealt with before Werebulls.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

  • Werebulls are extremely fast and dangerous. The player should dash or strafe sideways as soon as they hear or see one.
  • The cannon, lasergun, minigun and Devastator are effective weapons against groups of Werebulls.
  • Avoid their charge attack whenever possible, as it deals a lot of damage.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

  • The most efficient and quickest method for disposing of Werebulls is to shoot at their head. They will take 3 times as much damage this way. Two shots from the pump-action shotgun at the Werebull's head or a close-range blast from the coach gun will kill it (so long as most or all of the pellets land on its head).
    • A skilled player can finish off multiple Werebulls with headshots from the coach gun if they are accurate enough.
  • For groups of Werebulls, the Autoshotgun or dual-wielded coach guns and pump action shotguns are very useful on them.
  • The Devastator, grenade launcher and RAPTOR also work well on Werebulls, and are an instant one-shot kill if they are shot in the head.
  • If the player has the "Rodeo Time" skill unlocked, they can mount a Werebull and use it to ram into other enemies until its health runs out.
  • When riding a Werebull, the Werebull's high speed makes it harder for other enemies to hit it. This can be useful for running away from large swarms of fast but weaker enemies like Gnaars or Processed Anthropolyps or for evading enemy projectiles. However, it is recommended that the player ride a fully healthy Werebull to be able to ride it for as long as they need to, as it can still easily be defeated by powerful enemies like hordes of Beheaded Kamikazes, Draconian Burners, Major Bio-mechanoids, and Scrapjacks.
    • The Werebull's speed also comes in handy for the "Armed, Farmed, and Alarmed" side objective in One for the Road, as it can help the player get to the FRPCL's location quickly and return back to the main path just as quickly as well.
    • Its speed is also useful in outrunning the bombardments from Octanian Sentry Towers.
  • The TCC-2 "Perun" Crossbow can instantly kill a Werebull if shot in the head, and it can pierce through enemies behind the Werebull as well.

Behind the scenes[]

Mamut

The Mamut, the predecessor to the Sirian Werebull.

  • The Mamut, an enemy cut during development of The First Encounter, is the predecessor to the Werebull. It was ridden by another cut enemy, the Mamutman.
  • An early Werebull model can be seen in the Serious Sam announcement movie. It had a less detailed skin and much longer horns.
  • During development of The First Encounter, they were two variations of the Werebull skins: the summer and the winter skin, as seen in SDK 1.07. Unfortunately, it may have been scrapped from the game.
  • Early Serious Sam 4 concepts show different variations of the Werebull; one is completely cover in fur, while another design depicts the Werebull having six legs.

Related achievements[]

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter[]

Achievement Matador
Matador
Kill 50 Sirian Werebulls with the knife.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Achievement Rodeo Surfer
Rodeo Surfer Ps 3 bronze
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.

Serious Sam Fusion[]

Achievement Rodeo Surfer SSF
Rodeo Surfer
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.

Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]

Achievement Rodeo Surfer SS3VRBFE
Rodeo Surfer
Use the Mutilator to surf after a Werebull.

I Hate Running Backwards[]

Bulls On Parade
Bulls On Parade 20 Gscore
Kill the werebull.

Serious Sam 4[]

Achievement Bullseye
Bullseye 20 Gscore Ps 2 silver
One-shot kill 3 Werebulls with a shotgun.

Trivia[]

  • The Werebull is mentioned by The Trader in Serious Sam: Double D: XXL, but doesn't actually make an appearance in the game.
  • In pre-Serious Sam Fusion titles, dying to a Werebull in co-op will cause the following on-screen obituary message to appear: "Sirian werebull sent [player name] flying."
  • The front part of the Werebull's body (its head and front limbs) resembles the Demon, or "Pinky", from Doom 3, especially the Serious Sam 3 and Serious Sam 4 designs.
  • Along with the Reeban Electro-Fish, the Sirian Werebull can be found in Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope's game files, though it doesn't appear in any of the levels of the game.
  • It is not fully understood why Werebulls are so aggressive. It's likely their genes were tampered by Mental to make them behave so.
  • The Halloween Update model for the Sirian Werebull in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem partly resembles the Rhino Cybertoy from Serious Sam 2.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Serious Sam 1[]

Pre-release[]

Retail[]

Serious Sam Advance[]

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

Serious Sam: The Random Encounter[]

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter[]

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

I Hate Running Backwards[]

Serious Sam 4[]

Pre-release[]

Retail[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 NETRICSA description
  2. Serious Sam 4 NETRICSA description
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