[Boss Concept] Infested Moon Assassination - Ymir (Updated 4/9/2015)

[Morec0]

If you've read my planet update post, then you have an idea of what this is. An entire moon, covered with Infestation: Sinope. Littered with structures of flesh that have overrun EVERYTHING. And, at the center of it all: Ymir. The largest Infested entity on the planet - not the center of the hivemind Gravemind-style (at least, not unless J3 provides us with new information) - but the largest creature to be a part of it.

 

This will be a multi-phase boss requiring you to transverse through various locations to kill it, kind of like Vay Hek's fight (heck, that was a huge inspiration), but... well, read the description, you'll see how it differs.

 

After spawning into the mission via the normal Infested Moon spawn route, your walk to the first room results in a cutscene like the walk to Vay Hek does: the camera points straightforward, and the wall OPENS A MASSIVE, MONSTEROUS EYE that twitches and looks at you.  Tendrils spawn out of the floor and fail around.

 

Phase 1: Ymir-Oculus

The eye is your target, and will just act as a bullet sponge, but the tentacles flailing around hit for a lot and can be temporarily killed by shooting them, and Infested spawn rates are doubled during this encounter.  Shoot the eye to kill it, resulting in it bursting open in SPECTACULARLY gory fashion, and then proceed through the hole its death creates to move on.

 

Walk through the halls, fighting off the Infested as you do, until you reach the next boss room.  It’s open, looking out into space with a half-open crevice.  Stalagmites and stalactites like the opening… Then the monstrous, fleshy tongue lifts itself off of the ground as the cinematic starts and ooze drips from the ceiling.

 

Phase 2: Ymir-Lingua

Just like before, Infested NPC spawn rates are doubled for the duration of the fight, but instead of tentacles now globules of acidic saliva drip from the roof of the moth-cave, creating temporary hazard zones on the ground that you must avoid.  Easier said than done, however, as occasionally the tongue – like the eye, being your main target – will lift itself off of the ground and then smack back down into it after a brief delay, sending a shockwave throughout the entire room that will knock players down if they do not jump to avoid it (like Shockwave Moas).  Kill the tongue, watch it burst into bloody bits, and descend through the hole that is left.

 

More halls, brief halls, more Infested NPCs to kill aong the way… Then you come to a large chamber, a single chamber.  The cinematic pans up, showing grey matter, the brain of the creature half-covered in carapace; your final target.  Tentacles spawn out of it… then it detaches itself from the main body and falls to the floor, twisting around to stand on eight spider-like, clawed legs.  It rears up, hisses at you with the fanged-mouth on its "belly," and the final fight begins.

 

Phase 3: Ymir-Cerebrum

Everything you have faced comes down to this.  Spawn rates are increased, the tentacles can be shot to be temporarily killed, the brain-bug will send out shockwave attacks to knock you down, and occasionally it will charge one player or another, leaving behind it a thick trail of acid that must be avoided.  Shoot the brain, avoid the attacks.  Kill it, and then get out of there.

 

 

Possible Quotes:

"You would hurt us... You would kill us... Why?"

"We feel you... We want you. Stay with us. Be with us."

"With us, with us. Now, forever, with us."

"We are we; you are you; you would become we."

"Never alone. Never without. Always together. Always."

(During Oculus Fight) "We see you, we see you, we want you."

(During Oculus Fight) "Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, nowhere, nowhere."

(During Oculus Fight) "No escape from out sight! No escape from our eyes!"

(After Oculus Fight) "Even blinded we see."

(During Lingua Fight) "Food, energy, hunger, sate us."

(During Lingua Fight) "We hunger for you.  We hunger for all."

(During Lingua Fight) "Hear us. Understand our hunger."

(After Lingua Fight) "Not silenced, not satiated."

(During Cerebrum Fight) "A millennium to grow! Body and mind!" 

(During Cerebrum Fight) "Ancient beyond time! We know much, we know all!"

(During Cerebrum Fight) "Join us! Learn your secrets! Learn your mystery!"

(During Cerebrum Fight) "Remember... Remember... We remember."

 

Possible Lotus Quotes:

"Grineer and Corpus experimentation with Infested bio-weaponry has resulted in the largest known Infested entity yet. Though it is bound to this moon, we cannot allow it to live."

"The infestation here has been left to stew and grow, creating its own ecosystem of mutated flesh. We must keep it from growing any further."

"Carve your way to the center of this creature, there is no time to waste."

(After killing Oculus) "You may now proceed deeper into the creature."

(After killing Lingua) "You're almost to the center, descend, Tenno."

(Finding Cerebrum) "There it is. Cripple the beast permanently."

(After killing Cerebrum) "The mental shock-waves from the death of this creature will hopefully kill off the rest of the Infestation here in time. Head for extraction, Tenno."

Edited April 10, 2015 by Morec0

[KiraShado]

One does not simply avoid the eye of Sauron.

[Morec0]

One does not simply avoid the eye of Sauron.

 

Thankfully you don't need to throw any rings into volcanoes for this one.

[Morec0]

le bump that I give all my posts.

[Morec0]

Since I'm guessing some people disliked my idea for naming this guy, I've proposed a third name option: Ymir. If you know anything about Norse mythology, you'll get the connection.

[Blackout751]

I always thought Lephantis was a little... underwhelming. Sure, he's probably the most advanced boss we have but he's not exactly difficult - use Rhino Stomp, Iron Skin and a weapon with plenty of Forma and he's dead. This, however, makes the entire ship the enemy which is far more threatening than just a big Ancient with 3 heads.

[Mozzo]

Im surprised we havnt had to explode ships anda have to run to extraction before it blows up to iwpe infected out...

[Bibliothekar]

Maybe old Golem could make a return as a stronger version of the Ancients, that incorporates all three variants in one (just imagine a self-healing, toxic Disruptor *shudders*) for assassination alerts. Phorid becomes their version of the Stalker (reinforced against abilities), Lephantis rules the derelicts - and then there is Ymir as their leader of the invasion force.

Anyway, I really like your idea and would love to fight that boss. When I first heard of Lephantis, I imagined it similar to the Leviathan from BL2's Captain Scarlet DLC. And already the first fight, with wrong equipment, was pretty underwhelming. The fact, that you can "lock" his heads with a well-timed Stomp, doesn't make it any better. And it feels like DE toned down the spawn-rate for "normal" Infested during the second stage since then. They pile up behind the gates while you wait for him during the first stage - and when he breaks the floor, there is about half a dozen and that's it.

Ymir, if done right, could actually be the first boss in this game, that makes you need a shower when the fight is over.

[Morec0]

 

Ymir, if done right, could actually be the first boss in this game, that makes you need a shower when the fight is over.

 

Glad you liked the idea. Don't think I could agree with you on Phorid becoming like the stalker, though, I'd much rather see the assassination infestations be different based on whether or not with was a Corpus or Grineer boss (Golem for Cropus, Phorid for Grineer - with updated models to have them stand out a bit more) and I'm not to keen on the Infested getting their own stalker either, but that's neither here nor there.

 

Back when the game was rated T I could give them a pass on kinda boring design of the infested - make them too scary/disturbing and it'll be rated M, after all. Now that it IS rated M, though, I think DE should take FULL advantage of the higher rating and PUMP UP the scare factor of the Infested SO MUCH! And, to me, for these guys, best way to do that is go with MASSIVE amounts of body horror and gore.

 

Now, it wouldn't last FOREVER, sadly. When I first saw the Infested Ancients they terrified me, and when I first saw the Hyena's they scared me - but after a while... you just get used to them, familiarity takes away the scares they had. One of the reasons I typically ignore the people that say "the Infested aren't scary!" - of course they're not, you've been seeing them daily for a year now. But I digress: taking advantage of the M-rating WAS a big goal in this concept.

[Bibliothekar]

I'd much rather see the assassination infestations be different based on whether or not with was a Corpus or Grineer boss (Golem for Cropus, Phorid for Grineer - with updated models to have them stand out a bit more)

Sure, that's even better. I just suggested Phorid as a Stalker-like, because I had no other idea for him and at the same time didn't want to lose him. Different Infested boss depending on the former faction on the node brings diversity. And it would also allow to move one of the frames there. Phorid still drops Nyx and Golem could drop something else (maybe Trinity? Illiad seems pretty cluttered now, with Trinity, Miter and Twin Gremlins in the drop table).

 

Another idea how to make Infested scarier again: Turn out the lights. When you only hear them scurry around in the dark, that would change a lot.

[Llyssa]

[Cloudy13]

Sorry for necroing this but this is a perfect idea for an infested hivemind. 

[RSITH]

I love it!!

[Morec0]

Slight updates, but mostly this is a (regreted) bump to tie in with my planet update proposals.