Gorge (Natural Selection 2)

Gorge
Cosmetic Variants: Normal Shadow Kodiak Reaper Abyss Nocturne Toxin Normal Gorge Shadow Gorge Kodiak Gorge Reaper Gorge Abyss Gorge Nocturne Gorge Toxin Gorge
"Oh man, I just lost my appetite..."
Kharaa
Personal Resources 10 (+1 per Evolution)
Health 160 (+2 per Biomass) 190 in Matched Play	Armor 50 (62 + 2.00 per Biomass)
Energy 100
Spawns From:	Gorge Egg
Base Field of View:	95°
Ground Speed:	6.0 (6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5)
Crouch Speed:	3.0
Slide Speed:	8.9 (ground), 14 (downhill)
Abilities and Upgrades
Abilities: Alien Vision, Evolve Menu, Hive Sight, Belly Slide, Spit, Heal Spray, Build Menu (Hydra, Clog, Bile Mine, Web), Bile Bomb, Babbler Bait, spawn Babblers (Passive)
Evolutions: Carapace, Regeneration, Vampirism, Adrenaline, Celerity, Crush, Camouflage, Aura, Focus
Upgrades: Bile Bomb at biomass 3
Miscellaneous
Buy From:	Evolve Menu
Purchase By:	Player
Gestation Time:	7 seconds

Introduction

The Gorge is a bulbous and passive-aggressive Kharaa lifeform. It is often found near Hives, upon Infestation, and around other lifeforms. While appearing rather harmless, it can provide crucial support to lifeforms and structures; by exhaling its infectious breath, the Heal Spray, the Gorge can rapidly heal its allies as well as itself. Additionally, Heal Spray is able to accelerate structure growth, to help grow and nourish the Kharaa habitat established by the Alien Commander.

The Gorge's namesake refers to its tendency to regurgitate various types of organic growths, namely the Hydra for static defense, the Clog to impede enemy movement; the Bile Mine to kill the Marines armor, and Webs that ensnare Marines.

Background

The Gorge is a pudgy, scaly, and mossy alien. We thought his pudgy visage needn't say "I want to eat you" but instead, "No one appreciates my slime-piles". His semi-awkward face armor implies that he needs to stay safe more than he needs to attack fast-moving targets and the upturned armor "ears"...well, they're just cute. His glowing belly ties him into the hive somewhat, in that both play a key role in the team's abilities and advancement.

Though we now know that the Gorge consumes more resources than any other species, the name has less to do with their consumption, and more with their portly body type, and that they always seem to be slurping away at a chamber, spitting a wad of acid, or just in general doing things with their mouths that are disturbing to watch.

The developers' aim for the Gorge is a fun class that straddles the line between attacker and defender and has a lot to do near combat and in alien bases. He'll never be much of an attacker, but this butterball is the team medic and engineer and thus, deserves to be loved (by anything with slime on it at least).

Controls

Main article: Options

Gorge Player Controls

Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Heal Spray	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Spit	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Build Menu	C	Map
Space	Jump	3	Bile Bomb	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Belly Slide	4	Babbler Bait
Ctrl	Crouch	V	Last Weapon

Player Abilities

Alien Player Abilities

Alien Vision

Alien Vision

Toggle Alien Vision mode to highlight all units and structures in white, and the terrain in orange. Brightness is affected by lighting in the room. Red emergency lighting and complete darkness are considered as the same brightness level.
Hotkey	F
Targets	Players, Units, Structures, Terrain

All Kharaa lifeforms possess hypersensitive retinas that allow Alien Vision (or Dark Vision), which changes the lifeform's perspective in order to distinguish between organisms, structures, and the terrain.

Evolve Menu

Evolve Menu

Opens the Evolve Menu to purchase different Kharaa lifeforms and available Traits using Personal Resources.
Hotkey	B
Targets	Lifeforms
Requires	Valid ground to spawn player Egg

The Evolve Menu allows Kharaa players to select different lifeforms and unlocked Traits to evolve using Personal Resources. It contains information about each lifeform, such as name, cost, Health, Armor, abilities, effects of each Trait, and more.

Hive Sight

Hive Sight

Hive Sight highlights all players and structures in an orange glow. When nearby, Kharaa players can see each other through walls. Parasited targets are visible through walls and glow more brightly.
Range	30
Targets	Players, Units, Structures

Hive Sight is an innate passive ability for all Kharaa lifeforms. All nearby visible players, units and structures will be highlighted in an orange glow at all times. Friendly players will also be visible through walls, allowing players to coordinate and position themselves against incoming Frontiersmen forces.

Lifeform Abilities

Belly Slide

Belly Slide

The Gorge can slide on its slimy belly. While Belly Sliding, the Gorge gains a move speed bonus. Speed slowly returns to normal.. Speed increases when sliding downhill. Speed bonus lasts longer when sliding on Infestation.
Hotkey	Shift
Energy	20
Speed	Base Speed +1 to 7
Cooldown	1.5 seconds
Targets	Ground, Props, Players, Strucutres

Belly Slide is the Gorge's unique movement mechanic, which allows it to gain speed by sliding on flat or sloped surfaces. While sliding, forward movement has dominance over other directional movement controls; in other words, sharp turns become difficult to execute. However, with practice, skilled Gorges can drift around corners and escape unscathed.
Additional information about movement techniques can be found in Movement.

Tip: It takes 3 Bile Bombs to destroy weapons on the ground.

Slot Abilities

Spit

Spit

Spits a wad of acidic goo over a long distance. Spit projectile travels in a straight line. Spit projectile dissipates after duration.
Hotkey	1 (slot), Mouse 1 (attack)
Energy	7
Damage	30
Type	Normal
Speed	45 (projectile)
Fire Rate	0.5 seconds
Duration	8 seconds
Targets	Marines, Robots, Structures

Spit is the Gorge's primary range attack that shoots a quick projectile over very long distances. It is often used to ward off Marines or to attack structures behind enemy lines, that are otherwise unreachable by melee Kharaa lifeforms. Although Spit is perfectly accurate since it travels in a straight line, the Gorge must predict its target's movement for the projectile to hit.

Heal Spray

Heal Spray

Exhales a cloud of bacteria that deals minor damage to Marines, but heals nearby lifeforms and structures. Heals lifeforms by: 8 + 3% of lifeform max health Heals structures by 60 HP. Heals self by 30 HP. Speeds up Kharaa structure build time. Reduces gestation time of Eggs and maturation time by 1 seconds per spray. 100% chance to put out fires created by Flamethrower.
Hotkey	Mouse 2
Damage	8
Healing	Variable
Type	Biological
Range	6
Radius	3.5
Speed	0.9 to 1.8 (build time)
Fire Rate	0.8 seconds
Targets	Marines, Lifeforms, Self, Structures

Heal Spray is the Gorge's signature secondary attack that grants strong support capability. It will heal any damaged lifeform or structure, as well as the Gorge itself, while speeding up build time for unbuilt structures. Being a healer and builder, the Gorge allows the Kharaa to remain on the offensive. There is a softcap on all healing of 12% of eHP/s from all sources combined. Every heal amoung above that is reduced by 80%.

Tip: Try to heal your teammates as quickly as possible in order to prevent them from being killed!

Bile Bomb

Bile Bomb

Launches a metal-corroding bile sac that explodes on impact, dealing damage over time to all Frontiersmen units and structures in the splash radius. Bile Bomb projectile moves in an arc. The higher you throw, the farther it flies. Only damages armor for Marine and Exosuit. Damages both Health and Armor for robots and structures. Corrodes and destroys dropped weapons on the ground. Damage over time effect can stack by applying Bile Bomb again. Bomb projectile evaporates when burned by Flamethrower. Effectiveness decreases over distance from impact.
Hotkey	3 (slot), Mouse 1 (attack)
TRes	15 to researchb
Research Time	40 seconds
Energy	20
Damage	55 per second
Type	Corrode
Range	Variable
Radius	6
Fire Rate	0.55 seconds
Duration	5 seconds
Targets	Armor, Robots, Structures, Weapons
Requires	Biomass level 2, Research Bile Bomb

Bile Bomb is the Gorge's long range siege attack that lobs an arcing bile sac, which then explodes on impact to shower the area in a lingering corrosive bile. Bile Bomb is highly effective against Armor, robots, and structures; even dropped weapons on the ground are not safe from the bile's corrosion. Use it to quicken a Frontiersmen base's destruction or weaken Marines and Exosuits for your fellow lifeforms to finish!

Maximum splash radius is 6 m and damage falls off over distance following this formula:
$\cos \left(\frac{\left(1-\frac{\textrm{distance}}{\textrm{max}~\textrm{distance}}\right)\cdot\pi}{2}+\pi\right)+1$

Babbler Bait

Babbler Bait

Throws a shiny, bouncy ball to attract nearby Babblers belonging to the Gorge. Only 1 ball can be active at a time. 3 types of orders for Babblers: Move to location when throwing on the ground. Attack a Frontiersmen unit or structure when hitting an enemy target. Cling to a Kharaa lifeform when hitting a friendly target. Bounce off a wall or the ground to make Babblers cling to yourself.
Hotkey	4 (slot), Mouse 1 (throw)
Energy	7
Range	8
Radius	20 (Babbler search range)
Duration	5 seconds
Max Amount	1 per player
Targets	Marines, Lifeforms, Robots, Structure, Ground
Requires	Biomass level 1, Upgrade Gorge (Hive)

Babbler Bait is a glowing ball that produces pheromones to attract Babblers, allowing the Gorge to direct its vicious little minions to do its bidding. Babblers' behavior will change depending on the target that the bait ball hits.
If the Babbler Bait hits:

a Lifeform: The Babblers ownership will be transferred to that Lifeform until it has 6 Babblers and form a Shield.
a Marine Structure or Player: The Babblers will attack that target.
nothing: The Babbler will move to that position.
- If they moved or killed the target they will either attack the next nearby target or run back to its Gorge.

Build Menu

The Build Menu is the Gorge's signature construction ability that provides a wide selection of unique structures; from Hydras that shoot spikes or clogs to shape your environment, the Build Menu will keep track of the number of existing structures.

Build Menu

Allows the Gorge to select the Hydra, Clog, Bile Mine and Web to build. Shows costs and limits for each Gorge structure Placing a structure costs energy Has a short delay before placing another structure
Hotkey	2
Delay	1 seconds

Build Hydra

Creates an unbuilt Hydra on any surface. Hydras have 125 (160) Health and 5 (20) Armor + 16 Health per Biomass
Hotkey	1 (select), Mouse 1 (build)
Build Time	13 seconds
Damage	15
Type	Normal
Range	6.5
Max Amount	3 per player
Targets	Ground, Walls, Props, Clogs

Build Clog

Creates a Clog on any surface
Hotkey	2 (select), Mouse 1 (build)
Build Time	0 seconds
Range	3
Max Amount	10 per player
Targets	Ground, Walls, Props, Clogs, Webs

Build Web

Place at two points to create a strand of webbing. Can stick onto walls and ceilings. Invisible to Marines from more than 6 meters. Has only 1 charge in Matched Play Gains charges over time until it has 3. Once a Web has 3 charges, it will never regenerate another charge. When charges run out, the Web dies. Web always dies to one Axe swing. Slows down the target temporarily. Slows target by 66%. Effect tapers off gradually over 5 seconds. Prevents Jetpacks from lifting off. Each use consumes one charge. Can only be removed by Axe, Welder, Flamethrower, and Cluster Grenade explosions. Maximum 3 per player. Destroys oldest Web when new one is placed and limit is reached.
Hotkey	3 (select), Mouse 1 x2 (build)
Build Time	0 seconds
Range	0.5 (min), 8 (max)
Max Amount	3 per player
Targets	Ground, Walls, Props

Build Bile Mine

Creates an unbuilt Bile Mine on any surface Detonates on proximity Can be detonated manually with Spit Deals only damage to Marine Armor and Marine structures
Hotkey	4 (select), Mouse 1 (build)
Build Time	13 seconds
Damage	50 per second for 5s vs Marine Structures 6 per second for 5s vs Marines
Type	Corrode
Max Amount	1 per player
Targets	Ground, Walls, Props, Clogs

Hydra
Cosmetic Variants: Normal Auric Shadow Kodiak Reaper Abyss Nocturne Toxin Normal Hydra Auric Hydra Shadow Hydra Kodiak Hydra Reaper Hydra Abyss Hydra Nocturne Hydra Toxin Hydra
Kharaa
Personal Resources 0
Health 125 (160) (+16 per Biomass)	Armor 5 (20)
Damage	15
Type	Normal
Range	17.78
Fire Rate	0.8 seconds
Spread	2-4 degree
Max Amount	3 per Player

Clog
Cosmetic Variants: Normal Auric Shadow Kodiak Reaper Abyss Nocturne Toxin Normal Clog Auric Clog Shadow Clog Kodiak Clog Reaper Clog Abyss Clog Nocturne Clog Toxin Clog
Kharaa
Personal Resources 0
Health 250 (+4 per Biomass)	Armor 0
Max Amount	10 per Player

Also see: Clog

Media

Variants

The following images show all the variations of Gorge camouflage (skins) that you may see in the game.

Info: • Not all variants are available for purchase.

• Skins are purely cosmetic and offer no augmented or additional stats in-game.

Gorge Skin Variants

Camouflage variants & availability
Variant	Description	Acquisition	Notes
Normal	Default camouflage.	Provided with game.	N/A
Shadow	Red eyes, dark blue/purple skin, extrusions on exo-skeletal features.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Originally part of the Reinforcement Program for Shadow Tier & above, and completed with the Merry Gorgemas! update (Build 336).
Kodiak	Green eyes, jungle effect skin.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Released with the Kodiak update, and completed with the Merry Gorgemas! update (Build 336).
Reaper	Red eyes, white skin, black exo-skeletal features.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Released with the Reaper update, and completed with the Merry Gorgemas! update (Build 336).
Abyss	Blue eyes, blue skin.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Was originally awarded for playing on Origin at its release. The set was completed with the Merry Gorgemas! update (Build 336).
Nocturne	Purple eyes and tails.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Release with the Nocturne DLC as part of the NS2 5 year anniversary update (Build 319).
Toxin	Green glowing eyes, green patches of skin and green belly.	Can be bought in the Customization Screen in-game.	Released with the Catalyst update (Build 324).

Kharaa

Classes - Skulk • Gorge • Lerk • Fade • Onos

Mechanics - Alien Vision • Evolve Menu • Hive Sight

Base Abilities
Skulk - (Sneak • Wall Walking • Bite • Parasite) • Gorge - (Belly Slide • Spit • Heal Spray • Build Menu) • Lerk - (Flight • Roost • Poison Bite • Spikes) •
Fade - (Swipe • Blink) • Onos - (Gore)

Unlockable Abilities
Skulk - (Leap • Xenocide) • Gorge - (Bile Bomb) • Lerk - (Spores • Umbra) • Fade - (Metabolize • Advanced Metabolize • Stab) • Onos - (Charge • Bone Shield • Stomp)

Shift Hive - (Adrenaline • Celerity • Crush)
Shade Hive - (Aura • Camouflage • Focus)
Crag Hive - (Carapace • Regeneration • Vampirism)

Removed - Frenzy • Swarm • Phantom • Silence • Feign Death • Hyper-mutation

Mechanics - Alien Commander • Biomass • Infestation • Maturation • Consume • Resource Model

Abilities - Heal Wave • Ink • Echo • Nutrient Mist • Rupture • Bone Wall • Contamination • Enzyme Cloud • Hallucination Cloud • Mucous Membrane

Gorge - Babbler • Hydra • Clog • Webs
Build - Cyst • Harvester • Drifter • Tunnel • Hive (Egg) • Pheromones

Advanced - Crag • Shade • Shift • Whip • Shell • Veil • Spur

Game Information - Options • Maps • Console Commands • Patches
In Game - Damage Types • Status Icons • Ranking System • Badges

Other - Skins • DLC • Mapping • Matched Play