Lerk | |
Cosmetic Variants: | |
"SCREEEEEECH" | |
Kharaa | |
Personal Resources 21 (+3 per Evolution) |
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Health 180 (+2 per Biomass) |
Armor 30 (42 + 1.00 per Biomass) |
Energy 100 |
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Respawns In: | 10 seconds |
Base Field of View: | 100° |
Air Speed: | 13 (13.5 / 14 / 14.5) |
Ground Speed: | 7.0 (7.5 / 8.0 / 8.5) |
Crouch Speed: | 2.8 |
Wall Speed: | 1.4 |
Abilities and Upgrades | |
Abilities: Alien Vision, Evolve Menu, Hive Sight, Flight (Glide), Roost, Poison Bite, Spikes, Spores, Umbra |
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Evolutions: Carapace, Regeneration, Vampirism, Adrenaline, Celerity, Crush, Camouflage, Aura, Focus |
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Upgrades: Spores at biomass 5, Umbra at biomass 6 |
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Miscellaneous | |
Buy From: | Evolve Menu |
Purchase By: | Player |
Gestation Time: | 15 seconds |
“Versatile support flyer. Can do damage over time with poisonous bite and ranged spikes. Can evolve choking spore cloud and protective umbra.”
In-game description. |
Introduction
The Lerk is a winged Alien lifeform that has the ability to inflict venomous bites and shoot Marines from a distance with spikes.
Background
The Lerk's ability to fly and its relatively low res cost makes for a powerful early game lifeform. When the first Lerk is spotted on the field, Marines will usually be forced into researching Shotguns to counter them, if they haven't done so already. Although the Lerk requires a second Hive to receive it's support abilities (Spores and Umbra), It spawns with the ability of flight and poison bites, making for a fragile, yet formidable opponent.
Tactics
- Lerks are the only Alien lifeform with the ability to fly and a ranged attack capable of significant damage. They are remarkably fragile however and engaging a group of Marines at close range will nearly always result in death.
- Lerks should use their glide ability for silent flight to try to attack lone Marines from behind, inflicting as many bites as possible before making a hasty retreat. Marines that are already low on health may be more easily picked off by using spikes.
- The speed and agility of a Lerk mean they are an excellent multi-role lifeform that can kill Marines, destroy Extractors or defend Hives from Marine incursions.
- Late game Lerks should focus on providing support to higher Lifeforms (in particular Onos) with Umbra and denying area control to Marines with liberal use of Spores.
- Shotguns and Grenade Launchers are the most deadly weapons for Lerks, avoid close combat against them.
- Protect Skulks biting resources, they will do wonders.
- Lerks early game are the main harvester defenders: They can react quickly and kill lone aggressive marines more easily than skulks.
Tactical Summary - Lerk
- Never engage head-on, engage from range if you can't attack from a position of surprise.
- You are very fragile - keep moving at all times.
- Make liberal use of Umbra and Spores when available.
Controls
- Main article: Options
Lerk Player Controls | |||||
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Movement | Abilities | Contextual | |||
W
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Forward | Mouse 1
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Attack | E
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Use |
A
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Left | Mouse 2
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Spikes | F
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Alien Vision |
S
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Backward | 1
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Poison Bite | B
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Evolve Menu |
D
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Right | 2
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Umbra | C
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Map |
Space
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Flight (tap), Glide (hold) | 3
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Spores | X
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Voice Overs Menu |
Shift
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Roost | V
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Last Weapon | ||
Ctrl
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Crouch Diving |
Movement
- Main article: Movement Techniques
Lerk Movement | |
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Gliding | Video |
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(Counter-)Strafe Mechanics | |
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Crouch Diving | |
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Flapping upwards | |
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Spiking Mines | |
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Abilities
Player Abilities
Alien Player Abilities | |||||||||||||
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Alien Vision | |||||||||||||
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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 | |||||||||||||
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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 | |||||||||||||
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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. |
Flight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Lerk can spread its wings and soar into the air. While flying, the Lerk gains a move speed bonus. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional information about movement techniques can be found in Movement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roost | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Digs the Lerk's talons onto a nearby surface to stay in place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Poison Bite | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bites a target and injects poison to deal damage over time to Marines. It is unknown why scientists named this ability Poison Bite despite it obviously being a Venom Bite. Maybe they didn't know the difference between the two just like when they named all weapon magazines clips. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Spikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rapidly shoots spikes over long distances. Spikes deal extra damage to players. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spores | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Exhales Spore clouds that deal damage over time to Marines. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Umbra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shoots a puff of smoke that disperses into a large cloud, which reduces the damage of projectiles entering the cloud by 20%. This includes the Assault Rifle, Heavy Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher and bot Exosuit weapons. |
Variants
The following images show all the variations of Lerk 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. |
Camouflage variants & availability | |||
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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 Metro 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). |
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)
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)
Mechanics - Alien Commander • Biomass • Infestation • Maturation • Consume • Resource Model
Gorge - Babbler • Hydra • Clog • Webs
Build - Cyst • Harvester • Drifter • Tunnel • Hive (Egg) • Pheromones
Game Information - Options • Maps • Console Commands • Patches
In Game - Damage Types • Status Icons • Ranking System • Badges