Crag

From NS2 community wiki

The Crag is a defensive structure built by the Alien Commander. It has various energy-based abilities, such as Umbra and Babblers. The Crag fills the role of the Defensive Chamber from NS1, providing front-line defensive capabilities. The Crag’s bony shell helps serve as natural protection, making it one of the toughest Kharaa structures to kill.

Each Hive can evolve into one archetype (Crag Hive, Shift Hive, or Shade Hive). The Crag Hive specializes in healing and defense; by evolving a Crag Hive, the Crag and Shell structures are unlocked in the advanced build menu. Additional Hives are required to evolve other archetypes.

Stats

Crag screenshot

Newborn Crag
- Health: 450
- Armor: 150
- Energy: 100 (25 initial)
- Build Cost: 10 Team Resources
- Build Time: 25 seconds

Mature Crag
- Health: 700
- Armor: 350
- Maximum Energy: 150
- Unlocks: Evolve Babblers

Abilities

Heal
- Function: Heals nearby friendly structures and players for 10 health.
- Targets, max: 3
- Interval: 2
- Range: 10
- Description: The Crag will passively heal nearby players or structures. When healed, bacterial spores appear around structures or Kharaa players, and a heart-throbbing sound can be heard. A maximum of 3 targets can be healed each "tick", and players are always prioritized over structures.

Umbra
- Function: Umbra blocks 1 out of 2 bullets for friendly players and structures within the cloud; Umbra duration is extended for players that have previously entered the cloud while Umbra is active.
- Cost: 50 Energy
- Duration: 8 seconds
- Range: 10
- Description: The Crag creates a large particulate cloud of gaseous smoke which pours from the holes in its shell. Umbra will intercept and disintegrate bullets entering the cloud, allowing through only half of the shots fired by Marine ballistic weapons (doesn't affect flamethrowers, grenades, or ARCs). Kharaa lifeforms can exit the cloud and carry a small Umbra cloud with them for a short period of time.

Babblers (Currently Unavailable)
- Description: The Crag's late-game "targeted" ability is...Babblers! If you played early versions of NS1, you may remember this fun but unrefined feature that allowed Gorges to spew out small creatures (they were scaled down Skulks running the Half-life Snark code!). Well, we are bringing those back, but making sure to give them their own model this time around. In NS2 they are controlled by the alien commander, who will unleash a multitude of these small cat sized critters from the various openings in the Crag’s shell which swarm around Marines, obscuring their sight somewhat, slowing them down and inflicting a small amount of damage.

Upgrades

Evolve Babblers
- Upgrade Cost: 10 Team Resources
- Upgrade Time: 30 seconds
- Prerequisite: Mature Crag
- Description: Enables Babblers ability on Mature Crag.