Lerk

From NS2 community wiki

Introduction

The Lerk is a fierce, agile, and avian-like Kharaa lifeform. It can rapidly expel razor-sharp spikes from its twin tubes, as well as exhale thick clouds of toxic spores. The Lerk excels at aerial maneuverability; using its massive wings to glide through the air, it can quickly reach high velocities, often appearing to Marines as an orange blur sweeping across the air. With its sharp claws, it can roost on walls and ceilings, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Background

Wiry, fast and fierce, Lerks excel at attacking from a distance. They are small and light - making them difficult targets, but less resistant to damage. If Skulks are hit and run artists, then Lerks are guerrilla fighters without peer, using their speed, mobility, and range to harass marine squads with impunity.

Lerks' relatively low health means that they must avoid making a target of themselves, often hiding in niches and attacking marine bases with their spikes or bile bomb. They often wait, lurking on some shadowed perch, until a target presents itself. The strange spelling of their name can be attributed to the unique and colorful vocabulary of one Commander Ty Sumnish, who brought back from the field a treasure trove of data on the Lerk very early on in the Kharaa/human conflict.

Stats

Lerk
- Health: 125
- Armor: 30
- Air Speed: 11
- Ground Speed: 2.8
- Evolve Cost: 30 Personal Resources
- Gestation Time: 15 seconds

Abilities

Alien Vision
- Default Key: F
- Description: Alien Vision grants Kharaa lifeforms enhanced visual sensitivity, allowing them to quickly distinguish Frontiersmen and the terrain even in complete darkness.

Flight
- Default Key: Space (tap or hold)
- Description: With its massive wings, the Lerk can rapidly take flight as well as glide silently through the air.

Roost
- Default Key: Shift (tap)
- Description: The Lerk can use its claws to cling to any surface to become stationary.

Spikes
- Function: Inflicts damage on targeted player or structure at infinite range; damage decreases over range.
- Damage, Max: 24
- Damage, Min: 20
- Max Damage Range: 2
- Min Damage Range: 16
- Damage Type: Light
- Fire Delay: 0.08
- Energy Cost: 2.5
- Description: A rapid-fire hit-scan spike attack. The range has been shortened from NS 1.0, so the Lerk must be at medium range for this attack.

Spore
- Function: Creates a lingering cloud which inflicts health-only damage on players in area of effect; cloud obstructs player vision and reduces Sentry accuracy.
- Damage per second: 18
- Damage Type: Gas
- Duration: 8
- Fire Delay: 0.18
- Energy Cost: 7
- Description: The alternate attack for Lerk, it can exhale clouds of toxic spores, which damages Marine health as indicated by their loud coughing; Spore clouds can also act as a smokescreen to provide quick cover for escape or advance, and the clouds will slowly drift toward the ground. The Flamethrower is able to burn and evaporate Spore clouds. Spore can be continuously channeled for as long as energy reserves permit.

Bile Bomb
- Function: Inflicts damage over time on structures within area of effect with an arcing projectile; Bile Bomb deals double damage against structure armor.
- Damage per second: 55
- Damage Type: Corrode
- Duration: 5
- Fire Delay: 1
- Energy Cost: 35
- Description: Bile Bomb is a siege attack that lobs a bile sac in an arc, dealing damage per second against structures caught in the splash radius (6 meters); the projectile's speed can match with the Lerk's flight speed, allowing the bomb to land farther away. Bile Bomb becomes available once Evolve Augmentation is complete on the first Mature Hive.

Upgrades

Changes from NS1

The biggest change for the Lerk in NS2 is the switch back to spikes instead of bite (as in NS v1.0). It doesn't seem very Lerk-like to have the Lerk fly up to a structure and then sit on the ground and bite it. It should be hiding in the rafters and vents and attacking from range.