Hornet
Health	2,000
Attack Damage	(12) Twin-Chaingun (200) Quad-Rocket
Found in	Quake II
[Source]

In Quake 2, the Hornet, also known as the "Guardian" or the Flying Boss, is a special class of Strogg above that of even the Tank Commander, rivaled only by the Tank Boss and the Makron himself. They are an insectoid creature (thus the name Hornet).

DetailsEdit

They appear to have a human head and torso popping out a large bug like body with 6 insect type legs dangling down. The Hornet has two very large bloodied pincers above its head where the twin chainguns hang from. Despite being covered in blood, the Hornet never uses them to fight the player. They have the ability of flight like Icarus; furthering the idea of an insect is the wasp like noise its two jets make to enable this flight. As well as twin-chainguns, the Hornet has a rocket launcher placed beneath its body that fires 4 rockets at once.

Three Hornets are encountered in Quake 2, only one of which the player actually has to kill. The player's first encounter is inside the Big Gun and it must be destroyed to continue. One will also be found guarding the main hangar but it can be left alone if the player runs past it and exits the hanger before it catches up with him/her. The third one is a secret level which the player can completely avoid anyway.

The Hornet is by far one of the toughest enemies in the game, with arguably the most most powerful attacks next to the Makron. Whilst other difficult enemies such as the Tank have limited abilities, like the slow Rocket animation and the Machine Gun that has no aim, the Hornet is able to deliver powerful attacks without delay and only a veteren player will able to tell when its about to attack. There are only a handful Hornets in the game so unlike other enemies, the player can't get use to this fight so it makes it even more difficult.

WeaponsEdit

Twin-ChaingunEdit

Similar to the Enforcer's chaingun prosthetic but there is no delay in firing, and there are two. Each Chaingun is also far more powerful than the Enforcers, doing 6 damage per bullet per gun (compared with the Enforcers 2 damage). The Hornet always fires both at the same time which means 12 damage at a very fast rate. The Hornet can fire between 40 and 50 bullets within seconds, doing up to 560 damage. Even a full armored player could be killed by this. But it is fairly easy to strafe and avoid most of the bullets so receiving 500 damage is an almost non-existent outcome. Saying that, getting hit by just a few shots can still deal enough damage to kill the player if he/she is not armored. It only takes 16 bullets (x2 two chainguns) to deal over 100 damage. The Chainguns are placed so wide from each other that even if the player is hiding behind the pillars, unless they are right up to the pillar, the Hornet could still hit them with the Chaingun.

Quad-Rocket LauncherEdit

Fires 4 rockets in one go. The rockets come in together instead of hitting 4 separate places, dealing immense damage. Each rocket does the damage damage as any other rocket wielding enemy, 50 damage. But unlike a normal enemy, the Hornet shoots all 4 as one shot which adds up to 200 damage. This attack is difficult to dodge for new players as it can take them off guard, and it will normally mean lights out if he/she is hit.

StrategiesEdit

• The Hornet appears three times in Q2. One time is the player must face the Hornet is during the Big Gun hub. When the Hornet appears, up to three Flyers will also arrive to back it up. It is advised to take the lift up to the balcony where two pillars offer cover from the Hornet (who appears to prefer to stay on the far side of the room). Aim and shoot the Flyers first because they will close the gap and can be annoying if they are constantly shooting you as you target the Hornet. Once the Flyers are down, take pot shots at the Hornet in between its own attacks and take cover when it does attack. Strafing is a good way to avoid the chaingun fire whilst being able to return fire at the same time but it is good to keep the pillars nearby so that the player can take cover from the powerful rocket attack. Once the Hornet is defeated, access to the Big Gun's destruction is granted. The next time is in the Comm Satellite. Once you destroy the computer panel, the lights go out and the shields to the main satellite bay deactivate. Next, the Hornet will come out from under the platform. It is best advised to trap him under the satellite. That way he cannot attack well, and will be crushed. The final time is in the Hanger Hub. The Hornet comes from the roof, so it is best advised to go into the ground floor compartment and come out, shoot, then return. Keep doing this regularly and soon, it'll be lights out for him. It is best advised (If you own a Quad Damage at the time) that you use a Railgun. (He will not have a chance to attack very much if this happens) If you use this then he will be done in 4 shots.