History Characters / QuakeTheStrogg

* {{Expy}}: Their gimmick is very similar to the [[VideoGame/DoomII Icon of Sin]] which is also a MookMaker who is defeated by shooting a brain. Both can become much harder if you stall too long due to your being whittled down by mooks.

* SubsystemDamage: They have a destructible weapon on one arm, but there's little incentive to take it out as Tanks are easy to provoke into chasing you and it's more damaging the aim for the head as you kite them. The weapon is also rarely used. You can also disable their blaster arm.

* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: The rockets don't avert NonFatalExplosions, but even if you're behind cover, you can still be harmed by the rocket's blast wave. You'll need to back away from the protective barrier to clear the blast.

* SurprisinglyRealisticGameplay: The rockets don't avert NonFatalExplosions, but even if you're behind cover, you can still be harmed by the rocket's blast wave. You'll need to back away from the protective barrier to clear the blast.

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The Strogg side equivalent to the Soldier, a heavy-weapons user. It carries the Lacerator, Hyperblaster (or Obliterator Bosonic Orb), Shrapnel Grenades and the explosive Plasma Charge.

The Strogg equivalent to the EDF Medic, carries a Nailgun or a Lacerator in battle. It can heal itself as well as their fellow Strogg, and supply them Stroyent, which act as both ammo and health. It can also deploy forcefield emitters and hack EDF (almost) dead warriors, turning them into mobile Strogg spawnpoints.

The Strogg side equivalent to the EDF Engineer. They deploy turrets and carry a Repair Drone. Can be loaded with Proxy Mines and a Nailgun. Their version of the Lacerator has an alternate mode that allows them to fire a three-shot burst.

The Strogg side equivalent to the EDF Covert Ops. It carries a Railgun, stunning bombs called "Bio-Electric Pinch Bombs", a hacking tool, and a camera drone to spy on their enemies and complete objectives at a safe distance. In addition, they can possess the body of a fallen EDF warrior for espionage and sabotage purposes. Their version of the Lacerator exchanges the burst for a plasma grenade launcher.

* {{EMP}}: They carry Scrambler Grenades, EMP Grenades that shut down electronic-based objectives.

The Strogg side equivalent to the EDF Field Ops. Like the Constructor, their version of the Lacerator has an alternate mode that allows them to fire a three-shot burst.

!! The Strogg

* CastFromHitPoints: Their Lacerator, the standard issue rifle available to all classes, uses Stroyent as ammo.
* {{Cyborg}}: ''ETQW''[='=]s portrayal of the Strogg has them being shown as this.

* NeccessaryDrawback: EDF drivers are alerted whenever an Obliterator orb has locked onto their vehicle.

The Strogg equivalent to the EDF Medic. It can heal itself as well as their fellow Strogg, and supply them Stroyent, which act as both ammo and health. It can also deploy forcefield emitters and hack EDF dead warriors turning them into mobile Strogg spawnpoints.

* MagicTool: They have these. It can even be upgraded to work remotely.

* HealthDamageAsymmetry: [[HarderThanHard Playing on General]], the hardest skill level in ''Quake IV'' makes the Strogg have this characteristic. Their attacks are extremely deadly, similar to everyone having a QuadDamage boosting their attacks. It is highly advised to TakeCover because enemies are now MadeOfIron.

* HealthDamageAsymmetry: [[HarderThanHard Playing on General, the hardest skill level in ''Quake IV'']] makes the Strogg strongly have this characteristic by making their attacks extremely deadly as if everyone has a QuadDamage. [[TakeCover Taking cover]] is highly advised because enemies are inversely much more durable than before.

* HealthDamageAsymmetry:[[HarderThanHard Playing on General, the hardest skill level in ''Quake IV'']] makes the Strogg especially have this characteristic by making attacks extremely deadly as if everyone has a QuadDamage. [[TakeCover Taking cover]] is now highly advised because enemies are inversely very durable.

* TacticalShooter: Playing on General, [[HarderThanHard the hardest skill level in ''Quake IV'']] makes the Strogg play with this trope by making attacks extremely deadly. [[TakeCover Taking cover]] is now extremely valuable, and the Tactical Strogg use cover regardless of skill level.

A highly improved version of the Super Tank, sturdier than before due to the addition of a Power Shield on top of its ludicrous HP. Still retains its attacks, though. Two are fought halfway into "Intelligence Center", one at the beginning of "Industrial Facility", and another guarding a key item on the same level.

!! Introduced in ''Call of the Machine''

[-''[[Characters/QuakeI Quake (1996)]]'' ([[Characters/QuakeRanger Ranger]]) | ''Characters/QuakeII'' ('''The Strogg''') | ''Characters/QuakeIIIArena'' | ''Characters/QuakeIV'' | ''Characters/QuakeChampions''-]]]]]

* DropTheHammer: One of its melee attacks in ''II'' involves their left-hand hammer, which deals a lot of damage on the hardest difficulties.

* MightyGlacier: They're slower than most Strogg in ''IV'', but compensate with their shield to help extend their life beyond their regular HitPoints. Misreading their Railgun aim or getting hit by their Blaster is also very unhealthy.

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: A JustifiedTrope in both games, as their Railgun is an ArmCannon in ''II'' and the vehicle-mounted variety in ''IV'', lacking a physical trigger mechanism in both cases. You find a portable equivalent later on.

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: {{Subverted}} in both games. While you may not scavenge the Gunner's grafted Grenade Launcher, it's a preview of sorts to the weapon and how it works. Lieutenant Voss eventually provides you with a hand-held model that's designed for two-handed use.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: The entire race is composed of humans subjected to UnwillingRoboticization.

* ArtificialZombie: It is consistently stated that the Strogg are not only cybernetic organisms, but some of their organic components are from dead subjects. Perhaps kept alive by the machinery and nanites inside of them. to Quote the Quake Wars trailer: ''"soulless fusions of decaying flesh, bones and metal, twisted and ruined by centuries of war."''
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The Stroggification process shown in ''IV'' is so brutal to [=POWs=] that it's a wonder victims don't die from shock. This is HandWaved by the Strogg injecting steroids and nanomachines repairing the cells, and the story even acknowledges that some transfers end in failure, but one may wonder if sedation would save the Strogg a lot of trouble.

* EmptyShell: The victims of Stroggification are forced to live, but their bodies no longer obey their will. Even past "death", the cybernetics can still control and maintain the body for the Stroggs' needs.

* {{Expy}}: The Strogg are functionally CaptainErsatz [[Franchise/StarTrek Borg]], due to their aggressive mission to assimilate new lifeforms into their army only with a scavenged, UsedFuture design to their technology, and much more [[ColdbloodedTorture brutality]] in the assimilation process. In fact, their assimilation process makes the Borg look humane as they reassemble their prisoners while they're still conscious and not even tranquilized as the Borg prefer. Quake 4 in particular makes the similarities more apparent: They have {{Wetware Bod|y}}ies that are override the free will of the subject, replacing it with an ambiguous collective. They create a liquid to be implied to be made from captured prisoners of war and their own subjects, which Quake 4 clarifies is called "Stroyent". They use it to [[SelfHealingPhlebotinum heal]] themselves, being a loose equivalent to the regenerating nanites of the Borg.

* LackOfEmpathy: No Strogg in any of the games has shown any sort of positive morality whatsoever to anything that isn't themselves. In cases where one can see hints of personality of Strogg individuals in spin offs like Tank Jr. from ''Quake 3: Arena'' and the Strogg from ''Quake Champions'', they have no respect for the sanctity of any non-Strogg life. As a whole they are a expansionist empire that treats all other life like cattle and spare parts. Even fellow Strogg are spared no mercy if they fail, are lower ranks or accidentally hurt each other.
* MeatSackRobot: The Strogg as a whole blend and alternate what constitutes their fusion between machine and biology: Some are implied to be artificial intelligences controlling unwilling human (or alien) bodies. Some others are brains or heads in fully mechanized forms. Whichever of these cases, the Strogg seem to want to keep their biological components in one way or another. Quake 2 Tanks have human or humanoid faces stapled in their endoskeletal skulls. Likewise for Quake 4, which extended this to the torso having removed skin crudely fastened to their otherwise mechanical bodies. It is fully unknown why the aliens rely on harvesting organic material to reproduce and sustain themselves, but it is one of their signature traits.

--> '''Marine:''' I heard the Strogg attacked Earth because it's a strategic location. From our planet they'd be able to get at dozens of other civilizations.

* TacticalShooter: Playing on General, [[HarderThanHard the hardest skill level in ''Quake IV'']] makes the Strogg play with this trope by making attacks extremely deadly. [[TakeCover Taking cover]] is now extremely valuable, and the Tactical Strogg use cover regardless of skill levels.
* UsedFuture: The machine parts on the some Strogg look weather-beaten but functional. This is pronounced with the Sentries and Tacticals who have aged looks to their metal bodies; the later were recently put into production implying salvaged parts.
* UnwillingRoboticization: The Stroggs' main method of "recruitment" is to subject their victims to a "stroggification" process which (as seen in ''IV'') is closer to a mutilation and replacement of body parts for machinery.
* WetwareBody: It is theorized by the marines that the Neurocyte cerebral implant that brainwashes the subjects is an AI that, once activated, makes the convert loyal to the Strogg, implying that the Strogg as a whole may be merely sentient machinery controlling organic, cybernetically fused organisms. Some do fight the programming like [[spoiler:Voss]] but that seems like an exception rather than the rule. The fact that they are said repeatedly to be resurrected dead flesh may imply that even their cybernetics are able to "reactivate" the corpse while the Neurocyte puppets it around.

In ''IV'' they gain another notable trait in the electrical box and steel tubes attached to their chest that wouldn't look out of place in a hardware store. As the game progresses, the more advanced and coordinated Tactical Strogg start supplanting them partially, but the Guards make appearances all the way to the end game.

* AdaptedOut: The Hyperblaster, Ripper and Laser guards are absent from the PSX and [=N64=] versions of ''II''.

** In ''II'', the Light, Hyperblaster and Ripper guards have a poor accuracy.

A fast enemy which only attacks at close-range. In the 2023 remastered edition of the game, they gained a GroundPound and a running attack.

* ArtificialBrilliance: Not only did the 2023 remaster of ''II'' give them the ability to jump, but it also gave them two attacks that were previously cut: a running strike with their hammer and a GroundPound. This means they no longer need to catch you in order to attack you, as they can use the GroundPound to quickly close the gap and inflict serious damage, while the hammer strike allows them to attack while moving.
* TheBerserker: Of course. They don't have their name for nothing.

* DropTheHammer: One of its melee attacks in ''II'' involve their left-hand hammer, which deals a lot of damage on the hardest difficulties.

* InstaKillMook: ''IV''[='=]s armor system gives a [[DownplayedTrope means of preventing]] a OneHitKill thankfully but with full HP but no armor, it's likely you'll suffer a OneHitKill. They're a greater threat before Kane's [[spoiler: Stroggification]] as you're noticeably slower and more fragile.

* MookDebutCutscene: Subverted in ''IV'' by using a [[UnbrokenFirstPersonPerspective first-person]] introduction. The introduction of the Berserker involves them unlocking a secured door, then impaling a marine who is distracted from calling for Kane's attention.

* ShockAndAwe: Unlike their ''II'' incarnations, they have the ability to channel lightning through their blade arm. They even have the ability to fire a bolt from it directly at you, but they don't often resort to this attack.

** In the 2023 remastered edition of ''II'', they use a DeadlyLunge in order to close in the gap with their enemies, pushing them away.
* SmashMook: They rush up to you and try to pummel you with their cybernetic arms, but can't do much else. Stops being the case in ''IV'' and the 2023 remaster, where they're able to do a DeadlyLunge to push you.

* SequelNonEntity: They're replaced with the more efficient and threatening Beta Class Brains in ''The Reckoning'' and are absolutely absent in ''Ground Zero''. They also have no equivalent in ''VideoGame/QuakeIV''. Even the 2023 remastered version of the game removes them entirely in the base game, replacing them with the Beta Brains from ''The Reckoning''.

* AttackAttackAttack: A clear distinction between the original and 2023 Remaster versions of the mook is that, while they still can attack from a distance, they now favor closing in on you in order to slash you, which they previously used as a defence mechanism.

* GlassCannon: They can't take much damage, but their twin full-auto blasters can really drain your health if you don't take cover quickly.

* InstaKillMook: {{Downplayed}} in ''IV'' but being hit by their Railgun is certain death if you're unarmored and they score a CriticalHit on HarderThanHard. Fortunately, a health upgrade later in game makes survival slightly more forgiving.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: In ''IV'', their shield protects them from direct fire, and also reflects it back in the opposite direction so watch out. The Lightning Gun can disable the shield.

* EliteMook: Outright stated by the manual of ''II''. They're basically tougher, deadlier Enforcers. The 2023 remastered edition introduced a Gunner Commander, who are outright called "The Elite of the Elite of the Elite".

[[caption-width-right:544:Unlike [[Literature/TheMetamorphoses the namesake]], the sun has no effect on this being.]]

A bipedal monstrosity that attacks the player with a barrage of beams. As its name implies, it also has the ability to resurrect dead Stroggos.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: They can't resurrect other medics. They also can't resurrect anything that's been gibbed, or anything that doesn't leave a corpse behind (such as all of the flying monsters.) You can use this to your advantage by gibbing any corpses around if there's a medic in the area.

* TragicMonster: According to [[AllThereInTheManual the manual]] they started out as docile creatures, but were mutated into vicious beasts by toxic waste from the Stroggs' factories (hence their name).

* {{Nerf}}: In the original 1997 release, the Parasite's probe was a hitscan attacking, making guaranteed to hit the player if it was given the opportunity to attack. In the 2023 remaster, it's now a speedy projectile that the player can dodge with the right timing.

** There's a regular Tank sporting a Power Shield at the end of the "A Grave for Dead Gods" level of ''Call of the Machine''[='=]s [[Recap/QuakeIICallOfTheMachineOperationCorpseRun Operation: Corpse Run]].

* WalkingTank: Cyborg tanks with legs instead of treads, and equipped with mulitple weapon systems too.

* FragileSpeedster: In ''IV'', they aren't too much of a threat to your vehicles, but can dodge machine gun fire quickly. However, they can't withstand cannons or heavy-machine-gun fire for very long. Albeit, the SMC Walker may have more difficulty with them due to its limited mobility and slow missiles.

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: He enjoys talking smack to Kane in ''IV'' in his native tongue in an effort to demoralize him.

* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Implied. According to the manual of ''II'', the Strogg pick up the strongest of the Warlords and name it the Supreme Leader. As the ending of ''II'' states that numerous Strogg vied for the position of Makron after Bitterman killed the original one, it means ''this'' guy is the one who bested the rest.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: DoubleSubverted in ''IV''. First the Makron is fought halfway through the game. Then he's finally defeated in the final stage, but this reveals the actual TrueFinalBoss, the Nexus itself.

* KnightOfCerebus: ''IV'' doesn't start off lighthearted to begin with, but the unexpected appearance of the New Makron during a major operation already going horribly wrong marks the point of the story [[DarkestHour when things go horribly south for the heroes]], and the risk of losing the war becomes very high. This also marks the point where Kane is captured and painfully Stroggified.

* PostDefeatExplosionChain: After defeating the Jorg in ''II'', it falls to the side as it's peppered by a bunch of small explosions. A final, larger explosion engulfs the machine, with the Makron himself leaping out unscathed to face down the player themself.

* ShockwaveStomp: In ''IV''. It's heavily telegraphed and when they complete the animation, a wave a energy is send in all directions. The best way to avoid it is a jump just before the wave hits you.
* SlapOnTheWristNuke: Strangely, their Dark Matter Gun in ''IV'' is weaker than your own model. The blackhole sphere may look intimidating but it requires a direct hit to have any effect, and can be dodged with little effort from a distance.

An organic creature, made of a certain chemical, which has the ability to explode into pieces should it be {{Cherry Tapp|ing}}ed.

-> ''"These rapid fire weapons are mounted in the floors and ceilings. They activate when they sense your presence. There are three types of turrets: Blaster, Machine Gun and Rocket. (...) They shoot a wide variety of weaponry, and they're deadly wherever you find them. If you can see one of these, dance!"''

A new addition to the Tank series of Strogg. They tend to appear in vehicle levels, but also show up occasionally in the final act of -the game when the player is on foot. Equipped with shoot-able homing rockets, and a form of Blaster.

* MiniBoss: They show up occasionally, and can take quite a beating. They're a bigger threat on foot due to the unavailability of RegeneratingHealth, but have less health to offset the lack of vehicle firepower.
* SplashDamage: Their rockets have this trait to a large degree, and their shockwaves can even hurt your from around cover, so find some distance.

* SmashMook: They have a tendency to start charging at you.
* StoneWall: They have high health for a non-boss enemy and are one of the few (if not only) enemies who take reduced [[BoomHeadshot headshot damage]] but their ranged weapons tend to be easy to avoid, and their melee attack is easier to outrun or dodge than the Berserker's.

* TankGoodness: Even more pronounced than the Heavy Hover Tank due to their extensive metal-cladding.

* AnArmAndALeg: Both arms and both legs, in fact.

* CompositeCharacter: They seem to be a collective stand-in for various flying enemies from previous games. Their low health & threat level calls to mind the Flyer, their shoulder-mounted guns in place of arms resemble the Icarus, & their jar of floating organs and anti-gravity method of propulsion call back to the Technician, all from ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' , while their hard-strafing attack pattern is lifted directly from the Scrag of ''VideoGame/QuakeI'', which their greenish coloration and “limbless torso” shape also match up with.

[[caption-width-right:330:Talk about "Spider Man".]]

* DittoFighter: This is the design philosophy that the Strogg gave them. They emulate the fighting tactics of your human squads and equip themselves with human equipment, but the Strogg Railgun is also issued for devoted sharp shooters (and Kane may loot them in turn). In-fact, they use the exact same AI and animations as your friendly marines.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: They have vivid orange armors and in the MookDebutCutscene, are shown to be capable of working in teams, unlike the typical Strogg. They're often encountered in groups lead by a Gunner, and they sometimes have a heavier Strogg unit like Gladiators and/or Light Tanks as their support too.

* InstaKillMook: {{Downplayed}}, but Railgun snipers are still very damaging and ''will'' kill you in one hit without armor (at ''full health'') on HarderThanHard. Sufficient armor will save your life provided you have sufficient health. Being caught offguard by a hail of Hyperblaster bolts can be just as deadly too.

* MayTheFarceBeWithYou: They have elements of this going on, due to being like Strogg elite Stormtroopers. They're captured heroes of the [=SMC=] who were turned against their kind through electronic mind control (rather than temptation). Their arms and legs are mostly replaced with mechanical equivalents. They have a VaderBreath thanks to their RadioVoice and breathing apparatus. Coincidentally, their face mask resembles the one worn by [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Darth Malak]] which itself is like Darth Vader with his helmet removed, plus they're both bald. Kane also steals a prototype LightningGun that was being developed for Tactials but never made it into production; said lightning guns would have given Tacticals an attack that resembles Force Lightning.
* MookDebutCutscene: They actually appear before their debut cutscenes, as they are shown in PeopleJars throughout the Strogg Medical Facilities, and Kane hears the Strogg announcer declaring that [[{{Foreshadowing}} "Tactical Teams" are awaiting deployment.]] The first time one is seen in action is when he bursts out of a jar and attacks Lieutenant Voss. Later on, their proper debut depicts them demonstrating their intelligence and tactics.

When a Stroggification fails to meet the Stroggs' standards, the victim ends up in the Waste Processing Facility. They have two forms: the Slimy Transfer who uses a ZombiePukeAttack and the Failed Transfer who carries a Shotgun for guard duty and whose legs can be blown off, leading to them attacking you as a torso.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They're Strogg with defective bodies. They basically put the "zombie" in NinjaPirateZombieRobot.

One of the tallest vehicles in the game. It's unclear if this is a vehicle driven by Strogg personnel (like the Flyer), the battle body for a captured organism, or an unmanned robot. (Their organic motions suggest a captured organism.) They're equipped with nailguns, heavy missiles, and grenades. They can also use their legs to devastating effect too.

* MookDebutCutscene: In their formal debut, they're shown impaling two hover tanks like toys, introducing the first Harvester fight. They're actually cosmetically present in the very first level during the cutscene of you waking up from your dropship crash, giving you a harmless preview.

Just moments after Matthew Kane was barely rescued from stroggification and Medic Jeremiah Anderson perished at the hands of a Strogg Scientist, Kane reunites with Lieutenant Scott Voss, who's informing him of the situation when a Tactical Strogg in a jar gets his neurocyte activated and drags Voss with him. The next time Kane encounters Voss, he became a Strogg creature with powerful attacks.

* BrainMonster: Not even attached to any body, it's just a giant brain on a spinal cord.