Reapers are a mutagenically modified insectoid, resembling a giant humanoid cockroach. Standing upright at around seven feet, they have four upper body claws that they use as arms, as well as two legs. As revealed in this file, found in Chapter 5-2, Reapers were exposed to the Uroboros virus at the Tricell African Research Facility.
Shooting off their appendages will cripple a Reaper; the removal of an arm will stop it from using its instant-kill grab. However, Reapers are capable of regenerating limbs extremely quickly, taking only a few seconds to repair its head, arms, or legs. The only two ways to kill a Reaper are to shoot the glowing abdominal sac when the armor plating shifts off to vent gas, or by hitting the Reaper with explosives powerful enough to obliterate its body completely (which usually means that only a well-placed rocket will do the job). The Reaper also has two glowing sacs on its back, which when destroyed (a grenade launcher seems to work fairly well if you have trouble targeting them) stuns the Reaper and forces it to prominently reveal its abdominal weak point.
The Reaper attacks primarily by using its upper claws to grab a target, and using its middle scything talons to repeatedly puncture and shred the victim's abdomen, killing them instantly. When one of its claws are destroyed, the Reaper can still counterattack by slicing with its remaining appendages. The Reaper can quickly close distance on enemies by crawling on its six appendages; however, while doing so it cannot attack, revealing the two glowing sacs on its back.
Reapers vent noxious gases from their dorsal and abdominal sacs while exposing their weak points, creating a blur effect that acts as a simple yet effective form of cloak, making difficult to aim at their vitals. Fire is extremely ineffective against a Reaper (incendiary grenades cannot damage a Reaper's weak points, remove its limbs, or slow it down in any way). However, it is possible to kill a Reaper by exposing it to constant, intense heat, such as leading it into an incinerator (as seen in Chapter 5-2).
After a Reaper has been killed, a Heart-Cut yellow Topaz (Power Stone) can be found on their corpse (not always), which sells for ₦5,000. While similar to the Chimera from the original Resident Evil, Reapers are not part of any project, neither from Umbrella nor from Tricell. They were, in fact, a completely random and unprecedented mutation of mere cockroaches which came in contact with the Uroboros virus when a fire broke out in the missile bay of Tricell's African research facility. The beasts were codenamed "Reapers" when whole squads of armed Majini were sent to capture a specimen and were torn apart, as if disemboweled by scythes or spears by its claws.
Strategy
- Reaper is one of the most dangerous creatures in RE5, dealing with them should be your first priority.
- Grenades do not affect it as it will curl up in a ball-like position and roll closer to the player. Only a Grenade Launcher can penetrate it. Acid Rounds seem to do the most damage to the Reaper.
- Although the Reaper is extremely strong, with the right arsenal it can be quite simple to kill. All it takes is a well aimed stun rod strike and the Reaper will fall, revealing its two destroyable glowing sacs for weapons fire. If you don't have a stun rod, transformers (environmental hazard), electric rounds and flash rounds from the grenade launcher work just as well. In case you do have a stun rod, attack right after one of the limbs has been blown off and don't let up.
- the best way to kill it is to use a machinegun with considerable capacity(80-100) and hit the chest weakspot. then you can hit the weakspots on the head, and finally hit the one on the chest again which will kill it. note that the mg must have atleast 100 firepower (the V261 will not work as well as any other automatic)
- Don't be afraid to lay down proximity bombs. While even laying down 5 of them won't kill the creature, they'll severely weaken it.
- Opening fire on it with a machine gun on the upper body is an effective way to expose its weak spots.
- Stay as far away from it if you can't take out a limb quickly.
- One direct hit from a rocket launcher will instantly kill it.
- On a few occasions that a small group of Reapers will appear at the same time, the RPG-7 is the quickest way to handle them (this usually happens in mercenaries mode).
- They seem to be attracted to heat. If you try to leave one of them near an incinerator with yourself far away from it, it will walk into the fire and literally commit suicide.
- Two flash rounds from the grenade launcher will make it expose its main weak spot. Concentrate your fire at the glowing sac with a fast or powerful weapon when this happens. Note that flash grenades won't work.
- Shooting a Shotgun at close range (Even the Ithaca) seems very effective. Just keep shooting it non-stop till he starts to scream and falls to the ground.
- Using a fully upgraded rifle to shoot the weak point on the Reaper's chest will cause it to expose a weak point on its side. Shooting this will reveal a third weak point, and shooting that will kill the Reaper.
- Magnums are not useful against Reapers, their inaccuracy means it will almost never hit an Arm or leg, etc.
- The Gatling Gun works fairy well since it fires an innacurrate bunch of bullets at it.
- Any Handgun can make the fight easier. In Chapters 5-2,5-3,6-3 carry a Handgun if you dont want to spend 20,000 of money in 2 Rocket Launchers. Carry atleast 100 Ammo for the Handgun, make sure its fully upgraded. In 5-2 when you a kind of scream, watch out for it. When you see it try shooting at the limb once 1 is down the Reaper will be sligthly stunned, giving you a chance to dismember other limb, after that stay in FRONT of the Reaper to destroy the Sacks. In 5-3 do the same here have ready a bunch of ammo (same in 6-3) do the same but DONT GO FOWARD or you will have to face 2 Reapers (maybe even 3). In 6-3 its recommandble you apply one of these tactics (the ones up like using the Rocket Lancher) to make the fight easier whit 1 Reaper. Use the Handgun Tactic, or kill 1 then evade him, flash him when you go trough the are where the Gatling Majinis appaer, at your left there is a Turret. At this point use a Grenade Launcher (flash) to stun it and have the change to go to the turret and start firing at him.
- A viable tactic against Reapers is to use the Sig. When the Reaper releases the cloud of distorting dust, aim for it's chest. If you hit it, they Reaper pitches forward, revealing two white pods on it's back. Shoot the top-most pod, and and then hit the other one. The reaper will stand back up, opening it's chest, and stagger around. Aim for the pod in it's chest, and in five or six shots from a lightly upgraded Sig, the Reaper will fall, dropping the Power Stone.
Resident Evil: The Deck Building Game
The Reaper is an Infected card in the Resident Evil DBG, first appearing in the expansion set, Alliance.
The Reaper's effect is very specific and in most circumstances may not apply to whichever player killed it. If the Reaper wasn't defeated from damage equal to its own health, then the player has to trash the highest costing card attached to their Partner Character. The only character who would seem to benefit from successfully matching their damage to the Reaper's health is Carlos Oliveira; who can move one card from his discard pile to his hand after he explores. The Reaper has 35 Health, deals 40 Damage, and is worth 4 Decorations.
Trivia
- It's not 100% sure, but if you have a L. Hawk with fully upgraded piercing and power, it might pierce through the abdomen or the other 50% might be that you can just shoot through the gaps of the abdomen.
- The Reaper's claws strongly resemble those of the Praying Mantis. Whether the animal was a reference or not is unknown.
- Players frequently describe the Reaper as the most annoying enemy in the game, due to their incredible durability and the frequency with which they attempt their grab.
- In Mercenaries mode, the Reaper has been made weaker to give players an easier time on the Mines.
- Reapers appear randomly throughout Jill Valentine's and Josh Stone's escape from the Tricell facility during Desperate Escape, on any difficulty level.
- In Desperate Escape, at a random play on any difficulty, a Reaper can be killed with one explosive device (a grenade or mine) and one or two well placed shot(s) to the weak spot on the Thorax with the VZ61.
- The Reaper is strongly related to the Drain Deimos, as both creatures are unintentional virus-based creations, have a very similar body structure and attack exactly with the same methods (with the single difference that the Reaper's grab can't be thrown off).
- Reapers are one of the few enemies that will inflict damage on any Majini that is close enough while the Reaper is trying to attack the player.
- In Versus, the Reaper grab will be longer than usual and a scene where the Reaper throws you away will be shown. It creates a chance for the opposing team to attack you until you have one hp left or killed by the Reaper to gain points, making the Reaper grab extra annoying.
- Sometimes, instead of doing its infamous grab attack, it will instead slash you. This however does minimal damage.
- Despite the fact that reapers were a random mutation when they came in contact with Uroboros, there is questioning on whether or not this was a successful merging or another rejection. The objective of the virus is to advanced its host to the next stage in evolution only if it was able to successfully adapt to the host genetic sequence. Reapers show consistency with this claim as they are more powerful and advanced than their previous forms.
- Sheva's Longbow does little to no damage to the Reaper; hitting a reaper with multiple arrows will not damage it or expose any of its weak points, though an arrow may damage a weak point exposed with another weapon.
- The Reaper being able to adapt to the Uroboros virus is probably a reference to the Cockaroach being a very durable insect, capable of surviving catastrophies such as nuclear winters. In theory, the mutation works for the Reaper because of the durability its previous form had. The durability is also greatly improved as evidenced by its abilities to regenerate and take minimal damage from most explosives.
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