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"Jesus that thing was angry!"
Isaac Clarke after fighting a Tripod for the first time.

The Tripod is a large three-legged Necromorph form composed of multiple human corpses encountered in Dead Space 2.

Overview[]

The Art of Dead Space Tripod

Concept art of the Tripod.

There are two types of Tripods encountered by Isaac Clarke. Both are extremely violent, even by Necromorph standards.

"Male"[]

"Males" are the more common type of Tripod that Isaac encounters on the Sprawl. These Tripods are massive Necromorphs comparable in size to a Brute and formed from numerous hosts.

A Tripod attacks by swinging its arm in a wide arc, slamming its fist into the ground, flailing around its bladed tongue, or by pouncing on its victim from a distance. Its only weak points are three yellow pustules (one on each arm, and one on the tongue). After both arms are dismembered, it will finally die. However, after losing one arm, it will use its bladed tongue to attack. Destroying this will kill it, but occasionally it may continue to attack. The areas they are encountered in are almost invariably very large, open and usually circular.

"Female"[]

Only one "female" Tripod is encountered in Dead Space 2. While also formed from multiple corpses, the primary host appears to be a human female. Most disturbingly, an infant's body and limbs are seen growing out of the Tripod's tentacle.

A "female" Tripod is encountered by Isaac in the Titan Station Church of Unitology. The Tripod first pounces on Isaac from above, knocking him to the ground. It then grabs and drags him across the floor, attempting to hit him with its bladed tongue, which Isaac dodges. The tongue acts similarly to a Drag Tentacle, except with a yellow sack made from an infant as a weak point. Once Isaac shoots the sack enough times, it will explode, rendering the bladed tongue no longer effective, and the Tripod will release him and retreat. However, hitting the Tripod about 30 times in the body with the Hand Cannon on Casual or Normal will kill it.

Strategy[]

  • Always stay on the move. Due to its long arms, a Tripod can easily catch up to you if you stand still. Even if you are on the other side of the room, a Tripod will close the distance in seconds, usually hurting you in the process.
  • The Flamethrower does an excellent job of burning off Tripod limbs. It is especially useful in the Tripod Nest.
  • Stasis is crucial. A Tripod under Stasis is an easy target for any of your weapons. With enough firepower, you should be able to dismember one of its arms after 1-stasis shot.
  • If you don't have Stasis, weapons like the Line Gun, Flamethrower and Pulse Rifle, due to their wide range and/or rapid fire capabilities, can make dismembering an un-Stasised Tripod easier.
  • Conversely, unless you're a good shot, weapons like the Plasma Cutter, Seeker Rifle, Contact Beam or any other precision weapons are NOT recommended for fighting an un-Stasised Tripod. Since the weak points are on its arms, they're always moving, making lining up a shot difficult. However, if you ARE a good shot, particularly with the Seeker Rifle, it only takes 2-zoomed shots to dismember an arm, un-upgraded, even on Zealot.
  • If you are particularly accurate with the Javelin Gun. In Zealot difficulty, a single-shot from a fully-upgraded Javelin Gun can take off a Tripod limb with ease. If the first-shot doesn't seem to take off a limb, simply initiate the weapon's Alt-Fire to blow the Tripod's arm off. It It is strongly recommended that you only face Tripods with a Javelin Gun with an explosive upgrade as without it, the electricity alone will not be enough to sever a Tripod's limb.
  • In the elevator sequence when the Tripods surround it and try to grab Isaac through the windows in chapter 7, dismembering a Tripod's arm will instantly kill it. However, it is much easier to kill a Tripod with one shot from an un-upgraded Detonator on the easier difficulties, as well as use the Pulse Rifle's Alt-Fire and the Contact Beam on their chest area, and they will let go.
  • In the same elevator sequence, Force gun works best against the Tripods. One shot from the primary fire will dismember the tripod entirely, killing it instantly, although you must assure that you stay close enough to hit it. This strategy is the most suitable for higher difficulties, like Zealot or Hardcore.
  • In the Tripod's Nest, where you last encounter the Tripods, using the explosive canisters to stun it and do damage is quite helpful in dispatching a Tripod. However, you don't have to kill any Tripods during this sequence, as a live Tripod will die seconds after you blow up the second Tank.
  • In the Tripod nest section it is effective to dismember one of the first Tripod's arms, thus somewhat hampering its movements. Then using stasis to further slowing it down, destroy the tanks during this time.
  • When you dismember one of its arms, it starts using its tongue for attacking Isaac. If you Stasis it at the moment the tongue comes out, you can dismember it. It helps do extreme damage to the Tripod, and it is easier to kill when hitting the second arm. However, it is extremely difficult to hit it when not under Stasis. Using the Flamethrower or the Pulse Rifle would be a good choice.

Death Scenes[]

  • In the Church of Unitology, if Isaac doesn't shoot the sack enough times, the Tripod brings its blade down on Isaac's right arm, severing it. It then proceeds to lift him up and slam him into the wall, then into the floor, knocking his helmet off. While it holds him down, it raises its scythe and rams it down into Isaac's mouth. It pulls the scythe back out, severing Isaac's head. As his body twitches, then lies still, the creature's arm suddenly comes down on his abdomen and rips his body in half.
  • The previous death scene also happens with "male" Tripods, the only difference being they do not slash off Isaac's arm.
  • If Isaac is killed during the elevator ride to the Solar Arrays, one of the Tripods will stab Isaac in the stomach with its tongue-blade. As Isaac screams, the blade then cuts off his right arm, also knocking off his helmet. With Isaac still standing, the Tripod then cuts off Isaac's other arm. As Isaac screams in pain, the Tripod grabs him with its third foot and throws him out the window. The camera then zooms in on its disfigured face.
  • If Isaac does not kill the Tripod in time, his air runs out and he collapses from suffocation. Occasionally, the Tripod will decapitate Isaac after he runs out of air.

Trivia[]

Tripod-0

The size of a Tripod.

  • The Tripod has been said to have a nest, as seen in one of the Dead Space 2 Achievements/Trophies, "Hornet's Nest." It is destroyed in an explosion near the end of Chapter 9.
  • Observing the malformed head of a "male" Tripod will reveal that its "head" is actually a man's head, which is twisted upside-down.
  • If you shoot the "female" Tripod's weak spot with the Javelin Gun or Hand Cannon, it will release you instantly. If you do this before the Tripod drags Isaac for the first time, the Pack will not attack. However, taking just a couple steps forward will trigger the fight.
  • Strangely, the Flamethrower is incredibly powerful against Tripods even on Hardcore mode without upgrades, being able to dismember their arms incredibly fast.
  • The "male" Tripod is made up of 6 bodies: male bodies for the arms, leg, and head/back, an infant without a clarified gender for the tongue blade and a female body for the stomach.
  • A kinesis impalement with a Slasher blade can dismember any appendage that is hit, making it a less difficult kill.
  • After the player kills the first Tripod they encounter, if the player shoots its corpse, gets near it, or uses Kinesis to pick up it Semiconductor drop, the Tripod will thrash around, possibly damaging the player before perishing.
  • During the first Tripod fight, after severing the first arm, the Tripod starts using a lunge attack with its bladed tongue. If you Stasis the Tripod directly after a lunge that you avoid and shoot the yellow infected flesh on the tongue, it will eventually be dismembered, and this will kill the Tripod, despite its second arm still being intact. On Hardcore mode, it takes only 4 shots to dismember the tongue with the un-upgraded Plasma Cutter, versus several for the arm; thus saving ammo.

Gallery[]

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