Tau Volantis Moon

"…The hell IS that?"
"A moon. Or what's left of one."

—Isaac and Norton

The Moon
Description:	It possesses multiple tentacles Titanic moon/worm-like hybrid appearance
Attack(s):	Spits out Slashers and Twitchers Uses tentacles to pull its victims into its mouth to eat them

The Blood Moon orbiting Tau Volantis was a massive Necromorph and one of the Brethren Moons that are the origin of the Marker signals. It was the result of an incomplete Convergence Event: The last stage of Necromorph evolution.

The Moon served as the final boss of Dead Space 3.

Overview

See full overview at Brethren Moons

The Tau Volantis Moon as it was incomplete was missing a huge portion of its front, organic part of its shell. The surface looked like something got ripped away from it due to the Convergence Event stopping halfway through.

While in hibernation, the Moon had its head and the enormous tentacles retreated inside the visible shell, similarly to a turtle or shelled snail. However, it was fully conscious and able to broadcast its "cries" of help through the Markers.

The mouth of the Moon as seen in the final halo-jump phase.

Some of the fin-like appendages on the neck area.

The Moon's inner-eyes and mouth.

History

Formation and Dormancy

At an unspecified point in the past, the alien civilization native to Tau Volantis discovered a Black Marker. Influenced by the Marker's signal, the aliens studied the Marker and created numerous copies, perhaps out of religious reverence or in order to harness the near-limitless energy offered by the devices. The Markers eventually spawned a Necromorph outbreak and as the infestation overran the planet, the Black Marker initiated a Convergence Event.

Millions of Necromorphs and corpses are flung into orbit by the Marker where they assembled into a mass resembling a planetoid: A newborn Brethren Moon. The surviving aliens that spent their final months and years preparing for such an event activated a massive terraforming machine and flash froze both the Moon and the planet. The Machine was designed to then pull the Moon into the planet and crush it, but for unknown reasons, the Machine malfunctioned. The half formed Moon remained in orbit, unable to move, but still able to project it's telepathic signal to any Markers in range.

Revival and subsequent defeat

The Moon crashed on the planet (as seen in the Awakened DLC trailer in reverse colors).

Two million years later, after Jacob Danik deactivated the Alien Machine on Tau Volantis, the Moon was able to re-initiate the Convergence Event that it began long ago. When Isaac Clarke and John Carver completed and reactivated the Machine, the Moon was pulled straight down onto the surface of Tau Volantis and killed. Before leaving the planet for Earth, Ellie Langford confirmed that the Moon's Marker signal ceased.

However, this was not the end of the Necromorph threat. Before it died, the Moon was able to reach out to it's dormant brethren throughout the galaxy, awakening them from hibernation. The other Moons then began broadcasting the signal anew, allowing the Necromorph infestations on Tau Volantis and elsewhere to resume.

Combat Strategy

The Moon is fought as the final boss of Dead Space 3. Before the actual fight begins, Isaac must fly towards the Moon's mouth while dodging falling debris and one of the creature's massive tentacles. When he reaches inside the mouth, Isaac crash lands on a large circular platform that was sucked in along with the Alien Machine. When he regains his posture, Isaac comes face-to-face with the Moon's massive worm-like inner mouth, initiating the boss fight.

The Moon is impervious to all the weapons that Isaac possesses. The only way to defeat it is by destroying the three eyes located on the body of the inner mouth. In order to achieve this, Isaac must stand on the glowing circle located on the middle of the platform to enhance his Kinesis Module. He then must use the enhanced Kinesis to grab one of the Markers floating outside of the platform to launch it directly into the eye to destroy it, all the while avoiding attacks that the Moon throws out.

During the battle, the Moon attacks by shooting out large rock-like projectiles from its body. Each of the projectiles will land on the edges of the platform that Isaac stands on, inflicting damage on Isaac if he stands on one of the landing spots. After a few seconds, the projectile will burst open, releasing either a Slasher or Twitcher to attack Isaac.

The Moon's second and most dangerous attack is to use two massive tentacles to pull the platform that Isaac stands on right into its inner mouth, which results an instant death if Isaac fails to destroy the two tentacles in time.

Death Scenes

• If Isaac/Carver is unable to destroy its yellow weak spots when it tries to suck them in, it will successfully suck them into its maw and eat them.
• If Isaac/Carver wander off the platform where the fight is taking place, they will be sucked up by the Convergence vortex.

Gallery

Cinematic entrance scene to the Moon fight.

Face of the Tau Volantis Moon

The Moon's "guts", after having the machine being pulled from them.

Flying towards the Moon.

Art of the dead Moon on the wrecked surface of Tau Volantis.

The Moon crashed on the surface (texture from game files)

Concept art showing the early design of the Moon

Blood Moon Concept Art

Concept art of the Necro Moon

Concept art of Clarke and Carver facing the monster.

Appearances

• Dead Space 3 (First Appearance)

Trivia

• Isaac and Carver attack the Moon by spearing its eyes with nearby Markers launched by the enhanced Kinesis module, a possible reference to the Dead Space: Aftermath box art.
• Unlike its brothers in the expansion, this Moon never communicates with Isaac or Carver.
• The famous quote "Make us Whole" is actually the cries of the Moon in an attempt for Convergence to be finished so it can be completed, while the newly introduced "Turn it off" is the Moon's attempts to trick mankind into turning off the machine that prevents it from becoming whole.
  • It is rather impractical that the Necromorphs, which are controlled by the Moon, continue to attack humans on Tau Volantis, as killing them would stop them from turning off the machine, which is the reason the Moon lured them there in the first place.
  • However, the Moon may sense that Isaac Clarke and John Carver are a credible threat to it, since they have not only survived previous outbreaks but destroyed Markers. The attempts to kill them off could be an act of self-preservation.
  • Another possible explanation is that, unlike its completed brothers, the incomplete Moon isn't yet beyond its feral Necromorph behavior. It could simply be trying to eradicate all life on the planet, thus completing its original purpose.