The Snow Beast

"The soldiers at base camp have taken to calling it the 'snow beast' like it was some sort of modern-day Yeti."

—SCAF Dr. Ramsey Bergerac^[1]

The Snow Beast is a large Necromorph that appears on Tau Volantis during the events of Dead Space 3.

Overview[]

"The eyewitness descriptions match very closely those of a frozen creature we found at Facility One dig site and another we are piecing together at Facility Two up on the mountain. It's a curious crustacean, something I'd expect to find on a deep sea expedition rather than a trek through a frozen waste. How this one survived where the others did not proves it has a great deal of resilience."

—Dr. Ramsey Bergerac^[1]

0107 ovs mapspecimencrosssection01 c — A SCAF guide showing the Snow Beast.

Because of its large size (approximately 14 feet tall), the Snow Beast is a Necromorph version of a crustacean that lived thousands of years ago in the depths of the oceans of Tau Volantis when the planet was still liquid.^[1] It uses its long tentacles and incredibly fast tongue to catch prey. It has yellowish tissues on its back tentacles, which are particularly vulnerable to damage. If these tentacles are dismembered, a secondary set of tentacles appears which, when fired upon, critically damages the Snow Beast but regenerates over time.

The Beast is very resilient, powerful and relentless, but is also intelligent for a Necromorph, as it will retreat when it is injured.

Dead Space 3[]

The Snow Beast is first encountered in Chapter 8 after the crash on Tau Volantis, when Isaac and Carver follow the trail of flares left by Ellie. The Necromorph appears suddenly from a cliff, knocking them down to the bottom of the cliff. When they get up, the Snow Beast is nowhere to be found although its roar can be heard whilst they are exploring the area and it can be briefly seen climbing on the outside of the buildings around the pipeline, suggesting that it is stalking Isaac and Carver.

The Snow Beast is fought for the first time in Chapter 9 at Facility One. It ambushes Isaac and Carver in a Cargo Lift and the weight of the creature causes the lift to crash, although both Isaac, Carver, and the Necromorph are unhurt. After a short battle, the two manage to drive the creature off.

The Snow Beast reappears in Chapter 11 where it attacks Isaac during his return journey through the Staging Yard, but flees after sustaining further damage to its tentacles.

It makes a third and final appearance in Chapter 13 where it attacks the cargo lift in which Ellie, Carver and Santos are travelling. Although Ellie and Carver escape, Santos remains trapped in the cage and the Snow Beast's weight begins to cause the cliff to collapse. Despite Isaac's attempts to rescue her, Carver cuts the lift cable, sending Santos and the Necromorph plummeting towards the bottom of the cliff.

However, the Snow Beast survives the fall and it climbs up the ledge, causing the cliff edge to break off and fall. Isaac, Carver, and the Necromorph go down with it. After the duo recover from the fall, Isaac and Carver discover two large mounted harpoons. The Snow Beast makes one final attack but the two are able to use the harpoons to restrain the creature. Isaac activates a winch which retracts the harpoons, tearing the large Necromorph in half, finally putting an end to it for good.

Strategy[]

Due to the Snow Beast's tendency to charge at the player, it is a good idea to keep indestructible world objects between the Necromorph and Isaac/Carver. (example: large rocks during the first and final encounters; the large pile of cargo during the second encounter - not the separate boxes, as the Beast will destroy them with ease and potentially take Isaac/Carver out in the process).
During the first encounter, it is recommended that the player construct a two-handed weapon with perhaps a Line Gun as the upper tool and then a Rocket launcher as the lower tool. Once it reveals the three tentacles with yellow tissues that protrude from its back, either use the Line Gun or rocket launcher, preferably the rocket launcher, as it will more than likely blow off all three in one shot, regardless of damage modifications. Aim somewhat carefully otherwise you will anger it by hitting the pink flesh, rather than the infected yellow. Fire again at its "mouth" as it reveals another triad of weak tentacled flesh. Repeat these steps and it should flee.
The Rivet Shotgun is very effective for destroying the weak-points on the tentacles, even at medium range. Even if only one or two fragments make contact, the tentacle will likely be destroyed. This makes the weapon very useful for taking quick shots at the Snow Beast while on the run.
Shotguns (Military Engine + Conic Dispersal) can sever all of its back tentacles in one shot. The mouth tentacles can also be destroyed relatively quickly if all pellets connects.
A Chain Gun can trivialize this fight. Its blistering rate of fire combined with its high clip size and wide shot spread will allow the player to quickly sever the tentacles, and will also make short work of the mouth tentacles.
The Snow Beast's charge attack is very difficult to dodge without the use of Stasis. For this reason, it is highly recommended to have a plentiful supply of Stasis Packs, and/or a Stasis Coated weapon equipped. This issue can be circumvented somewhat, especially in the second fight with the creature, by using any cover provided to interrupt the charge.
Do not allow the Snow Beast to corner you. If it charges you into a wall, it will usually proceed to stomp or charge again, effectively stunlocking the player and dealing heavy damage. Be extremely wary of walls for this reason.
The Snow Beast will always charge the player after one or more tentacles are severed. For this reason, it is a good idea to start looking for an escape route as soon as you sever the tentacle. You can also run around the large structures in the fights (the rocks or stacked crates) which provides great cover.

Death Scene[]

The_Snow_Beast_Death_Animation_-_Dead_Space_3_(HD,_60_FPS) — The Snow Beast Death Animation - Dead Space 3 (HD, 60 FPS)

If Isaac or Carver run out of health, the Snow Beast will launch a tentacle through their chest. It will then swing them around and pull Isaac/Carver into its mouth, proceeding to eat them. Isaac or Carver will struggle to escape, but will inevitably be devoured with their body split in half.

Trivia[]

The physical form of this Necromorph and its attacks vaguely resemble The Tormenter from Dead Space 2.
On the PC version of Dead Space 3, the harpoon QTE sequence in Chapter 13 is glitched, making the game fail to register button inputs by the player, rendering the sequence unable to be completed. This can be fixed by lowering the screen resolution to 800x600.
- This error is almost identical to the infamous Nolan Stross glitch from Dead Space 2, only that Isaac/Carver will not die should the Snow Beast breaks free of the harpoons.
- If the kinesis button is pressed quickly enough over a long period of time, the Snow Beast will be pulled indefinitely by the cables, but will not be ripped in half nor damaged.
The tentacle in its mouth moves at the same speed as a tentacle from a Guardian.
The "Snow Beast" is first mentioned 200 years prior to Dead Space 3 in logs by S.C.A.F. research teams, being compared to a "modern-day Yeti". It is described as being incredibly resilient and it eventually takes the combination of two giant harpoon hits to rip it in half and kill it; even then, it still takes several seconds for it to finally die.
After the Snow Beast first physically attacks Isaac shortly after the crash landing on Tau Volantis, it seems to stalk and hunt him while he finds the Waystation to retrieve an Arctic Survival Suit all the way until it actually makes its presence visible to Isaac.
The Achievement/Trophy for killing the Snow Beast is named "Hydra", which is presumably a reference to the Snow Beast's ability to constantly regrow its tendrils. In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a reptilian monster. If its head is cut off, it will regenerate two heads in place of the one lost.
Because of the outbreak on the planet for 200 years ago, Isaac eventually passes by a couple of dead Snow Beasts; the first dead Snow Beast is seen after the first fight with the Snow Beast which is hunting him and one dead Snow Beast is seen shortly after, showing there was more than one Snow Beast.
- It is unknown if the dead Snow Beasts were killed by the S.C.A.F. forces or if they died of natural causes but this case seems unlikely, as Necromorphs are formed from dead tissue and do not "expire" like living beings do. It is likely the S.C.A.F. forces killed the beasts and it would also explain the old set of harpoons facing each other.
There is a rarely seen (more common in Co-Op) oversight where, when ripped apart, a Creeper head will be shown attached to it. This is due to re-used assets for the internal organs, or extra appendages inside of it. This same reason is why those appendages are absent when viewed after its death.