Changes: Guardian (enemy)

Revision as of 22:16, 26 June 2020

Guardian P01 — Principal Guardian in *Borderlands*

Guardians are the protectors of The Vault in Borderlands and The Vault of the Sentinel in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. They have alien body designs, use alien weapons technology and use extremely tough shields to protect their fairly weak bodies underneath. Primarily encountered late in both games, guardians will often be found fighting against the forces of the Crimson Lance in Borderlands and alongside the Lost Legion in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Involvement

The guardians are beings left on Pandora and Elpis by the Eridian race to protect important Eridian artifacts and locations. One such location is the mine underneath the Dahl Headlands, in which three guardians (one spectral and two wraiths) have been left as protectors for an Eridian Artifact. Another, more prominent locations are The Descent and Eridian Promontory where the guardians have been set up in defensive positions covering the entire approach to The Vault.

The guardians of Elpis revealed the secrets of the Vault of Sentinel to Colonel Zarpedon and her Lost Legion, and fight alongside them to keep it a secret in Vorago Solitude, Outfall Pumping Station, Tycho's Ribs and Eleseer.

Guardians seem to be robotic in nature and are made in image of the Eridians themselves.

Tactics

Shock damage is very useful for stripping away a guardian's powerful shield. Once the shield has been depleted, the guardian itself is not particularly robust and will succumb quickly to subsequent damage. Eridian weapons work just as well as shock.

The unusual pattern, speed of their movement and slender bodies can make guardians difficult to target effectively, so using an automatic weapon or a shotgun can be useful in many cases.

Their heads hang in front of their chests on long, lanky necks and are quite small, making it difficult to achieve critical hits from a distance. However, with the position of their heads, it can be quite easy to score accidental critical hits from body shots when the guardian faces towards a shooter. The region to aim for is the area where wings are connected to the body, or the upper back.

In Borderlands the Hunter talent Trespass can be the bane of the guardians once it has been advanced to its maximum level. It will allow bullets to bypass a guardian's formidable shield to apply the weapon's full force to the relatively low life of the guardian.

Most guardian types can turn semi-cloaked while approaching their targets. Although still visible they can blend into the background, and in the heat of the battle sneak up on unaware Vault Hunters.

Guardian Types (Borderlands)

The Dahl Headlands

The Descent and Eridian Promontory

Guardian Types (Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)

Er-reaper — Guardian Reaper in *Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel*

Staff welding

Flying

Summoners

Other

Turrets

Guardian Types (Borderlands 3)

Regular

Unique

Bosses

Notes

Borderlands
- Guardians are hostile to Crimson Lance units, and when they appear together in Crimson Enclave, The Descent and Eridian Promontory, they will fight each other. This can be used tactically by lending assistance to the weaker side, or players can alternatively watch for opportunities to snatch a kill in order to gain the substantial experience rewards.
- Guardians grant very high XP rewards in comparison to their difficulty, making them ideal to use for experience point farming.
- If the guardians that use melee attacks are unable to reach their target, they will start firing plasma bolts instead until a target becomes accessible.

Trivia

The origins of the guardians were open to speculation from their first appearance in Borderlands (see the talk page). However, The Holodome Onslaught DLC for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's gave some insight, with Athena confirming that the guardians fought throughout Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel "are biomechanical constructs – but not flesh and blood.".^[1]
- In gameplay, some Guardians are not considered to be machines but as flesh targets.
The Borderlands strategy guide mentioned Scooter's theory about the origin of guardians: they're cyborgs sent back from a dystopian future to impregnate his mother, thus creating offspring capable of preventing the horrible future they came from.
The names of various guardians make reference to the Christian Hierarchy of Angels but with reversed significance:
- Sera — Seraphim
- Cheru — Cherubim
- Opha — Ophanim
- Dominant — Dominions
- Virtuous — Virtues
- Principal — Principalities
- Arch — Archangel
- Putti — Putto, which isn't an angel, but an image of a child similar to Cupid in Renaissance and Baroque art.
Guardians appear in the fifth episode of Tales from the Borderlands — The Vault of the Traveler, where they guard The Traveler's teleportation gland.
Concept artist Keith Thompson is responsible for Eridian Guardians and Eridian weapons designs.
- For Borderlands he made the concept art for both Sera Guardians and Arch Guardians, with the game only using the Arch Guardian design, with various wings and other attachments added to differentiate the various types. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel uses new models based on both of these designs, using a similar approach to differentiate each type from one another.
- The description for Eridian Guardians from Thompson's official site: "Ancient alien robots left behind to administer and guard abandoned cities. Faces reform to approximately mimic the appearance of whatever species it interacts with." ^[2]
In Borderlands, guardians bleed blue blood. In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, when Nvidia PhysX is enabled, they bleed purple liquid similar to slag from Borderlands 2.
In the game files for Borderlands are unused models and animations for a "Cherub" Guardian. The similarities in appearance reflects that these unused Cherubs eventually became Putti in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

References

[1] About robots on Elpis in storytelling for Gaige and Axton

[2] Arch Guardian page (2011, archived)

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Guardian_P01.png|thumb|350px|Principal Guardian rushing in to attack]]Guardians are the protectors of [[The Vault]]. They have alien body design, use alien weapons technology and use extremely tough shields to protect their fairly weak bodies underneath. Primarily encountered late in the game, Guardians will often be found fighting against the forces of the [[Crimson Lance]].
+[[File:Guardian_P01.png|thumb|330px|Principal Guardian in ''Borderlands'']]
-== Involvement ==
+'''Guardians''' are the protectors of [[The Vault]] in ''[[Borderlands]]'' and [[Eleseer|The Vault of the Sentinel]] in ''[[Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel]]''. They have alien body designs, use alien weapons technology and use extremely tough shields to protect their fairly weak bodies underneath. Primarily encountered late in both games, guardians will often be found fighting against the forces of the [[Crimson Lance]] in ''Borderlands'' and alongside the [[Lost Legion]] in ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel''.
-The Guardians are beings left on [[Pandora]] by the [[Eridian]] race to protect important Eridian artifacts and locations. One such location is the mine underneath the [[Dahl Headlands]], in which three spectral Guardians have been left as protectors for an Eridian Artifact. Another, more prominent location is the Vault where the Guardians have been set up in defensive positions covering the entire approach to the Vault.
+==Involvement==
-Guardians seem to be almost robotic in nature, though they have many organic parts and bleed blue blood. It is unknown if the Guardians are Eridians chosen to guard their valuables, or created by the Eridians for that same purpose.
+The guardians are beings left on [[Pandora]] and [[Elpis]] by the [[Eridian]] race to protect important Eridian artifacts and locations. One such location is the mine underneath the [[Dahl Headlands]], in which three guardians (one spectral and two wraiths) have been left as protectors for an [[Artifact|Eridian Artifact]]. Another, more prominent locations are [[The Descent]] and [[Eridian Promontory]] where the guardians have been set up in defensive positions covering the entire approach to [[The Vault]].
+The guardians of Elpis revealed the secrets of the Vault of [[Sentinel]] to [[Colonel Zarpedon]] and her [[Lost Legion]], and fight alongside them to keep it a secret in [[Vorago Solitude]], [[Outfall Pumping Station]], [[Tycho's Ribs]] and [[Eleseer]].
-Further speculations about their origins can be found on the [[Talk:Guardian|Talk Page]]
+Guardians seem to be robotic in nature and are made in image of the Eridians themselves.
-== Tactics==
-*Shock damage is very useful for stripping away a Guardian's powerful shield. Once the shield has been depleted the Guardian itself is not particularly robust and will succumb quickly to subsequent damage.
-*The Hunter talent [[Trespass]] can be the bane of the Guardians once it has been advanced to its maximum level. It will allow bullets to bypass a Guardian's formidable shield to apply the weapon's full force to the relatively low life of the Guardian.
-*The unusual pattern and speed of their movement can make Guardians difficult to target, so using an automatic weapon or a shotgun can be useful in many cases.
-*Their heads hang in front of their chests and are quite small so it can be difficult to achieve critical hits on them from a distance, however with the head hanging where it is it can be quite easy to score accidentally critical hits from generally targeted body shots when the Guardian faces towards a shooter.
-*Guardians have very high experience rewards in comparison to their difficulty, making them ideal to use for experience point farming.
+==Tactics==
-== Guardian Types ==
+Shock damage is very useful for stripping away a guardian's powerful shield. Once the shield has been depleted, the guardian itself is not particularly robust and will succumb quickly to subsequent damage. Eridian weapons work just as well as shock.
-=== The Dahl Headlands ===
-[[Guardian Spectre]] - A Guardian left to guard an Eridian Artifact entombed under [[The Dahl Headlands]]. The Guardian Spectre has a peculiar spectral appearance that sets it apart from the more common Guardians found later in Borderlands.
+The unusual pattern, speed of their movement and slender bodies can make guardians difficult to target effectively, so using an automatic weapon or a shotgun can be useful in many cases.
-[[Guardian Wraith]] - A Guardian left to guard an Eridian Artifact entombed under The Dahl Headlands. Guardian Wraiths have a peculiar spectral appearance that sets them apart from the more common Guardians found later in Borderlands.
+Their heads hang in front of their chests on long, lanky necks and are quite small, making it difficult to achieve critical hits from a distance. However, with the position of their heads, it can be quite easy to score accidental critical hits from body shots when the guardian faces towards a shooter. The region to aim for is the area where wings are connected to the body, or the upper back.
-=== The Descent and Eridian Promontory ===
-[[Arch Guardian]] - Rather large Guardians that attack from incredibly long range with mortar shell like energy blasts. When in close range combat, they switch tactics to hand mounted energy cannons and will unsheathe wrist mounted energy blades for melee attacks.
+In ''Borderlands'' the Hunter talent [[Trespass]] can be the bane of the guardians once it has been advanced to its maximum level. It will allow bullets to bypass a guardian's formidable shield to apply the weapon's full force to the relatively low life of the guardian.
-[[Sera Guardian]] - The only kind of flying Guardian, they attack from impossibly long range using either a charged stream of energy or several energy blasts similar to the close range attack of the Arch Guardian.
+Most guardian types can turn semi-cloaked while approaching their targets. Although still visible they can blend into the background, and in the heat of the battle sneak up on unaware Vault Hunters.
-[[Principal Guardian]] - A melee oriented, quick moving Guardian that uses energy blades on their wrists to deal damage. They usually come in small packs and are sometimes paired with a larger Badass Guardian.
+==Guardian Types (''Borderlands'')==
-[[Badass Guardian]] - A much larger, more powerful version of a Principal Guardian, also using melee attacks primarily to do damage. These are easily distinguished from other guardians by their larger size and slightly different glow to their armor, and a larger protrusion on their backs.
+===The Dahl Headlands===
+*[[Guardian Spectre]]
+*[[Guardian Wraith]]
+=== The Descent and Eridian Promontory ===
+*[[Arch Guardian]]
+*[[Sera Guardian]]
+*[[Principal Guardian]]
+*[[Badass Guardian]]
+==Guardian Types (''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel'')==
+[[File:Er-reaper.png|thumb|330px|[[Guardian Reaper]] in ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel'']]
+===Staff welding===
+*[[Guardian Cheru]]
+*[[Guardian Wraith (Pre-Sequel)|Guardian Wraith]]
+*[[Guardian Spectre (Pre-Sequel)|Guardian Spectre]]
+*[[Guardian Reaper]]
+===Flying===
+*[[Sera Guardian (Pre-Sequel)|Sera Guardian]]
+*[[Principal Guardian (Pre-Sequel)|Principal Guardian]]
+*[[Dominant Guardian]]
+*[[Arch Guardian (Pre-Sequel)|Arch Guardian]]
+===Summoners===
+*[[Opha]]
+*[[Elder Opha]]
+*[[Virtuous Opha]]
+*[[Opha Superior]]
+===Other===
+*[[Putti]]
+*[[Guardian Pondor]]
+===Turrets===
+*[[Kestros]]
+*[[Onager]]
+== Guardian Types (''Borderlands 3'') ==
+[[File:Possessed Wraith.png|thumb|330x330px|Possessed Wraith]]
+===Regular===
+* [[Sera]]
+* [[Spectre]]
+* [[Wraith]]
+* [[Herald]]
+* [[Possessed Sera]]
+* [[Possessed Spectre]]
+* [[Possessed Wraith]]
+* [[Elder Spectre]]
+* [[Elder Wraith]]
+* [[Fallen Guardian]]
+* [[Diadem]]
+* [[Reaper (Guardian)|Reaper]]
+===Unique===
+* [[Grave (enemy)|Grave]]
+* [[Ward (enemy)|Ward]]
+* [[The Berserker]]
+* [[The Summoner]]
+===Bosses===
+* [[The Graveward]]
+* [[Anathema the Relentless]]
+* [[Scourge the Invincible Martyr]]
 ==Notes==
+*''Borderlands''
-* Guardians are hostile to Crimson Lance units, and when they appear together in [[Crimson Enclave]], [[The Descent]] and [[Eridian Promontory]], they will fight each other. This can be used tactically by lending assistance to the weaker side, or players can alternatively watch for opportunities to snatch a kill in order to gain the substantial experience rewards.
+** Guardians are hostile to Crimson Lance units, and when they appear together in [[Crimson Enclave]], [[The Descent]] and [[Eridian Promontory]], they will fight each other. This can be used tactically by lending assistance to the weaker side, or players can alternatively watch for opportunities to snatch a kill in order to gain the substantial experience rewards.
-* If a Guardian is unable to acess the player with melee attacks, they will start hurling balls of plasma at you. This is useful as they will rarely move, and allows the player to kill them easily. Finding the spots to make them use their secondary attack is quite uncommon though.
+**Guardians grant very high XP rewards in comparison to their difficulty, making them ideal to use for experience point farming.
-* Guardian Spectres may drop Eridian Artifacts.
+**If the guardians that use melee attacks are unable to reach their target, they will start firing plasma bolts instead until a target becomes accessible.
+==Trivia==
+*The origins of the guardians were open to speculation from their first appearance in ''Borderlands'' (see the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|talk page]]). However, ''[[The Holodome Onslaught]]'' DLC for ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's'' gave some insight, with [[Athena]] confirming that the guardians fought throughout ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel'' "are biomechanical constructs – but not flesh and blood.".<ref>[[Digistructed Madness: Round 3/Transcript|About robots on Elpis in storytelling for Gaige and Axton]]</ref>
+**In gameplay, some Guardians are not considered to be machines but as flesh targets.
+*The ''Borderlands'' strategy guide mentioned [[Scooter]]'s theory about the origin of guardians: they're cyborgs sent back from a dystopian future to impregnate his [[Mad Moxxi|mother]], thus creating offspring capable of preventing the horrible future they came from.
+*The names of various guardians make reference to the [[wikipedia:christianity|Christian]] Hierarchy of Angels but with reversed significance:
+**Sera — Seraphim
+**Cheru — Cherubim
+**Opha — Ophanim
+**Dominant — Dominions
+**Virtuous — Virtues
+**Principal — Principalities
+**Arch — Archangel
+**Putti — Putto, which isn't an angel, but an image of a child similar to Cupid in Renaissance and Baroque art.
+*Guardians appear in the fifth episode of ''[[Tales from the Borderlands]]'' — ''[[The Vault of the Traveler (Tales from the Borderlands)|The Vault of the Traveler]]'', where they guard [[The Traveler]]'s teleportation gland.
+*Concept artist Keith Thompson is responsible for Eridian Guardians and [[Eridian Weapons|Eridian weapons]] designs.
+**For ''Borderlands'' he made the concept art for both [[Sera Guardian]]s and [[Arch Guardian]]s, with the game only using the Arch Guardian design, with various wings and other attachments added to differentiate the various types. ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel'' uses new models based on both of these designs, using a similar approach to differentiate each type from one another.
+**The description for Eridian Guardians from Thompson's official site: "Ancient alien robots left behind to administer and guard abandoned cities. Faces reform to approximately mimic the appearance of whatever species it interacts with." <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20110427122252/http://www.keiththompsonart.com/pages/archguardian.html Arch Guardian page (2011, archived)]</ref>
+*In ''Borderlands'', guardians bleed blue blood. In ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel'', when Nvidia PhysX is enabled, they bleed purple liquid similar to [[slag]] from ''[[Borderlands 2]]''.
+*In the game files for ''Borderlands'' are unused models and animations for a "Cherub" Guardian. The similarities in appearance reflects that these unused Cherubs eventually became [[Putti]] in ''Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel''.
-== Trivia==
+==References==
+<references />
-<!-- Speculations about the origins of the Guardians are best left on the Talk Page -->
+{{Enemies}}
-*There are references to the Christian Hierarchy of Angels with the enemies guarding the vault: ''Sera Guardians'' - short for seraphim, ''Arch Guardians'' - short for archangels, ''Principal Guardians'' - short for Principalities. The angels alluded to in this naming scheme are the guards of the Christian God's throne (Seraphim) and his foot-soldiers (Principalities, Archangels).
+{{Enemies in TPS}}
+{{Navigate enemies bl3}}
+<!-- Interwiki links -->
-== See Also ==
+[[fr:Gardien]]
-{{Template:Enemies}}
-[[Category:Guardians| ]]
+[[Category:Guardians]]
 [[Category:Enemies]]
+[[Category:Factions]]