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Atlas has a huge price on your head and has ordered their most elite units, the Omega Assassins, to find and kill you. Athena has warned you that there will be four more teams. You don't know where or when they'll strike, but you know they're coming. Survive.
Wanted: Dead! mission description.

Lance Assassins are enemies introduced in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. They are apart of an all female organization within the Crimson Lance of the Atlas Corporation and wield two plasma swords as weapons. They are exceptionally swift and dexterous, incorporating acrobatics such as back flips, making them extremely difficult to target.

History[]

Pre-The Secret Armory of General Knoxx[]

The Crimson Lance Assassin squadron was originally formulated as a method of reducing the Public Relations fallout from Admiral Mikey's infamous "girls are stupid" re-election campaign (which was confusing as it was unfortunate, as the position of Crimson Lance Admiral is not decided by election in the first place). In an effort to show that the Atlas Corporation held great respect and affection for its female employees, the Crimson Lance was ordered to kidnap and torture several dozen young girls with the intent of eventually turning them into unstoppable assassins. Though this move was highly criticized by those relatively few residents on Pandora who find child trafficking distasteful, the operation was a great success for the Crimson Lance; alongside the elite Lance Royal Guard the Lance Assassins (and the elite Omega Assassins) remain their most prolific and efficient killers, and their 'lack of family ties' (a euphemism, as Atlas has forced them to murder their own parents) makes them remarkably loyal to the Atlas corporation and its principles. Additionally, the use of their image on promotional paraphernalia is a significant boon to both the Atlas Corporation's image and the Crimson Lance's enlistment numbers.

To assist First General of the Crimson Lance's 3rd Starborne Brigade, General Alphonso Knoxx, in reclaiming Pandora, the Atlas Corporation deployed their Lance Assassin who quickly cleaned up T-Bone Junction and reasserting Crimson Lance control over the settlement. The top Omega Assassin, Agent Athena, informed General Knoxx that she was going to desert the Crimson Lance once she had found her long lost sister, Jess. Atlas High Command was somehow informed about Agent Athena's plans for desertion and ordered the total annihilation of the settlement Jess lived in. Agent Athena was sent alongside the Crimson Lance forces to the settlement, killed Jess by mistake, and afterwards killed nine (and a half) Crimson Lance soldiers in a rage before being restrained. Agent Athena later escaped from the Crimson Lance using an Outrunner. The Atlas Corporation also declared an Omega-Senshu on the Vault Hunters; Roland, Brick, Mordecai, and the Siren Lilith, and deployed their top ranking Lance Assassins (the Omega Assassins) to assassinate the Vault Hunters.

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx[]

After deserting the Crimson Lance, Agent Athena enlisted the aid of the Vault Hunters to destroy the Crimson Armory. The Omega Assassin, Agent Vulcana, and her Lance Assassin squad were deployed into T-Bone Junction to ambush the Vault Hunters. The Omega Assassin, Agent Hera, and her Lance Assassin squad were deployed outside of Moxxi's Red Light to ambush the Vault Hunters. The Omega Assassin, Agent Minerva, and her Lance Assassin squad were deployed at a Crimson Lance checkpoint in The Ridgeway to ambush the Vault Hunters alongside Crimson Lance soldiers. The Omega Assassin, Agent Ceresia, and her Lance Assassin squad were deployed at the Crimson Lance's energy bridge outpost in Road's End to ambush the Vault Hunters alongside Crimson Lance soldiers. The Omega Assassin, Agent Helicon, and her Lance Assassin squad were deployed at the Crimson Armory's main entrance to ambush the Vault Hunters while they battled the Crimson Lance soldiers defending the Crimson Armory.

Post-The Secret Armory of General Knoxx[]

After the deaths of Lieutenant Kyros, Lieutenant Typhon, Commander Ajax, Master McCloud, Commandant Steele, General Knoxx, the Omega Assassins, the destruction of the Crimson Armory, the desertion of Agent Athena, the selling of Atlas Corporation's Power Core, Speed Core, and Shock Core technology to the Hyperion Corporation, the Torgue Corporation, and the Maliwan Corporation, the Atlas Corporation decided to cut their loses and abandoned Pandora and any Crimson Lance personnel on the planet, including the Lance Assassins. With the poisoning of the Atlas Corporations CEO by Professor Nakayama, the death of Admiral Mikey, and ownership of the Atlas Corporation going to the President of the Hyperion Corporation, Handsome Jack, the Crimson Lance stopped all operations on Pandora. The Hyperion Corporation also placed bounties on the heads of all Lance Assassins during the corporation's occupation of Pandora.

The former Omega Assassin Athena decided to go on a rampage and assassinate all members of the Crimson Lance and Atlas Corporation employees on Pandora who were still loyal to the Atlas Corporation. Athena managed to assassinate all members of the Crimson Lance and Atlas Employees on Pandora except for General Pollux and Doctor Cassius Leclemaine. During Athena's slaughter of the Gortys Project's Crimson Lance garrison, General Pollux was able to escape to a hidden Crimson Lance bunker under Bossanova's arena where he placed himself in suspend animation.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel[]

The Vault Hunter and Omega Assassin deserter Athena was crucial in Handsome Jack becoming the President of the Hyperion Corporation, the creation of the Hyperion Corporation's Loader army, defeating the Dahl Corporation's Lost Legion, introducing Threshers to Pandora's ecosystem, saving Elpis from destruction, opening the Vault of The Sentinel on Elpis, and extracting the H-Source from the Vault Hunter FR4G-TP's memory banks.

Tales from the Borderlands[]

The former Vault Hunter and Omega Assassin deserter, Athena was hired, by Felix, to protect Fiona and Sasha.

Borderlands 3[]

With the revitalization of the Atlas Corporation and the Crimson Lance by the Atlas Corporation's new CEO Rhys Strongfork, it is unknown if the Lance Assassins will be reformed. Currently the Vault Hunter Zer0 is fulfilling their role for the reformed Atlas Corporation.

Involvement[]

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx[]

Main Missions[]

  • Boost the Monster - The Vault Hunters are ambushed by Agent Vulcana and her Lance Assassins while collecting Monster parts.

Side Missions[]

  • Wanted: Dead! - The Vault Hunters have to kill the Omega Assassins: Agent Hera, Agent Minerva, Agent Ceresia, and Agent Helicon to complete the mission

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel[]

The Vault Hunter Athena was an Omega Assassin of the Atlas Corporation's Crimson Lance Assassin Squadron before deserting and is one of the six playable characters in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Equipment[]

The Lance Assassins commonly deploy into battlefields by Lance Assault Pods to ambush their targets. All Lance Assassins are equipped with dual red plasma blades for melee combat and shuriken for ranged combat.

The Gladiator Class Optimization Modules (COMs) manufactured by Anshin, Dahl, Hyperion, Jakobs, Maliwan, Scav, and Vladof are all designed for use by Lance Assassins and with the Kinetic Aspis shield used by the ex-Omega Assassin Athena. The Cannoness COM manufactured by Jakobs, the Celestial Gladiator COM manufactured by Vladof, the Chronicler of Elpis COM manufactured by Dahl, Hyperion, and Maliwan, the Defender manufactured by Anshin, the Eridian Vanquisher COM manufactured by Hyperion and Maliwan, the Gladiatrix COM manufactured by Hyperion, the Hologram COM manufactured by Dahl, and the Protector COM manufactured by Anshin are all designed to be used alongside the Kinetic Aspis by enhancing its abilities.

Notable Lance Assassin Characters[]

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx[]

Strategy[]

Lance Assassins are armed with two plasma swords for melee and shuriken for ranged combat.

Although possessing high movement speed and dealing heavy damage, they have relatively low health and can be taken out with a few critical hit from a sniper rifle, and are severely slowed when dazed. If landing a critical hit proves to be difficult, corrosive attacks from weapons, grenades or Action Skills are very effective, even against badasses and Omega Assassins.

A good tactic to employ in order to minimize damage taken from Lance Assassins is to stay out of melee range, while laying down constant fire, as the Lance Assassins will not use their ranged attacks when stunned or dazed. Use obstacles to keep your distance.

It is possible for Lance Assassins to get stuck on objects while doing their high speed maneuvers. As amusing as this may be, use the opportunity to quickly finish them off as it is both possible and likely that they will extricate themselves.

Badass Assassins[]

Badass versions of the Lance Assassins may appear but they are very rare. They wear black armor rather than the red armor of the regular Lance Assassins. They have a ranged attack that they throw spikes at medium range. Badass Lance Assassins may appear in the respawnable group of Lance Assassins at the southern Crimson Lance blockade in The Ridgeway or just before the Crimson Armory at the Road's End.

Quotes[]

  • "Execute attack order Gamma." (after spotting a target)
  • "Identity confirmed. Attack!" (after spotting a target)
  • "Omnicron pattern. Go! Go!" (after spotting a target)
  • "Target identified. Move in!" (after spotting a target)
  • "There they are. Attack!" (after spotting a target)
  • "We've got 'em. Go! Go! Go!" (after spotting a target)
  • "I'm bleeding out!" (after taking significant damage)
  • "I'm hit bad!" (after taking significant damage)
  • "I need help!" (after taking significant damage)
  • "I've got severe injuries." (after taking significant damage)
  • "Medic! I need a medic!" (after taking significant damage)
  • "Request permision to retreat." (after taking significant damage)
  • "Shields compromised!" (after taking significant damage)
  • "Shields down. Recharging." (after taking significant damage)
  • "Agent down!" (after having another Lance Assassin killed in front of them)
  • "Lost an operative!" (after having another Lance Assassin killed in front of them)
  • "Operative down!" (after having another Lance Assassin killed in front of them)
  • "She's down!" (after having another Lance Assassin killed in front of them)
  • "Avenge me, sisters!" (upon dying)
  • "Mission failed!" (upon dying)
  • "I'm finished." (upon dying)
  • Gurgling sound (upon dying)

Trivia[]

  • The deadliest Lance Assassins are known as the Omega Assassins.
  • All Lance Assassins appear to hold the rank/title of Agent, including the Omega Assassins.
  • The Siren and Commandant of the 3rd Starborne Brigade's D Company, Commandant Steele, could have possibly been a Lance Assassin. When resurrected as Commandant Steele-Trap she fights almost identical to Lance Assassins.
  • The Lance Assassin is very similar in design and movement to the female assassins from Half-Life. Gearbox Software's first game was the Half-Life expansion Opposing Force.

Appearances[]

See Also[]

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