Difference between revisions of "Scavenger"

Revision as of 20:56, 24 September 2011

Scavengers are hound-like burrowing creatures who fight with ferocity and are quick to attack. A Scavenger is a beast-type monster.

Diablo III Monster

Diablo III Monster [e]
Scavenger
Classification:	Beasts
Monster Family:	Scavenger
Role:	Cannonfodder
Monster Stats Norm/Night/Hell/Inferno
Life:	Unknown
Mana:	None
Armor:	Unknown
Resistance:	Unknown
Offence Norm/Night/Hell/Inferno
Armament:	Claws, Fangs
DPS:	Unknown
Low Damage:	Unknown
High Damage:	Unknown
Range:	Melee
Speed:	Fast
Movement:	Fast
Monster Modifiers
None
Spells/Abilities
Burrow
Found In
Tristram Borderlands Tardein Wastes

The Scavenger returns from Diablo I, and it's taken on some properties of the Leapers from Diablo II. They look more like animals than demons, and are somewhat badger-like in their furry, striped appearance. But they leap and dart around wildly, and seem quite capable of swarming an unwary hero by sheer numbers.

A great mob of scavengers are seen in the WWI 2008 gameplay movie, and they're tricky beasts. They seem to be burrowers, and as the Witch Doctor runs along, the scavengers wait until he's in their midst before they dig out of the ground and attack all at once, a dozen or more of them leaping in from all different directions.

They're still small and rather weak beasts though, and die quickly once the Witch Doctor fights back.

Witch Doctors also use undead versions of these Scavengers as servants, helping him in his fighting, and it's also possible to imbue them with special attacking effects such as fire or locust by casting the appropriate spells on them. The undead version of the Scavenger that is used by the Witch Doctor is called mongrel.

Spells and Abilities

• Burrow

The Scavengers can burrow in the ground, awaiting the arrival of some sort of prey, and simultaneously emerge from the earth to attack. They usually do this in groups.

Related Monsters

• Mongrel
• Diablo II Leaper
• Diablo I Scavenger

Background

Scavengers are small, burrowing creatures that feed upon carrion. Unlike most animals of this type, however, they are extremely aggressive and will not hesitate to attack those unfortunate enough to encounter them. Scavengers have powerful legs which they use for swift springing attacks, striking at vulnerable faces and throats. Their anatomy bears a striking resemblance to that of the leapers of the Aranoch desert, and thus, many researchers classify the two groups as part of the same family of creatures.

These creatures often burrow in an open area and wait for a pray to pass within short distance, then the entire pack will burst out of the soil and attack their potential meal.

Captured Scavengers are used to hunt for Dune Threshers. Constrained with a rope, they are used as bait in groups of 3 or so. They will traditionally try to bury, and then be captured by the Thresher, who in turn will swallow them, but still be attached to the ropes around the Scavengers' necks. The little creatures' ferocious clawing will open up the inside of the Thresher's stomach before the extremely eroding acids of the creature kills the Scavengers. Still attached to the ropes, the hunter will pull the dead or mortally wounded Dune Thresher out of the sand.

An ensorcelled (some say demonic) variant is known to have plagued adventurers in the Tristram region twenty-odd years ago as well. These were also called Scavengers.

Lore

Scavengers are ugly, pathetic creatures who survive off of carrion and corpses too diseased to attract any other carnivores. I did once meet a raggedy fellow who claimed that he had trained one of the beasts to bring him large rats to eat, but I'm sure the story is utter nonsense.

Diablo I Monster

The Diablo I Scavenger is a demonic version of the regular one described here. Corrupted by Diablo himself, this variant of the carrion race is even more aggressive, and can be driven mad with the scent of death.

Diablo II Monster

The Diablo II Leapers found in the Aranoch desert are apparently genetically related to the Scavengers, but not of the exact same race. They have evolved even stronger bone muscles for leap attacks, don't burrow and have evolved an extremely slow resting metabolism to minimize water use and storage, but are otherwise quite like the burrowers. They still attack in packs, but use leaping attacks rather than an surprise attack from below.

Development

This iteration of Scavengers was first sighted in the WWI 2008 gameplay movie

Trivia

The famous Abd al-Hazir had an "extremely distressing episode" during his youth involving Scavengers. He never got around to tell anyone what this was before he disappeared shortly after writing his 42nd entry about Sanctuary in article series called Writings of Abd al-Hazir.

Media

You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:

• Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures
• Scavenger screenshots and concept art

A pack of Scavengers unburrow and begin their assault.

References

• Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0005
• Diablo II Manual
• Diablo I Manual