Glyphid Grunt

OverviewCreaturesGlyphidGrunt

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Updated for U36

BaseMission VariantsEvent Variants

FrostRadioactiveRockpox

Ebonite

“	The Glyphid Grunt is by far the most common type of Glyphid encountered on Hoxxes, usually encountered in roving packs. Small (relatively speaking) and agile, it is a versatile and aggressive hunter that remains exceptionally hostile to any encroachment on their territory.
	— Miner's Manual Description

The Glyphid Grunt is a hostile creature found on Hoxxes. It is the most common member of the Glyphid species, and is found in every region of the planet. Individually they are quite weak, so they are often seen travelling and hunting in packs. It has no visible eyes, and likely gets around via echolocation (it can often be seen screeching into the darkness) or by scent, such as when targeting Dwarves.

Grunts are by far the most common enemy type in the entire game, and are plentiful in their numbers. They will sometimes be seen idly wandering the caves of Hoxxes in groups, but they're most commonly seen surfacing from the terrain to engage the Dwarves. Their attacks are purely melee based, and require them to close into point-blank range. They attack by either biting to swiping their large front legs - both attacks deal the same amount of damage.

Much of the Grunt's body is covered in Light Armor, which is coloured a darker brown to the Grunt's light skin tone. It can protect the Grunt from some damage if targeted by weapons fire, though it can be broken. Armor Breaking modifications made to weapons will pierce straight through armor, allowing the maximum amount of damage to be dealt anywhere on the Grunt's body. The mouth and underbelly are unarmored, and will cause the Grunt to receive double damage if targeted with weapons fire. Weakspot Bonus modifications can further increase the damage dealt to weak spots.

This creature also has Glacial Strata and Radioactive Exclusion Zone variants. The Glacial Strata variant is resistant to Ice damage and freezing, but takes extra damage from Fire. The Radioactive Exclusion Zone variant resists half of all Radiation damage. Alongside this there are two alternative forms of the Grunt - the Glyphid Grunt Slasher and the Glyphid Grunt Guard, which have their own behaviours and statistics.

Combat

Glyphid Grunts will run straight toward players to engage in melee combat, and typically spawn in clusters.

Given that they are the game's most common enemy, the Grunt is not an exceptional foe and is easily killed by the majority of weapons in the game. Their true power lies in numbers, where the sheer amount of Grunts charging towards a team is their best odds of closing into range.

Health and Armor

Effective Health Scaling		Hazard Level
		Normal Mission								DD			EDD
		1	2	3	4	5	TE 1	TE 2		3	3.5		4.5	5	5.5
Player Count	to	63	90	99	108	108	108	143.64		99	99		108	108	108

Attacks

Bite

Direct Melee Attack
Damage Amount		Hazard Level
		Normal Mission								DD			EDD
		1	2	3	4	5	PV 1	PV 2		3	3.5		4.5	5	5.5
Player Count		2	2.8	4.8	8	11.2	16.8	22.4		4.8	6		9.2	11.2	12
		2	3.2	5.2	8.6	12	18	24		5.2	6.4		9.8	12	12.8
		2	3.6	5.6	9.2	12.8	19.2	25.6		5.6	6.8		10.4	12.8	13.6
		2	4	6	10	13.6	20.4	27.2		6	7.2		11.2	13.6	14.4
Details
Damage Type		Melee
Max. Range		2.5 m
Max. Angle		180°

Slash

Direct Melee Attack
Damage Amount		Hazard Level
		Normal Mission								DD			EDD
		1	2	3	4	5	PV 1	PV 2		3	3.5		4.5	5	5.5
Player Count		2	2.8	4.8	8	11.2	16.8	22.4		4.8	6		9.2	11.2	12
		2	3.2	5.2	8.6	12	18	24		5.2	6.4		9.8	12	12.8
		2	3.6	5.6	9.2	12.8	19.2	25.6		5.6	6.8		10.4	12.8	13.6
		2	4	6	10	13.6	20.4	27.2		6	7.2		11.2	13.6	14.4
Details
Damage Type		Melee
Max. Range		2.5 m
Max. Angle		80°

Rockpox Variant

“	Unfortunately, the Lithophage CHX4 is infectuous to some organisms native to Hoxxes IV, the most prominent of these species being the Glyphid Grunt. A Grunt infected with the Rockpox undergoes systemic physiological changes making their bodies numb, rigid and very hard to kill. During this stage Rockpox Blisters are formed, causing devastating internal damage upon destruction.
	— Miner's Manual Description

Rockpox variants are covered in blisters, which have a non scaling health of 5. Destroying a blister deals a non scaling 30 damage to the grunt.

Ebonite Mutation Variant

“

It's long been theorized that the organic silicate known as Ebonite can induce psychotropic effects, but only recently has it been seen to infect and basically mindcontrol several subspecies of local Glyphids. How and why this happens is still being hotly debated, but the effects are clear: It makes already dangerous Glyphids even worse, covering them in layers of ablative, rock-like growths capable of withstanding pretty much any standard caliber rounds. The only solution R&D has so far is to get in close with supercharged mining equipment such as pickaxes, and literally break the things apart with sustained, physical impacts. This is of course highly dangerous - but that is why we are sending in the dwarves.

— Miner's Manual Description

Ebonite Glyphid Grunts are Glyphid Grunts that were infected with the organic silicate parasite known as Ebonite. The resulting exo and endoparasitic takeover has turned these Grunts into literal living rock. Ebonite Grunts like their normal cousins, love to swarm their prey in numbers, these Ebonite mutants are now nearly invulnerable to all attacks save for the sharpened tip of a pickaxe.

Attacks

Ebonite Grunts often accompany the more powerful and larger Ebonite Praetorians to act as a force multiplyer. Their near-impenetrable armor and their sheer numbers makes them quite dangerous given that they are also immune to all but melee attacks. Players must rethink their tactics when dealing with Ebonite Grunts as, although they are still weak individually, their armor means that the player must forgo traditional ranged-crowd control weapons which used to be effective against their normal kin for a pickaxe that could only do single-target damage save for a power attack.

Pickaxes are the only tool and weapon in which most of the playable dwarves could inflict and deal damage to the Ebonites. Of the playable classes, the Driller is the best suited against Ebonite mutants as his Reinforced Power Drills could act as the melee equivalent of a minigun; a sustained damage dealer that quickly chips away the health of an Ebonite. Moreover, his Impact Axe does melee damage, making it the only 'range' weapon capable of harming these mutants.

Gallery

• 

  Glacial Strata appearance
• 

  Radioactive Exclusion Zone appearance
• 

  Glyphid Grunt Concept Art
• 

  Glyphid grunts as they appear ingame
• 

  Glacial Strata variant screaming

Trivia

• Ghost Ship Games released a video to introduce the Glyphid Grunt, Deep Rock Galactic - Meet the Glyphid Grunt
• Before Slashers and Guards were added, an elite version of the Glyphid Grunt called a "Veteran Warrior", existed from update 19 to 22. It had 50% more health than a Grunt and was almost identical aside from its reflective spike studded armor.