Menial

The Menials are a class of Chimera that are not intended for combat but rather the process of basic labor such as conversion. As such they are the worker caste of the Chimeran hierarchy.

Description
This species is known to ignore other Chimera as they mindlessly continue their duties. Such a role makes them rarely seen in combat operations as they are unarmed as well as both sluggish and non-aggressive. However, it should be noted that they are unpredictable creatures which makes them dangerous, especially when they are cornered. Menials attack by sluggishly approaching an enemy, and then grabbing and biting him, or (the less common form of attack) simply hitting him.

Menials do not make a reappearance in Resistance 2, but were mentioned in several Intel documents. A single Menial makes only a single appearance in the opening prologue of Resistance: Retribution. Apparently, Menials are beginning to die out due to a lack of new bodies and the new conversion process of using Spinners. But, according to an intel, Menials are still being used for building and labor.

Whilst not making an appearance in-game durring Resistance 3, a form of Menial is shown in the games summary of the series, played durring a part of the install process. We learn that they were in fact the very first human-Chimera mix to ever appear on Earth due to direct contamination by the Chimeran Virus after the Tunguska Event. The first Menials began constructing Converstion Centers, then captured humans and turned them into Hybrids effectively kick-starting the Chimeran invasion of the planet.

Strategy
Menials first appear in Grimsby. Menials are not much of a threat, though they do have a habit of creeping up on the player. If the player is grabbed by a Menial, an action sequence appears in which the player must shake the Sixaxis controller to shrug off the Menial or it will bite the player. They have little health, so a few head shots with the M5A2 Carbine should easily deal with them. The player can also melee them to conserve ammo.

Trivia

 * The strain's name is synonymous to the definition of a domestic worker or servant, given the reason for the Menials' purpose in labor.
 * Interestingly, a Menial appears in the opening cutscene of Resistance: Retribution, but does not appear as an enemy during actual gameplay. (NOTE: This might not be as illogical as it seems, for a very simple reason. In the game itself it is mentioned that Menials began to disappear after the destruction of the London tower to make room for a new type of conversion centers. All playable events in Retribution are situated after the destruction of the hub tower in London, so the Menials were already 'extinct'.)
 * In Fall of Man, when there are more than a single Menial coming at the player, if the player kills a Menial with the melee attack the other Menials stop on the spot and simultaneously hiss at you. It is oddly humorous especially when parts of the game have up to ten at a single time. This gives the player ample opportunity to easily kill Menials through meleeing while they're busy hissing.
 * Menials seem to possess basic intelligence on par with humans. Though they will attack if they see the player, Menials can be seen outside in the conversion center in Grimsby, doing tasks such as carrying power orbs and, surprisingly, typing in buttons on a keypad at stations outside. This shows that Menials may have a more intimate purpose, such as monitoring and caring for the converting Hybrids. They can be also found at a mortar battery with Hybrids in Nottingham, possibly manning the mortars while the Hybrids defending their position.
 * Some Menials will drop a power orb, if they are carrying one, and blow themselves up.
 * Surprisingly Menials are very similar to zombies as they similarly try to bite their victims, and move sluggishly.
 * In co-op, the menials will not bite either player, but hit them always.
 * It is revealed in Resistance: A Hole in the Sky that Menials are still in use and are now created by Spinners.