Angel

Angel
Distinctions	Capable of flight, telepathy
Primary Weapon	Poisonous spikes
Games featured	Resistance: Fall of Man Resistance: Retribution

Angels were the highest ranking strain of Chimera, first appearing in Resistance: Fall of Man. The strain assumes command roles over the other strains of the Chimeran virus, giving them a great deal of influence and control among the species as a whole. The extent of this connection is unclear.

Description

The Angel strain commanded the Chimeran hierarchy by maintaining a telepathic hive mind over the lesser Chimeran strains. Due to their delicate telepathic connections, the lesser Chimera were deeply dependent on the Angels. Should an Angel die, the lesser strains under the Angel's control will die as well within a few minutes without the presence of another Angel. As a result, the Angels were kept protected in strongholds such as the Chimeran towers. However, they are sometime seen in some battlefields in which they were always reinforced by Chimeran soldiers.

The Angel strain's existence were recently known through observations by the British Army at the time of Fall of Man, and their name were given by the British for the exhaust plume coming from their mechanical apparatus that was responsible for their flight ability.

Resistance: Fall of Man

A screaming Angel.

An Angel, through unknown means, was captured by the British Army and was to be exchanged for American military support and supplies during Operation Deliverance. However, the exchanged failed after the British delivery team was ambushed and heavy Chimeran forces annihilated American forces in York. The transport containing the Angel was later recovered at Manchester and delivered to Northern Command in Cheshire. But the Chimera again tried to free the Angel and attacked Northern Command. Nathan Hale fought through the base and confronted the Angel, which tried to take control of Hale's mind. However, Hale resisted the mind control and ultimately killed it.

By the conclusion of Fall of Man, the destruction of the Chimeran tower network and the extermination of all Angels throughout Britain caused all Chimeran strains to die out without the Angels' telepathic connection. This discovery of the Chimera's weakness gave humanity a major advantage against the Chimera.

Strategy

Angels are first encountered in Tower. Angels shoot poisonous spikes that excrete large amounts of toxic gas (much like an air fuel grenade) at the player, which then spreads across the ground. If the player is not hit by the initial attack, then move away as soon as possible or else the gas can still cause damage.

• While the Angel is a large target, their main advantage is their ability to fly, making them a difficult target to hit. The ideal weapon to use is the LAARK or the tracking rounds from the Bullseye Mark II.
• Another way to kill an Angel (which usually is quite fast on Easy difficulty) is to try to get some really accurate shots off with the Splitter with all shots separated. If the player is lucky, they may only need one shot from the Splitter to kill it.
• Angels have very high health, and require almost a full 70 round magazine of Bullseye Mark II fire to kill. If attempting to kill one using the Rossmore 236 shotgun for the "What would Hale do?" Skill Point, it will require almost the maximum number of shotgun shells you can carry to do the job.
• The LAARK's shredders can actually take out an Angel with one rocket. This method can save LAARK ammo.
• A challenging way to kill an Angel is using the Rossmore 236, which unlocks the "What would Hale do?" Skill Point.

Intel

“	Angels have only recently been confirmed. They are believed to be the most advanced Chimeran strain currently operating in Britain. Angels are usually found near Chimeran strongholds, though there have been some battlefield sightings. Initial observations indicate Angels exert a command influence over other Chimeran strains. The extent of this connection is unclear. As leadership units, Angels don't directly participate in combat. The extent of their offensive capabilities is not known.	”

Resistance: Retribution

An Angel from Resistance: Retribution.

During the events of Operation Overstrike, Angels are seen not only in Chimeran towers but also in specialized conversion centers that produce newer Chimeran strains, such as the facility in Bonn and the Chrysalis Lair in Paris. It is presumed that the Angels were specifically tasked in overseeing and commanding theses facilities.

Strategy

• Angels serve as bosses in some levels of Retribution. Like in Fall of Man, the Angels shoots spikes to dispense poisonous mist and dodge incoming fire, but they can also create an energy-shield around themselves, making it immune to the player's attacks until their shield's energy is depleted. It first appears in Filling the void after Grayson rescues Raine Bouchard.
• The L206 LAARK is more suitable against the Angel, and there certain boss fights where there is spare ammo to replenish the player's supply.

Resistance 2

By the events of Resistance 2, the Angels were phased out after Daedalus had deemed the strain too inefficient to serve the Chimera in a useful manner anymore, as humans were aware of their liability in the Chimeran hive mind. Instead, Daedalus instituted a new command structure within the Chimeran hierarchy, in which the Chimera operated independently of Angels and instead fall under the control of more powerful Chimera, the Primarchs and Overseers. The method Daedalus used for phasing out the Angels' command structure without killing all of his troops was currently unknown. As a result, humanity could no longer defeat the Chimera by targeting the Angels and only focus on eliminating the new high ranking Chimeran command units.

Gallery

Angel concept art.

Angel illustration from Intel journal.

Specimen tank used to captured the Angel in Chesire.

Trivia

• As depicted in Resistance: The Gathering Storm, the Angels were still in used by late 1951 before their roles were extinguished by the Primarchs and Overseers.