- "Not you. I know what happens when you let an angry chick loose with a mechanical loader."
- —Baird replying to Sam's excitement after seeing the loader
The mechanical loader was the civilian industrial-grade exoskeleton variant of the Silverback, designed to lift heavy cargo - for example, crates of supplies, or a submarine's rotor. They were controlled by a single pilot. Because of its small size, they are ideal for places where Forklifts would be too large to operate.
History[]
Barrick piloting a loader, using it to deflect Troika bullets with a bulldozer shovel.
Evacuation of Ilima[]
- "Not as good as a Silverback, but it's somethin'."
- —Barrick commenting on the Loader Zeta-Six finds in the construction site
During the Evacuation of Ilima, the members of Zeta-Six tried to make their way to the Children's School of Hope to rescue any surviving civilians before the Kryll Storm hit the city. They passed through a construction yard in which they found their way forward was blocked by two Locust Drone Gunners armed with Troika Heavy Machine Guns, so they searched the site until they found a Loader inside a partially constructed building. Michael Barrick commented that he would have preferred to have found a Silverback instead, but decided on settling for the Loader. He then piloted the Loader out of the building by kicking down a closed gate. Once outside, he used the Loader to pick up a bulldozer bucket and carried it to the area blocked by the Troika emplacement. He used the bucket as a shield to deflect the bullets while the rest of his squad consisting of Minh Young Kim, Alicia Valera and Tai Kaliso followed behind while being protected by the Loader. They made it past the Troika emplacement and continued their way through the construction site.[1]
Lambent Pandemic[]
Cole piloting a loader, using it to kick a van out of the way while carrying supplies.
Mission to Hanover[]
- "Oh, nice! That's handy."
- —Sam upon seeing the loader
When Cole, Baird, Sam and Carmine went to Hanover in search of supplies, they broke into the derelict supermarket. They fought their way past the Lambent into the Store room, but their route was blocked by a locker. After discovering a Loader, Cole uses it to move the locker to find a crate of food. Cole picks up the supplies with it, and calls in KR Seven-Zero for a "Grocery Evac". The Raven's pilot called for assistance because the pick up zone was crawling with Lambent. The small team cleared the area protecting the loader and its cargo at the same time, before dropping it off at the helicopter.[2]
Marcus piloting a Loader to carry a Rotor for the submarine.
Endeavor Shipyards[]
- "Lets grab it with the Loader...!"
- —Marcus about to pilot a loader
During Delta Squad's journey to Endeavor Naval Shipyard to find a submarine, they fought past the Locust to get to the Maintenance bay, coming across a ship's hull in a state of repair. They are attacked by Grubs defending the position. They push through and find the rotor they need on its deck. Marcus grabs it with the Loader and takes it through doors that can only be opened by the Loader's presence, leading to a small bridge leading to the CNV Adamant's hangar. They are attacked by the Locust, including a Reaver. Marcus puts the Loader behind cover to protect it. They clear the area and take the Rotor to Dizzy to mount it on the Submarine.[3]
A mining loader with an attached bulldozer scoop.
Swarm Invasion[]
- "Always wanted to drive one of these."
- —JD Fenix, after finding a loader
25 years after the end of the Locust War, JD Fenix, Kait Diaz, and Delmont Walker journeyed to an osmium mine to rescue JD's father, Marcus Fenix, who had been taken by a Snatcher. Whilst battling Swarm throughout the mine, they found their way forward was blocked by a large pipe. JD piloted a nearby loader, using its bulldozer shovel to dislodge the pipe. After clearing out several Juvies and Drones, a Scion Mulcher atop several Locust shells blocked their way. With the loader's shovel deflecting the bullets, Kait and Del followed behind JD as he charged the shells, causing the above catwalk to fall down, killing the Scion but destroying the loader in the process.[4]
After finding Marcus, the group began making their way out of the mine. They found another Loader, allowing them to clear Locust shells blocking their path, and clear out more Swarm. After clearing out a second group of shells, a Snatcher fired a quill at the loader, disabling it and eventually destroying it.[5]
A Mechanical Loader was found in Lahni Kaliso's ancestral home village on Weilehi. It was used to construct a new bridge but was left abandoned when the Swarm attacked via an underground volcanic tunnel connecting Pahanu with Weilehi. Team Scorpio could use the Loader as a bulldozer to ram and crush incoming Swarm troops.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art for the Loader.
- Early concepts of the Loader show it as being a bit more similar to its weapon carrying brother. It kept the heavy leg armor, had a larger chest plate, and had bigger arms.
- It has the same melee attacks as the weaponized Silverback. By pressing "B", it stomps, killing all surrounding enemies. And, when unloaded, it can punch with its right claw.
- When you first encounter the mechanical loader, Baird states to Sam, "Not you. I know what happens when you let an angry chick loose with a mechanical loader." This is a reference to the ending of the 1986 film Aliens.
- An odd glitch can occur during the Mission to Hanover to retrieve the food in the Homecoming chapter of Gears of War 3. If the loader is destroyed, even if you are not piloting it, this will immediately result in a Mission Failed screen. However, the text above the game options will sometimes read: You fell to your death. Find a way to kill the Lambent Gunker before it can destroy the elevator.
- In RAAM's Shadow, where you battle through the construction yard, it is seen that loaders can be outfitted with a large shovel like those found on bulldozers, suggesting that they can be used in construction yards that are too small for bulldozers.
- Loaders with shovels attached were also seen in the osmium mine in Gears of War 4.
- The Coalition of Ordered Governments Engineering Corps' logo is a mechanical loader, heavily suggesting that they are used extensively in carrying heavy equipment for demolition operations.
Appearances[]
- RAAM's Shadow
- Gears of War 3 (First appearance)
- Gears of War 4
- Gears: Hivebusters
References[]
- ↑ RAAM's Shadow: Under the Shadow
- ↑ Gears of War 3: Act I: Homecoming
- ↑ Gears of War 3: Act IV: Bon Voyage
- ↑ Gears of War 4: Act III: Origins
- ↑ Gears of War 4: Act IV: Get Out
- ↑ Gears: Hivebusters: Act 1: Chapter 4: Recollection
| Human and Surface Creatures | ||
|---|---|---|
| COG | ||
| Chairman · First Minister | ||
| DR-1 · Gears (Commando, Hivebuster, Medic, NCOG Marine, Onyx Guard, Sapper) · JACK (Geobot) · Shepherd (Command Bot, Deadeye) · Silverback (Mechanical Loader) · Tracker (Shock-Bots, Shock Tracker) · Watcher (Guardian, Sentinel) | ||
| UIR | ||
| Premier | ||
| Indies (Cosmonaut, UIR Elite, UIR Officer, Sandswept Trooper) | ||
| Surface Creatures | ||
| Ape · Armored Fish · Armored Shark · Beast of Pahanu · Cat · Chicken · Cattle · Crow · Dog · Goat · Horse · Iron Jaw · Kraken · Mawfish · Monkey · Pig · Rat · Rock Eel · Salmon · Sand Wasp · Scree-Mite · Serano Blowfish · Serano Cephalopod · Serano Lobster · Serano Shark · Tyran Steelpike · Unidentified Mammalian Carnivore · Wakaatu · Whale Fish · Whale | ||