Poppers were a type of Juvie. Armed with grenades, Poppers were used by the Swarm as kamikaze units, similarly to the Locust Tickers and COG Trackers.
Strategy[]
Like their unarmed siblings, Poppers are individually weak but fast and agile, relying entirely on speed to avoid getting shot.
To maximize their effectiveness, the Swarm would send single Poppers in with groups of regular Juvies in order to make them less noticeable, allowing them to get as close to the enemy as possible before detonating. However, if they are frozen with a Cryo Cannon and then killed, they will not explode.
There were three types of Poppers in the campaign:
- Bolo Grenade Poppers are the most common.
- Incendiary Grenade Poppers are found during the Mission to OZP-11.
- Shock Grenade Poppers are only found during the chemical purge of the New Hope Research Facility.
The Popper's grenades detonate immediately upon death, regardless of distance, even causing chain reactions should multiple Poppers be present. A keen player can use this to their tactical advantage- a Popper spotted among other Juvies or humanoid Swarm can be targeted and detonated immediately, dealing massive damage to its surrounding allies and presenting area denial opportunities without draining the player's own grenade or explosive ammo reserves. This strategy is best executed when enemies are funnelled into narrow lanes of movement. In Campaign, the player can use Poppers to great effect in the UIR Rocket Hangar as the Juvies attempt to board the rocket train. In Horde, central chokepoints on maps such as Overload necessitate a grouped Swarm approach that can be easily halted by taking out a Popper in their midst.
Behind the scenes[]
- When they are about to detonate, the Popper manually activates the grenades by themselves.
- Due to their speed and agility, Poppers are considered more annoying to fight against than Tickers or Trackers.
Appearances[]
- Gears 5 (First appearance)