Elemental Beasts

The Elemental BeastsElemental BeastsThe Lava, Storm and Quake Beasts that Umarak the Destroyer transformed from his Shadow Traps, sent to keep the Toa busy while he gathered the pieces of Makuta's Mask of Ultimate Power. Part of the 2015 to 2016 reboot continuity., also called the Shadow Horde, were monsters created on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. by Umarak the DestroyerUmarakUmarak hunted the Elemental Creatures of Okoto until the Mask of Control bound him to Makuta's will and remade him as the Destroyer. in the 2016 story of the BIONICLE reboot, a separate continuity from the original 2001 to 2010 saga. They came in three breeds, each transformed from one kind of Shadow TrapShadow TrapsUmarak's bite-sized servants, each engineered for a specific Okoto environment., and MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City. sent them to keep the Toa busy while Umarak gathered the pieces of the Mask of Ultimate PowerMask of Ultimate PowerA heretical Kanohi forged by Makuta of Okoto that contained the powers of all six elements and ruined the Mask Makers' civilization the moment it was worn.. (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game"; BIONICLE.com Explore)

Creation#

After the Mask of ControlThe Mask of ControlThe Kanohi of mind control once worn by Makuta of Okoto, hidden by the Elemental Creatures, sought by the Toa, and seized by Umarak, who became the Destroyer when he put it on. turned UmarakUmarakUmarak hunted the Elemental Creatures of Okoto until the Mask of Control bound him to Makuta's will and remade him as the Destroyer. into the Destroyer, MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City. told him to raise the Shadow Horde, but not to lead it into battle himself. Umarak used his new power to transform three kinds of his Shadow TrapsShadow TrapsUmarak's bite-sized servants, each engineered for a specific Okoto environment., the living traps he had used to hunt the Elemental CreaturesThe Elemental Creatures of OkotoThe six elemental animals of Okoto, partnered with the Toa to recover the Mask of Control, joined by Agil the Creature of Light at Ekimu's side. Part of the 2015 to 2016 reboot continuity., into the Elemental Beasts. (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game"; BIONICLE.com Explore)

Variants#

Each breed came from a single kind of Shadow TrapShadow TrapsUmarak's bite-sized servants, each engineered for a specific Okoto environment. and carried that trap's element. (BIONICLE.com Explore)

Lava Beasts are transformed Fire Traps. They are immune to heat, walk through lava and fire unharmed and hurl balls of flame, and the BIONICLE.com story calls them the most aggressive of the Shadow Horde. Lava Beasts were the ones that wrecked a village in the Region of Jungle before the attack on the City of the Mask Makers. (BIONICLE.com Explore; LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game")

Storm Beasts are transformed Water Traps. They shoot lightning, raise tidal waves and bring violent thunderstorms with them wherever they go. (BIONICLE.com Explore)

Quake Beasts are transformed Stone Traps. They make the ground tremble and crack and hurl huge rocks at their enemies. (BIONICLE.com Explore)

Design lineage#

Each breed was released as a 2016 set: Lava Beast (71313), Storm Beast (71314) and Quake Beast (71315). Every set came with a Beast Mask of Corruption and a recoloured Unity mask: a Mask of Fire with the Lava Beast, Ice with the Storm Beast and Earth with the Quake Beast. Parts from all three could be combined with the Umarak the Destroyer set to build a larger, powered-up Umarak. (Lava Beast, LEGO set 71313; Storm Beast, LEGO set 71314; Quake Beast, LEGO set 71315)

Regeneration#

The beasts' great strength was that they kept coming back. When the Shadow Horde hit the City of the Mask Makers, the Toa struggled at first because a beaten beast simply reformed. Once Tahu's stolen mask was recovered, the Toa worked out that smashing a beast's own mask stopped it reforming for good, and that turned the battle. (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game")

Operational role#

Makuta's plan was a distraction. While the Shadow Horde kept the Toa busy at the city, Umarak was free to look for the pieces of the Mask of Ultimate PowerMask of Ultimate PowerA heretical Kanohi forged by Makuta of Okoto that contained the powers of all six elements and ruined the Mask Makers' civilization the moment it was worn., the forbidden mask that EkimuEkimu the Mask MakerEkimu is the Mask Maker of Okoto in the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, brother of Makuta, who knocked the Mask of Ultimate Power from his brother's face and slept for thousands of years before the Toa woke him. had knocked from Makuta's face long before, opening the portal that drew Makuta into the Shadow Realm. Umarak needed the pieces to open another portal and set him free. (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game"; LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "The Dark Portal")

Status#

The Toa beat the first wave at the city, then left with Ekimu to stop Umarak, while the Elemental CreaturesThe Elemental Creatures of OkotoThe six elemental animals of Okoto, partnered with the Toa to recover the Mask of Control, joined by Agil the Creature of Light at Ekimu's side. Part of the 2015 to 2016 reboot continuity. and the Okotans fought on against the next wave. Umarak summoned more beasts on the way to the top of the dark mountain to hold the Toa off, and Pohatu cleared them with the power of his element. The Toa then sealed Makuta back in the Shadow Realm. The story never gives the number of beasts Umarak created. (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "Destroyer's Game"; LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One, "The Dark Portal")