Cyst
Stationary Bomb-Spawning Necromorph
The Cyst was a stationary Necromorph that grew out of the Corruption and served as a living mine. It excreted organic pods that detonated on impact, attacking anything that came near without distinguishing friend from foe.
The Cyst was a stationary Necromorph that grew out of the Corruption, the fleshy growth that spread through infested environments. Rather than hunting, it held its position and acted as a living mine, excreting volatile organic pods that detonated on impact. It was an effective form of area denial, and it appeared throughout the later Necromorph outbreaks as part of the spreading infestation. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Form and function#
Cysts appeared to be growths of the Corruption, fixed in place and serving to kill targets that moved through their immediate surroundings. Each was capable of excreting an organic bomb, a pod that exploded violently the moment it struck something. As an area-denial defense the Cyst was effective, seeding a space with the threat of sudden detonation, but it was a crude one. The Cyst could not distinguish between human hosts, inanimate objects, and Necromorphs, and it would eject its pod at anything that came within range, destroying its own kind as readily as any survivor. The pods it launched showed a measure of independent life, straining and grasping toward nearby prey even after they had left the Cyst. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Variants#
The Cyst grew in more than one form. Within the ruins of the ships that drifted around the CMS Terra Nova and the CMS Brusilov there was an extremely large variant, swollen far beyond the common Cyst. A further variant grew inside the power core of the CMS Terra Nova. These core Cysts were the same size as those found out in open space and were apparently indestructible, and they did not generate or expel their bombs while the gravity inside the core remained on. (Dead Space 3)
Frequently asked questions
- What was a Cyst in Dead Space?
- The Cyst was a stationary Necromorph that grew out of the Corruption. It functioned as a living mine, excreting organic pods that exploded violently on impact and killing targets that moved through its immediate vicinity.
- Did Cysts attack other Necromorphs?
- Yes. A Cyst could not distinguish between human hosts, inanimate objects, and other Necromorphs. It ejected its pod at anything that came within range, so it would just as readily destroy a passing Necromorph as a survivor.
- Where were the largest Cysts found?
- Within the ruins of ships drifting around the CMS Terra Nova and the CMS Brusilov there was an extremely large variant of the Cyst. A further variant grew inside the power core of the CMS Terra Nova and was apparently indestructible, holding its pods while the core's gravity remained on.
Sources
- GameDead Space 2, Visceral Games, 2011
- GameDead Space 3, Visceral Games, 2013
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Necromorph
Necromorphs were aggressive creatures formed when the Markers' electromagnetic signal reshaped dead tissue into monstrous new forms. Driven to kill the living and gather corpses for Convergence, they were the recurring plague that destroyed the Aegis VII colony, the USG Ishimura, and Titan Station.
The Corruption
The Corruption was an encrusting mass of Necromorph tissue that grew wherever an outbreak took hold, spreading in the presence of a Marker signal. It reshaped its surroundings into a habitat for the horde, poisoning the atmosphere and providing a ready supply of biomass.
CMS Brusilov
The CMS Brusilov was a Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces ship that carried a science team to Tau Volantis to study the alien Markers. After its captain received the Scenario Five cleanse order, a maddened scientist purged the ship of air, and the Brusilov drifted dead in orbit for two hundred years.
CMS Terra Nova
The CMS Terra Nova was a Sovereign Colonies mass driver left derelict among the fleet orbiting Tau Volantis after the S.C.A.F. expedition of 2311. Two centuries later it became a waypoint for Isaac Clarke and the home of a Unitologist cult that worshipped the Brethren Moons.
Also in Necromorphs
Every Necromorph Type in Dead Space: all forms from Slashers to the Brethren Moons
A full list of Necromorph types across the Dead Space games, films and novels. Each entry says what the creature is, what it was made from where the series tells us, and which games it shows up in.
Phantom Necromorphs: the red eyed grade above Enhanced
Phantom Necromorphs were a sub breed of the infection met aboard the USG Ishimura in the 2023 remake of Dead Space, mostly in New Game+, marked by black, red or near purple tissue and glowing red eyes. They fought exactly as their base forms did and endured roughly twice the punishment an Enhanced specimen of the same strain could absorb.
Mentioned in4 entries
CEC Facility: Titan Station's Shipyard and Industrial Complex
The CEC Facility was the Concordance Extraction Corporation's base of operations on Titan Station, a sweltering complex of heavy machinery, fuel storage, and the shipyard where the USG Ishimura lay docked. During the Sprawl outbreak it became a Necromorph killing ground and was finally consumed with the rest of the station.
Every Necromorph Type in Dead Space: all forms from Slashers to the Brethren Moons
A full list of Necromorph types across the Dead Space games, films and novels. Each entry says what the creature is, what it was made from where the series tells us, and which games it shows up in.
Kaleb: Xenogeologist of the Sprawl
Kaleb was a CEC Xenogeologist assigned to Shift 1 on Titan Station, working alongside Ellie Langford. When the Necromorph outbreak swept the mining facilities he led the remnants of his crew toward safety, then sacrificed himself with a Line Gun mine so that Ellie could escape.
Tripod's Nest: the Corruption growth that housed the Sprawl's Tripods
The Tripod's Nest was a large formation of the Corruption grown inside the Fuel Mega Storage area of the CEC Facility on Titan Station, shaped to accommodate the station's Tripods. Isaac Clarke destroyed it by pitching explosives into the surrounding fuel tanks, taking the nest, its residents and most of the facility with it.
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