Nest
Zero Gravity Sentinel Necromorph
The Nest was a sessile Necromorph form found only in zero gravity, anchored to a surface and serving as an area denial sentinel. It launched swarms of small exploding Necromorphs from bulbous arms and could be killed only by destroying those arms.
The Nest was a Necromorph form found only in zero gravity, where it anchored itself to a surface and stood sentinel over large open spaces. Closely related in function to the Guardian, it could not move from where it had taken root, and it defended its area by hurling swarms of small, exploding Necromorphs at anything that came near. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Form and biology#
A Nest was formed from a female host fused back to back with at least one other body. Three fleshy, bulbous arms sprouted from the shoulders of the joined bodies, while their lower sections merged into a mass of flesh that anchored the creature to a surface, making it a sessile Necromorph much like the Guardian. To kill a Nest, those arms had to be severed; the rest of its form could not be harmed. When no threat was near, or when gravity was present, the Nest drew its bodies back inside its lower section to shield itself. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Nests grew only in the absence of gravity. They were known to develop on the Corruption or within larger Necromorphs such as the Nexus. The head of a Nest was much larger than a human's, though the reason for its size was never established. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Behavior#
The Nest served as a sentinel, an area denial form adapted to guard large open areas without gravity. When an intruder entered its range, it emerged from its lower section and began thrashing its arms, releasing swarms of small, red-glowing Necromorphs that homed in on the target and detonated on contact. After each swarm it entered a brief refractory period of a few seconds before thrashing again. It had no close range attack of its own; when a threat came within a meter or two it simply withdrew into its lower section, invulnerable again until the threat moved away, whereupon it resumed its assault. Subjecting an active Nest to significant gravity forced it to retract and remain inert until zero gravity returned. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Nest?
- The Nest was a Necromorph form found exclusively in zero gravity conditions. Fused to a surface and unable to move, it acted as a sentinel over large open areas without gravity, releasing swarms of small homing Necromorphs that detonated on contact.
- How was a Nest killed?
- Like the Guardian, a Nest could only be destroyed by severing its three fleshy arms; the rest of its body was invulnerable. Returning gravity to its area forced the Nest to retract into its lower section and go inert, leaving it harmless until zero gravity resumed.
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
Guardian
The Guardian was a sessile Necromorph fused to the walls by the Corruption, unable to hunt but able to kill anything that drew near with a scythe-tipped tentacle. It spat embryonic Pods to keep threats at a distance and guarded the places most vital to the infestation.
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.
Nexus Organism
Nexus organisms, also called Hive Minds, were massive Necromorphs that received the control signal of the Markers and Brethren Moons and relayed it to the smaller Necromorph forms. They served as the second in command of an outbreak, coordinating the horde across whole worlds and ships.
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.
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 in7 entries
Bridge
The Bridge of the USG Ishimura was the command and control center of the Planet Cracker, a large open section at the front of the ship from which its crew ran the vessel and its mining operations. By the outbreak its displays read only System Failure.
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.
Hand Cannon: the foam finger that kills anything in one shot
The Hand Cannon is a giant red foam sports hand unlocked by beating Dead Space 2 on Hard Core mode, or the 2023 remake on Impossible mode. It has infinite ammunition and kills almost everything it points at.
Nathan McNeill
Nathan McNeill was a P-Sec detective on the Aegis VII Colony and a veteran of the Resource Wars who survived the outbreak on the colony and aboard the USG Ishimura. He escaped toward the Sprawl only to succumb to his wounds and reanimate as a Necromorph.
Solar Array: Titan Station's Decommissioned Power Plant
The Solar Array was the original power source of Titan Station, a ring of collector dishes left to decay after fusion reactors replaced it. Isaac Clarke reactivated it during the Necromorph outbreak, and Hans Tiedemann then turned its focused beam into a weapon that cut the station in two.
The Nexus
The Nexus was a gargantuan Necromorph Hive Mind form created from the remains of the extinct natives of Tau Volantis. Like the Hive Mind of Aegis VII, the Nexus served as a ground commander for lesser Necromorphs, broadcasting and receiving Marker signals across the infestation.
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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