The Urchin
Aquatic Necromorph of the Ishimura sewers
The Urchin was a massive aquatic Necromorph that grew in the water purification facilities deep within the USG Ishimura's sewer system. A formless body wreathed in tentacles, it ambushed survivors below the Hydroponics Deck during the ship's outbreak.
The Urchin was a massive aquatic Necromorph that grew within the water purification facilities deep in the USG Ishimura's sewer system. A formless mass wreathed in tentacles, it lurked below the Hydroponics Deck during the ship's outbreak and ambushed the survivors who passed through the flooded tunnels. (Dead Space: Extraction)
Anatomy#
The Urchin had a formless main body surrounded by multiple tentacles. Four large tentacle arms were each tipped with a yellow, eye-like orb that could be shielded by a tripartite eyelid. A triad of smaller, rear-mounted tentacle-mouths could disgorge explosive sacs much like those produced by the female Slasher and the Spitter. A single frontal tentacle ended in a knot of faintly luminescent, swollen, gnarled cartilage, and as with the Leviathan, the Slug, and the drag tentacles found elsewhere aboard the ship, this last growth was its vulnerable point. (Dead Space: Extraction; Dead Space)
Origin and habitat#
The creature's origin was never established. It bore a clear resemblance to the Leviathan and the Slug, both of them massive Necromorphs given to anchoring themselves and lashing out with tentacles. The Urchin was discovered growing in one of the water purification facilities within the Ishimura's vast sewer system, below the Hydroponics Deck. It spent most of its time submerged, surfacing to batter at intruders with its arms. (Dead Space: Extraction; Dead Space)
The Ishimura outbreak#
During the Necromorph outbreak aboard the Ishimura, the creature blocked the path of survivors moving through the lower decks. Just beneath the Hydroponics Deck, the security officer Nathan McNeill and his group met Doctor Karen Howell, only to be attacked by the Urchin before they could reach her. Howell fled, and McNeill and Gabe Weller were left to battle the creature. After it was destroyed, they reached Hydroponics, where the survivors set about sealing off the water system to slow the Necromorphs in the sewers below. (Dead Space: Extraction)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Urchin?
- The Urchin was a massive aquatic Necromorph that grew in one of the water purification facilities in the USG Ishimura's sewer system, below the Hydroponics Deck. It had a formless main body surrounded by multiple tentacles and spent most of its time submerged.
- Where did the Urchin come from?
- Its origin was a mystery. It bore a strong resemblance to the Leviathan and the Slug, and it grew in the water beneath Hydroponics.
- Who encountered the Urchin?
- During the Ishimura outbreak, the security officer Nathan McNeill and his group met it just beneath the Hydroponics Deck, where it cut them off from Doctor Karen Howell. McNeill and Gabe Weller were left to battle the creature before they could press on to Hydroponics.
Sources
- GameDead Space, EA Redwood Shores, 2008
- GameDead Space: Extraction, Visceral Games and Eurocom, 2009
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.
Slasher
The Slasher was the most common form of Necromorph, reanimated from a single human corpse and named for the blade-like protrusions of bone that grew from its arms. Weak alone but lethal in numbers, it was the form survivors encountered most often in every major outbreak.
Spitter
The Spitter was a Slasher-type Necromorph created from a female host, set apart from the male form by the ability to spew acidic bile across short distances. Otherwise a close relative of the Slasher, it harried survivors from range while other creatures closed in.
The Slug
The Slug was an enormous Necromorph that clamped itself over the blast doors of the USG Ishimura, blocking the communications array Isaac Clarke needed to warn the USM Valor away from an infected escape pod. It was driven off only by the ship's own anti-asteroid cannons.
Gabe Weller
Gabe Weller was a Resource Wars veteran and security officer who survived the Necromorph outbreaks on Aegis VII and the USG Ishimura, married Lexine Murdoch, and died on Titan Station to give his wife and unborn child a chance to escape.
Hydroponics Deck
The Hydroponics Deck was the USG Ishimura's internal farm, growing the food and producing the oxygen needed to sustain the ship's crew. During the 2508 outbreak the deck was overtaken by the Leviathan, which polluted its air and destroyed the ship's food supply.
Mentioned in2 entries
Dead Space: Extraction Story Explained: Plot Summary and Ending
The full story of Dead Space: Extraction, the prequel that follows a handful of survivors from the dying Aegis VII colony onto the infested Ishimura, and what its bleak final scene means for Lexine and Gabe.
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.
Get new articles in your inbox
No spam. New lore drops, canon conflicts, and deep dives only when they’re worth reading.
Some links on Lore Fortress are affiliate links. If you buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.