Phantom
Cerberus biotic cyborg agents
Phantoms were elite Cerberus agents created with reverse engineered Reaper technology, agile biotic cyborgs armed with monomolecular blades and palm weaponry. They served the organization as close quarters killers during the Reaper War of 2186.
Phantoms were elite agents of Cerberus, agile biotic cyborgs created with reverse engineered Reaper technology. They were among the organization's most dangerous fighters, specializing in evasive maneuvers and close quarters killing, and they appeared across the galaxy during the Reaper War of 2186 wherever Cerberus pursued its agenda.
Origin and nature#
Phantoms were the result of Cerberus reverse engineering technology recovered from the Reapers, turned toward the creation of unnervingly agile biotic cyborgs. They served the organization as deadly skirmishers and assassins, fielded against the enemies of Cerberus during the Reaper War. The Systems Alliance was never able to gather full intelligence on the implants that gave Phantoms their capabilities, a measure of how closely Cerberus guarded the technology behind them.
Capabilities#
Phantoms were built for close quarters combat. Each was armed with a monomolecular blade, and a single direct stab from the weapon could kill instantly. They also carried a powerful semi automatic projectile weapon set into the gauntlet of the gun hand, firing kinetic rounds from the palm with deadly accuracy and able to strip away protection with ease. They typically slashed once or twice in quick succession, making melee exchanges extremely dangerous for anyone facing them.
Defensively, Phantoms relied on a combination of biotics and agility. They generated personal biotic barriers, visible as an energy field around the gun hand or as a bubble surrounding the body, and they used speed to avoid incoming fire, sidestepping, rolling, and leaping away to disorient their opponents. Stabilizing thrusters built into their suits let them move quickly across uneven terrain and recover rapidly when knocked down. When badly endangered, a Phantom could activate a cloak and, if left undisturbed, regenerate to full health and recharge its barriers, vanishing from sight until it chose to strike again.
Role and threat#
Because a cloaked and self healing Phantom could disappear and return whole, the Systems Alliance advised its forces to confirm any Phantom's death personally rather than assume a downed agent was dead. An advancing Phantom could be detected by a constant low electronic muttering, but a stationary one was silent and could easily ambush the unwary. Phantoms were encountered at numerous flashpoints of the Cerberus campaign, including Omega, the Citadel, and Horizon, serving as some of the organization's most feared operatives in the field.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Phantom in Mass Effect?
- Phantoms were elite Cerberus agents, agile biotic cyborgs produced with reverse engineered Reaper technology. They specialized in close quarters combat and evasion, wielding monomolecular blades and a palm mounted weapon, and were a deadly threat to anyone Cerberus deemed an enemy.
- How were Phantoms able to survive being hit?
- Phantoms generated a personal biotic barrier for protection and relied heavily on agility, sidestepping, rolling, and leaping away from fire. They could also briefly cloak, during which they were able to recover from injuries, which led the Systems Alliance to recommend that a Phantom's death be personally confirmed.
- What weapons did Phantoms use?
- Each Phantom carried a monomolecular blade capable of delivering lethal strikes at close range, along with a semi automatic projectile weapon built into the gauntlet of the gun hand, from which they fired kinetic rounds with great accuracy.
Sources
- WikiPhantom — Mass Effect Wiki entry
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Related entries
Cerberus
Cerberus was a clandestine, human-supremacist paramilitary organization led by the Illusive Man, willing to use any means to advance humanity's place in the galaxy. Branded a terrorist group by both the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council, it was ultimately destroyed during the Reaper War.
Citadel
The Citadel was a colossal deep-space station in the Serpent Nebula that served as the political and cultural heart of Citadel space and the seat of the Council. Long believed to be a Prothean relic, it was in truth a Reaper construction and a dormant trap at the center of galactic civilization.
Horizon
Horizon was a temperate human colony on the galactic frontier that suffered a devastating Collector raid in 2185 and later became the site of the secret Cerberus husk facility known as Sanctuary.
Omega
Omega was a sprawling space station built in the hollowed husk of an asteroid in the Terminus Systems, a haven for criminals and outcasts ruled by the asari warlord Aria T'Loak. Often called the dark counterpart to the Citadel, it had no central government and changed hands only through violence.
Reaper War
The Reaper War was the galaxy-wide conflict that began in 2186 when the Reapers emerged from dark space to harvest all advanced organic life. It saw the fall of Earth, Palaven, and Thessia, the forging of unlikely alliances, and a final battle over Earth that decided the fate of every species.
Reaper
The Reapers were an ancient race of synthetic-organic starships that hibernated in dark space and returned once every fifty thousand years to harvest the galaxy's advanced life. They built the Citadel and the mass relay network to guide civilization down a predictable path, then reaped it to preserve organic life from synthetic destruction.
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