Sector 17 Overwatch

''First Seen: Half-Life 2, Chapter Four, "Water Hazard"
 * Health total: 50
 * Weapon damage: Weapon butt (10), H&K MP7 (3), Franchi SPAS-12 (3 per pellet), Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle (5), Grenade (75 (splash damage))
 * Entity:

Overwatch soldiers, also known as Combine soldiers, are intelligent infantrymen that work well in a team and use a variety of attack methods. While Civil Protection has jurisdiction over the relatively minor affairs of policing the city, Overwatch soldiers can be found everywhere, and form the backbone of the Combine military occupation force. In this role, they are also the most versatile units the Combine have at hand.

Combine soldiers will commonly travel using dropships or APCs. They are typically armed with either an MP7 sub-machine gun, a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun or an Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle, and usually carry a supply of M-38 grenades. Certain soldiers will use Overwatch sniper rifles, although they are less common (see below). The Combine soldiers are equipped with camouflage uniforms and advanced body armor, which protects their torso, groin, arms and thighs. Also, their masks are a model more advanced than those issued to the Civil Protection units. The soldiers have the Overwatch insignia emblazed on their right armpad and the unit designation on the left one. Interestingly, the unit patch is an orange variant of that belonging to the 7th Infantry Division. Nova Prospekt guards have the facility name underneath the Overwatch symbol and the Universal Union insignia on their left armpad.

Originally the uniforms were intended to have randomly generating alphanumeric unit numbers on them, as well as have a different camouflage design, yellow undergarments and dark orange goggles. However, due to gameplay and programming issues, the design was reworked.



Combine soldiers are initially found mostly in the coastal wasteland outside the city, patrolling the highways for resistance activity and staffing Combine outposts. They can, however, be found anywhere the Combine requires direct military action, as soldiers can be transported from the Citadel to a desired area via dropships. Overwatch soldiers are also tasked with guarding very high-security areas, monitoring stalkers in the Citadel and serving as staff in the Nova Prospekt. In addition,  they also serve as pilots and gunners of the Combine hunter-choppers.

Alternate, green-colored Combine soldiers with glowing orange eyes were seen in preview screenshots of Half-Life 2: Episode One, during the time when the episode was still called Aftermath. It is unclear how this variation related to the rest of the Combine Overwatch, as they were replaced by regular Combine soldiers in the game's final release. These same green-colored soldiers can also be seen in the main menu of Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. It is interesting to note that they have the Elite insignia on their legs.

Combine soldiers are confirmed to be humans that have undergone extensive modifications including, but not limited to, brain surgery, chest surgery, removal of genitalia and sexual organs, and implantation of various mechanical devices in the throat and around the abdomen, and are likely to have their memories replaced. This procedure is carried out at Nova Prospekt and the Citadel. Some players like to think of Combine soldiers as human synths; Dr. Kleiner describes them in Episode One as "post-human" in reference to their enforced enhancements.

Despite the extensive surgery and modifications they receive, Overwatch Soldiers still appear to have certain human characteristics - for instance, they will grunt in pain when attacked, and during the Nova Prospekt chapter, Doctor Breen is giving what appears to be a morale-boosting speech to them, and they sometimes can be heard shouting expletives in the heat of battle, indicating that they still have human emotions to a certain extent. They also communicate over radios, but unlike Civil Protection officers, are not spoken to by dispatchers. Based on announcements made over the public address system of Nova Prospekt, punishments for failing to achieve objectives include "permanent off-world assignment." The threat of being reassigned to what may be the fringes of the Combine empire is apparently an effective method of motivating soldiers to succeed.

The following combat tactics are true for both Combine Soldiers and Combine Elites:
 * Soldiers usually stay behind cover and only come out for a short time to fire.
 * They frequently attempt outflanking maneuvers to surround enemies.
 * When faced with an enemy that is too close to safely fire upon, they will use the butt of their weapons to strike the enemy and attempt to drive him or her back.