Combine Advisor



The Combine Advisors are the face of the Combine Empire, suggesting that they are probably the original master race behind the alien empire. They briefly appear in the game, in Doctor Breen's office, on giant monitors, and they can be seen several times during Episode One. Physically, they resemble large grub-like creatures, belonging to a species which most likely passed its singularity long ago. As a result of their expertise in developing advanced technology, the Advisors have evolved to an artificial state which may be vastly different from their original physical state. Given their unwieldy physicial form, they seem to be unable to manipulate objects or move around on their own, they are quite possibly blind, and have a large number of other physical handicaps. As a result, the Advisors are probably totally dependent on their highly advanced technology in order to survive, unable to live without their mechanical aids.

In Episode One, they are shown preparing to evacuate themselves from the damaged Citadel while their soldiers and other minions are ordered to destroy the Citadel's dark fusion reactor to send an unknown message to the main Combine "nation". This indicates that they are of a high position in the known Combine hierarchy, as their minions have no chance to evacuate once the reactor begins to detonate, whilst their escape pods ensure they can flee to a safe distance.

In terms of size, an Advisor is about as large as a rhinoceros. They have not been seen in motion within the game (other than within the escape pod-like capsules), but it has been theorised that they are able to hover using some form of anti-gravity technology. Advisors are virtually featureless, with no visible eyes, ears, mouth, or limbs. This may be the explanation for the many mechanical augmentations they bear. They have no visible eyes, though they do possess an eye-like mechanical device attached to one side of their "head." Their "faces" are covered by what may be some form of respirator, though as the hose attached to it does not lead to any obvious tank, the device's true purpose is unknown. Advisors rest inside a metal cradle which has two mechanical claw-like arms protruding from the upper section. Each Advisor wears a stitched olive-green body suit, leaving only the mostly featureless "face" and part of the tail fully visible. The suit also has a black collar adorned with golden hieroglyphs on it.

Despite their crippled physical state, the Advisors seem to have become highly evolved mentally. They are never heard speaking in-game, and yet Doctor Breen is observed having an extended conversation with one, suggesting some form of telepathy. Slashing animations revealed by the Half-Life 2 Model Viewer suggest that at one point during the development of Half-Life 2 the player may have been intended to fight one of these creatures.

After the events in Half-Life 2, one or more Advisors began taking great interest in Gordon Freeman. During Episode One, they are seen on various monitors throughout City 17, tracking Gordon and Alyx and dispatching Combine soldiers to apprehend them. Also, the developer commentary track included with Episode One states that the Advisors play a big role in a new story arc for Episode Two.

In Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, designer Ted Backman mentions that the immense, worm-like form of the Combine Advisor was inspired by the work of Frank Herbert, most likely the images of the Spacing Guild Navigators and Leto Atreides II from the Dune novels.