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The Overwatch Elite or Combine Elite are specialized, higher-ranked Overwatch soldiers. With further augmentation compared to their standard counterpart, they represent the pinnacle of the transhuman Combine Overwatch and reserved for the highest priority missions to the Combine.
Overview[]
Overwatch Elites are visually distinct from their regular counterparts. They have a black-white color scheme as compared to grey-black, wear a thicker plating and a larger neck guard which increases protection, and wear black jackboots instead of combat boots. They sport the elite insignia on their chest and on their left shoulder to signify their rank. On their right arm, a red sash that has no logo is present as well.
Their most visually distinct appearance is their helmets which abandon the gas mask design used by Civil Protection and Overwatch soldiers and indicate further augmentation to the human body. Instead of two eyes, their helmets features a special visor with a large red ocular lens which functions as the eye, giving it a cyclopean apperance. Two miniature domes have been placed in the location of the ears as audio receptors. A single large filter is placed at the mouth instead of the filter and exhaust port seen in Overwatch soldiers. The overall appearance gives the Elite a less-human look compared to other human Combine units.
Application[]
Overwatch Elites are the top of the Combine's transhuman forces. As such, they are only deployed in situations of high importance to the Combine such as:
- Exterminating high value targets like Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance.
- Key assault missions such as attacking the White Forest base.
- Guarding key locations such as the Citadel, Overwatch Nexus, and Nova Prospekt.
- Guarding or escorting key Combine personnel like Wallace Breen or Advisors.
Overwatch Elites are deployed with groups of Overwatch soldiers, where they function as commanders, or other Elites. They do not have grenades like normal soldiers, but are exclusively armed with the Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle with access to alternative ammunition for the OSIPR's Energy Ball alt-fire that they use effectively to deal devastating damage to enemies.
Appearances[]
Half-Life 2[]
Overwatch Elites are first seen at Nova Prospekt on a security monitor, where three of them are deployed in response to Gordon's assault on the complex. By the time Gordon and Alyx got into the portal, the Elites were only a second late when they assaulted the teleport chamber. In City 17, two Elites make their presence at one of the Combine generators in response to Alyx's hacking. After Alyx is captured and Gordon makes his way alone, five Elites rappel down from the celling to ambush him in an abandoned warehouse. Elites continue to make appearances from here as Gordon makes his way closer to the Citadel, from the assault on the Overwatch Nexus all the way to the foot of the Citadel.
Inside the Citadel, Elites are numerous. Alongside other soldiers, they relentlessly try to block Gordon's progress through the Citadel. When Gordon is forced to enter a Combine personnel transport and is delivered to Wallace Breen's office, they are there to receive and stand guard over him. Elites continue to intercept Gordon as he ascends the dark fusion reactor to stop Breen from escaping off Earth.
Episode 1[]
Elites are seen throughout the Citadel when Gordon and Alyx re-enter it to reset the core's containment field and prevent the imminent meltdown and try to stop their progress to the containment chamber. Two Elites can later be seen in the containment chamber's control room trying to instigate the core's meltdown under the order of an Advisor. As Gordon journeys to the chamber to reactivate the core's containment field, Elites and soldiers continue intercepting him. When ALyx copied important data from their database, soldiers and Elites try to stop their escape.
In the city, Elites alongside other soldiers face off against numerous headcrabs and zombies while trying to intercept Gordon and Alyx through the hospital. They are then deployed to stop the last waves of resistance fighters and citizens that are leaving the city at the trainstation.
Episode 2[]
Elites are seen amongst other Combine forces post-Citadel destruction mobilizing towards White Forest right after Gordon and Alyx head to the surface from the mines. Later, they stage an ambush for Gordon and Alyx just as they enter the White Forest Inn alongside Overwatch soldiers and Hunters. Elites are last seen as the Combine make an attempt to assault White Forest, which was prevented when Gordon sealed the silo door that was their means of entry.
Behind the scenes[]
The Combine Super Soldier image associated with the Overwatch Elite in the SDK model viewer.
- The Overwatch Elite has had several predecessors during the development of Half-Life 2, such as the Combine Synth Elite Soldier and the Combine Super Soldier, both early elite Combine units were dropped in favor of a more humanoid model. It also inherited its helmet from the Combine Assassin.[1] When viewing the Overwatch Elite model in the Source SDK model viewer, its preview image is an image of the Combine Super Soldier. The model and its related files are also named "Combine_Super_Soldier".
- Another early variant, the Combine Elite, found as
Combine_Elite.mdlin the Half-Life 2 leak, was originally to use a special camouflage suit and yellow lenses that would allow it to blend in with its surroundings by the use of procedural textures consisting in taking a sample of the textures behind and putting them onto the camouflage pattern. Opening its file in the Model Viewer will show the model with a mottled camouflage texture. Upon viewing the model in-game however, it would blend with the environment, though the NPC still remains visible as its weapon, belt, mask and boots do not blend.
- Another early variant, the Combine Elite, found as
- The insignia featured on the Elite's left arm, chest (in a grey variant, with a campaign ribbon under it) and neck guard (inside it) is the only Combine imagery that indicates hostility or threat, displaying a cracked human skull within a straightened up standard Combine "claw" symbol, as well as a "C17", probably different for each Combine-controlled city. While the original symbol does not portray the Combine as horrific, the Elite symbol is a deliberate attempt to show the Elites as brutal and deadly. It was possibly influenced by the Totenkopf symbol used most prominently by the Schutzstaffel (or SS), an organization in Nazi Germany which served as both political police and an elite military formation.
- This insignia is also featured on the Shotgun Soldier's (including their Nova Prospekt Prison Guard variants) left arm, suggesting that it may be a branch of the Overwatch Elite or possibly a higher ranked soldier variant.
Related achievements[]
Half-Life 2: Episode One[]
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| Kill an Elite Soldier with his own Energy Ball. |
Trivia[]
- Unlike the player's Pulse Rifle, an Overwatch Elite's secondary attack doesn't instantly kill NPCs, as it only deals 15 damage points, and will only disintegrate enemies on a killing shot. However it can kill NPCs instantly in the Episodes.
- Overwatch Elites are the only soldiers that do not carry nor use MK3A2 Grenades.
- The Overwatch Elite cannot normally be spawned through console commands, as they share the same entity as normal Combine soldiers. However, they can be spawned by typing "
ent_create npc_combine_s model models/combine_super_soldier.mdl additionalequipment weapon_ar2" (they can be given other weapons in place of AR2). This method works for other npcs sharing the same entity codes such as the Antlion Worker in Episode Two.
- At the end of the Half-Life 2 chapter "Follow Freeman!", an Overwatch Elite equipped with an MP7 can be seen. It is a developer's oversight, since the Elite will occasionally attempt to use the OSIPR's secondary attack.
- During Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the Overwatch Soldiers' and the Overwatch Elite's armor and boots are meant to be flecked with mud and dirt to indicate they have been traveling by foot for long periods of time. However, due to a developer oversight the Overwatch Elite does not sport this "dirty" version, as the game calls for the texture "
combine_elite_noalpha.vtf", but the "dirty" texture is named "combine_elite.vtf", therefore, using a “clean” texture from the Half-Life 2 files.
- During the ambush at White Forest Inn, if an Elite soldier that is killed will drop a Battery instead of an Energy Ball cartridge. This is most likely to balance the fight as Energy Balls are very efficient against and would not provide a challenge to the player.
- Prior to this ambush, an Elite can be heard reporting Gordon and Alyx's arrival as they exit out of the tunnel. This Elite can be briefly seen by zooming in at the top of the winding road up. Afterwards, it will walk out of the player's sight behind the cliffs. Using noclip will reveal that the npc despawns behind the cliffs.
- Based on the early version of Episode Two, Overwatch Elites were originally present in the White Forest final battle. Their role was to shutdown the supplies outposts around the field, and aiding the Hunters in securing the Striders route to the White Forest's missile base. This was cut from the retail version.
Gallery[]
 The Half-Life Wiki has more images related to Overwatch Elite.
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List of appearances[]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
- Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (Non-canonical appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (Non-canonical appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two