Leaper

Leaper
Distinctions	Arachnid-like body structure
Games featured	Resistance: Fall of Man Resistance 2 Resistance: Retribution Resistance 3 Resistance: Burning Skies

Leapers are a strain of Chimera that are a byproduct of a Crawler's failure to find a suitable host form, looking like a mix between a lizard and a scorpion.

Overview

In the process of transforming into a Leaper, a Crawler begins a search for a means of sustenance whether it is through human or animal corpses. Once they have gorged themselves, the Crawler transforms into a Leaper Pod which is a protective pupae state. After which, the Leaper is spawned once the pod reaches maturity. Young Leapers are voracious creatures that attack their foes with their claws and teeth. While weak, fragile and useless as individuals, causing them to be easily dispatched, the Leapers are deadly when they are encountered in large numbers. Leapers are known to make an ear splitting scream which has been known to terrify their foes before making an attack.

Toward the end of their life, Leapers turn into Rollers. Though in Resistance 2 the two species are no longer referred to separately and all Leapers appear to have become Rollers.

Resistance: Fall of Man

Leapers first appear in York - "A Lone Survivor" after Nathan Hale woke up from being infected by the Crawlers. Leapers are weak, and can be killed with a single shot of virtually any weapon in the player's arsenal. To compensate for their fragility, they attack in large swarms, especially in the level Manchester - "The Cathedral". Leapers usually attack by hitting their foe but will sometimes jump on its opponents and bite them much like the Menial's common attack.

Strategy

• Keep moving to prevent yourself from being overwhelmed, and use available weapons to plow through the Leapers that will charge straight for the player.
• Sometimes when a leaper attacks, it latches on and begins to continuously bite the player. Shake it off by shaking the SIXAXIS Controller.
• The Bullseye is also a preferable weapon, as its firing spread and extreme cyclic rate makes it perfect for dealing with large Leaper swarms.
• The Rossmore 236 Combat Shotgun can also be employed very effectively against Leapers as the wide spread will take out many with one shot as the Leapers tend to come in swarms. This weapon's double-barrel blasts are especially devastating.
• The XR-003 Sapper is also more effective against Leapers later in the game, for they will rush blindly into the explosive globules, often killing several with one globule. Laying Sapper mines in front of Leaper Pods is a good way to deal with the the instant they hatch.
• If playing through the second playthrough, the Arc Charger and the L11-2 Dragon are able to quickly dispatch Leapers. Using the Arc Charger's secondary fire is useful since its electrical beams arcs between enemies and the L11-2 Dragon's flamethrower capability will engulf them quickly. A Backlash Grenade can also kill a large number of Leapers; however, these are best saved for tougher enemies.

Intel

“	Crawlers which fail to infect a host will eventually evolve into Leapers. They first seek out sustenance, such as human or animal corpses. Once they've gorged themselves, they develop a protective pupae, a Leaper pod. They spawn from their pods upon maturation. The voracious young Leapers attack opponents with teeth and claws. They should be dealt with at range whenever possible. Easily handled individually, Leapers are lethal in large numbers.	”

Resistance 2

The Leaper strain first appear in Twin Falls. The Leapers share some attributes to the Rollers, and have the distinctive acid spit and rolling locomotion seen in the previous game. They do not appear much throughout Resistance 2 and are much weaker, but still dangerous in swarms.

Strategy

• Leapers can be easily be wiped out with any rapid-fire or spread weapon.
• Like in Resistance: Fall of Man, Leapers will sometimes jump on the player and begin to bite and, like in the first game, can be shaken off by shaking the SixAxis controller around.

Resistance: Retribution

Leapers appear in The Guns of Rotterdam after James Grayson and a British Marine kill several Boilers in the sewers; in which some Leapers kill the Marine. They are the same enemy that appears in Resistance: Fall of Man.

Strategy

• Leapers are quite easy to kill with a Razor or Storm Rifle if the player use the aim assist. If the player do without the aim assist, thus making it difficult to gain accuracy on Leapers due to the way they skitter.
• The player can use the Razor's charge shot, by charging the Razor half way (don't fully charge it in case the player misses) and allowing the energy disc to bounce off the walls and kill the Leapers.
• The Schrotflinte .12 Gauge shotgun is more useful in killing Leapers given the weapon's spread of fire.
• Like in Fall of Man, Leapers can jump and latch onto James Grayson and can be shaken off during a quick-time event by tapping the "X" button repeatedly. However, this is especially dangerous because when Grayson is shaking off one Leaper, the others can jump at him to cause extra damage.

Resistance 3

Leapers first appear in Wrightsburg where Joseph Capelli and Fyodor Malikov travel on the Mississippi River by boat and there are Leapers devouring the carcass of a Kraken. Leapers are among the Chimeran strains that are considered "Feral Chimera." Feral Leapers are stated to have evolved somewhat from their military ancestors, and are much more bulky than those in previous games. They now apparently retain the ability of their infant Crawler morph to pass on the Chimeran virus into adulthood, transmitting it via their bite; this ability was never shown in any previous game, implying it is a new development. Leapers also have the same ability to spit acid present in Resistance 2, though their bulkier bodies mean they have lost the ability to roll.

It is unclear what kind of Chimera a human bitten by a Leaper becomes, likely a Grim, however the transformation apparently does not require the cocoon stage used by the Crawler and Spinner infection methods. Leapers are now shown creating not just their distinctive pods but also the webbing more characteristic of Spinners, and the pods of this new form have many separate egg sacs embedded in one place, rather than the single Leaper per pod of previous iterations. Leapers are also edible to humans, as one of the residents of Mount Pleasant is seen making a stew with parts of a dead Leaper.

Strategy

• Unlike the previous games, Leaper swarms no longer attack the player together. Instead, each Leaper stays in a different spot and attacks the player.
• The Rossmore is an excellent weapon against these creatures, due to its large damage spread.
• The Cryogun is also effective, especially the upgraded secondary fire.
• The Atomiser's primary fire is very effective, as it will automatically lock on Leapers. It is even more devastating if it is upgraded once, as the primary fire would arc on to nearby Leapers.
• The Mutator works well on Leapers and can infect them with a single uncharged shot. When fully upgraded, it can easily defend against large numbers of the creatures.
• The Bullseye is also an effective weapon against Leapers.

Enemy Journal

“	This small-like Chimera has evolved into a fearsome predator. First developed by the Chimera to seek out and infect hiding humans, this species of Chimera has now gone feral. Its signature webbing is evidence that Leapers are close by. These determined creatures will crawl on floors, walls and ceilings to track down their prey. Primary Attack - Leaping bite attack. Secondary Attack - Blinding venom spit. Survival Tip: Use weapons that have a large damage spread. Rossmore and Magnum Secondary fire are very effective.	”

Resistance: Burning Skies

Leapers made their first appearance in the first level, Staten Island, after Tom Riley exits a train garage. A group attack a civilian woman and kill her, then attack Riley when he moves close to the sewers. Leapers in Burning Skies are the same as in Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance: Retribution, lacking the acid spit or trundling locomotion, and simply move towards the player and attack by leaping or biting. Leaper Pods do not appear during the game, with Leapers mostly coming out of pipes, vents or gratings.

Strategy

• Leapers will walk towards the player's position, often ending up in single file if the player backpedals.
• The Mule is an excellent choice of weapon against Leaper swarms.
• Any area effect weapon, such as grenades, will work well. The secondary fire of the Mauler is effective and does not use ammunition.

Intel

“	Cheaper by the dozen... Mack here... We have a lots of Leapers out my way. And that's the problem. The bastards are running in packs of a dozen o more. So when you head out be sure to keep your shotgun loaded and ready to fire. Then, when they come at you, let 'em have it. You'll be able to kill two or three at once. But remember, don't let Leapers get in close. Because if you do they'll pull you down before you can reload or switch weapons. That's what happened to Kelvin and it wasn't pretty. Never give up, and give in. - Mack	”

Gallery

Resistance: Fall of Man

Leaper Intel.

A Leaper attacking a British soldier in the Manchester Cathedral.

Resistance 2

Resistance: Retribution

Leapers approaching James Grayson.

Resistance 3

Leapers devouring the carcass of a Kraken.

Resistance: Burning Skies

Leapers found in a tunnel.

More Leapers.

Trivia

• Unlike from any previous games, Leapers appear to be very gluttonous after they've devoured both Human's and Chimera's in Resistance 3
• Leapers bear a huge resemblance to the Spiker from inFamous 2. They are both small enemies, roll and spit acid at the player and attack in swarms. Also, they sometimes in cocoons and they hatch if the player approaches them. Their cocoons can also be spawned. Leaper Pods are spawned by Widowmakers (as believed by British Armed Forces) and Spikers are spawned by Hive Lords and Cole MacGrath (if he swapped powers with Nix).
• In a TV ad for Resistance: Fall of Man it is mentioned that Leapers are the size of a Jack Russell, have legs like knives and a sting in the tail.