Stream Protector

In Quake 4, the Stream Protector is a massive, 10-foot tall Strogg guardian with a robotic torso and spider-like legs, designed to protect important data streams from being destroyed by intruders. To ensure success, Protectors usually attack in pairs to take down a target. Stream Protectors are heavily armed and armored walking weapons platforms, equipped with a flamethrower for a left arm, a large blaster for a right arm, a pair of shoulder-mounted small blasters, and a back-mounted homing rocket launcher. They are not particularly mobile, but have extremely high "boss-like" health.

A total of 8 Stream Protectors appear throughout Quake 4, and all of them will come in pairs. They first appear at the end of the Nexus Hub, where a pair of them appear as a boss battle just prior to the first fight against the Makron. 3 more Stream Protectors attack at the end of the Data Processing Terminal, although they appear one at a time and are fairly easily killed with the assistance of Sergeant Sledge and his hyperblaster, as well as your powerful and upgraded weaponry. A final 3 Stream Protectors appear in the "boss room" near the end of the Nexus Core, along with 3 Light Tanks and 3 Heavy Hover Tanks.

Combat Characteristics
Stream Protectors are essentially walking weapons platforms. They actually have above-average speed, but don't move around much at all, preferring to stand in one place while firing at you with their wide assortment of weapons. They can fire a burst of a few large plasma shots from their main arm-cannon, or a swarm of a few dozen small plasma bolts from their twin shoulder-mounted cannons. Finally, they can launch several homing mini-rockets from the rocket turret on their backs. They're also equipped with a flamethrower, but only use it at close range. They also have a melee attack, but again will only use it at point-blank range.

All of the Stream Protector's attacks, even the homing rockets, can be fairly easily dodged by circle-strafing, or get behind cover. The rockets do good damage, but have a small, relatively weak splash damage radius, and thus don't really hurt you unless they score a direct hit on you.

They have the most health out of all the enemies in the game, other than the 3 unique boss enemies. It takes about 70-90 Machine Gun or Hyperblaster shots or 8-10 Grenade Launcher or Rocket Launcher hits to kill one.

Strategies

 * Despite the dramatic entrances it has, it's quite easy to kill. It won't use its flamethrower unless you get close to it, and its rockets and plasma shots are easy to avoid if you circle-strafe the Stream Protector. Therefore, the general tactic is to keep moving and not to stand still in one spot, or running in straight line. In fact, it's very possible not to get hit by it once if you keep your cool. This also works when facing two Protectors at once.


 * Explosives and slow projectile-firing weapons (especially the Dark Matter Gun) work very well against it. Simply circle strafe it and keep on firing at it. It'll die in no time. In Nexus Hub, where you lack more powerful weapons, you can use Hyperblaster and Grenade Launcher to increase the odds.


 * With other enemies, the Stream Protector should be destroyed first. Its rockets and blaster balls can catch you off guard if you're fighting other enemies, and it can run up to you and blast you with its flamethrower while you're not looking, but if you do run into Berserkers or Grants, kill them first. As they are more likely to get close to you, try to stay away from the Stream Protector while fighting these "obstructions", or at least get out of its sights. If they try to box you in you can pull out the Dark Matter Gun.
 * It is a big opponent, so it may be a good time to use your Railgun, remember to take cover while waiting it to cool down or reload.
 * If you meet multiple Protectors, try to keep a distance from them, don't expose yourself for too long, although it is individually quite easy to kill, they are genuine threat when come in numbers.
 * The grenade launcher is extraordinarily effective against Protectors, as they tend to stand still in one spot or run at straight line. So they don't run away too much as the grenade prepares to explode, use this tactic to conserve your rockets.

Trivia

 * It's possible that the Stream Protector is the new replacement for the old generation of Hornet seen in previous installments, while the new one have replace with fast moving flying hover carrier.