Brains (Beta Class)

"When revealed, his tentacles will pull you within range of his slashing hooked arms. When out of tentacle range, lasers from his eyes will cut his prey in half."

- The Reckoning Manual

Brains (Beta class) is an upgraded version of Brains from Quake 2. In Quake II, Brains was a fairly useless Enemy as it was slow and only had melee attacks. Its one saving grace was an energy shield which protected its front end, same health as Gladiators, although even this was not enough to stop it being almost as pitiful as its predecessor. The Beta class, however, is a worse nightmare than the Laser Guard.

Ranged Chest Tentacles
Like the original Brains, beta Brains has tentacles which shoot out of its chest. But the beta class's attack has a lot more range and the attack not only hits the player and deals even more damage than normal (10-24), but it also drags the player at Brains allowing it to follow up with its claw attacks. The combined damage if Brains carries out this attack can be devastating and new players will be taken off guard, resulting in death.

Hooks
Its long arms slash at the player, dealing 15-19 damage or 30-38 damage if both hits from its attack hit. This is a close combat attack and will normally be used after Brains has dragged the player up close with its ranged tentacle attack.

Laser Shot
Brains goggles are now a Laser which will be used if the player is out of range of its chest tentacles. It is just like the Laser Guard's attack, except that Brains' is a bit more powerful. Each second in the laser deals 2 damage and up to 30 damage per attack.

Strategy

 * The beta Brains is one of the most deadly enemies in the expansion pack, although it's a pushover compared to the beta Gladiator. When you come across one, find some cover (out of range of its chest tentacles) and take pot shots with the Grenade Launcher, Rocket Launcher, Railgun or Shotgun.
 * If you're fast enough, you can avoid being hit by Brains' laser beam. If close combat is unavoidable, then keep moving to avoid its attack, kill it as quick as you can to prevent taking too much damage.
 * If it carries out its chest tentacle attack and follows up with a claw attack, it can deal around 60 damage. Avoid staying in the open at all costs; instead, use hit-and-run tactics while darting in and out of cover.
 * The beta Brains can pull you down if you're on a higher ledge. That means added damage, so don't expose yourself and take it out safely from cover with grenades.