Phobos

Phobos appears in and is a playable character in Quake 3 Arena. He is the third bot to be played against 1-on-1. Phobos is harder than the previous encounter with Ranger and if he sees you he will engage on lower difficulties. As difficulty goes higher you can notice him using small weapon combos on you by swapping them to deal maximum possible damage regarding range.

This fight serves as a small infusion of noises and introduction of goodies. As it's the first 1-on-1 encounter with a powerup in the arena, as well as first one to home a small body of water in the middle. He also gets mentioned in the chat as "Colonel", "Colonel Feeble", "Colonel, Sir" and "Feeb'o's". The possible nicknames are just a reflection of how he trusted his superiors who led him into a condo of hellspawns just to be ambushed and regurgitated by bellows of hell.

Quake III biography
An experienced veteran, he led the invasion of the demon-haunted tunnels of Phobos. There, he was betrayed by superiors who thought they could learn more from watching him die than by studying his reports.

A courageous, determined soldier, used to command, Phobos has got that "officer and a gentleman" esprit d'corps. Unfortunately, his last mission taught him about betrayal and sabotage. He trusts no one and nothing except his training.

Entering the game

 * "Make it challenging!"
 * "There are no guns in Heaven, so this must Hell again."
 * "Time to face your deepest fears, (random player name). Have you got it in you?"
 * "Let's give the alien bastards a show they won't soon forget."

Leaving the game

 * "Good hunting ... I'm finding (current map name) a little slow."
 * "Does it always have to be (current map name)? I'm off to find a better battle!"

New level starts

 * "Another group of fresh recruits ... although I prefer to call them 'targets.'"
 * "Let the operation commence!"
 * "Battle stations!"
 * "Prepare to repel the enemy!"
 * "Once more into the breach!"

Phobos first in the final rankings

 * "A true leader will always finish first!"
 * "A ~Marine finds a way! Don't whine, don't complain, just find a way!"
 * "Careful planning and good execution are the keys to victory."
 * "I win ... and no ~one is surprised."
 * "Pfah! I think I still have (player ranked last)'s entrails on me!"
 * "Bag them and tag them!"

Phobos neither first, nor last in final rankings

 * "Finally it starts to get interesting."
 * "Betrayed into the hands of fiends again."
 * "Unacceptable! I will not let my superiors down!"
 * "If (random player name) would have stayed out of my way, the battle would have turned!"
 * "It could be worse. Look at (player ranked last), for example."

Phobos last in final rankings

 * "~One promise: this is not going to happen again."
 * "I do what I do to preserve the human way of life. Do not question me."
 * "I no longer trust (player ranked first) to fight fairly."
 * "This was not an acceptable outcome to this mission."
 * "You're going to die horribly, (player ranked first)! Your slimy tactics insult us all!"

Hit while chat bubble was visible

 * "How unfortunate that toads like (attacker) are allowed in here."
 * "I told you to put your safety on! Report for administrative punishment!"
 * "Inhuman scum!"
 * "Traitor!"
 * "Such treachery will not go unpunished!"

Hit by opponent's weapon

 * "That pin-prick is not going stop me from dominating (current map name)."
 * "Well done, (attacker). Your skills are indeed worthy. Shall we duel?"
 * "Typical attack of the under-educated opponent!"

Hit an opponent without killing them

 * "Bravo, (opponent)! You make a superior practice target."
 * "Bah, it is merely a flesh wound. Stand up and start running!"
 * "Okay, (opponent), I will accept your unconditional surrender."
 * "The chase! Ah, the thrill of the chase!"
 * "Drop the (weapon) and step away from the wall!"

Killed by telefrag

 * "Quite a concept ... being everywhere at once!"
 * "I am indeed 'a real nowhere man.'"
 * "Sharing the same space with Crash would be a treat."
 * "Sharing the same space with (female bot name) would be a treat."

Killed by falling damage

 * "I did better in jump school."
 * "That cursed ledge needs a safety ~rail."

Killed by drowning

 * "I bet I can hold my breath longer than you."
 * "It's a good thing my battle armor is waterproof."
 * "This is not what you think ... it just makes it easier to do push-ups."

Dies in slime

 * "It's so hard to tell the difference between real slime and the aliens."
 * "Argh! Bioweapons!"

Dies in lava

 * "Sprinkle my ashes among those of my fellow officers."

Phobos accidentally kills self (e.g. with splash damage)

 * "Pay attention soldier; a classic example of what not to do!"

Killed by Gauntlet attack

 * "My gloves will come off if you wish to make war like this!"
 * "Is that the same (weapon) that you were picking your nose with, (attacker)?"

Killed by Railgun

 * "I must talk with HQ about these 'improved' bullet-proof jackets."
 * "(Weapon) is the perfect weapon for cowards like (attacker)."

Killed by BFG 10K

 * "So this is the light at the end of the tunnel everyone talks about."
 * "I think this passes the weapon effectiveness evaluation."

Phobos died (insult)

 * "Blast! Allowing you to kill me, (attacker), is an insult to this uniform."
 * "Bah. I'll wager you can't repeat that accident."
 * "Coward. Look me in the eye next time if you dare."

Phobos died (praise)

 * "Congratulations, (attacker), I am victim to your victor."
 * "With you in my squad, we could take on the rest of these (fighter)s."
 * "I salute you for a shot well placed, (attacker)."

Phobos kills someone with the Gauntlet

 * "I guess (opponent) is too fragile to handle a real punch."
 * "Where I come from, we call that a 'glass jaw,' (opponent)."

Phobos kills someone with the Railgun

 * "Rule #1, 'Avoid big bullets.'"
 * "Rule #2, 'It is better to give than receive.'"
 * "Rule #3, 'Don't let your lame, ~pansy, camping butt get anywhere in range of my return fire.'"

Phobos telefragged someone

 * "I love the smell of toasted carcass in the morning!"
 * "This is a new weapon, I think. I'm going to have to try it again."

Player kills self

 * "You have a very unusual technique, (opponent). Is this to confuse your enemies?"
 * "~Three words, (opponent). 'Be more careful.'"
 * "Keep your distance, (opponent). I won't get caught hanging around with anyone that stupid."

Phobos kills someone (insult)

 * "I do not hold your inferiority against you, (opponent)."
 * "Evolution predicted your extinction long ago, (opponent)."
 * "'Kidnapped by Demonic Aliens' is a poor excuse for lack of skill, (opponent)."

Phobos kills someone (praise)

 * "My heart aches when such a worthy adversary must perish."
 * "Touche'! Be proud, (opponent), you died bravely."

Random insults

 * "Run freaks! Run while you still can!"
 * "Let me throw out a new word to (random player name). 'Tactics.'"
 * "Is (random player name) trying to give us the impression that by firing continuously ~one may hit something?"
 * "Your fear of death will be your downfall, (random player name)."
 * "Stupidity is not to be confused with bravery."
 * "Wearing 'Eau de Cat Box' again, (random player name)? At least I can smell you coming."
 * "(Random player name), please tell me why you seem to enjoy dying so often?"
 * "Apparently (random player name) has camped the (current map name) before."

Random chats

 * "This is all so terribly real."
 * "My spirit is indomitable. I will persevere and survive this."
 * "What in the universe did you do to earn this billet, (random player name)?"
 * "(random player name) you grab the (random weapon name) and I'll grab the (random weapon name). We'll own this place!"

Strategy
The Plasma Gun is accurate when Phobos uses it, so stay away if he grabs it. The Shotgun is his favorite weapon so stay at a distance as he can quickly switch to it from time to time after pulsing you enough with Plasma beats from afar. When you manage to snatch the PG away from him, he'll eventually dive into the rocket launcher room to stock on bullets and RL, where you can cluster fire him.

When he's buffed he'll rush right to you with buckshot or plasma. Gathering all possible main Armor pickups in the map and keep him under pressure fire with plasma or rockets is the best way to keep him down. The long hall to the Rocket Launcher room and entire Plasma Gun area, will give him enough chance to catch you from a distance. You may need to figure out when to move away from his charge path if he ever manages to stock on both important goodies in the map.

A simple technique is timing the Haste right after a Heavy Armor pickup, locating him quickly for a few respawn kills and then timing the Heavy Armor at least once again before Haste expires. Grabbing Light Armor away from him gives you breathing room since he can be troublesome to dispatch when he eventually get his hands on the Plasma Gun spawn nearby. Grabbing the Light Armor destroys his chances of retaliation with a Rocket Launcher or PG. Be aware and try to pull the fight where you feel more comfortable, because his suppressing fire with PG definitely can hurt.

Preferably use the Plasma Gun to knock Phobos dead at the start or grab Haste and Heavy Armor before he does then try to get a bit personal. You can get on a shooting spree with the Machine Gun and Plasma Gun when you grab the Haste powerup as both firearms have plenty of ammo pickups in this map. It helps greatly to keep checking the Rocket Launcher room which you can leave as a bait to stock on bullets after the kill. If you ever need to get close, try to stick near the square flanks in-between the Haste chamber and RL room. As you dominate the Heavy Armor area, you can stick close to the square-shaped flank to combo Phobos easily until you get flushed out.

The map also allures the importance of listening to the environment. The Arena has a small waterway in the middle, where Heavy Armor resides. It's possible to climb up from the wall behind Heavy Armor spawn to reach the Haste area quicker. Water splashes are a clear indication of movement; anyone can hear someone running along the waterway if they ever stand around the Haste chamber and listen closely from the end of the waterway hall.

Trivia

 * The character himself is named after one out of the moons of two Mars; Phobos and Deimos. In the very first game of the franchise, the first episode takes place on Phobos.
 * Phobos getting killed by being lured to a monster condo by his superiors is possibly a reference to the end of that game's first episode's ending. This includes the fifth and eighth map of the episode named Phobos Labs and Phobos Anomaly, respectively.
 * Phobos Labs is also Union Aerospace Corporation level from Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, an expansion pack of Doom 3.
 * Phobos also appears as a marine guy action figure in the Doom 2016 reboot. Selecting him will view the Super shotgun model.

Quake Live
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