Balverine
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| Balverines | |
|---|---|
| |
| Enemy Information | |
| Type | Monster |
| Games | Fable (TLC), Fable II |
| First Appearance | Fable: Darkwood
Fable II: Westcliff |
| Related Quests | Fable: Trader Escort White Balverine The Arena Fable II: The Hero of Will The Crucible |
Contents |
[edit] History
In ancient times there was a creature named the Balvorn, which was much more vile and savage than a Balverine. It feasted upon thousands of humans at a time. There was only one man who survived its attacks, and that man became the first Balverine.
Citizens of Albion seem to be afraid of these beasts, and with good reason: Balverines can infect others, turning them into Balverines through a bite. Perhaps because of their terrifying qualities, some have been captured and put into the Arena for gladiatorial purposes. Their natural aggressive tendencies make them perfect opponents of Heroes in the battlefield.
[edit] Characteristics
They share certain similarities with werewolves such as a wolf-like appearance with black or brown fur and piercing yellow eyes, and vulnerability to silver. Balverines are also much stronger than a normal human and rival some heroes in physical strength being as displayed by their lean musculature, and unique ability to jump high into the air disappearing for several seconds before landing again.
[edit] White Balverine
White Balverines are supposedly normal people who were bitten during a full moon.
An elusive White Balverine also haunts the area near Knothole Glade before the Hero silences it. The White Balverine was a man who was transformed after killing a previous White Balverine threatening the village. His wife mourns his loss, and helps the Hero kill the beast her husband has become. To help the Hero, the woman gives him a Silver Augmentation to take advantage of the Balverines' weakness to silver. You can world save before the quest, then get the silver augmentation and hero save. Then you must load the previous world save and you will have the silver augmentation and then you can get another one when you re-do the quest. The best weapon to use in this method is the Obsidian Greathammer you find near the Witchwood stones. With the two silver augmentations on your weapon the White Balverine will be dead within around seven hits. This is a good method but you don't really need to use it.
White Balverines are also present in the Arena.
Surprisingly, although it is said in the White Balverine Quest that only weapons with Silver Augmentations can harm the White Balverine, it is unnecessary to kill them, although it increases your damage greatly.
It is also interesting to note that in the quest where the cheif's son is held for ransom, if you pay the ransom then there is also a white balverine, which does not go at all with what the cheif said, because even though there are white balverines in the arena, they are not free roaming.
A White Balverine also killed the Hero's parents and attacked Giles in A Hero's Tale. The Balverine later appears at the Hero of Southcliff's wedding, and takes his would-be spouse to the castle on the hill for a final climatic showdown. After the Hero triumphs the White Balverine, it somehow turns into the Duke of Southcliff, who begs for mercy, and claims that the curse has been broken. The Hero can chose to kill the Duke or not, but regardless the crown is passed to the Hero, who either becomes a benevolent leader, a tyrant, or walks away.
[edit] Frost Balverines
Frost Balverines are essentially regular Balverines, but with ragged white fur (not to be confused with White Balverines). Not much is known of Frost Balverines, except for the fact that they live in the Northern Wastes.
They are much more dangerous than the regular Balverines but weaker than white Balverines, and will deliver a much bigger punch. The white coat of the Frost Balverines could be compared to the coat of an arctic wolf, used for camouflage. It could also be they just have snow stuck in their fur. Something to remember is that the old kingdom was originally settled in the Northern Wastes, so every living thing there is a closer direct descendant than the creatures in the rest of Albion. That would mean that the Frost Balverines are more closely related to the original Balvorn spoken of by the Oracle. This might explain their increased strength and viciousness over the normal balverines. It might also offer a clue as to what the Balvorn looked like.
Frost Balverines are found anywhere in the Northern Wastes. During the Necropolis glyph-finding quest, Frost Balverines repeatedly spawn on bridges and narrow enclosures. At this point in the game however, the player is likely to have some of the most powerful weapons and spells, so despite their toughness the frost Balverines don't pose a great threat.
[edit] Attacks
Balverines are able to attack with their claws as well as by jumping towards their victim. They are also able to jump high into the air (completely out of sight) disappearing for several seconds before landing again, usually behind you. Balverines tend to use short, fast combo attacks or simply lunge you down. Often Balverines will jump high off the screen, but before they do so they will howl for a second or so, attack them or heal yourself at that time.
[edit] Location
Balverines are common all over Albion. They can be found in Darkwood and Witchwood amongst other places, including the Witchwood Arena, where they are kept captive but still vicious to be used to challenge heroes competing in the Arena.
[edit] In Fable II
Balverines return in Fable II, and are first encountered on the road to Westcliff. They have their own dungeon, called the Howling Halls, that the player must get through to get to the Westcliff Camp. Also, they are fought in the arena known as The Crucible. During the Hero of Skill quest, while returning the Shadow Seal to its owner, you must fight several Shadows that act and fight like Balverines.
While traveling along the Westcliff Road, a woman named Lilith requests your help saving her son from Balverines. However, she betrays you to her "children" for food before jumping out of sight. This indicates the ability to shape-shift and greater intelligence for the more advanced Balverines, she reappears later after the Hero defeats all her "Children" as a White Balverine.
[edit] Poison Balverines
In the DLC pack See the Future, a new variation of Balvarine can be fought. During the "Cursed Skull" quest, the Hero must fight waves of "Poison Balverines". These Balverines are similar to white Balverines, only they have a green tinge to their fur, emit a green smoke, and when hit by a poison Balverine, the player's screen will begin to go hazy after a few seconds, similar to if the player's hero was drunk.
[edit] Trivia
- A non-hostile Balverine is found in a cage by the door entering the Arena. If you kill it, everyone will exclaim as though you killed an innocent person.
- The name "Balverine" is likely taken from "wolverine", a mammal in the weasel family known for it's incredible ferocity.
- In Fable II, Sister Hannah sings a song mentioning White Balverines.
- Due to some of their new characteristics such as a loss of hair on their backs and the presence of a short tail, Balverines now somewhat resemble a cross between a man and a rat rather then a man and a wolf.
- In Fable II, if you use the shock will power on a Balverine, it will show a human skeleton during the effect. Also, when you kill a Balverine with shock, a rather elongated human skeleton will remain, as if Balverines have a bone structure similar to humans. This makes sense, as Balverines are transformed humans, much like werewolves.
- Balverines in Fable II are weaker than the ones in Fable.
- A good tactic to avoid the Balverine's pounce attack in Fable II is to wait until the creature has leaped closer to you and roll out of the way, giving you enough time to launch a counter attack.
- Another good tactic to use on Balverine's in Fable II is to use the time control spell to rush towards the Balverine. This tactic rivals the speed of the Balverine pounce technique.
- Balverines will never bite the player and will only use their claws to attack, giving no opportunity for the player to become infected.
