However, in Half-Life: Source, the console-spawned Gonarch is invincible. The Gonarch appears to be very weak if spawned directly through the console using commands, and usually ends up dying after being hit with a single magazine of the Glock pistol ammo, and will not explode after death.In the early stages of Half-Life 2's development, a device used to spawn Headcrabs from a Gonarch's sack, the " Combine Big Momma Pod", was to be seen in Ravenholm.Strong art direction and clear goals were set for the Gonarch from the start, but the AI proved to be very complicated due to the size of the creature and how different it was from the more common game monsters of that time.However Gabe Newell liked it, which greatly influenced its inclusion in the game. According to Ted Backman, the Gonarch was a strongly contested design around Valve's office during the development of Half-Life, considered by some to be too graphic, a thing Backman did not agree with.The "monarch" part would refer to the creature's hierarchical status in headcrab society, or simply its "boss" status within the game. A " gonad" is a scientific term for the reproductive organ of any living creature, the male mammalian gonad being the testicles. Therefore the name may be a portmanteau of the words "gonad" and "monarch". The Gonarch was apparently born very simply, when someone at Valve asked, according to Gabe Newell, "Why don't we put a giant testicle on a 20-foot-tall armored spider?".Its model is also named " big_mom.mdl", while its entity is "monster_bigmomma". The creature was originally known under the nickname "Big Momma".Upon death, the Gonarch explodes violently. After taking a certain amount of damage, the Gonarch will flee, and Freeman has to pursue it through the level. They also have a ranged attack: yellowish balls of acidic material from the top of their shells which they hurl through the air like mortars, raining down upon the victim. Gonarchs attack by charging at their victim, then attempting to puncture them with their massive legs. However, during the attack on Gordon, the Gonarch never comes close to running off the edge of its platform.Įntering the Gonarch's lair results in an immediate attack. The Gonarch seems to lack sensory organs. When the Gonarch is angry or injured, it will emit a loud cry. The Gonarch makes loud, mournful-like sounds when a Baby Headcrab is killed.
Small and soft-looking, these Baby Headcrabs are not very dangerous, but they can walk a bit faster than full-grown Headcrabs, attack rapidly and are smaller (almost a third of a full grown Headcrab) and thus more difficult to hit. During the battle with Gordon, it releases undeveloped baby Headcrabs at a rapid rate with no apparent limit to their quantity. The large bag of flesh which hangs from the creature, commonly referred to as its "sack", seems to be a reproductive housing. It can easily withstand massive amounts of projectile and explosive damage, taking even more explosive damage to kill than a Gargantua.
The Gonarch boasts a thick exoskeleton, powerful legs, and a large sack resembling a testicle dangling from its underbelly. Little is known about how and when the metamorphosis from Headcrab to Gonarch takes place, as few Headcrabs ever reach that stage.