Drudge

Drudges are hideously deformed Lambent creatures that appear in Gears of War 3. These monsters were originally Locust Drones but had suffered direct and prolonged contact with Imulsion, undergoing severe mutation. Drudges are known for mutating into different forms in the middle of battle.

Behaviour
During an initial encounter, Drudges behave in a similar fashion to Drones, but they do not take cover when under fire. They move slower than Drones and advance on enemies whilst continuously firing their Hammerburst rifles. If a Drudge gets in close to a target, it will vomit up a stream of Imulsion in order to kill or possibly infect its victim.

Like nearly all Lambent forms, the Drudge will explode when it is critically injured. Often, Drudges will charge towards enemies when injured enough and blow themselves up in a suicide attack.

Mutations
Drudges are prone to mutate after receiving a certain level of damage in battle. The different Drudge mutations are listed below.

Headsnake
The Drudge's head surges upwards as its neck elongates, forming a thick serpent-like appendage. The head itself mutates into a gaping triangular mouth, which could spray a stream of Imulsion at close-medium range, causing significant damage to enemies. Even when the Drudge was killed, the head would continue to function, acting like a snake-like predator on the hunt for enemies (hence the term "Headsnake"). This mutation can occur with other mutations.

Arms
The Drudge's arms mutate into grotesque, over-elongated limbs with giant claws. This mutation allows the Drudge a massive boost to close-ranged combat and allowed it to throw balls of Imulsion at enemies outside of melee range. This mutation will rip apart anyone that gets close to it.

Leg Stalk
The third and final Drudge mutation sacrificed all mobility for a cover-busting advantage of height. The legs grew in length and fused together to form a trunk, which placed the upper body on a high pedestal above the battle. From this vantage point, the Drudge could continue to attack with its Hammerburst if it hasn't mutated its arms and or head. Its been reported that Polyps have spawned from the root-like bottom of the trunk to attack enemies.

Weaknesses
While Drones may be susceptible to headshots, Drudges do not share this vulnerability. Shooting the head off a Drudge will only trigger its Headsnake mutation. Drudges all sport a large cyst-like growth on their abdomens that is filled with Imulsion. Shooting this growth will cause the Drudge to detonate, killing it without triggering any mutations.