Vek Biter

Lore & Background

The Vek are an alien collective that descended upon the planet in a wave of chitinous, multi-limbed organisms, overrunning what little industrial civilization remained. Their biology is vaguely arthropodoid—segmented carapaces, mandible-like mouthparts, and a hive-oriented social structure. The Biter, as its name implies, is a creature built around the act of biting: a compact, low-slung body with reinforced jaw structures and short, powerful legs suited to closing a single tile of ground each turn. It has no ranged weapon, no special ability, no evolution path. It is, in the Vek's calculus, a unit whose sole purpose is to reach the mech and damage it with its teeth.

What makes the Biter strategically significant is not its individual lethality but its sheer numbers. In later missions, players may face three, four, or even five Biter on a single board, each one a small but persistent pressure that forces the mech to divide its attention. Because they are small (one tile), they can squeeze into narrow corridors, occupy the same row as a Vek Bomber, or simply walk into the blast radius of the player's own attacks. They are the enemy that punishes hesitation: one turn of inattention and a Biter is on the mech, dealing damage and potentially triggering a breach.

In the Vek's collective, the Biter is the most numerous and the least individual. There is no sense of rank, no specialization. They are the tide that the mech must wade through, the constant low hum of threat beneath the more dramatic encounters with larger Vek units. For the player, learning to manage Biter swarms—killing them efficiently, using them as bait, or simply routing them away from the mech—is a core mechanical skill that underpins every other tactical decision in the game.

Reader's Guide

The Vek Biter is a straightforward melee unit. It moves exactly one tile per turn and attacks at range 1 (adjacent tile). It has low HP and deals low damage, making it the easiest enemy to eliminate but also the most numerous. It has no special abilities, no ranged attack, and no evolution or combination mechanic—it is a static unit that appears in the same form in every mission.

Tactically, Biter pressure comes from numbers rather than individual power. In early missions you may face one or two; in later regions, four or five Biter can appear alongside larger enemies. Because they are single-tile, they can occupy narrow spaces, block corridors, or be swept up in area-of-effect attacks meant for a larger target. A common mistake is ignoring a Biter that is two tiles away, only to find it adjacent on the next turn, forcing a reactive move.

Counter-strategy: prioritize Biter that are already adjacent or one tile from the mech, as they will attack on the Vek turn. Use them as targets for wide-impact weapons (like the mech's secondary attack) to save ammo, or lure them into positions where a Vek Bomber's explosion or a friendly unit's attack will take them out for free. They are also excellent 'bait'—positioning the mech so a Biter walks into a hazard or into the path of another Vek unit's attack can create free kills.

In multi-enemy boards, Biter often serve as the 'noise' that distracts while a Vek Bomber or Vek Spitter sets up a more dangerous play. Always account for where each Biter will be at the end of the Vek turn, not just where it is now.

Did You Know?

• The Vek Biter is the only enemy type that appears in virtually every region and difficulty level of the campaign, making it the most frequently fought enemy in the entire game.
• Because the Biter occupies only one tile, multiple Biter can occupy adjacent tiles in a row, creating a 'wall' of small enemies that must be cleared individually or with area attacks.
• The Biter has no ranged attack and no special ability of any kind—its entire toolkit is one tile of movement and one tile of bite, making it the simplest enemy in the Vek roster.