Sabaoth

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File:Sabaoth001.jpg
Sergeant Kelly after his demonic conversion, Sabaoth
Welcome to the mess hall, Marine.
Your duty was to die, soldier.
- Sabaoth
Spoiler Warning: Plot details follow.

Sabaoth is actually Sergeant Kelly after his demonic transformation. Its lower half has been transformed into a tank-like vehicle, while the upper portion is a twisted body attached to heavy machinery armed with a very sharp claw and a shoulder-mounted BFG. Sabaoth is very large, being slightly taller than a Hell Knight and significantly wider.

The reason for his "incident" still remains uncertain. While some affirm he was working with Betruger and the demons since the beginning (substantiated by the fact that he insisted in contacting the Earth armada to bring them to Mars, maybe knowing it would be taken over by the demons), others think he was captured, mind-enslaved and transformed by Betruger to serve him, and that his zealous attempts at contacting the fleet to get reinforcements were simply basic military logic (realizing that the battle is lost without reinforcements. It is also worth noting that Jonathan Ishii- who is unlikely to have been allied with Betruger- was attempting to send a distress signal before the invasion, giving some weight to the later interpretation).

Tactical Analysis

Sabaoth is a large target with tons of hit points and enough firepower to topple even the hardiest marine. The suggested route involves running and gunning, avoiding both Sabaoth's claw and BFG shots. Unleash the Soul Cube if it is charged and then pummel it with rapid fire weapons such as the chaingun and plasma gun. The rocket launcher can be effective, provided the player can aim and fire the weapon without exposing himself to the Sabaoth too much. Getting close to Sabaoth is unwise, considering his claw attack. However, he can not run the player over with his tank treads. As for tanking at range, his BFG may also kill the player instantly. It is arguably best to use small weaponry like the Chaingun or the Machine Gun to destroy the BFG shots, since the player will take a bit of damage when the BFG is fired.

Another strategy involves waiting for the Sabaoth to get out of its garage, then quickly hitting it with a charged Soul Cube and a salvo of 5 rockets. This should topple it on Marine difficulty.

Yet another strategy involves launching the soul cube at him, running towards him, ducking and using the chainsaw on the tank section of his body while strafing right - it should kill him really quickly, but the downside is you might lose a lot of health.

Trivia

  • The word "Sabaoth" is Hebrew for "armies". Ironically, the term is almost always an affix for Jehovah, making Jehovah Saboath, or Lord of Hosts (or Armies).
  • Sabaoth bears a strong similarity to the style of cyborg enemies (especially the Tanks), called the Strogg, seen in Quake II. It also has a similar appearance to that of the Arachnotrons and Spiderdemons, as being an organic creature with a robotic, tank-like lower body. Another creature who also bears a big similarity towards Sabaoth is Bone Breaker, the stage 3 boss from the Mega Drive port of The Punisher, released in 1994.
  • Oddly enough, when rendered motionless with "notarget", melee attacks with fists, chainsaw or flashlight can draw blood from the lower tank section of Sabaoth (strangely, considering its mechanical nature). This is probably just a bug, since the player is not really meant to get to hit Sabaoth in melee.

Combat Details

  • Health: 1,750
  • Attack Damage: 40 (melee attack), 200 (BFG-9000)
  • Cheat Spawn: "spawn monster_boss_sabaoth"