Fire Demons, also known as Red Demons or Red Fire Demons were a Demon-variant enemy class featured in Legacy of Kain: Defiance and the latest Fire-affiliated demon variant enemy to be seen after several similar predecessors. The Fire demons were powerful creatures originating in the Demon Realm who were able to cross over to the Spectral and Material Realms through the weakening of dimensional boundaries caused by the Corruption of the Pillars -or occasionally through summoning spells. They were encountered by Raziel and Kain in the Blood Omen era in the final stages of Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
Profile[]
Fire Demons were a red-skinned horned demon variant with an elemental affinity for fire who were encountered in Legacy of Kain: Defiance after the appearance of several similar predecessors in previous games.[Defiance][Blood Omen][Soul Reaver 2] They were among the largest and most powerful of the enemies encountered in the game and could attack both physically with claw swipes and a number of fire-related attacks.[Defiance][Defiance/10][Defiance/12][Defiance/13][Defiance strategy guide]
A Fire Demon in the Avernus Catacombs
Fire demons were powerful enemies at all ranges, employing a range of attacks that could easily cause major damage: including powerful lunge and charge attacks at close-range, fire-breath at medium range and fast moving fireballs at longer ranges. Fire demons were slow however, and could be easily sidestepped and outflanked. Like other demons, they could follow Raziel into the Spectral Realm and could also create Combat barriers to prevent escape.[Defiance][Defiance/10][Defiance/12][Defiance/13][Defiance strategy guide]
Although similar Fire-affiliated Demons had been seen in previous titles,[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver 2] the Fire Demons in Defiance were first encountered by Raziel in the chapter Seek Mortanius as Raziel explored the Avernus Cathedral and catacombs beneath in the Blood Omen era, where he discovered the Cenobites of the Hash'ak'gik cult could summon them from the Demon Realm using an ability described a "Nether Rift" - forcing Raziel to fight them before he could proceed further. They later attacked Raziel independently as he returned to the Vampire Citadel in Battle Kain and also confronted Kain as he escaped the Demon Realm and Avernus Catacombs in Return to the Guardian Citadel.[Defiance][Defiance/10][Defiance/12][Defiance/13][Defiance strategy guide]
Like other Demons the Fire Demons were natives of the Demon Realm but could be encountered in either the Spectral or Material Realms as the breakdown of the Binding and the Corruption of the Pillars weakened dimensional boundaries, allowing them to cross over.[Defiance][Defiance/10][Defiance/12][Defiance/13][Defiance strategy guide]
Abilities[]
- Breath of the Inferno - The Demon breathes a torrent of flames in a wide arc, causing major burn area of effect damage.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide]
- Fireball - a slightly homing orange flame-like projectile is thrown at an opponent which causes damage.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide]
Behind the scenes[]
Description: This variant of abyssal demon seemingly has been spawned from the fiery inferno of some black and hopeless dimension. Preferring a close range, this demon spawn will rush up and wield its thunderous strength against its targeted prey. Once at close range, the demon's options of attack are many in number and all brutal.
Special Attacks:
•Breath of the Inferno: Opening its massive fanged maw, the Demon can unleash a torrent of blazing fire before it. This is a close- to medium-range attack designed for area of effect. Seeing the windup for this attack, the victim could evade this by quickly dodging around behind the occupied Demon to safety.
―Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide[Defiance strategy guide]
Notes[]
- The Fire Demons and other and other Demon classes were not explicitly named in game, however the overarching "Demons" creature grouping is mentioned in Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide along with the sub groupings "Fire Demons" and "Lightning Demons".[Defiance strategy guide] Game files list the class as "firedemon".[Defiance]
- Only the "Breath of the Inferno" ability of the Fire Demon is explicitly identified in Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide - although others such as the Fireball attack can be observed in game and are named in the profiles of other classes. The moves themselves largely match the moveset used by Soul Reaver 2 Fire Demons - although some melee attacks are missing.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide][Soul Reaver 2]
- Some Cenobites - specifically the Cenobite summoners - were able to summon a Fire demons to the Material Realm from the Demon Realm using a spell called "Nether Rift". This spell was named and identified in Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide" where it is classified as an ability of the Cenobite summoners. The use of this ability is one of the ways to judge the difference between the summoners and the otherwise identically appearing but less dangerous Cenobite acolytes. The ability is also briefly touched upon in the Defiance manual which lists it as "Summoning" in the section dealing with spellcaster abilities.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide][Defiance manual]
- Fire Demons and the overarching Demon creature-type are based upon the Demons of myth and folklore - supernatural entities which are often seen as malevolent in Christian and Abrahamic religious traditions. In later Western mythology demons are particularly associated with fire and a red horned appearance, could be 'summoned' to appear, and were blamed for tricking or possessing humans.[1][2][3][4]
- Both Fire Demons and Lightning Demons were previously listed as titles for similar demon classes in Soul Reaver 2 - listed as "Fire Demons" and "Lightning Demons" respectively. The Defiance classes are notably similar to their predecessors and could be considered to represent the same classes, however there are notable differences between Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance variants: The horns on their back are now sharper and prolonged and their color is more fiery red than the faded color of Soul Reaver 2 fire demons. Their front teeth have also now include a row of sharp teeth, unlike the Soul Reaver 2 fire demons, which had only two larger ones. The Fire Demons of Defiance ultimately appear to be something of a middle ground between the Soul Reaver 2 Fire Demons and Black demons - with similar traits to the Red Fire Demons but with darker skin and additional spikes, much like the previous Black Demons.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)]
- Gameplay changes have changed some of the Demons attributes from those of Soul Reaver 2:
- Demons in Defiance are no longer able to talk after their open taunting at the end of Soul Reaver 2 - this has subsequently been explained by developers as the talking demons being a consequence of Hylden possession before the visual effect had been designed.[Defiance][Soul Reaver 2][5][6]
- The combat of Defiance being solely weapons based also means that there are no unique unarmed finishers on demons such as the neck twist or crouched impale as seen in Soul Reaver 2. [Defiance][Soul Reaver 2]
- The Defiance Fire Demons do not have a soul for Raziel to feed on however but they can still be used to feed the Soul Reaver or Wraith Blade.[Defiance] Developer comments suggest this was done for gameplay purposes and was not intended to indicate a lack of souls.[7]
- Gameplay changes have changed some of the Demons attributes from those of Soul Reaver 2:
- The Fire Demons of Defiance are notably similar or related to several other Red/Fire Demon variants. Originally, Blood Omen featured the similar red, fire-associated Giant demons, which arguably were the inspiration for later Fire Demon variants, along with the fire-related canine "cerberus" .[Blood Omen] Soul Reaver 2 featured several similarly appearing variants - primarily a Red variant known simply as Fire Demons which could also spawn smaller Demon variant enemies known as Groundlings to attack Raziel. Another larger, more powerful variant - the Black Demons - appeared later in the game with additional spikes and black skin coloring.[Soul Reaver 2] It is ultimately unclear if these similar variants were intended to be the same Demon sub-species (with differing artistic interpretations, or perhaps at different stages in its life-cycle) or if they were different sub-species altogether.
- The Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide official strategy guide offers the following further comments of Demons, explaining their origins and plane shifting abilities: "After the corruption of the Pillars of Nosgoth, the barriers between dimensions began to weaken.Slowly Nosgoth began to be overrun with dark creatures from outside the bounds of normal reality. These massive creatures are a prime example of the types of beings that now roam and stalk the face of Nosgoth. Appearing in two major varieties, these highly aggressive behemoths can easily move from the spectral to material plane at will, because of the weakening of the boundaries between the planes themselves." The section on Fired demons specifically offers the following: "This variant of abyssal demon seemingly has been spawned from the fiery inferno of some black and hopeless dimension. Preferring a close range, this demon spawn will rush up and wield its thunderous strength against its targeted prey. Once at close range, the demon's options of attack are many in number and all brutal."[Defiance strategy guide]
- Like other Demon variants, Fire Demons were native to the Demon Realm and were affiliated with the Hylden.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide]
Gallery[]
Fire demon in the Avernus Catacombs
A Fire demon in the Vampire Citadel
A Fire demon in the Demon Realm
Fire demons in Bonus materials
Demons in prerelease materials
See also[]
References[]
- ↑
Demon at Wikipedia
- ↑ Demonology at Wikipedia
- ↑ Christian Demonology at Wikipedia
- ↑ Demonic Possession at Wikipedia
- ↑ The Hylden and Demons at DCabDesign (by Raina Audron/Daniel Cabuco)
- ↑ The Demons. Mining them for gold. What could they give us? at DCabDesign (by Tim Controls Me/Daniel Cabuco)
- ↑ Answers to questions from the Defiance team at Eidos Forums (by Chris Bruno)
Browse[]
- This article is about the Demon enemy variant seen in Defiance . For the Soul Reaver 2 variant, see Fire demons (Soul Reaver 2). For similar Blood Omen variant, see Demons (Blood Omen). For other Demon variants, see Demons.
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