Cursed Thrall

Cursed Thralls are a class of the Hive species. Cursed Thralls are similar in appearance to regular Thralls, but with a hunched posture and a glowing head. Cursed Thralls are also slower than their regular relatives and explode when killed, or when in close proximity to a Guardian. They wear basic armor that appears to be encrusted into their bodies. They have no visible eyes and, in some places, their skin has rotted away to expose their skeletons.

Behavior

Thrall are nearly mindless pawn/berserker units, charging headlong into melee combat range. Cursed Thralls commonly attack mixed in with large packs of regular Thralls, and pursue their targets before exploding.

Tactics

Cursed Thralls are slow and should not be allowed to get close to the Guardian, otherwise they will explode. Cursed Thralls will also explode when killed, which the player can use to damage other nearby enemies.

However, the player can use their own mechanic against them if they are moving fast and get close to them as they pass. This will still cause them to explode, but the player will have time to avoid harm, provided you do not stop near them. Jumping high immediately as one approaches can also have the same effect. The player can also kill cursed thralls while they are near other thralls/Hive to kill those thralls/Hive from the explosion damage.

Avoid exposing yourself to other, more powerful types of Hive, as Hive units are generally diverse and have many tactics, including using Thralls as a diversionary force.

Rapid-fire weapons are generally decent, but should not be used in close quarters. They are best used as a supplementary or "cover" force while in a group of Guardians. Area-of-effect grenades are also quite effective when encountering large packs of Thralls, and may allow time to dispatch other Hive units.

Like other Hive units, the head is a primary weak point.