- "Die, motherfucker!"
- —Replica Trooper conflicting with Point Man.
Replica Insignia.
The Replica Forces are cloned super soldiers designed by Armacham Technology Corporation under the auspices of Project Perseus. The Replicas were raised in response to a Department of Defense directive for Armacham to develop genetically-engineered super soldiers that could be telepathically controlled by Paxton Fettel. They are the key antagonists of the series, along with Alma Wade.
They are the main enemies encountered in F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, as well as being the secondary enemies in F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R. 3. They are all voiced by Mark Lund.
Both Timelines[]
F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon - Variant VI[]
A Replica Recon Soldier.
- "A battalion?! What are we supposed to do against a thousand super soldiers?"
- —Spencer Jankowski
The Replica Forces are made up of cloned "super soldiers" who operate under the psychic control of Paxton Fettel as part of the Perseus Project. It's stated that there is one battalion, or about 1000 to 1500, of Replica soldiers in existence. As of the events of F.E.A.R., the variant in use is the sixth edition of Replicas. They comprise the bulk of the opposition F.E.A.R. faces and the Point Man encounters. They have no special Psionic abilities, aside from their ability to receive orders, but their considerable special military training (or, more accurately, programming) is good enough to compete with Delta Force operatives, and when combined with their large numbers (compared to Delta Force) along with advanced ATC weaponry they win against them in most cases. In conflicts between human ATC security forces and the Replicas, the Replicas easily out-flank and annihilate their enemies due to their superbly fast reflexes, mobility, and excellent targeting accuracy. Replica soldiers guarding the Vault at the end of F.E.A.R. have a red, white, and black uniform paired in white masks with glowing yellow eyes. These soldiers are referred to as Replica Elite Soldiers. They can survive somewhat more damage than the standard Replicas soldiers, and some carry MP-50 Repeating Cannons as their means of offense.
Concept art of different Replica helmets from F.E.A.R.
All Replica forces of the Variant VI batch are programmed to "shut down" in response to the death of their commander. During the final levels of F.E.A.R., inside the Vault, the Point Man can see a squad of Replica Elite Soldiers heading towards him, but shortly after, when the Point Man kills Paxton Fettel with a point-blank shot to the head, they stand in a trance-like state, the slight swaying of their bodies to signify their breathing being the only sign that they are still alive. A phone message left by Charles Habegger states that Replicas "do not think for themselves". Although their behavior seems to indicate otherwise, their language closely emulates normal humans and they even display emotions such as anger, surprise, curiosity, and fear. They also scream when shot and use profanity. However, their verbal repertoire is limited to a small number of canned responses to express tactical commands and lacks any kind of depth, content, or sophistication. Likewise, there is no difference between the responses of one Replica to the next (although this does not necessarily apply to the more advanced Variant VII Replicas).
By the end of F.E.A.R., the Point Man can kill up to 531 (over 50%) of the Replica soldiers (including Heavies, Assassins, and Rev6 Powered Armor). This would leave 469 (under 50%) still alive (not factoring in Replica casualties sustained against Delta Force, Armacham's forces, etc.), assuming a battalion of approximately 1000 were, indeed, cloned and seized by Paxton Fettel, as implied by Spencer Jankowski during the introduction cutscene of F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon. The fate of the variant VIs that weren't killed by the Point Man is unknown. If what was revealed about the Replicas in the story is accurate, it would follow that they fell into a state of suspended animation, waiting forever for commands from a master that will never be issued.
The prequel video on the DVD version of the game indicates Alma Wade is able to receive information from the Replicas, although so abstractly that she does not know who or what they are. It is possible she was communicating with prototypes of these soldiers, and not the ones in F.E.A.R. itself.
Radio Transmissions[]
Despite their link to Paxton Fettel, the Replicas rely on radio chatter to communicate between themselves. Replica Command is often heard communicating with individual squads, for example:
- "Echo 12, we have reports of a possible intruder in your vicinity."
- "We haven't seen anything."
- "Roger, keep your eyes open."
The Replicas' radio chatter will give away their position, alert the player to their presence if one doesn't have them in sight, and informs the Point Man of enemy intentions, such as when they are about to throw a grenade or need reinforcements. While the soldiers are able to operate somewhat independently, they show no individual traits aside from call signs ("Echo 12," "Echo 5" and so on); their faces are never shown and they all speak in the same voice due to their cloned nature. Several radio transmissions indicate Replica soldiers can take orders from other Replicas, but there is nothing further revealed about their rank or hierarchy. They usually operate in five man squads (although their squad size is more consistent with that of a Fireteam), with each squad having a respective call sign ("Echo 0," "Bravo 3," "Zulu 6"). Replica Heavy Armors, Replica Assassins, and Replica REV6 Powered Armors are never heard to speak. However, the Heavy Armors do emit an inhuman growl when they are killed.
They may also detect the player if something is done out of the ordinary in their presence. An example of this would be if the player uses their flashlight in the vicinity of the Replicas, one will call to his comrades "Flashlight!", then confirms the player's presence by shouting "Contact!". They can also alert their teammates if one soldier detects noise or a flashlight beam coming from the player.
There is a common tactic to tell how many enemy killed by using their radio conversations. Also, once the player hears that they need backup, it means they are about to be wiped out.
Vivendi Timeline[]
F.E.A.R. Extraction Point[]
In F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, Replica squad formations have changed, so that the Point Man often encounters one Replica Elite Soldier in every squad, perhaps acting as, or standing in for, squad leaders. A new type of Replica soldier also appears in Extraction Point: Replica Laser Elite Soldiers wear a steel visor with steel plate armor over a black bodysuit. A few of them carry the new Type-12 Laser Carbine weapon.
A few other new types of Replicas appear in Extraction Point: the Replica Heavy Riot Armor is a new type of Replica Heavy Armor equipped with new armor, the TG-2A Minigun and a riot shield. The Replica REV8 Leviathan is a type of powered armor more heavily armed than the Replica REV6 Powered Armor.
Over the course of the campaign, a total of 382 Replicas (including Heavies, Assassins, Rev6 and Rev8 Powered Armor) make an appearance. However, some of the Replicas encountered are already dead or can be witnessed being killed by other forces.
F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate[]
Replicas also appear in F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, but no longer make up the majority of the enemies, as the Nightcrawlers take their place. A total of 303 Replicas appear throughout the campaign, of which up to 270 can be killed by the player.
Replica Unit Types[]
Replica Soldiers[]
Standard Replica Soldiers.
- Replica Recon Soldiers
- Replica Fatigues Soldiers
- Replica Urban Soldiers
- Replica Desert Soldiers
- Replica Tactical Soldiers
- Replica Elite Soldiers
- Replica Snipers
- Replica Laser Elite Soldiers
Other Replica Forces[]
Other Replica Forces.
- Replica Heavy Armor
- Replica Heavy Riot Armor
- Replica Assassins
- Replica REV6 Powered Armor
- Replica REV8 Leviathan
- Replica Armored Truck
Monolith Timeline[]
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin - Variant VII[]
In F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, the new Variant VII Replica Forces have been reactivated by Alma, and are hellbent on finishing the mission their predecessor Variant have started - and failed. Depending on the timeline followed, about two-thirds of the original Replica battalion have been killed, but according to the Monolith Timeline, only about one-third to half have been killed. However, it is never stated how many Replicas are killed by police and military outside of the player's actions. The total number of Replicas is also in question, but one can assume that each variant was produced at battalion strength.
The Variant VII Replicas do not share any equipment in common with the older Replicas encountered in F.E.A.R. They are shown wearing all new armor, issued new weapons, and found using different vehicles, such as the Elite Powered Armor and a modified version of the Replica Armored Truck that has a machine gun turret mounted on the top. Replicas wear several varieties of prototype armor, usually comprised of hard ceramic or metallic plates rather than the soft Kevlar armor used by Replicas in the first F.E.A.R. One notable difference is the Variant VII Replica Soldiers posses more uniform equipment, while some Variant VI Soldier can carry heavy or advanced weapon, all standard Variant VII Replica Soldiers use the Patten PK470 assault rifle (Some carry Andra FD-99 SMG or SHO Series-3 shotgun in Reborn); While heavy troopers use Ultra92 shotgun or SR-5 missile launcher. They also pack a Seegert ACM46 pistol, unlike the Variant VI Soldiers, who were never seen with sidearms equipped.
The new version of the Replicas are possibly cloned from a different base donor than the original Replicas, although there is little direct evidence to suggest this besides having a completely different voice, though it is possible that they may simply be using a different type of voice changer (a particularly likely scenario as Foxtrot 813's voice sounds exactly like the other Mk VII's but is cloned from Paxton Fettel just like the older Mk VI variant). They are also more independent and able to fight without the aid of a commander for a period of time, as F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn proves by showing that Replica command can take a generalized order and carry it out in the best way they see fit.
During the final encounters with them, the Replicas begin to lose their coordination as Michael Becket's psychic signal increases, and at the very end of the game they lose all coordination, simply rushing Becket and Manuel Morales firing their weapons, curiously no Replica Elites or other more advanced varieties of variant VII's are encountered with this type of behavior at this point and whether this implies they are more resistant to such impairment is not clearly defined. Morales comments that the Replicas seem to be acting as their own self-named Chapter, when Colonel Richard Vanek uses a weak Telesthetic Amplifier and an Abomination to activate them, under the assumption that they will easily kill the trapped player. They likely would have, except Alma arrives and kills the guards and the Abomination, and makes a path for Becket. Replica forces are then activated from their stasis pods as Becket enters their holding area, apparently by Alma. They are now controlled by her and begin to turn on the ATC Black Ops squadron, who thought they would regain control of the clone soldiers. After Becket reaches the surface, he witnesses multiple battles between ATC soldiers and the Replica forces, causing chaos.
Later in the game, however, Snake Fist reveals that, while the Replicas were "turned on" by Alma, the reason they're after Becket is because of his massive telesthetic signal acting as a magnet for Alma. However, as of the first F.E.A.R. 2 DLC, F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn, it's clear that not all Replicas are affected in this fashion: Foxtrot 813 fights his way through a substantial amount of Replicas who are apparently in the midst of another mission with orders to kill him on sight. When 813 nears ground zero (the origin of the explosion), a Replica can be heard reporting: "Negative command, Foxtrot 813 does not seem to be impaired like the others."
Thus, a large number of Replicas (at least some of which seem to be Fettel clones) are indeed "impaired" and are controlled by Paxton Fettel, while an even larger number (possible non-Fettel clones) are controlled by Alma as she blindly pursues Becket. Paxton Fettel informs 813 that the other Replicas are "blind to who they serve," as he is now opposed to Alma. She also made the Replicas generally "immune" (except perhaps for the ones that were cloned from his DNA) to be controlled by Fettel.
One notable fact is that the player is now able to see the faces beneath the Replica soldiers' helmets. Later in the game, several of them have (for reasons unexplained) removed their helmets and face protection (or have simply never received them). Their faces are deformed as though they were burned in a fire and are bald. They all appear to have bar codes imprinted on the sides of their heads as a means of identification. It can be assumed that these units weren't prepared as well and were to be used only as an emergency measure.
F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn[]
The Replicas are the main enemies in F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn once again. The only types that aren't encountered are the Deformed Replicas and the Elite Powered Armor. In fact, about 99% of the Replicas the player fights are the regular soldiers. Only two Replica Heavy Soldiers and four Replica Elites are seen. Most Replica battles are mixed in with their special versions, such as Power Armors, Heavy Armors, Snipers, and even Assassins, which makes the fight harder.
There are 5 types of Variant VII Replica "standard infantry" and 5 other special units in this game. Due to official names not being released, the names are a guess.
Replica Unit Types[]
Variant VII Replica Infantries.
Replica Soldiers[]
- Deformed Replicas (Variant VII)
- Replica Troopers (Variant VII)
- Replica Heavy Troopers (Variant VII)
- Replica Snipers (Variant VII)
- Replica Elites (Variant VII)
Variant VII Powered Armors.
Other Replica Forces[]
- Replica Heavy Armor
- Replica Assassins
- Replica REV6 Powered Armor
- Elite Powered Armor
- Replica Armored Truck
Replica Unit Health[]
Since Monolith hasn't released the SDK yet, the actual amount of health/armor is unknown. However, from testing, it was found the Andra FD-99 Submachine Gun is the best weapon to calculate their health, as it does the weakest amount of damage bullet-wise.
The following is a relative indication of how many bullets from the Andra FD-99 Submachine Gun are needed to bring each of these enemies down; accomplished by shooting them in the chest/arms but not the head or legs, since these latter regions usually does more/less damage than their actual health.
- Replica Soldiers
- Replica Unmasked Soldiers (Variant VII) = 10 SMG Shots
- Replica Soldier (Variant VII) = 10 SMG Shots
- Replica Heavy Soldiers (Variant VII) = 15 SMG Shots
- Replica Snipers (Variant VII) = 7 SMG Shots
- Replica Elites (Variant VII) = 21 SMG Shots
- Other Replica Forces
- Replica Heavy Armor = 81 SMG Shots
- Replica Assassins = 16 SMG Shots
- Replica REV6 Powered Armor = 346 SMG Shots
- Elite Powered Armor = 780 SMG Shots
- Replica Armored Truck = 83 SMG Shots (to the turret)
F.E.A.R. 3[]
Concept art of a Replica Trooper, note the insignia on his uniform.
The Replica Forces make a return in F.E.A.R. 3, albeit in limited numbers. As the Point Man and Paxton Fettel venture deeper into the city of Fairport they encounter the final remains of the Replica forces.
For reasons not revealed in the game, the Replicas are under complete control of Armacham Technology Corporation, working alongside the normal human private military contractors. Many of the Replicas are equipped with stockier battle dress uniforms than the private military contractors, but all of them bear the insignia of Armacham's corporate army.
ATC Replica Unit Types[]
Infantry[]
- Armacham Replica Troopers
- Armacham Replica Shotgunner
- Armacham Replica Explosive Tank Troopers
- Armacham Replica Riot Trooper
- Armacham Replica Rocket Trooper
Trivia[]
- Throughout the events of F.E.A.R., 1,549 Replicas have fallen in combat. With the inclusion of bonus missions, this tally rises to 1,643.
- Throughout the events of F.E.A.R. 2, there are 891 replicas that fall in combat. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn brings the tally to 935.
- F.E.A.R. 3 has the lowest number of Replicas fallen in combat, due to them being under the control of Armacham by that time. However, the exact numbers of Replica deceased in the game is currently unknown.
- In F.E.A.R., Extraction Point, and Perseus Mandate the first enemies the player fights are Replica soldiers, though in F.E.A.R. 2, Reborn, and F.E.A.R. 3 the first enemies fought are Armacham's private mercenaries.
- In the final level of F.E.A.R. 3, any replicas summoned by the Creep don't yell out commands or yell at all.
- In Interval 1 - Investigation - Firefight of Perseus Mandate, ATC units can be seen fighting Replicas and will most of the time win the fight.
Video[]
