Today we'll be exploring Horzine's two most mass-produced zeds: the clot and the cyst.
"The KCJ-09 and the SI-07 are the backbone of today's most advanced militaries. Their presence in the field means less boots on the ground—saving budgets… and lives."
—Horzine promotional video, November 14, 2089
Clot-Tempered
If you've played a Killing Floor game, you've probably killed a lot of clots—they're everywhere, they're legion, and they're looking for someone to claw to death.
The original Horzine bioweapon, the clot was accidentally created during co-founder Kevin Clamely's attempt to clone his deceased son, Kevin Jr. While initially met with skepticism by the world's major militaries, they soon became the standard infantry unit as they were far less expensive than training, equipping, and feeding human troops.
The clot has been updated for the 2090s to incorporate cybernetic elements like enhanced vision and hearing, a steel-reinforced skeleton, as well as mechanized hands. While not individually powerful, they can be dangerous in groups—especially when enraged by the death of one of their zed brethren.
"The clot was the third enemy character that we designed and completed for Killing Floor 3 after the cyst and crawler. It was the first character with the extensive mechanical augmentations across its body. It was important to establish how we were going to go forward with both the shape the direction and aesthetic of these mechanical components on this new generation of zeds.
We exaggerated the size of the hands to enhance the terrifying nature of the slashing and tearing attacks of this enemy to ramp up the intensity of the interactions players have with it. We also wanted to accentuate the body horror by showing how the tubes, wires, and mechanics that pull and stretch the skin in all directions as well as how the armored parts connect to the flesh of this monster. Specific examples would include how the false spine affixes to the back and how the chest and abdominal apparatus adhere to the front of this enemy."
- Hammy Shah, Character Artist
Malignant Cyst
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The cyst debuted in KF2, as the clot's easily underrated cousin—slower, clumsier, but equally persistent.
As Horzine grew, they sought new markets for their bioweapons. While developing nations lacked the financial resources of more industrialized countries, they still needed war materiel, and so the cost-conscious cyst was created.
Unlike the clot, this zed is primarily organic—it features no flashy robotic augmentations. What it does feature is the new ability to expel great gobs of bloody saliva, blinding their opponents before closing in for the kill.
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"The cyst was the very first character we completed for the game. We wanted to make sure even a fodder enemy was off-putting and still a fun fight for the player. I personally enjoy how, while being a very weak enemy, they are still capable of disrupting the fight with a horrifying grab.
With its new design, we wanted to showcase zeds now having reveals. Its hood pulling back and revealing a fleshy, underdeveloped skull is to intentionally create layers of horror. Which is a theme we wanted to build upon with this generation of specimens."
- Samantha Rogers, Lead Character Artist
During your missions, you'll encounter hordes of these zeds. Individually, they might not pose a major threat, but you underestimate this pair of pugnacious adversaries at your own peril.
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Thanks for stopping by for another Nightfall News briefing! Make sure to check out the Killing Floor 3 playlist over on our YouTube channel for even more zed reveals! And to stay up to date on all things Killing Floor, please join the awesome community members on Discord, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and the Tripwire official forums.