| “ | The brainless Scavenger is the lowliest of Terminids. Upon encountering an agent of Liberty, it emits a piercing scream that attracts nearby bugs in a reflex attempt to destroy Freedom | „ |
| ~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation page |
The Scavenger is a small 
Terminid that appears in all mission difficulties. They are one of the two basic Terminids alongside the Warrior.
Though weak and practically harmless, if caught in the middle of a pack, a 
Helldiver may still have issues fending them all off.
Behavior
Scavengers are found on all Terminid missions unless specifically replaced by the variants below. Upon spotting the presence of a Helldiver, a Scavenger's first instinct is to scuttle towards the hostile force and use their claws, dealing moderate damage which is usually enough to injure a limb. They are easily dealt individually, however, they are a threat in numbers.
Like majority of the small and medium-sized Terminids, once it spots a Helldiver, it will immediately call for reinforcements via Bug Breach. When doing this, Scavengers emit a loud and distinct noise.
Biology
The Terminids are alluded to operate under a caste system. If this is true, the Scavenger is the most basic and lowliest. Like all Terminids, they do not have eyes, but likely sense enemy presence through some other reception technique, such as smelling scents or feeling vibrations in the air. They are capable of digging through the ground as evidenced by witnessing a bug tunnel breach.
History
Before 2184 Special Military Operations
The Terminids of 2184, as we know, are mutated versions of the original Terminds, or 
Bugs, from the First Galactic War a century prior. While it is not certain where the Scavenger came from, it is most likely that most Scavengers came from mutated Scouts, though some may have come from Vanguards. Some time prior to February 8th, 2184, this type of Terminid came about.
Additionally, other small Terminids like the Bile Spitter and Pouncer may have mutated off of the Scavenger, as on the official PlayStation website, the Scavenger is paired with an image of a Bile Spitter.
February-May 2184 Special Military Operations
On February 8th, 2184, not only the Scavengers but the Terminids as a whole were made a target for the Helldivers. It is possible that there were Terminid outbreaks prior to this, but it was likely handled by basic 
S.E.A.F. soldiers. This new large-scale Terminid infestation was absolutely too much for the normal S.E.A.F. military to handle, so the 
Super Earth government sent in the Helldivers.
The Terminids were widely predicted to be safely quarantined by the end of February,[1] but unfortunately, this hypothesis was proved far from true.
The Terminid Control System
The basis of Super Earth's hypothesis was the implementation of the Terminid Control System, a vast network of towers that would dispense a chemical called Termicide across the entire planet. When it was activated across the barrier planets, it was immediately proven that no Terminid was safe from it, including the Scavengers.
This peace wasn't meant to last, though: about two months later, the TCS started to backfire, mutating the Terminids instead of killing them off. This resulted in mass production of Terminids across all the barrier planets,[2] but especially Meridia, which was quickly turned into a supercolony. With the increase in Terminid production, it can only be assumed that the Scavengers exploded in population as well.
First Appearance of the Gloom
The Terminids, much to the dismay of Super Earth, were not quarantined, but in fact further infested even more reaches of space. But the situation only got worse: on August 6th, 2184, a mysterious Terminid spore cloud appeared around the planet Enuliale. This spore cloud was dubbed "The Gloom."
It is unknown when different Terminid variants started to arrive inside the Gloom itself, since the Helldivers weren't able to explore it until around six months later on Fori Prime. Nevertheless, sometime after the Gloom appeared, it seemed to mutate the Terminids inside it by fusing the spores with the Bugs themselves, creating the Spore Burst Terminids. Among Spore Burst Terminids was the Spore Burst Scavenger.
Creation of the 
Xenoentomology Centre
With the Democracy Space Station requiring a much more powerful warp drive, a Xenoentomology Centre was set up on Turing. Due to 
Predator Strain and Hunter Terminids being kept on Turing[please cite major order], Scavengers may have been kept on Turing for study as well.
Operation Lost World
To revive the now lost 
Tyranny Park, Helldivers were ordered to liberate Bore Rock for the establishment of Tyranny Park 2. This was successful, and, among the many exhibits, there was an exhibit showcasing Scavengers.
Italic
These Scavengers have now likely escaped due to the Charger Behemoth outbreak and the park's likely destruction.
Anatomy
| Part Name | Health* | AV** | Durable | %To Main*** | Bleed | Fatal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Main |
60 | 0 | 0% | - | - | Yes |
| Limbs | 30 | 0 | 0% | 30% | None | Yes |
| Face | 20 | 0 | 0% | 100% | None | Yes |
Tactics
- Scavengers are present in all difficulties, where they are the main chaff unit, allowing their bigger kin to draw closer.
- All drone backpacks are effective in thinning their numbers.
- While it has only a basic claw attack, they should not be underestimated when encountered in large numbers. They can easily kill an unaware Helldiver in three to five hits.
- It is recommended to target the smaller bugs first in a patrol as they're more likely to be the ones to call for help via Bug Breach.
- If they get into close range, a single melee hit is enough to dispose them.
Variations
The Scavenger comes in three other variants with their own unique abilities and tactics:
Bile Spitter
- Looking like smaller Bile Spewers, Bile Spitters can be found on Easy (2) difficulty and higher. They can spit at Helldivers to slow them down, as well as explode on death, dealing damage to nearby Helldivers and Terminids. This may result in a chain reaction if other bile bugs are present.
Pouncer
- Resembling an undeveloped Hunter, Pouncers can be found on difficulty Easy (2) and higher. They will engage Helldivers by jumping at them to close the distance, making them quite a nuisance. They appear in great number; thus, they can quickly rip apart any Helldiver that ignores their presence.
Spore Burst Scavenger
- Spore Burst Scavengers can only be found inside the Gloom. Possessing a distinctive coloration, as well growths resembling horns, they have the same function as their non-mutated kin. On death, they explode into a small cloud of spores that deals minimal damage if in proximity. The spore does nothing on its own other that limiting vision, but nearby
Spore Burst Strains that exhume this cloud of spore will become frenzied, increasing their speed and aggression.
Trivia
- It is theorized by the community that the Scavenger is a juvenile form of Terminid that can then grow into other types of units. As of right now, the only evidence for this theory is physical similarity.
