Rock Raider

The Rock Raider is a Rock Raiders minifigure introduced in 1999.
== Description ==
The standard Rock Raider wears a bright orange uniform. The torso texture features white and green overalls, which are partially adapted from Axle's torso print, and the hip texture features a belt with yellow and black hazard stripes. The Rock Raider's head is a generic classic smiling face without any additional details, and there is no hair or headgear.
== Background ==
A Rock Raider is any member of the Rock Raiders interplanetary mining crew aboard the LMS Explorer, including the six main characters (Chief, Sparks, Axle, Jet, Docs, and Bandit). In 5708 LEGO Rock Raiders, rather than controlling the main characters, the player's mining operations are carried out by these generic Rock Raiders.
At the start of each mission, Rock Raiders are either already present in Planet U's caverns or must be teleported down from the LMS Explorer to a Tool Store or Teleport Pad. Each Rock Raider starts off with no equipment (except for the Drill) or skills, but they can be instructed to pick up tools (Shovel, Hammer, Spanner, Laser Beam, Pusher Beam, Freezer Beam, and Sonic Blaster) from the Tool Store and trained as a Driver, Engineer, Geologist, Pilot, Sailor, and Explosives Expert at various buildings. Rock Raiders can also be upgraded up to three times to expand their inventory and carry more tools. Rock Raiders are unnamed but can be optionally assigned names by the player. Names, skills, and upgrades are retained between missions, but tools are not.
Rock Raiders with Drills can dig through dirt and loose rock. Shovels allow Rock Raiders to clear rubble. Spanners are used by Engineers to repair damaged buildings. Rock Raiders armed with Laser Beams, Pusher Beams, and Freezer Beams will shoot at monsters when Action Stations are activated, while Sonic Blasters can be deployed to scare away Slimy Slugs. Drivers operate land vehicles, Pilots operate aerial vehicles, and Sailors operate aquatic vehicles. Geologists can reveal nearby undiscovered rock walls and caverns on the radar. Explosives Experts can carry Dynamite to destroy hard rock.
Rock Raiders can be manually assigned tasks, or follow the game's Priority system to perform mundane tasks on their own. This includes picking up Energy Crystals and LEGO Ore and carrying them to base. However, Rock Raiders have limited stamina based on how hungry they are; the hungrier the Rock Raider is, the more frequently he will pause in his work to catch his breath. Hunger is satiated by feeding Rock Raiders sandwiches, which can be done manually at any point or automatically when a Support Station is built.
While 5708 LEGO Rock Raiders is usually an overhead RTS game, a single Rock Raider unit can be selected and controlled directly by the player in Shoulder View (third-person) or Eye View (first-person) mode. However, this limits the Rock Raider's actions to movement and drilling, since he cannot pick up objects or perform other tasks in these modes.
Every Rock Raider has a personal Shield, which takes damage from landslides, monster attacks, and lava. The Shield's level also directly affects their hunger; for example, a Rock Raider with 50% Shield can only eat half a sandwich and therefore has only half as much stamina. If the Shield is fully depleted, the Rock Raider is immediately teleported to the LMS Explorer for his own safety and can never be used again. To avoid this, players can manually teleport the Rock Raider to the LMS Explorer if his Shield is getting low, since the same unit can then be teleported back into the cavern with a replenished Shield.
In 5709 LEGO Rock Raiders, the main Rock Raiders are the playable characters, but the generic Rock Raiders still appear in-game as lost Rock Raiders that need to be found and rescued for mission objectives.
== Appearances ==
=== Video Game Appearances ===
* 5708 LEGO Rock Raiders
* 5709 LEGO Rock Raiders
== Notes ==
* The in-game Rock Raider model does not appear in any of the game's cutscenes or in any other Rock Raiders media. However, generic Rock Raiders resembling duplicates of Sparks and Docs can be seen in the background of one of the game's cutscenes.
Category:Rock Raiders minifigures
Category:Minifigures introduced in 2000