Flood gaunt form

Gaunts are a kind of pure form used by the Flood. They bear a superficial resemblance to the Abomination and Juggernaut Key mind forms employed by the Flood, though serve a vastly different role and are much smaller in size.

Overview
Gaunts serve as force multipliers for the Flood's advance, they use their combined intellects to work as assassins and independent agents of the parasite. In order to accomplish this they are extremely agile and traverse the environment with their whip-like tentacles. These appendages can also be used as weapons and tools by the Gaunt, with the form using them to subdue key enemies and make them viable for infection. Gaunts rarely engage with even odds, and stalk from the shadows accompanied by mass waves of pod infectors.

History
Gaunts were present on the Ark in 2559. During the opening stages of the Flood outbreak on the installation, Gaunts were among the first Flood forms to emerge from the ruins of High Charity, wherein they attacked the Banished force led by Pavium and Voridus.

Production notes
The Gaunts are the Flood forms seen in the end cutscene for the Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare level What Could Go Wrong?. They are a distinct form to the Abomination found in gameplay, though share an identical outward appearance - primarily separated by the sheer lumbering size of the Abomination when compared to the Gaunt. Despite this notation, the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) utilises Gaunt concept art for the Gaunt's entry in the book and a Gaunt render for the Abomination (both featured in the gallery below).

When created for the Blur Studio cutscenes in the DLC, the Gaunt was referred to internally as the "Flood Commander".

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars 2
 * Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare