Lab Rat

Lab Rat is a creature-class variant of the Order's field investigators, functionally an The Inquisition operative encountered inside facility areas where the Order stores or studies seized anomalies. It appears as a non-frontline research operative rather than a disciplined soldier: Lab Rats are primarily observers and scavengers tied to the Order's program of cataloguing anomalous and aberrant material. They are treated with suspicion by other Order members but operate under Praetorial authority to carry out their corrupting yet necessary duties.

Lab Rats normally avoid direct confrontation. They patrol and search facility rooms, fleeing from the player when detected rather than engaging in prolonged combat. If cornered or forced to defend themselves they will sometimes deliver a single, heavy swipe attack that deals high knock-back. The creature continuously emits a small radius of radiation at a rate of 1 r/sec, making close-quarters fights risky without radiation protection. While fleeing, Lab Rats leave a visible trail of radiation particles and will drop assorted items along their path, allowing a pursuing player to track their location.

• Combat tactics: Lab Rats are easiest approached by stealth and surprise. Sneak up from behind and use a strong, high-damage weapon to stop them before they flee; otherwise they will attempt to escape. Prepare for occasional powerful melee swipes and protect against radiation when closing to melee range.
• Tracking: Follow the radiation particle trail and the intermittent item drops to locate a fleeing Lab Rat. They also drop items on death and while fleeing.
• Special kill condition: When killed by Blunt damage while stunned with the appropriate tool, Lab Rats use an alternate drop table. Blunt weapons that also apply other damage types (for example, blunt-plus-fire) can be used, but additional damage types reduce the chance the final hit is counted as blunt because the creature may die from the secondary damage first.

Guaranteed and chance drops include a Rat Scanner (100%) and a very low chance for an Ornate Key (~3%). While fleeing, Lab Rats drop one of a set of common items; they may also drop those items on death. Additional progression-dependent resources may also appear in their drop pool after certain events, for example Lodestone Fragment and Hexwood after specific area completions, Black Gunk or Digital Ore after other milestones, and Arcane or Tactical Scrap following key reactor or Praetorium objectives.

Harvesting a slain Lab Rat yields anatomical and equipment components useful for crafting or collection: Human Skull (100%), Human Arm (Military) (50%), and a low-chance Rat Suit (~7.5%).

In lore terms, Lab Rats are tied to the Order's mission to evaluate confiscated Anomaly material and other aberrations. Their role is investigative rather than combative, and their presence signals nearby research activity and possible access to unique Order caches or keys if engaged and defeated.