The Vullards are a species of cybernetically modified, reptile-like creatures. The large, cylindrical containers they always carry on their backs for collecting junk, give them a strong visual likeness to that of snails, with their packs being likened to a shell. They also had a thick, short tail, similar to the body of a snail.[1][2]
Their appearance without their cyborg enhancements is not known as no Vullard has ever been seen in the series without them. A resourceful, historic, and economic species, they found a way to make new from old junk. Instead of getting new parts from broken down ships, they took parts from the graveyard by Molonoth. Once the Nefarious Space Station exploded, the Vullards headed there to collect more junk.
Places rich with junk and scrap are given the name Molonoth by the Vullards. Molonoth means paradise in their culture.
Description[]
Ratchet meeting a Vullard in Krell Canyon
They had two known settlements: one in Monoloth Fields, Planet Torren IV, and one in Krell Canyon, Planet Lumos. On Molonoth, they liked to keep their operations away from the prying eyes of galactic authorities. This was probably in case they were manufacturing an illegal substance or a treasured item. Their settlement on Monoloth Fields was built on top of an ancient, abandoned fongoid civilization. The vullards thought of the fongoids as wasteful for leaving so much junk behind and not using it. With their scorn of the fongoids, they took old pieces of tin houses and melted it down to make compact junk in the Hollow on Molonoth. The settlement's main import was junk, and their main export was more junk. The settlement in Krell Canyon was often under attack by agorians. Ratchet stopped one of these invasions to help the vullards; in turn, a vullard showed him the location of an ancient Zoni temple (so that Ratchet could use an Obsidian Eye to find Clank), along with the OmniSoaker, to aid him on his quest. The vullards also inhabited various moons and ran space depots around the Polaris Galaxy.
Vullards were non-aggressive; however, they were often attacked by the agorians. They often seemed to question Ratchet's presence, referring to him simply as an "outsider." The vullards, like the fongoids and agorians, were a very old race. The vullards made extensive use of battery bots for power, but the bots were unreliable, as they often went on strike. Vullards could have been heard complaining that they should convert to Gelatonium like the rest of the Polaris Galaxy.
Most Vullards actually replaced some of their body parts with junk, probably prior to breathing with no air in space depots. Vullards were known for their voices and their tendency to carry junk. However, Vullards were very poor pilots, with frequent ship breakdowns and battery bot revolts. The Vullards also exported lots of junk; the resulting space junk became an unintentional hazard to space travelers.
The Vullards are shown at the Hollow on Torren IV to be rather unconcerned with safety in their workplaces with work being a major fundamental in their lives. Vullards here were required to wear protective equipment while operating the heavy machinery but only due to Polaris regulations. A worker was told to report to the infirmary as they had found his fingers. They also appear to have no child labor laws as they hold a "Put your children to work" day, where employees sign up their children to do chores around the factory floors. A third straight accident-free workday was also considered an occasion for celebration in which employees were served roasted Grunthor in the cafeteria. Their lunch however commences promptly at 1:30 and ends at 1:33. An announcement was given by management to thank an employee for working a 117 hour shift. He was given employee of the month and co-workers were asked to thank him at his room in the Torren hospital. The Vullards' cybernetics may be explained somewhat by their recklessness in their workplaces as it may have caused many of them to lose parts of their body. Their overwhelming commitment to their jobs may have also influenced their need for cybernetics to help them work more effectively.
The help services at their workplace is shown to also be very poor as the tactical disposal team dispatched to deal with the rogue battery bots was set to take up to six months to arrive.
After battles, Vullards were known to scavenge remains of bots. For example, at the Nefarious Space Station.
Vullard culture was simply referring to anyone other than their own kind as an outsider and babbling about Fongoid remains. However it seems a person could be made an honorary Vullard, as mentioned after Ratchet helps end an 11-13 on Torren IV.
Vullards were often seen carrying a claw wrench, probably for operating on junk.
History[]
Pre-Ratchet and Clank[]
A Vullard talking to Ratchet
The vullards were a very old race native to Planet Lumos. Many left Lumos to colonize junk-filled moons and planets. After the Zoni demanded that the fongoids give up most technology, the fongoids abandoned their industrialized homeworld of Torren IV and lived in primitive tribes on Quantos, Zanifar and Morklon.
The Vullards quickly colonized Torren IV and began to collect the scrap metal left by the fongoids.
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time[]
At some point, Alister Azimuth hid on Torren IV in a broken down mining robot. The vullards left the lombax alone, fearing he might attack them if they angered him.
Later Ratchet would land on Torren IV to search for this Azimuth. While there Ratchet asked a roaming vullard about the place, as well as information about Dr. Nefarious and Lord Vorselon. Ratchet would then meet vullards at The Hollow where he would assist them end an 11-13 in order to get to Volgram Pass.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart[]
The vullards are shown to also exist in Rivet's alternate dimension with settlements on it's Torren IV. The vullards on the planet live in a settlement named Little Junktown by Molonoth Gultch where they salvage junk from the planet's vast scrapyard. They are however frequently preyed upon by the Space Pirates who conduct numerous raids for valuables. Another settlement named Big Junktown is mentioned to exist with one Vullard looking to move there and buy a lake house. The Vullards travel constantly around the galaxy where they make trades for more scrap and technology at places such as Zurkie's. Like all other denizens of Rivet's dimension, the Vullards here live under the rule of Emperor Nefarious and his Empire. The Emperor however had no interest in conquering Torren IV due to the planet's barren and disheveled state, allowing them to dwell here without direct threat of him and his forces.
After the Phase Quartz needed to power the new Dimensionator was broken, Rivet mentioned to Clank rumors of an individual on Torren IV named the Fixer who is said to be able to fix all things. The two then headed to the planet to see if they were true. The Vullards here were in hiding in their homes as the pirates were set to conduct another raid soon. They had asked the Fixer to help protect them from the pirates but after days of him crushing them, he suddenly broke down. He was later reactivated and Clank was able to help him overcome his mental crisis troubling him. In thanks, he successfully repaired the broken Phase Quartz for them.
Vullard Organizations[]
Technology[]
Vullards used were truck-like ships to transport their salvage. They were powered by Battery Bots, which could be a problem if they revolt. These slow moving ships were also easy targets for Nefarious Troopers, agorians and space pirates as the ships also lacked any means to defend themselves from attacks.
Places inhabited by Vullards[]
The Vullards appear to be the dominant species in the Breegus System, occupying the most worlds, moons, and space depots in all the system.
This is interesting because the Vullards are non-aggressive, unlike their war like neighbors, the Agorians. This is likely because they are highly nomadic and their cybernetic enhancements allow them to easily survive in almost any environment.
Phylax Sector[]
Moons
Space Depots
Vela Sector[]
Planets
Space Depots
Korthos Sector[]
Planets
- Lumos Homeworld
Rivet's dimension[]
Planets
Korthos Sector[]
- Lumos Homeworld
Behind the scenes[]
Vullard concept art
- Cutter Garcia provided the voice for a Vullard and was listed as "Vullard #2."[3]
Trivia[]
- Two Vullards that are corporate competitors in the Korthos Sector have space missions. You can do the space missions from both of them. They seem to have sort of a rivalry between each other. The Vullard on the moon asks you to destroy the holo-boards, while the one at the space depot asks you to relocate some holo-boards.
- As Vullards were not necessarily hostile entities, it is unknown why they had Fusion Turrets. It is thought that the Vullards used the Fusion Turrets for self-defense against the Agorians' aggressive invasions. Although, it is also interesting to note that they had once given them away to the Agorians as a peace offering (as revealed in the description of the "Fun With Fusion Turrets" challenge at the Agorian Battleplex). After receiving the turrets, the Agorians temporarily suspended their next invasion of Lumos.
- In the Vela Sector, a Vullard representative from the Vullard League of Celestial Oddities asks you to gather a core isotope sample from a comet.
- Vullards also had very small settlements, as seen on the depots, The Hollow, near Krell Canyon's Raritanium Mine, and various moons.
- If you look closely at the metal backpack on the Vullards back, you can see pirate parts of Pirate Doorkeepers and Rogues; these can also be found in their metal shacks at the back.
- They are similar to the Nanophyte from Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, only less aggressive.