Is Rex supposed to be more powerful than Ray?

[Drakenfel]

I have been wondering this since I first played this game as a child and faced off against the Rays near the end.

Not counting the protagonist skills as they use the same equipment you use Chaff and Stinger Missiles to beat both yet Raiden put several out of commission while Snake and Fox had to work together to bring Rex down.

Is this really just because Liquid was a God level pilot or was Rex canonically superior because Otacon is the MGS Universe equivalent to Einstein? Or was RAY supposed to be better and it was supposed to show Raiden could do multiple times what Snake could do when they were playing with the idea of a protagonist change?

[Gonzo850]

I'm thinking that Ray's designs made sacrifices to be amphibious and agile. While Rex's designs were geared towards being a mobile weapons platform.

[Scary Barry]

Remember that the mass-produced Ray's aren't controlled by a person, but by the GW AI. It is also possible that their combat capabilities were even further reduced by the virus before the virus took them fully out of commission (like an infected PC glitching out before completely failing).

[HM Stambaugh]

One launches Nukes

[Director Bison]

An Individual Ray isn't intended to solo fights. There is a reason there are so many Ray produced. Rex is stronger then a Ray, but Ray are meant to fight in Groups. Rex can destroy a Ray but if there were two or three Ray it'll probably lose.

[Chrille 🎃]

Metal Gear RAY was an amphibious Metal Gear design created by the United States Marine Corps and later stolen by the Patriots. Despite carrying the designation of Metal Gear, RAY did not have any nuclear capabilities. RAY's function instead was to eliminate Metal Gear derivatives, technically making it "Anti-Metal Gear." Because of this intended function, it was classified as Metal Gear despite technically lacking nuclear capabilities, since its role still applied to the principles of nuclear strategy.


So, it was designed to destroy METAL GEAR REX.

[Drakenfel]

Originally posted by Chrille:

Metal Gear RAY was an amphibious Metal Gear design created by the United States Marine Corps and later stolen by the Patriots. Despite carrying the designation of Metal Gear, RAY did not have any nuclear capabilities. RAY's function instead was to eliminate Metal Gear derivatives, technically making it "Anti-Metal Gear." Because of this intended function, it was classified as Metal Gear despite technically lacking nuclear capabilities, since its role still applied to the principles of nuclear strategy.


So, it was designed to destroy METAL GEAR REX.

I understood the lore as a child but the question that has bugged me since then is how Ray was superior when it was far easier to put them out of commission.

Originally posted by Scary Barry:

Remember that the mass-produced Ray's aren't controlled by a person, but by the GW AI. It is also possible that their combat capabilities were even further reduced by the virus before the virus took them fully out of commission (like an infected PC glitching out before completely failing).

I do like the idea of the virus playing a part in reducing the capabilities of Ray but that would just be on the software side not accounting for hardware. Shot for shot Rex seemed to be able to tank a far greater equivalent amount of Stinger Missiles and even had a secondary phase that allowed the pilot to risk their life and access to the internals that was Rex's Achilles Heel but still continue the fight if need be, whereas Ray started to smoke and was forced to retreat with nothing but an external bombardment.

I don't know if we will get a legitimate answer to this but I believe it would have been far more impressive to have Raiden fight one Ray to the point of defeating it as the boss fight and then went to a cut scene of the endless unbeatable swarm.

[Kyo Tanaka]

I think Ray was supposed to be a Rex killer since it can be mass produced, as well as being able to dive in water as well as it's water pressure cutter giving Ray armor piercing capabilities

Ray itself is designed to be VERY mobile, while Rex is a walking death machine.

[Pugs]

Meanwhile, Sahelanthropus from 20 years previous in the timeline...lmao

[Director Bison]

Originally posted by Chrille:

Metal Gear RAY was an amphibious Metal Gear design created by the United States Marine Corps and later stolen by the Patriots.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Marine Corps only THINK they designed Ray themselves, and someone connected to the Patriots was responsible for Ray's design, and it was always intended to have it's seemingly be stolen in the Tanker incident to cover up the true reason for the construction of Big Shell.

[Sm0k3f47h3r]

ray series is there to support and guard arsenal gear - it's clearly stated at the end of mgs 2

[ChrisDoesThis]

(MGS 4 SPOILERS)

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned MGS 4, where Rex defeated a Ray during the shadow moses chapter. despite the fact that the thing had been sitting in below freezing temperatures for like 10 years. Not to mention the damage Snake had already done to it during the original Shadow Moses fight.

Yet it still beat a Ray, which was supposed to be designed to destroy all other Metal Gears.... Honesty the only explanation I can think of is the design was just flawed from the start.

[Gonzo850]

I think it would take two or three Ray's to kill a Rex. And that might have been the plan behind them being easier to mass produce.

[Plake]

See MGS4 4th chapter...

[Deathraven13]

Well they go 3vs1 when there are 25 of them sooooooooooo..... Imagine if you fought 25 of them at the same time, plus RAY can swim.

Imagine.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avPTfxl32nU

[Canama]

Originally posted by Pugs:

Meanwhile, Sahelanthropus from 20 years previous in the timeline...lmao

For what it's worth the tapes make it clear that Sahelanthropus is a POS that can only walk, let alone fight, because of Mantis' powers and without him it would be useless