Find out what the Leapers and the Burzuns will add to the game when it launches later this year.

Masthead Studios just released new screenshots and descriptions for the Leapers and the Burzuns, which are two of the hundreds of creatures and mutants that players will encounter when Earthrise launches later this year. The sci-fi, post-apocalyptic MMO will feature a skill-based advancement system, a player-driven economy and opportunities for PvP combat.

Keep reading after the jump for information and screenshots of the Leapers and Burzens, and check out the official Earthrise site for more information on the game.

Burzen

The Burzuns are voracious beasts that evolved into top predators on Enterra. They are natural survivors and their ability to adapt resulted from enduring the cohabitation and struggle for resources amongst other creatures on the island. The Burzun species poses a dire threat to lone travelers and explorers, eating almost everything and seemingly having no natural enemies. Given the right circumstances, they breed at remarkable rates, and if left undaunted, the Burzuns can overrun the entire area, making it difficult for travelling and transportation unless players are in well-protected caravans.

Hunting in packs or alone, the beast always shows remarkable resilience and startling aggression in combat. The Burzun is a diehard and will ignore even the most severe wounds until its body is forced to fail due to loss of blood or a much-needed limb. The key to its successful adaptation strategy is the vicious temper it demonstrates, always trying to track and kill its adversary, even if it has to pursue him for miles. Thus, many explorers avoid all Burzun encounters.

Leaper

The Leapers are nasty ape-like mutants that inhabit terrain all over Enterra, particularly jungles or the canyons of the island. The Leapers are quick and vicious predators that usually rely on ambush tactics, leaping out from cover onto the backs of their unsuspecting prey – hence their name. The Leapers always dwell in packs, and the entire group can swarm on an unsuspecting victim in a matter of seconds.

Like most species on Enterra, Leapers are remarkably adaptive and have notoriously proven to be challenging to exterminate. They also tend to be obnoxiously vengeful, and if a member is killed, the entire pack often sets out to hunt down the killer. The Leapers are also cunning hunters with complex social structure. In combat, Leapers can be extremely dangerous due to their agility and the force hidden in their knotty limbs - used in wide, raging swipes of their sharp claws.