Darkwalker

v • d • e Darkwalker
Health:	1000
Number of Seats:	2
Driver Abilities:	Particle Accelerator beam, "battle cry" attack
1st Passenger Abilities:	Rapid fire gun
2nd Passenger Abilities:	N/A
Main Uses:	DM superweapon, ?

Basic Information

Mounted on a tripod of nano-fueled tentacles, the Darkwalker stands imposingly tall in the battlefield, intending to strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose the Necris. Few have faced this offensive platform in battle and lived to tell the tale.

Side mounted particle accelerators combine their firepower into a large sweeping beam that disintegrates anything in its path. Integrated compressor units along the underside of the vehicle release a battle cry that is as destructive as it is intimidating.

The concussive blast released by the horns impairs the senses and paralyzes anyone caught below the Walker, leaving them vulnerable to fire from the secondary turret of the crushing forces of the crouching Darkwalker itself.

Strategy

Using the Darkwalker

The darkwalker is mounted on spider-like legs, enabling it to travel smoothly over very uneven terrain. The primary beam attack is extremely powerful but changes direction slowly, lagging far behind the crosshair. Thus it is most effective on targets directly in your path or slightly around it. The Darkwalker camera gives you a good view of the map around you - if you see anyone behind or below you, the secondary "yell" attack can knock them off their feet allowing you to turn around and shoot them. The Darkwalker can also crouch, allowing you to pass through low openings and ceilings, and squish anyone who happens to be underneath. A good strategy is to skirt the perimeter of the arena, keeping you back against the wall to minimize the Darkwalker's weakness.

The darkwalker's secondary attack can also be extremely useful against certain vehicles: Players are kicked out of Mantas and Vipers if within the area of effect and the Scavenger is kicked away and forced into "ball mode" for some time.

Going against the Darkwalker

While the Darkwalker is extremely powerful, the above combined with its relatively slow movement speed and large size, is also its weak point. The Darkwalker is huge, and slow to move and turn. Especially in free-for-all deathmatch, entering the darkwalker will almost surely cause every other player to gang up on you. Its weaknesses allow players to effectively damage and destroy it by attacking it from behind or running in a large circle around it, attacking in between beam shots. Skilled players should be able to limit the Darkwalker to no more kills than a well placed redeemer if they exploit the Darkwalker's weaknesses.

Team Deathmatch strategy

The Darkwalker's vulnerability is reduced and its firepower increased in team deathmatch games if a second player gets in. The attack of the secondary weapon is much more agile and can help offset the vehicle's weaknesses. The darkwalker is an interesting addition to team deathmatch as it adds an additional cooperative element, making TDM slightly more than just combining the frag counts of several players.

Warfare strategy

The darkwalker is very effective at destroying smaller vehicles if your aim is good enough. However, the Darkwalker is also quite good at destroying nodes that aren't well covered. The darkwalker's primary attack has huge range, so it can be used to great effect in large open areas to hit slower moving vehicles like tanks and the leviathan in the distance. Of course, for the same reasons, you can expect to be hammered by AVRiL rockets and other gunfire in such open areas.