Ascension Rites

The Nakhti Ascension Rites are a competition the Nakhti use to find a new emperor when their current one is unable to lead them. Traditionally only Nakhti are allowed to fight, and only a Nakhti can become the new emperor.

The Rites consist of numerous tournaments comparable to those in the Liandri Grand Tournament. However, competitors are allowed to bring a set of personal guns which can be used to freeze opponents, and more importantly, bring a melee weapon of their choice. These melee weapons can be used to fight opponents, reflect incoming projectiles, and to generate a shield, comparable to that of the Shield Gun.

Unreal Championship 2
The story of the 523rd Nakhti Ascension Rites is told in Unreal Championship 2. For the first time the Ascension Rites are sponsored by the Liandri Mining Corporation, who use them as a qualifying tournament for their Liandri Grand Tournament by allowing outsides to participate in the earlier tournaments.

Unknown to the public, the Liandri have an ulterior motive; by entering their puppet Selket, a powerful Nakhti fighter, they want to be able to control the Nakhti people. Anubis, member of the Nakhti Imperial Legion and former suitor of Selket, realises this and signs up for the Ascension Rites to stop her. Both Selket and Anubus fight their way through the tournaments and are finally pitted against each other in the final round, which is traditionally played with the respawning technology turned off.

Anubis manages to kill Selket and win the emperor's scepter, but grieves it has come to this. The Liandri realised this could happen as soon as Anubis entered the Ascension Rites and had already formed a contingency plan. They offer Anubis to bring back Selket as a Necris by paying the Phayder Corporation an insane amount of money even the Nakhti emperor wouldn't have access to. Anubis accepts the offer but is forced to fight in the Liandri Grand Tournament against his wish.

Ascension Rites Ladder

 * Basic Training
 * Map: TUT-AdvMovement
 * Time Limit: none
 * Goal Score: none
 * Your good friend Sobek refreshes you on the basics of tactical movement and combat.


 * Road to the Capitol
 * Map: ACT-BarrensAmbush
 * Time Limit: none
 * Goal Score: none
 * Sobek joins you for the trip to the Nakhti capitol, where you will register for the Ascension Rites. It's a long ride from the Imperial Legion base in the Nakhti Barrens, and it's good to have company.


 * Tournament Training
 * Map: TUT-Combat
 * Time Limit: none
 * Goal Score: none
 * You may be an expert when it comes to military combat, but the Liandri tournament is an entirely different experience. This is your last chance to get up to speed.


 * Combat Training
 * Map: DM-Apex
 * Time Limit: 10 minutes
 * Goal Score: 5
 * Your training is complete, but Sobek has one last test for you. Match your strength and stamina against his experience. If you win, he'll join your team for the tournament.


 * Eternal Vigilance
 * Map: DM-Eternal
 * Time Limit: 7 minutes
 * Goal Score: 10
 * This is the first match of the tournament, held in the tomb of your forefathers. Defend their resting place against this desecration, as you would defend your homeworld against Liandri imperialism.


 * Remnants of the Past
 * Map: DM-Remnant
 * Opponent(s): Raptor
 * Time Limit: 10 minutes
 * Goal Score: 7
 * Build upon the momentum from your first victory. You've been given the opportunity to take out your frustration on a V2 Liandri mining bot.


 * Three Way
 * Map: DM-Whisper
 * Opponent(s): Sapphire, Hyena
 * Time Limit: 10 minutes
 * Goal Score: 15
 * This is your first combat with multiple opponents, a three-way match also known as 'cut-throat'. This match comes with a twist: instagib, where each attack is an instant kill.


 * Team Deathmatch
 * Map: DM-Sovereign
 * Opponent(s): Judas, Arclite
 * Teammate(s): Sobek
 * Time Limit: 15 minutes
 * Goal Score: 20
 * To win the Ascension Rites, you must prove your ability to perform both individually and as part of a team. Your friend Sobek will watch your back, but it's up to you to beat these strange offworlder opponents.


 * Lambs to the Slaughter
 * Map: DM-Nexus
 * Opponent(s): Szalor
 * Time Limit: 10 minutes
 * Goal Score: 50
 * The horrible Skaarj bloodsport comes to the Ascension Rites, courtesy of the Liandri Mining Corporation. You must slay more helpless Nali than your opponent, or face losing the tournament and thus the empire.  If overcoming your sensibilities weren't enough of a challenge, you also must compete against a Skaarj champion.


 * Capture the Flag
 * Map: CTF-ViperPit
 * Opponent(s): Corrosion, Mirage, Nepthys
 * Teammate(s): Sobek, Raptor
 * Time Limit: 15 minutes
 * Goal Score: 3
 * This next match uses Capture the Flag rules. Points are given only for taking the enemy's flag and touching it to yours in your base. In the interests of improving relations, the teams both have Nakhti and Liandri members.


 * Overdose
 * Map: OD-Prism
 * Opponent(s): Lauren, Ra, Syzygy
 * Time Limit: 15 minutes
 * Goal Score: 30
 * Overdose is new to this year's competition, and is being tested for possible addition to the Liandri grand tournament. Score points by finding the radioactive orbs and delivering them to the goals. You're facing a tournament champion, so you'll need your best performance.


 * Test of Stamina
 * Map: DM-Meridian
 * Opponent(s): Torgr
 * Time Limit: 5 minutes
 * Goal Score: 5
 * Stamina is the key to winning this multi-round competition. You must defeat a Skaarj chieftan, winning two out of three matches.


 * A Moment's Reprieve
 * Map: ACT-HallwayAmbush
 * Time Limit: none
 * Goal Score: none
 * Finally, an opportunity to relax after a tough match, and meet some of the other competitors outside of the ring.


 * Upgrade
 * Map: CTF-Emperor
 * Opponent(s): Devastation, Jackhammer
 * Teammate(s): Sobek
 * Time Limit: 15 minutes
 * Goal Score: 5
 * Another capture the flag match, but this time it's against the pinnacle of robotic evolution: Devastation. The Liandri Corporation wants to place one of their domestic robots in every home, and a tournament victory would certainly prove the quality of this model's AI programming. You're standing in their way, and Sobek hasn't been faring too well fighting them by himself.


 * Quarter-Final
 * Map: DM-Horizon
 * Opponent(s): Apophis, Memphis, Nepthys, Mirage, Ra
 * Time Limit: 15 minutes
 * Goal Score: 20
 * Congratulations, and welcome to the Ascension Rites quarterfinals. The highest ranked player, Selket, received a bye. The next six best competitors must compete head-to-head. Only the top three continue to the semifinals.


 * Semi-Final
 * Map: ACT-AnubisCheats
 * Opponent(s): Apophis
 * Time Limit: 12 minutes
 * Goal Score: 10
 * Congratulations, and welcome to the Ascension Rites semi-finals. The winner of this match will go to the finals. It's between you and Selket's boy-toy, Apophis. Make him pay.


 * Finals
 * Map: ACT-SelketCheats
 * Opponent(s): Selket
 * Time Limit: none
 * Goal Score: 13
 * This is why you're here, the final round of the Ascension Rites. Now you understand what it was like for your grandmother, and all the great champions in your line. Following Nakhti tradition, this fight is to the death, no time limit. The last kill will be for real; all respawn systems will be deactivated. The winner is crowned Emperor, and the loser will be forgotten by sunset.