- "Fast moving strikecraft. Strong against ranged units." — In game description
The MNLAV-21 Pathfinder-class Light Attack Vehicle is a light weight, high speed desert vehicle designed by Kiith Manaan and used by the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid during Operation Khadiim. They are effective against ranged vehicles, particularly railguns owing to their high speed and maneuverability, being highly responsive and pursuing elusive enemy threats that attempt to outmaneuver heavier and slower formations.
Lore[]
- "LAV type were some of the first motorized war machines to see service on the sands of Kharak. The ability to move fast, hit hard and retreat even faster was vital to mechanized warfare and no Kiith understood those qualities better than the Manaan. Their LAV design won the coalition light vehicle competition when five Pathfinders entered the test area at full speed, then kicked in their overspeed boosters and struck the Naabal candidate vehicles with enough simulated concentrated firepower to rate them destroyed before the announcer had finished announcing the opposing forces." — Expedition Guide
Campaign[]
LAVs are the first combat units available, unlocked in the first mission at Epsilon base. As implied by their name, they are lightly armed and armored vehicles with very high speed. After the Kapisi arrives at the Boneyard for a sensor refit, several LAVs are rescued from Epsilon base or nearby bases, fleeing from Gaalsien pursuers, which are then merged into the expedition fleet.
LAVs are effective against lightly armored Gaalsien hovercrafts such as Sandskimmers, heavy railguns and assault railguns. LAVs outrange Gaalsien skimmers and are slightly more durable, but lack self repair and must retreat to a support cruiser or the Kapisi for maintenance.
LAVs are excellent distractions, forcing engagements against almost all other units due to their superior speed and allowing slower forces to catch up. Once engaged, individual damaged LAVs can be quickly pulled back to be repaired with their speed boost ability. Even if they are destroyed, this it not too big of an issue: given their low resource cost, they are easily replaced.
They later receive abilities such as speed boost, and increased rates of fire. They are easily destroyed when fighting against Gaalsien assault ships, Honorguard cruisers and siege cruisers. In the final missions of Operation Jaraci, they are largely supplanted by heavier vehicles.
LAVs lack the armor and weapons upgrades that are available in the multiplayer variant.
Abilities[]
Name | Effect | Cooldown | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Boost | +60% Speed for 10 seconds | 60s | None |
Burst Modulation | +20% Rate of Fire for 10 seconds | 60s | None |
Veterancy[]
LAVs that survive engagements benefit from much higher survivability as they rank up in veterancy. Those that make it to the highest rank, captain, gain a dramatic increase in damage, allowing groups of them to dart in and out of enemy groups and dealing unusually heavy blows before retreating.
Rank | Effect | XP Required |
---|---|---|
Officer | +100 Hull | 500 |
Lieutenant | +1 Armor | 1000 |
Lt. Commander | +100 Hull | 2000 |
Commander | +1 Armor | 4000 |
Captain | +150% Damage | 8000 |
Research[]
Name | CU Cost | RU Cost | Time | Effect |
---|---|---|---|---|
LAV Fabrication | 200 CUs | 0 RUs | 5s | Enables LAV production |
LAV - Engine Upgrade | 500 CUs | 0 RUs | 15s | Increase LAV speed by 25% |
LAV - Boost Recharge | 700 CUs | 0 RUs | 20s | Reduce recharge time by 50% |
LAV - Burst Modulation | 500 CUs | 75 RUs | 25s | Enables burst modulation ability to LAV |
LAV - Ability Recharge | 850 CUs | 50 RUs | 30s | Reduce recharge time for burst modulation by 50% |
Multiplayer[]
LAVs are highly mobile and effective vehicles in multiplayer such as raiding resource nodes, pursuing enemy sandskimmers and destroying enemy railguns. In general, LAVs in large numbers are capable of destroying any enemy crafts that can chase it and escape from any threats that it cannot overcome, such as escaping from armored assault vehicles or battlecruisers. Despite being a basic vehicle, they can prove to be a persistent threat at any stage of the match primarily because of their speed, threatening to outspeed and outflank slower formations of vehicles. Large groups of LAVs pose a large threat to convoys of railguns, which if are unprotected, can be destroyed exceedingly quickly, especially if they lack armor upgrades.
Compared to sandskimmers, LAVs have slightly more range and a faster build time with identical armor protection and damage output. Researching the armor and weapon upgrades provides a substantial advantage in LAV vs sandskimmer battles.
Due to their low damage, LAVs are harmless against armored vehicles. Against heavily armored vehicles such as battlecruisers, the damage they inflict is negligible, even with upgrades and in very large numbers.
When attacking, LAVs have tendency to group up, which renders them particularly vulnerable to attacks that inflict damage to all units in an area. Large groups of LAVs can be destroyed rapidly by tactical bombers, gunships, assault ships and other vehicles that have weapons that deal damage in an area.
LAVs can attack enemy air units. In large numbers, they can even quickly destroy gunships, which are commonly sortied to eliminate them. Splitting LAVs up when a gunship is attacking is always recommended. While attacking air units, line of sight is needed, which can be broken when air units fly behind cover.
Strong against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Weak against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Abilities[]
Name | Effect | Cooldown | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Boost | +60% Speed for 10 seconds | 30s | 0 |
Veterancy[]
Rank | Effect | XP Required |
---|---|---|
Officer | +20% Sensors | 200 |
Lieutenant | +1 Armor | 400 |
Lt. Commander | +1 Rate of Fire | 750 |
Commander | +100 Hull | 1400 |
Captain | +10% Damage | 1900 |
Research[]
Name | CU Cost | RU Cost | Time | Effect | Prerequisites |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Light Attack Vehicle Fabrication | 300 CUs | 0 RUs | 35s | Enables LAV Production | None |
LAV Armor Level 1 | 200 CUs | 75 RUs | 15s | +2 Armor | Light Attack Vehicle Fabrication |
LAV Armor Level 2 | 200 CUs | 150 RUs | 20s | +2 Armor | LAV Armor Level 1 |
LAV Assault Pack | 200 CUs | 125 RUs | 50s | Enables Speed Boost | Light Attack Vehicle Fabrication |
LAV Vehicle Damage Level 1 | 500 CUs | 75 RUs | 30s | +2 Damage | LAV Assault Pack |
LAV Vehicle Damage Level 2 | 500 CUs | 150 RUs | 60s | +2 Damage | LAV Vehicle Damage Level 1 |
LAVs in multiplayer have more armor and damage upgrades. Upgrades that reduce speed boost cooldown or enable burst module that increases LAV rate of fire is not available.
Trivia[]
- Light attack vehicles are crewed by Kiith Sagald in teams of three, a Kiith clan most notably to have discovered the stone relic depicting Hiigara within the Khar-Toba wreck.
- The Kapisi engineering team later incorporates Gaalsien power systems into the LAV to reduce its burst modulation recharge time.
- Light attack vehicles are one of the very few vehicles to feature wheels instead of tracks.