- "Mag accelerated weapons platform. Strong against armored targets. " — In game description
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Railgun
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| Vehicle Information | |
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Classification
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Heavy Vehicle
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Purpose
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Anti-Armor
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Vehicle Type
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Railgun
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Cost
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200 CUs 60 RUs
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| Technical Information | |
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Length
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38 meters
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Speed
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66 km/h
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Armaments
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Heavy Rail Cannon
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Damage
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225
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Rate of Fire
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MED
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Hull
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675
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Armor
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4
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Build Time
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14s
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Fleet Supply
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3
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| Usage | |
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Eras
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Affiliation
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Note: These are stats are from multiplayer.
Campaign units have different stats. | |
The NRG-12 Horizon-class Railgun is an anti-vehicle unit designed by Kiith Nabaal used by the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid at the very least, during Operation Skaal Brii. These long-range weapons platforms are effective against assault ships and carriers. A modified variant of the railgun is fielded by Kiith Soban.
Lore[]
- "Again showing the Nabaal tendency towards heavy ordinance, the Horizon is said to be "A gun looking for a crawler". The heavy rail cannon, capable of vaporizing entire sheets of the target's armor on impact, is considered one of the deadliest weapons on Kharak but usually its found on immobile fortress mounts because of its size, weight and power requirements. Naabal military designers have made it possible to bring this weapon to the mobile battlefield by basically wrapping the crawler and its reactor around the gun itself. The Horizon is not particularly fast or durable but it is capable of tearing apart full sized carriers with only a few shots." — Expedition Guide
Campaign[]
Several railguns were part of an earlier expedition to reach the primary anomaly, Ifriit carrier fleet. Four abandoned railguns near the Ifriit carrier are repaired and commandeered when Kapisi discovers them half buried at Hell's Gate. Kapisi engineering team afterwards gains the capacity to fabricate additional railguns.
Railguns are long range, anti-armor weapon platforms. They excel at destroying any target larger than themselves from ranges that most targets cannot retaliate against. Due to their very high damage but low rate of fire and accuracy, they are practically effective against larger vehicles, including cruisers and carriers, with Sandskimmers being the only Gaalsien hovercraft that railguns lack meaningful capacity to engage against regardless of the circumstance. Their low speed, thin armor, low accuracy at short ranges and slow fire rate renders them particularly vulnerable to fire from close range, so railguns should be escorted by AAVs or LAVs. Later in the campaign, where enemies field air units more often, railguns are very vulnerable to bombing runs, and benefit from being screened by support cruisers or missile batteries.
As railguns need a direct line of sight to deal damage, they benefit from being perched on top of hills or being placed in wide open plains. Railguns have a shorter sight range than their firing range, and benefit from scouts spotting units from farther away; the sensors provided by Rachel S'jet's Science Baserunner or other baserunners pair very well with railguns.
If LAVs are not available, railguns can prove to be quite effective against Gaalsien heavy railguns. In comparison, they deal more damage and are slightly more durable.
Abilities[]
| Name | Effect | Cooldown | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunder | Reduces target's armor by 4 for 10s | 0s | None |
Veterancy[]
As they gain veterancy, railguns become considerably more durable, though even max veterancy railguns can be quickly killed by concentrated enemy fire. Railguns that are lucky enough to reach the rank of captain gain a massive increase in range, allowing them to snipe most enemies with impunity and deal a healthy dose of damage long before their targets can properly retaliate.
| Rank | Effect | XP Required |
|---|---|---|
| Officer | +100 Hull | 900 |
| Lieutenant | +1 Armor | 1700 |
| Lt. Commander | +200 Hull | 3500 |
| Commander | +2 Armor | 7000 |
| Captain | +100% Range | 14000 |
Research[]
| Name | CU Cost | RU Cost | Time | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railgun Fabrication | 500 CUs | 0 RUs | 25s | Enables railgun production |
| Railgun - Sunder Ability | 550 CUs | 0 RUs | 15s | Enables Sunder Passive Ability |
| Railgun - Rate of Fire | 750 CUs | 25 RUs | 15s | Increase RoF by 25% |
| Railgun - Range | 500 CUs | 75 RUs | 25s | Increase weapon range by 25% |
| Railgun - Damage | 650 CUs | 75 RUs | 25s | Increase weapon damage by 20% |
Multiplayer[]
Railguns inflict high amounts of damage from very long ranges. The heavy rail cannon's range far exceeds its sensor range, so scouting ahead for targets will exploit the railgun's range to its fullest extent. Railguns are not accurate when hitting sandskimmers or LAVs, especially at close ranges, but targets larger than that, their accuracy is relatively reliable, at least much more accurate than in campaign. The combination of firepower range makes the railgun almost a necessity to ground force in multiplayer matches.
Compared to Gaalsien and Khaaneph heavy railguns, coalition railguns have more armor, hull and firepower when upgraded - but less mobility, lack of self repair and supplementary abilities. Compared to Soban railguns, coalition railguns fire more slowly but deal more damage per shot, allowing them to deal more burst damage but suffering from lower damage over time.
Railguns tend to be potent against each other, quickly destroying each other in large stretches of open desert where they can exploit their range to greatest. In terrain where line of sight is more easily broken, railguns are at a significant disadvantage, especially when they cannot use their range advantage. In such terrain, large numbers of railguns can easily destroy cruisers, even ones with high amounts of firepower and range such as Soban battlecruisers or Khaaneph siege cruisers.
Gaining high ground provides an additional 50% bonus damage, given their low speeds, positioning them at vantage points to survey across a large, open and visible are enhances their role as a defensive deterrent.
Railguns are particularly vulnerable to aircraft and strikecraft, which can in turn be deterred by armored assault vehicles and missile batteries.
Strong against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Weak against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Abilities[]
| Name | Effect | Cooldown | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunder | Reduces target's armor by 4 for 10s | 0s | None |
Veterancy[]
| Rank | Effect | XP Required |
|---|---|---|
| Officer | +100 Hull | 350 |
| Lieutenant | +15% Long-Range Accuracy | 665 |
| Lt. Commander | +100 Weapon Range | 1264 |
| Commander | +150 Hull | 2401 |
| Captain | +20% Reload Time | 4561 |
Research[]
| Name | CU Cost | RU Cost | Time | Effect | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railgun Fabrication | 400 CUs | 135 RUs | 50s | Enables railgun production | None |
| Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 1 | 250 CUs | 100 RUs | 15s | +3 Armor | Railgun Fabrication |
| Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 2 | 250 CUs | 200 RUs | 20s | +2 Armor and +100 Hull | Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 1 |
| Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 3 | 300 CUs | 300 RUs | 30s | +1 Armor and +200 Hull | Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 2 |
| Railgun Mag Accelerator Upgrade | 280 CUs | 165 RUs | 50s | +60 Damage | Railgun Fabrication |
Trivia[]
- Railguns are always crewed by Kiith Nabaal, in groups of three.