- "Fast moving strike vehicle. Strong against ranged vehicles." — In game description
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Sandskimmer
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| Vehicle Information | |
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Classification
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Basic Vehicle
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Purpose
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Ground Strikecraft
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Vehicle Type
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Sandskimmer
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Cost
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100 CUs
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| Technical Information | |
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Length
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11 meters
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Speed
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110 km/h
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Armaments
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2x Autocannons
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Damage
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15
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Rate of Fire
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MED
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Hull
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650
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Armor
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0
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Build Time
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11s
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Fleet Supply
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2
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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 Sam't-class Sandskimmer is Kiith Gaalsien's counterpart to the northern coalition's light attack vehicle. As a hovercraft, it is a high speed, nimble and lightly armed vehicle, particularly suited for hit and run raids. The Khaaneph also use them.
Lore[]
- "Gaalsien forces have always employed light, very fast attack craft in both the recon and harassment role. The current iteration of the Gaalsien sandskimmer has been codenamed the Sam't, after the sidestepping swarmer insects of the Dry Seas. The vehicle performs its tasks with the deadly, flesh-stripping efficiency of its namesake. Armed with light autocannons and relatively thin-skinned for a combat vehicle, the Sam't can be especially deadly in swarms, where it has been observed to boost its rate of fire to the level where it becomes a serious threat to larger, lightly armored units." — Expedition Guide
Campaign[]
Gaalsien sandskimmers are the first hostile hovercraft encountered by Kapisi's expedition fleet, attacking the peripheral defences of the Boneyard and pursuing nearby coalition forces fleeing from their destroyed bases. Sandskimmers are fast, lightly armed and lightly armored. The Gaalsien usually attack coalition forces with numerous sandskimmers in groups of five or more.
They are threats to LAVs and coalition railguns, as their light guns still make short work of the weaker hulls of these vehicles. Coalition armored assault vehicles are very effective engaging sandskimmers, with a single AAV capable of destroying many sandskimmers with its autocannons, while remaining nearly impervious to sandskimmer fire. Sandskimmers heal when out of combat, nominally making them a nuisance if they engage in hit-and-run tactics; however, this is not a concern in the campaign, as forces used by the Gaalsien always commit to the attack until they are destroyed.
Sandskimmers may only be produced from production cruisers. If the player hacks a production cruiser, they can field sandskimmers of their own. Sandskimmers in the mid-game are superior in many ways to LAVs thanks to their self-repair and higher initial hull. However, they pale in the late game in terms of speed and damage, as they lack the activated abilities LAVs have.
Multiplayer[]
Sandskimmers are the Gaalsien and Khaaneph answer to LAVs. They may only be produced from production cruisers.
Similar to the coalition's LAV, the Sandskimmer is a high speed, offensive unit that can be built in large numbers. While they have a slightly longer build time, sandskimmers can be massed faster than LAVs if the player building them has enough production cruisers. They are particularly suited for destroying vulnerable formations of railguns or flanking enemy defenses and attacking resourcing operations. They are equipped forward-firing autocannons instead of rotating turrets, which might imply less flexibility in firing directions on the battlefield. In reality, as they are hover vehicles that can move in any direction at maximum speed, sandksimmers can kite in any direction with deadly efficiency. Compared to LAVs, they have slightly more health and maximum speed. LAVs' autocannons have greater range, and can dictate the flow of battle briefly, forcing sandskimmers to either chase them or withdraw.
The ability for sandskimmers to self repair outside of combat encourages hit and run attacks, rather than charging in to deal a decisive blow. Attentive players can select individual sandskimmers being targeted for fire and pull them back one by one amongst a group of sandskimmers, making them much harder to kill than their size and hulls may suggest. Any destroyed sandskimmers are easily replaced: they are some of the only units that do not require RUs to build.
Building Gaalsien vehicles overall consume a large amount of RUs, and find they will have to build sandskimmers or otherwise, they will have excess CUs in storage. So it is recommended to build a moderate number of sandskimmers in any game, unless one plans to build large numbers of baserunners instead to use up their CUs.
Strong against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Weak against:[]
Coalition/Soban:
- Armored Assault Vehicle
- Missile Battery
- Coalition Battlecruiser
- Strike Fighter
- Gunship
- Tactical Bomber
Gaalsien/Khaaneph:
Veterancy[]
| Rank | Effect | XP Required |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | +20% Sensors | 200 |
| Acolyte | +100 Hull | 400 |
| Sentinel | +1 Armor | 750 |
| Guardian | +1 Rate of Fire | 1400 |
| Elder | +200m Weapon Range | 1900 |
Research[]
| Name | CU Cost | RU Cost | Time | Effect | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandskimmer Fabrication | 300 CUs | 0 RUs | 35s | Enables SandSkimmer Production | None |
| Sandskimmer Armor Level 1 | 200 CUs | 75 RUs | 15s | +2 Armor | Sandskimmer Fabrication |
| Sandskimmer Armor Level 2 | 200 CUs | 150 RUs | 20s | +2 Armor | Sandskimmer Armor Level 1 |
| Sandskimmer Raiding | 200 CUs | 125 RUs | 50s | +33% Speed | Sandskimmer Fabrication |
| Sandskimmer Damage Level 1 | 500 CUs | 75 RUs | 30s | +2 Damage | Sandskimmer Raiding |
| Sandskimmer Damage Level 2 | 500 CUs | 150 RUs | 60s | +2 Damage | Sandskimmer Damage Level 1 |
Trivia[]
- According to the expedition guide, Gaalsien Sandskimmers are unmanned, with no need for crew. However, Sandskimmers with ranks have pilots.