Habitat Walker

Habitat Walker
Affiliation:	The Hierarchy
Type:	Land Giant, Mobile Structure, Production Walker
Health:	Health depends on condition of death puzzle.
Death Puzzle:	Outer Panels + Hardpoints (x2) -> Coolant Node (x2)
Armor:	Alien Hardpoint/Alien Hardpoint Armor
Movement Type:	Large Walker
Speed:	0.25
Sight Range:	270
Cost:	2000RM
Time:	1:05
Popcap:	1 (Walker Cap)
Produced From:	Glyph Carver (Requires Arrival Site)
Special Ability:	Hardpoints, Fire Radiator Artillery (requires hardpoint), Produce Infantry
Weapon:	Plasma Blob, Mass Driver (Requires hardpoint), Electric Arc (requires hardpoint)
Damage:	Plasma Blob: 35 Electric Arch: 11.5%
Upgrades:	Fast Ordering (Quantum-2), Foo Longitivity (Assault-2), Enhanced Locomoters (Assault 4), Molecular Armor (Quantum-3) Quantum Ordnance (Quantum-3), Volatile Reactors (Mutagen-1), Irradiated Shots (Mutagen-1), Gamma Radiation (Mutagen-3)

"We aren't going anywhere without a Habitat Walker."

-Orlok, emphasising the Habitat Walker's importance to an assault.

The iconic Habitat Walker is one of the two Production Walkers for the Hierarchy and replaces a Barracks Structure for the faction.

General

CGI Habitat Walker with Defilers

The towering Habitat Walker has four long, but bulky legs that it uses for movement and six plasma cannon barrels arranged in a triangular pattern on either side of its "head". The walkers head contains teleport systems for calling down Hierarchy infantry, which are beamed down to the ground from a glowing circle on the walker's "face". The Walker's upper body is somewhat shaped like a lopsided hexagon and has exactly four crown hardpoint sockets and a pair of giant coolant vents that appear somewhat like horns.

The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy most ground units and buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes.

Like all of the large Hierarchy Walkers, the Habitat Walker can not be destroyed by simply attacking it. Rather, enemies must destroy its crown hardpoints to expose the walker's coolant nodes. If one node is destroyed, the Habitat Walker's two emergency cooling vents activate and start venting heated gases with a mechanical wail. If two coolant nodes are destroyed, the walker's core will overheat and detonate.

Campaign

A Habitat Walker standing on the ruins of the Capitol Building while Moore and his men look on.

The Habitat Walker is inarguably the most common of all the Hierarchy walkers. The first of these walkers is dropped from orbit just after Randal Moore and his troops had evacuated the president from the capitol building in Washington D.C. The walker impacted right in the capitol building and, after uncurling, opened fire on human tanks. In the second mission, this walker continued its rampage as Moore escorted the president to a nearby military fort for evacuation. Despite fighting valiantly, the human forces were unable to even dent the walker, much less damage it as it approached. However, at the moment the walker arrived at the base, several bluish portals opened and several robotic soldiers and a towering mech stepped forth to attack the walker, providing a chance for the remaining soldiers to retreat. The Walker began retreating and the pilot of the mech, Mirabel, was then tasked with taking down the walker by the leader of Novus, The Founder.

Later, a trio of Habitat Walkers were deployed to Eastern Siberia while Novus was collecting portal pieces for their Home Portal. These walkers took position in various places and continued to call down Grunts until they were either destroyed or Novus completed their mission. During a mission in Turkmenistan, a pair of Habitat Walkers were part of a massive Hierarchy task force that entered the territory to demolish several native settlements. During Mirabel's infiltration of a Hierarchy command ship, a single Habitat Walker was encountered aboard. Finally, a trio of Habitat Walkers equipped with plasma turrets and radiator artillery attempted to assault the primary Novus base in the middle east. Despite the majority of the force being destroyed, one Habitat walker did manage to pierce Novus' defenses and damage the Home Portal before collapsing.

In the Hierarchy campaign, the Hierarchy commander Orlok was originally planing on assaulting a Novus outpost with a Habitat walker leading the way, but Kamal Re'x refused to provide one, claiming that the compliment of infantry provided would be more than enough to handle the mission. A little while later, Kamal grew impatient and Orlok managed to persuade him to provide the Habitat Walker for the final assault. During their final cleanup, one of the walker's blasts missed its target and impacted a Pyramid, causing a retreat signal to be broadcast all over the globe.

Later, Habitat Walkers were used to assault the last remaining supply of nuclear weapons and to protect Nufai's base from Novus attacks. Finally, one walker was part of Orlok's army during his rebellion, but this unit was destroyed by Kamal's superiorly armed Assembly Walkers before it could deal too much damage.

During Prince Zessus' escape from a Hierarchy compound, a single Habitat Walker stood guard over the northern compound's entrance along with several Brutes, Grunts, Defilers, and Phase Tanks.

Tactical Application

A Habitat Walker among ruins.

The Habitat Walker serves as the infantry production structure for the Hierarchy and is available at the start of a match. Like the other walkers its cannons are reasonably powerful and it is able to have four weapon or production enhancement hardpoints added to its crown. However, the walker has several key drawbacks to consider. Firstly, it costs more to completely cover with hardpoints than an Assembly Walker (allowing for more customization at increased total cost) and has less durability with only 4/6 hardpoints needing to be destroyed (compared to the 6-9 of the Assembly). Like the Assembly Walker, its cannons fire very slowly unless their rate of fire is augmented by weapon accelerator hardpoint. However, the Habitat Walker's Glyph is carved and scanned faster than that of an Assembly Walker and its basic units are much cheaper and can be built in greater numbers.

Be advised a Habitat Walker should rarely be used in a Hierarchy mirror match early on as it is unlikely to survive combat with an enemy Assembly Walker with attending Saucers and most Hierarchy infantry (with the exception of the Lost One) are ineffective in walker vs walker combat. Later on in a match, once more research has been completed, a Habitat Walker may be a more viable option due to its superior range or fire rate and its units gain more from research upgrades.

Units Produced

• Grunt
  
• Lost One (requires Lost One Pod hardpoint)
  
• Brute (requires Brute Pod hardpoint)
  

Hardpoints

A critically damaged Habitat Walker with exposed coolant nodes.

The Habitat Walker has 4 body hardpoint sockets with 400 health each and 4 leg hardpoint sockets with 350 health each. When a leg socket is destroyed, the Walker's speed is reduced by 10%. When a body socket is destroyed, a Coolant Node is revealed. If 2 Coolant Nodes are destroyed, the Habitat Walker's core overheats and explodes.

Internal Hardpoints

• Coolant Node
  

Effect: Coolant Nodes keep the Habitat Walker's core's temperature at manageable thermal levels. Upon the first Coolant Node being destroyed, the walker's emergency heat vents will activate. The destruction of a second Coolant Node will cause the core to overheat and explode, resulting in the destruction of the Habitat Walker.
Prerequisites: Destruction of body socket
Cost: N/A
Time: N/A
'Health: 600
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

Crown Hardpoints

• Lost One Pod
  

  

  Lost One Pod.

Effect: Allows production of Lost Ones
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 400
Time: 0:16
Health: 400
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Brute Pod
  

  

  Brute Pod.

Effect: Allows production of Brutes
Prerequisites: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 2
Cost: 650
Time: 0:18
Health: 400
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Armor Plating
  

  

  Armor.

Effect: Covers socket with durable alloy for added protection of the socket.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 700
Time: 0:20
Health: 1,000
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint Armor

• Weapon Accelerator
  

  

  Weapon Accelerator.

Effect: Reduces reload and recharge times of Walker weapons and abilities by 20% each.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 700
Time: 0:20
Health: 700
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Range Enhancer
  

  

  Range Enhancer.

Effect: Increases the range of all Walker weapons and abilities by 20% each.
Prerequisites: Research Assault Branch Suite 1
Cost: 700
Time: 0:20 Health: 700
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Radiator Artillery
  

  

  Radiator Artillery.

Effect: Allows the Habitat Walker to launch a radiation warhead that emits radiation in the same manner as an upgraded Spitter Turret in the area around it upon landing for 16 seconds.
Prerequisites: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 2
Cost: 1,000
Range: 0-280
Radius: 100
Cooldown: 0:35 (from launch)

1 Weapon Accelerator: 0:30

2 Weapon Accelerators: 0:26

3 Weapon Accelerators: 0:22

Health: 1,100
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

Leg Hardpoints

• Armor Plating
  

  

  Leg Armor.

Effect: Covers socket with durable alloy for added protection of the socket.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 700
Time: 0:20
Health: 1,000
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint Armor

• Repair Chamber
  

  

  Repair Chamber.

Effect: Generates 3 plasma orbs like those of a Saucer which will conduct repairs on their host Walker. Note: The plasma orbs cannot repair destroyed sockets.
Prerequisites:Assembly Walker
Cost: 400
Time: 0:16
Health: 350
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Cost Optimizer
  

  

  Cost Optimizer.

Effect: Reduces unit resource costs for all units produced by the walker by 8% each.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 300
Time: 0:15
Health: 250
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Teleport Accelerator
  

  

  Teleport Accellerator.

Effect: Reduces unit build times by 12% each for all units produced by the walker.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 300
Time: 0:15
Health: 250
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Plasma Turret
  

  

  Plasma Cannon.

Effect: Adds an additional plasma weapon.
Prerequisites: None
Cost: 800
Time: 0:22
Range: 0-280
Damage: 35
Shots per burst: 1
Recharge: 3.0 seconds
Health: 800
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

• Arc Turret
  

  

  Arc Turret.

Effect: Adds an anti-air electricity weapon.
Prerequisites: Research Assault Branch Suite 1
Cost: 800
Time: 0:20
Damage: 11.4%
Recharge: 3.0 seconds
Health: 800
Armor: Alien Walker Hardpoint

Upgrades

Advanced Mutagens
Effect:Dead irradiated organics become Mutant Slaves
Method: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 3

Fast Ordering
Effect: Glyphs carve 25% faster.
Method: Research Quantum Branch Suite 2

Foo Longetivity
Effect: Orbs gain regeneration so they can last longer away from the Repair Chamber
Method: Research Assault Branch Suite 2

Gamma Radiation
Effect: Radiation damage increased to 10 per second
Method: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 3

Irradiated Shots
Effect: Plasma bolts are irradiated, inflicting radiation damage over time to targets and turning organics into Mutant Slaves
Method: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 1
Damage: 5 per second
Duration: 3 seconds

Locomotor Enhancement
Effect: Movement and rotation speed increased by 60%
Method: Research Assault Branch Suite 4

Molecular Armor
Effect: Halves damage taken
Method: Research Quantum Branch Suite 3

Quantum Ordnance
Effect: Plasma attacks explode for an additional 10 damage
Method: Research Quantum Branch Suite 3

Volatile Reactors
Effect: Walker now emits a radioactive cloud when destroyed
Method: Research Mutagen Branch Suite 1

Tips and Trivia

• The Habitat Walker is the iconic unit of the game, appearing in most (if not all) advertisements and on the cover of the game itself.
• Curiously, Orlok seems to favor the Habitat Walker, as he possesses one unit at the beginning of his rebellion. It is possible that this, coupled with the Founders remark on the Assembly being a "new walker", simply means the Habitat Walker is an older model and thus more plentiful/expendable.
• It's the first walker you ever see and use in the game.
• The Habitat walker is a good choice for sending in first to distract the enemy. This allows your Assembly walker to engage and destroy any remaining units and/or buildings.