Titan Mk. II (Kane's Wrath)

"Armoured and ready!"

- A Titan emerging from the War factory

The '''Titan Mk. II' is the Steel Talons' main battle walker in Kane's Wrath''.

Background
"I haven't seen a Titan since Tib War Two!"

- Anonymous Nod Soldier

The Titan utilizes a complex array of alloy spars, high-tech servos, and fibrous tendons which allow high-speed locomotion upon two armored legs. The materials required to build this system are expensive, but the Titan is able to move fast enough to keep pace with most tracked vehicles on the battlefield. The legs are able to balance the crew compartment and power plant while also bearing the weight of over 20 tons of advanced battle armor. The elevated turret affords better command-seating, granting the gunner a clear shot regardless of impeding terrain.

The Titan stands at 25 meters tall, with a 120mm cannon (with an optional Railgun upgrade) and during the Ascension Wars, one L91 laser beam (that could be upgraded for more range, with recent variants sporting a second laser beam).

History
Introduced in 2030, the Titan Mk II was developed by the Steel Talons as the next generation of Titan Walkers; the plans called for top-tier robotic technology, diamond-hard battle armor, and legs able to traverse jungle, marsh, and rocky terrain more easily than conventional tracked vehicles. The result of these plans were the Titan Mk II, with its first combat being seen as early as 2034 in Australia against Nod forces by the Steel Talons.

Despite the GDI Council's repeated attempts to phase out the vehicle, the Titan's popularity within the military kept the walking tank active on the battlefield shortly before the Third Tiberium War. The weakness of walkers began to show, with them being were hugely expensive to build and maintain. They were also quite temperamental on the battlefield. The advantages conferred by their all-terrain capabilities were offset by cost, poor reliability, and easily exploited vulnerabilities, namely commandos being trained to put det-packs onto the legs of large walker and neutralizing them rather easily. As such, shortly before the Third Tiberium War, the Steel Talons replaced their Titan Mk. IIs with the less expensive Predator Tank. Despite this, many Steel Talon veterans petitioned GDI high command to bring back the Titan, but to no avail. The Mk. IIs were put into "mothball status", sitting in GDI armory warehouses and diminishing into disrepair. Some were even converted into heavy industrial equipment, outfitted with shovels or cranes to aid in the construction of the Blue Zones. The Mk. II saw no action during the Third Tiberium War.

In addition, the Mk. II Titan chassis would form the basis for the Juggernaut Mk. III, with a new turret and crew pod, upgraded cannons, and a next generation fire control system. Because these vehicles are intended for indirect fire support and are not expected to be on the front lines, the advantages conferred by all-terrain navigation were deemed worthy of the risks. The Juggernaut would be the only walker in service during the Third Tiberium War.

It was not until the invention of the Nod Crawlers in 2075 that tipped the favors into the return of the Titan Mk. II. The GDI needed to deploy powerful laser-weapons to cut through the heavy armor of the Nod Crawlers, and it had to happen fast. As the result, the Titans were pulled out of storage and retrofitted with a number of upgrades which could be easily mounted on the heavy internal frame. The Titan was back in action, designated as the AW-T2. Since its reintroduction, the Titan has shown new life as a front-line armored walker. They are typically deployed to attack Nod Crawlers with armor-piercing lasers, but they fare well in any combat scenario.

GDI Engineers discovered that the robust internal frame not only was well-suited to carry a heavy laser, but also could readily sustain a variety of other enhancements. Over time, variations of the Titan Mk.II became outfitted with increased charge capacitors for the main laser, higher quality beam emitters for improved engagement range, and updated power-train components for heightened speed. Recent models even boast a second heavy laser.

Game unit
"Crush 'em!"

- Titan Mk. II Pilot The Titan replaces the MBT-6 Predator tank in the Steel Talons, and is exclusive to this sub-faction only. It improves on the Predator with its ability to crush other smaller vehicles. Additionally, Titans have thicker armor and a stronger main gun than Predators as well, but this is offset by a higher unit cost. As with all large walker units, the Titan can be destroyed by Commandos, but unlike the Juggernaut, the Scrin Annihilator tripod and the Nod Avatar Warmech, the Titan will not leave a husk after its destruction.

An early game tactic available to Steel Talons commanders consists of constructing a Titan as soon as possible, marching it into an opponent's Tiberium field and crushing enemy harvesters by walking over them: easily halting the opponent's economy (only works on GDI and Nod; Scrin Harvesters are uncrushable). The tactic can be countered in the traditional manner - by moving the harvesters away and responding with anti-vehicle units such as masses of rocket infantry.

Another customary tactic employable by Steel Talons commanders is the pairing of Titans with Mobile Repair Transports holding rocket or rifle troops. The transport will keep the Titan from limping and keep it alive longer, while the garrisoned troops can either provide extra anti-air and anti-armor, or anti-infantry capability - helping to cover for the Titan's weaknesses.

Affected support powers

 * Railgun Accelerator

Changelog

 * Kane's Wrath patch 1.01:
 * crusher/crushable level increased to that of a heavy tier 3 walker
 * damage increased 12.5%
 * railgun-upgraded damage increased 9.2%
 * Kane's Wrath patch 1.02: range increased from 300 to 325

When created

 * Titan!
 * Armored and ready!
 * Ready!
 * Primed!
 * Systems online!

When selected

 * In country!
 * What'cha got?
 * Awaiting orders!
 * Titan ready!
 * At your command!
 * Sir?
 * Yes sir!
 * Ready!
 * Getting bored!

When moving

 * Movin' out!
 * Taking position!
 * Got it!
 * Yes sir!
 * Orders received!
 * On my way!
 * About time!

When ordered to attack

 * Primed and ready!
 * Cleared to engage!
 * Lock and load!
 * Seek and destroy!
 * High alert!
 * Won't know what hit 'em!

When attacking

 * Crush 'em!
 * Ground and pound!
 * Rock and roll!
 * Bring them pain!
 * Target acquired!
 * Weapons aligned!
 * Sir, yes sir!
 * Pulverize 'em!
 * Steel Talons rule!

In combat

 * Under fire!
 * Engaged!
 * In combat!
 * Taking hits!
 * They're inbound!
 * Kinda busy here!

When retreating

 * Can't believe it!
 * Retreating!
 * Huh?!
 * Taking heavy damage!
 * We're gone...
 * I'll be back!
 * Got cocky...
 * Steel Talons don't retreat!

Trivia

 * In Kane's Wrath version 1.00, the Titan could crush Wolverines and other Titans as if they were infantry due to an error in the game's coding.
 * The Titan is the only unit in the game that has three damage states. At full health it behaves like any other vehicle, From 60-30% HP it will begin to limp slightly which impedes it's movement. Below 30% health it develops a severe limp and catches fire, acting like any other vehicles in "critical damage mode"