Obelisk of Light (Tiberian Sun)

"Tall, ominous towers of doom. Does wonders for morale..."

- Anonymous GDI soldier, describing the structure

The second-generation Obelisk of Light was a Nod advanced base defense structure used during the Second Tiberium War and the Firestorm Conflict. It was an example of military applications of LASER technology.

Background
Born out of the need for a powerful defensive mechanism for Brotherhood military bases, the Obelisk is quite possibly the most powerful laser weapon in recorded history, result of Project Obelisk WDTA2411 5. Its mode of operation remained basically the same throughout the wars - massive capacitors underneath the structure amass power, which is then used to create a powerful laser beam, directed against enemies via a system of advanced optical and focusing systems. Obviously, it requires massive amounts of power to function.

During the period between the First and Second Tiberium Wars, Kane's engineers continued to work on the Obelisk design, overhauling it and increasing both its resilience and firepower.

Firestorm Conflict
With the Tacitus, CABAL created two variants of the Obelisk, the Obelisk of Darkness, and the CABAL Obelisk to defend its core. The CABAL Obelisk was a ground defense more powerful than even the standard Obelisks and the Obelisk of Darkness was capable of vaporizing any aircraft that came within firing range. The 2 defenses were powerful but both were destroyed by the combined GDI and Nod forces.

Legacy
Obelisks of Light continued to be fielded following the Firestorm Conflict, although their designs were changed to an appearance more akin to those seen in the First Tiberium War.

Trivia

 * While the core design did not change during development, Obelisks of Light initially appeared a lot smaller in earlier screenshots.
 * A charging animation was present, but was unused in Tiberian Sun. It was implemented in the Firestorm expansion.