Black Hand (Tiberium Wars)

	For organisation of the same name, see Black Hand. For Tiberian Twilight unit, see Black Hand (Tiberian Twilight).

Black Hand
Unit
Internal ID	NODBlackHand NODBlackHandSquad BlackHandBlackHand BlackHandBlackHandSquad
Faction	Nod Black Hand
Role	Elite infantry
Armament	Flamethrowers
Tier	2
Properties
Hit points	500 per squad member
Armor type	Heavy (5% Cannon, 50% Rocket, 75% Grenade, 100% Gun, 100% Sniper)
Production
Cost	$900
Build time	0:09
Produced by	Hand of Nod
Requires	Operations center
Hot key	F5
Combat
Squad size	6
Ground attack	67 per squad member (Grenade)
Cooldown	Continuous, 1 second delay in switching between targets
Speed	50
Attack range	180
Function
Upgrades	Purifying flame
Abilities	Clear garrisoned structure Call for transport

“

The Black Hand has arrived! - Black hand rolling out of the Hand of Nod

”

The Black Hand were elite soldiers from the Brotherhood of Nod's Black Hand. They served as the Brotherhood's shock troops during the Third Tiberium War and the conflicts that led to it.

Background

Black Hand unit

The Black Hand was originally founded as a form of religious police tasked with enforcing adherence to the teachings of Kane. However, the cult later grew to become a powerful and influential religious group that operated mostly in secret. This changed after the Second Tiberium War, when Kane disappeared. A high-ranking member of the Black Hand, Anton Slavik, rose to power within the Brotherhood and revealed himself as a Black Hand prelate.

Many within the Black Hand chafed at the cult's new public profile, including a popular preacher named Marcion, who would come to be the leader of the anti-Slavik faction. This conflict quickly spun out of control, leaving Slavik dead at the hands of an assassin and Marcion and his followers retreating to self-imposed exile in the Australian outback.

Within a year of his break from Nod, Marcion had organised his followers into a disciplined theocratic army - the "new" Black Hand. Within this new army, a group of well-trained and loyal soldiers, clad in black heavy armour and armed with flamethrowers, came to be Marcion's right hand. These soldiers were feared even within the ranks of Marcion’s forces, and they were often attached to infantry formations to keep order and retain the message of the Word.

After Marcion was captured by LEGION, his forces, including the Black Hand heavy infantry, rejoined the Brotherhood. These elite soldiers became the spearhead for Nod's forces, and distinguished themselves because of their superior training, extreme loyalty, and incredible toughness. Black hand troopers also wore capes like confessors do.

Abilities

Call for transport

If an air tower is deployed, Black Hand can call in a Nod Transport for pickup for a small fee of $200. This ability has a 2 minute cooldown (Ctrl+A). (Unavailable for the Black Hand subfaction)

Upgrades

Purifying flame

Burning blue-hot with a potent Tiberium-based fuel, purifying flame enhances the damage of each Black Hand squad member to 100.5 damage per second, a 50% increase. (Ctrl+S).

Purchasable at Black Hand Secret shrine $3000 and takes 1:30 to research.

In-game unit

Their flamethrowers are good against infantry and structures, but do little damage against most vehicles such as heavy tanks, so the best method of countering them is to use any vehicle with anti-infantry capacity. Furthermore, they are capable of instantly clearing garrisoned buildings. Their flamethrowers are quite effective against light vehicles if under prolonged fire though. With the Purifying Flame upgrade, however, light vehicles and even tanks are at grave risk.

As a note, their flamethrowers deal splash damage - any structure or unit caught in the cone of flame will take also take damage.

Effective weapons against them include most anti-infantry weapons although their heavy armour allows them to survive at least a few head-on enemy attacks. sniper teams, commandos, and Shadow teams are good counters.

Black Hand squads deployed by the Black Hand subfaction are trained as veterans, and can be upgraded with the purifying flame upgrade to increase their damage. Ironically, they are rendered largely redundant by the Black Disciple unique upgrade, which adds a Black Hand member to confessor cabals and militant rocket squads, meaning Black Hand commanders have little need to train separate Black Hand squads.

Changelog

• Tiberium Wars patch 1.05:
  • resistance to cannon-type damage increased by 45%
  • speed increased by 22%
  • hit points increased by 66%
  • attack power increased by 150%
  • added garrison-clearing effects

Quotes

When created

• The Black Hand is in control!
• The Black Hand has arrived!

When selected

• We have orders.
• We are the chosen!
• The Black Hand awaits.
• They will fear us!
• There is work to be done.
• One vision, one purpose!

When moving

• Take the area!
• We're in control here!
• This way!
• We've been called!
• Forward!

When garrisoning a structure

• It is ours to take!
• Inside!
• We must have it!

When ordered to attack

• Enemies of Kane!
• Pursue them!
• They stand in our way!
• They oppose Kane!

When attacking

• Kill them!
• They must die!
• Eliminate them!
• Attack!
• Burn them alive!

When ordered to clear a garrison

• Clear them out!
• Expel them!
• They cannot hide from the Black Hand!
• Walls will not protect them!
• They think they are safe in there..

In combat

• We're not finished here!
• Let none escape!
• Exterminate the weak!
• Spare no one!
• They reek of fear!
• Clear a path!

When retreating

• Regroup!
• We'll be back!

When suppressed

• Down!
• To the ground!
• Find cover!

Gallery

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  Concept art

• 

  Concept art

• 

  Beta icon

Trivia

The black hand is one of the few infantry units that wore capes. The other being confessors in rivals and the other confessors in Kane’s wrath.