The Shadow Team was a Brotherhood of Nod infiltrator unit in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and its expansion, Kane's Wrath.
Background[]
Shadow Teams were trained much like the ninjas of ages past, providing them with great skill at stealth and infiltration. Much like their famed forebears, Shadows were capable of seemingly appearing from nowhere and moving at lightning speed - usually in groups of four - thanks to their training. Shadows were equipped with collapsible powered hang-gliders, giving them the ability to fly. In combat, they wielded dual automatic pistols that make short work of infantry. They also carried special explosives that could destroy vital structures, which were based on a chemical formula stolen from the GDI.[1] Finally, they could place targeting beacons for Specter artillery, allowing them to bombard targets from great distances.[2]
Due to the effectiveness of Shadow Team sabotage, GDI commanders conducting defensive operations were advised to double stealth countermeasures and patrols.[1] In addition to sabotage, Shadow Teams were also responsible for conducting reconnaissance missions in enemy territory.[3]
Game unit[]
The Shadow Teams are comparable to the GDI Sniper Teams in many ways, including their strong damage versus infantry, their stealth training, and ability to act as spotters for their respective artillery pieces. Like snipers, they require their faction's infantry tech building (i.e. the Secret Shrine). Shadow Teams are excellent for hit and run tactics, as they can slip into enemy bases and take down key structures such as power plants and war factories. They are not nearly as resilient as the zone raider or other heavy infantry, and should be used inventively and with care.
In Kane's Wrath, they can place beacons for Specters to fire from long range, but these beacons are not immune to Specters' own shells due to a coding oversight.
Abilities[]
|
Activate Glider
Shadow Teams take flight on their specialized gliders, becoming airborne.
Hotkey: Ctrl+A.
|
|
Land
Airborne Shadow Teams land at the designated location.
Hotkey: Ctrl+S.
|
|
Explosive Charge
Using their explosive, Shadow Teams attack a nearby structure, doing 1800 damage per squad. This activated ability has a 0:30 cooldown.
Hotkey: Ctrl+D.
|
|
Deploy Artillery Beacon (Kane's Wrath only)
Shadow Teams can also deploy beacons that can be used as signals for bombardment by Specters. This activated ability has a 1:00 cooldown and allows Specters to fire in a radius of 400 around the beacon. Each beacon lasts for 2:00 or until destroyed. Beacons have 25 health.
Hotkey: Ctrl+F.
|
Usage[]
Due to their ability to take down most infantry very quickly and plant explosive on structures, they are also somewhat similar to the Commando. They have the benefit of being cheaper to train, allowing multiple units to be trained, being permanently stealthed, and being able to fly over obstacles. Another ability of Shadow Teams is that they are able to attack buildings with their guns (although they deal very little damage). This is helpful in certain campaign missions if the player wishes to take a stealthy approach to attacking an enemy base. In many cases, AI-controlled units defending their base will only attack if your units enter their attack range. A commando must walk up right next to a building in order to attack it, possibly entering the enemy's attack range and triggering a response.
However, Shadow Teams have several drawbacks. Their armour is very weak compared to the commando and if they are spotted, they can be quickly killed by most anti-infantry weapons. They have a short attack range, allowing many enemies to outrange them also. Despite carrying explosives, they are nowhere near as efficient in demolition as a commando is. While they are able to take out weaker structures in one blast, stronger structures require several squads or several goes to destroy, which may only alert the enemy that they have been infiltrated. More often then, the mere sighting of a Shadow Team will set off alarms and cause the enemy to build up their defenses to a paranoid level (anti-air units covering the back of the base where there maybe a impassible ridge or body of water, anti-infantry defenses watching every square foot of ground inside the base) and can potentially change the tactics of the opposition from an offense strategy to dedicating to defense.
A common all-in strategy in multiplayer is the Shadow Team Rush. This involves building a power plant, a Hand of Nod and a Secret Shrine. Then, two veteran Shadow teams are called from the Shadow strike team support power, the third one is purchased at the Hand of Nod and the fourth one is received from selling the Secret Shrine. All teams enter glider mode and move to the enemy's base, targeting power plants, refineries and barracks.
Changelog[]
- Kane's Wrath patch 1.01:
- flying Shadow teams can no longer force-fire at the ground when group-selected with ground units
- explosive charge damage reduced by 10%
- Kane's Wrath patch 1.02:
- range increased from 200 to 225
- clip reload time reduced by 40%
- speed increased from 80 to 90
- flying speed increased from 100 to 120
Quotes[]
Attack (When ordered to attack nearby targets)
a. End them!
b. They must not live!
c. Put them to rest!
d. Silence them!
e. Let none stand!
f. Slay them!
Create
a. Shadow team at your command.
Garris (When ordered to garrison a structure)
a. Into this one!
b. A place of rest.
c. To these walls!
MovAir (When ordered to use "Activate Glider" ability)
a. Swiftly!
b. Steady...
c. With the wind.
d. Glide on.
MovAtt (When ordered to attack enemy units far away)
a. Go in for the kill!
b. Our target is set!
c. Their death awaits!
Move (When ordered to move or use "Deploy Artillery Beacon" ability)
a. Quietly.
b. This is the way!
c. Without trace!
d. In silence!
e. It is our path!
f. The way is clear.
g. We move!
Retrea (When ordered to leave combat)
a. We go!
b. We're called back!
SelBat (Selected when firing at enemy)
a. Infidels!
b. Finish them!
c. Stay focused!
d. They resist us!
e. They are weak!
f. They waver!
Select (Out of combat)
a. Shadows in waiting.
b. Shadow team.
c. Be ready.
d. Focus.
e. Be aware.
f. Stay balanced.
g. The wings of Nod.
Speci1 (When ordered to use "Explosive Charge" ability)
a. That is the target!
b. It must not exist!
c. We have our target!
d. It will be done!
Crash (When killed while airbourne)
a.
b.
c.
Die
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Suppre (When suppressed)
a. Hide!
b. Down!
c. Eh!
Gallery[]
-
-
Early concept art
-
Final concept art
See also[]
- Sniper team, GDI equivalent
- Ravager, Scrin equivalent
 Brotherhood of Nod Third Tiberium War Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Electronic Arts Los Angeles, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Kane's Arsenal, "Shadow Team".
- ↑ Electronic Arts Los Angeles, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath. Nod Weaponry, "Specter".
- ↑ Electronic Arts Los Angeles, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Nod Field Intelligence, "Field Report - Alien Gravity Stabilizer".