Eklon'Dal Workshop Antlion

Eklon'Dal Workshop Sky Striker
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Eklon War-Forges
Model series:	Antlion
Type:	Artillery
Specifications
Ammunition type:	1 siege plasma mortar
Crew:	2 operators or remote link
Rate of fire:	Three-shot burst
Service history
In service:	Post-Covenant War conflicts

The Eklon Workshop Sky Striker is a modified variant of the Emp'seam-pattern Antlion, modified by the Eklon War-Forges for service within the Banished.

Overview

Design details

Main article: Emp'seam-pattern Antlion

The Banished Antlion is a heavily augmented and upgraded modification of the Emp'seam-pattern Antlion turrets once used by the Covenant prior to the empire's collapse. They bear great overall visual resemblance to their Covenant forebears, though forgo the purple nanolaminate plate for a more overt Banished aesthetic of angular and irregular armour plating. The turret's siege plasma mortar is overclocked and augmented, firing plasma torpedoes at foes that can themselves be further-upgraded with a number of upgrades. These include compound detonators for a greater explosive damage effect, and an upgrade to the weapon's ability to scorch the ground at the point of impact to leave a lingering burning effect in the radius for a time after detonation.

Usage

The Banished deploy the Mega Turret as a straightforward anti-siege weapon at war camps on the Ark which have the necessary infrastructure and permanence to support their use. They have yet to see adoption across all of the Banished clans due to internal competition from the natively developed Kywasky Workshop Gorespike cannons.

During the Second Ark Conflict, they were employed by the Jiralhanae Pavium during the Flood outbreak on Installation 00 to combat the parasite and eventually to kill the Proto-Gravemind.

In-game information

Halo Wars 2

• Info: Base Defense, Long range plasma mortar, Auto targets enemies
• Tier: 1
• Cost: 0, 150, 150 (Costs 150+ more supplies and power per extra turret)

Mega Turret Upgrade

Lingering Death

• Info: Shell continues to cause damage after impact
• Tier: 2
• Cost: 0, 300

Mega Turret Upgrade

Compound Detonators

• Info: An unstable core is added to the shells increasing the damage on impact
• Tier: 3
• Cost: 0, 500

In Halo Wars 2, the mega turret is a base slot structure exclusive to Pavium that can be unlocked via one of his leader power upgrades. Unlike its Covenant Halo Wars counterpart, the mega turret in Halo Wars 2 is automated similarly to the Banished Spike turrets, and can similarly be upgraded. Upgrades applied to mega turrets only apply to the given mega turret in question and not all mega turrets owned by the player.

With long range and heavy damage, mega turrets are excellent for fighting infantry, vehicles, and even other structures, but they cannot attack aircraft. However, due to the size of the turret, it cannot be constructed on the base's turret slots - forcing players to sacrifice one of their building sockets to construct a mega turret. Units with high mobility, such as Jackrabbits, Choppers, and Ghosts can also avoid the projectile unscathed. The turrets can fire on targets visible to the player, with Pavium himself (and his leader powers) able to use Target designators to unveil the fog of war and open up more areas of the map to mega turret shelling.

The mega turret is a popular choice for those who pick Pavium in the Terminus Firefight mode to strengthen defenses, as it is able to cover a wide range that is larger than the United Nations Space Command's closest comparable structure, the Siege turret.

In the campaign of Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare, the Mega Turret plays an important role in the level Manifestation, in which it is used to attack a Proto-Gravemind's tentacles and then the creature itself. In this case, the player only has to construct a Banished Minibase which will automatically be constructed with a Mega Turret already in place. The player has to spot the target of the tentacles and Proto-Gravemind for it to successfully work, however.

Phoenix Log

Phoenix Log - Mega Turret

Heavy artillery emplacement. The Mega Turret is an automated, long-range artillery platform available to Warlord Pavium. They fire powerful plasma torpedoes that can be upgraded to scorch the impact point and leave a pool of Lingering Death. As if this devastation wasn't enough, they can also use Banished-modified Compound Detonators for even greater damage. These mega turrets are massive and power hungry, and require a standard base building slot. The Mega Turret was used to protect Covenant military and religious installations, but these massive cannons have also been encountered at remote colonies and outposts guarding nothing of obvious value and reflexively attacking all who approach without long-forgotten authorization codes. The Banished deploy the Mega Turret as a straightforward anti-siege weapon at war camps on the Ark which have the necessary infrastructure and permanence to support their use.

Gallery

• 

  Two mega turrets firing their mortars.

• 

  A trio of mega turrets being used on a minibase.

• 

  An outpost of mega turrets.

• 

  An outpost of mega turrets, but hidden from view with the use of a Cloaking Generator.

List of appearances

• Halo Wars 2
  • Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare (First appearance)