The Qilin Heavy Tank is the main battle tank of China.
Official description
After the Russians developed the Rhino Tank, they no longer had any use for the older Heavy Tank, and sold it to their Chinese allies. The Chinese fervently began improving the unit, though many problems plagued its development due to the tank being too heavy to transport properly. After several years of tinkering and redesigning, a balance between speed and durability could not be found. Thus, the Chinese decided to sacrifice the tank's mobility and pack as much firepower and armor into it, creating the Qilin Tank.
Its slick design is aimed to decrease drag due to the slow speed of the machine. Some might expect the Qilin to follow the stereotype of a cheap knock-off of a tank. The Chinese however, have not skirted any expenses with it, making it a rather pricey purchase. The addition of EMP countermeasure systems prove it is an advanced piece of technology.[1]
Overview
Though slow and rather expensive, the Qilin Tank is the heaviest main battle tank of the entire war and possesses heavy-duty firepower in the form of dual cannons. Symbolizing China's tactics of using immense armor and overwhelming force to crush its enemies, this unit retains its usefulness even in the late game stages against Tier 3 monster tanks (for starters, it has one tactical advantage over the Nuwa Cannon by being able to fire while moving). It also has a special trait that allows it to shorten the effects of EMP weaponry used against it.
Despite its formidable stats, it should avoid infantry and aircraft as it can't do much to respond against them. It is also very vulnerable to units such as Speeder Trikes as the latter can kite them while staying outside of their attack range.
Appearances
Act One
Qilin Tanks first appear alongside most other China-specific units in Think Different.
In The Gardener, Qilin Tanks patrols the region, and the player's Tsurugi prototype must avoid them. However, after finding the Guardian GI, his missile launcher can make short work of the Qilins way before suffering lethal damage.
Assessment
+
One of the strongest of main battle tanks in the game.
Effective against armored vehicles.
Can crush infantry and fire on the move.
Very good armor and firepower.
The duration of EMP effect on this tank is reduced by half.
−
Not as effective against infantry.
Quite expensive ($950).
Vulnerable against aerial and anti-armor threats.
Slow-moving.
Behind the scenes
The Qilin Tank's Nuclear Reactor speed boost attribute that existed in v3.0.
In 3.0, the Qilin Tank, along with the Nuwa Cannon, benefited from a speed boost when close to a friendly Nuclear Reactor. This was removed in later patches.
Trivia
The qilin (麒麟) is a hooved, chimerical creature in Chinese mythology who is commonly associated as a good omen and thought to bring luck, prosperity and serenity (all are referenced in the Qilin Tank's quotes).
