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My favorite color is gold! No, green!
—A dishonest Tyrant driver

The Tyrant is the monster tank of Scorpion Cell.

Official description[]

The aptly named Tyrant of the Scorpion Cell dominates the field in the quick destruction of enemies that comes out of nowhere. Its heavily reinforced front armor, a mechanized grinder and powerful engine allow it to travel underground just like the Driller APC. A fixed turret rapidly fires large capsules containing highly explosive toxins and acids over a small area, decimating anything in the Tyrant's way as it advances to conquer the enemy territories in Rashidi's name.

Though their structure is sturdy enough to dig through ground, the quality overall of the Tyrant's armor is rather lacking compared to the Allied and Soviet heavy tanks. While it's not the most powerful advanced tank there is, Tyrants are built to outrun their enemies and overwhelm them with sheer numbers.[1]

Overview[]

The Tyrant symbolizes Scorpion Cell's approach on how to handle its battles. Using a mixture of speed, unconventional ambush tactics, and toxin weaponry to decimate the opposition, this odd-looking tank specializes in launching unexpected attacks in large numbers, hoping to use these methods before enemy forces can organize an effective response.

One major advantage the Tyrants have over their counterparts is their ability to travel via subterranean methods in order to reach areas that may be inaccessible through regular means (only one other Tier 3 tank has this trait). This makes transporting them with Mandjets redundant under most circumstances, as they can simply tunnel through the earth (even if their destination is across a body of water) akin to a Driller. This ability also helps them evade any unwanted enemy forces and base defenses (as they fare poorly against them unless the advantage of large numbers is on their side), as they can avoid them by traveling right beneath them. This allows the Tyrant to launch very devastating surprise attacks, as they can sneak behind enemy lines, pop up right in the heart of an enemy base, and start melting their vital infrastructures with its toxic pills.

Because durability is something that Scorpion Cell does not place emphasis on, the Tyrant is by far the least durable of all Tier 3 tanks. It will not last in a prolonged battle with the other factions' counterparts, and its toxic pills are rather lacking in firing power against armored targets. While it can fire on the move, it cannot rotate its turret in order to do so, meaning it can only bombard enemies that are in front of it - therefore, it cannot shoot at pursuing forces in the event it may be required for it to make a hasty fallback. Charging these tanks at heavy defense lines or large concentrations of armored forces is not recommended - in fact, the Mantis Tank is better for that role since their cheaper nature makes them more expendable. Though they can avoid most dangers via underground travel, enemy commanders can anticipate their arrival with stealth detection units (provided they are available) and a telltale sound of subterranean movement as they approach their destinations. They cannot surface in areas that are still obscured by the fog of war. Lastly, the vehicle itself is rather expensive for the lackluster quality of its armor and firepower.

The Tyrant's weaknesses can be somewhat negated if a Scorpion Cell proselyte manages to procure a large number of them and knows when to fight-or-flight from his/her battles properly. Be prepared to expect heavy casualties if they are required to engage equal amounts of enemy armor and heavy base defenses.

The Tyrants' operators are also notable for their personalities that emphasize their greedy natures, which usually involve an unhealthy obsession with gold, lands, palaces, and its toxic pills. Whether the Scorpion Cell proselyte deems this as amusing or otherwise is up to their interpretation.

AI behavior[]

Tyrants controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:

All difficulties[]

  • 4x targeting anything
  • 4x targeting production structures
    • The AI will use Rage and Shadow Ring on this task force (Hard AI only)
    • If available, Invulnerability and Irradiation Beta/Gamma may also be applied (Hard AI only)

Medium/Hard[]

  • 2x targeting power plants or tech structures
    • This task force may be accompanied by 2 additional Tyrants

Hard[]

  • 4x targeting offensive superweapons (including Fake Psychic Dominator) or Plasmerizer

Appearances[]

Tyrant, the first tank which can move underground and the easiest unit to escort.
—Epsilon intel during Operation: Lizard Brain

Act Two[]

  • The first Tyrant prototype appears in Lizard Brain. It, along with four other vehicle prototypes, must be escorted to safety from an attack of the European Alliance. The Tyrant prototype can tunnel underground, but isn't armed with its toxic pills.
  • The functional Tyrants are first seen in battle in Obsidian Sands, as part of the enemy Scorpion Cell forces.
  • In Withershins, Hamartia and Babel, the Tyrant is unable to use its subterranean ability, as the ground is too tough to dig through.
  • For The Proselyte, he granted access to Tyrant in Babel.

Special Ops[]

  • Tyrants become buildable in Survivors. Several Tyrant reinforcements will be sent to the player as well, if the player decided to retake the Scorpion Cell base.

Assessment[]

Pros Cons
  • Most effective against undefended structures.
  • Has limited fire on the move capability.
  • Effective against group of infantry: can crush infantry and toxin pills cause killed infantry to release poison clouds.
  • Rapid rate of fire.
  • Great movement speed.
  • Can travel underground to bypass natural obstacles or otherwise troublesome defense lines.
  • Excellent for ambush tactics.
  • Cannot be attacked when moving underground.
  • Explodes and releases poison clouds when destroyed.
  • Immune to omnicrush and poison.
  • Can self-repair.
  • The most fragile Tier 3 Tank.
  • Expensive for a heavy tank lacking in armor in contrast to other vehicles of the same class.
  • Not very effective against heavier vehicles unless attacking in large numbers.
  • Vulnerable to anti-armor weapons and mind control when surfaced.
  • Cannot surface from under water and shroud.
  • Enemy commanders can detect and anticipate underground movements before they surface.
  • Cannot target aircraft.
  • Despite being able to fire on the move, it can only target enemies that are directly in front of it.
  • Difficult to control due to the digging mechanics when attempting to advance to engage targets

Behind the scenes[]

  • In 3.0 the Tyrant did not have the ability to burrow, but instead it was able to crush smaller vehicles, similar to the Battle Tortoise.

Trivia[]

  • Babel is the only mission where the Tyrant can be trained without capturing enemy structures, albeit unable to travel underground.

See also[]

References[]

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