Cybran Experimental Gunship

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Experimental

Cybran Experimental Gunship:  Soul Ripper
Experimental gunship. Delivers extreme firepower via rocket racks, electron bolters and missile system.[ e ]
Build costs	-650000  -40000 30000
Max health	90000
Speed	8 (Air)
Veterancy	40  (+10/s)
Intel (radius)	Vision: 46
Weapon: Iridium Rocket Pack x 2 Direct Fire - Projectile
Damage per second	285
Projectile damage	190
Salvo size	3 Projectiles (in 0.4 s)
Reload time	2 seconds
Range	30
Weapon: Nanite Missile System x 2 Anti Air - Projectile
Damage per second	120
Projectile damage	150
Salvo size	2 Projectiles (in 0.1 s)
Reload time	2.5 seconds
Range	60
Weapon: Heavy Electron Bolter x 2 Direct Fire - Projectile
Damage per second	1125
Projectile damage	375
Damage radius	3
Salvo size	2 Projectiles
Rate of fire	1.5 salvos/s
Range	30
Weapon: Air Crash Death
Damage	5000
Damage radius	4

The Cybran Experimental Gunship, nicknamed the Soul Ripper, is a Cybran unit. This is an experimental unit as well as a gunship.

The Soul Ripper is one of Cybran's three (four in FA) Experimental units. It is a large, flying gunship with very high HP and armed with a variety of weapons, including two Iridium Rocket Packs, two Nanite Missile Systems, and two Heavy Electron Bolters.

The Soul Ripper is the sturdiest air unit around and can stand a very large amount of punishment. It has extremely good air-to-ground DPS, making it excellent at killing ACUs, but has only average AA capabilities and is quite expensive.

The Soul Ripper does not possess any outstanding weaknesses to any particular unit or weapon, as it is capable of attacking any unit that can attack it. However, it is a gunship and can subsequently be attacked by other gunships. Additionally, T3 air-superiority fighter, SAMs, or any large group of AA will eventually whittle down the Soul Ripper's HP, leaving it vulnerable.

Tactics on beating Soul Rippers

This unit is one of the most effective experimental units, and difficult to defeat in large groups. Only few units are truly effective in defeating them, and clever tactics are necessary in order to cost-effectively (i.e. spending less mass on your defenses than the other is spending to build Soul Rippers) beat them in large groups.

Reclaim the Soul Rippers

Soul rippers cost 40000 mass. In his wreckage is 36000 mass. That is a lot, and it can be effectively used as an economic boost. Make enough mass storage to enable quick reclaiming. A clever player will notice when his opponent is leeching on his mass by reclaiming a Soul Ripper. Try scattering anti-air around, instead of building them in neat columns to make their quantities (and thus the apparent defenses) appear lower. This might trick an opponent into sending fewer Soul Rippers than necessary to destroy the defenses, and to "donate" mass.

Units

T2 Mobile AA are an effective countermeasure against a Soul Ripper, as they are cheap, but also mobile. When Soul Rippers attack, make the mobile AA move just outside the base, to shoot the Rippers hovering over it. Another positive side of using these units is that they can be produced without using costly T3 engineers or SCUs. T2 Mobile AA should be the weapon of choice against a surprise Soul Ripper while your economy is not up to T3 yet.

Interceptors are generally worthless against Soul Rippers in a game with a unit limit of about 500. Air Superiority Fighters are more effective, but when large groups of Soul Rippers start to show up, producing enough of these will prove difficult. They are not cost effective, and more importantly, not time-effective. The only reason to build ASFs against Soul Rippers is that they are able to start shooting while the Soul Rippers are traveling. However, a clever opponent will have anti-air bases covering the path of the Soul Ripper, meaning that the superiority fighters will be not so superior.

The weapon of choice to defeat Soul Rippers is T3 SAM anti air artillery.

Use water

Anti-air turrets can be placed on water. On maps like Seton's Clutch, this enables placing anti-air "bases" on the water (use t2 mobile shields), forcing the Soul Rippers to move around (more time before they reach your base) or take damage and destroy the forward base (and use valuable time too). Mobile groups of Aeon T2 Mobile AA Flak Artillery, Cruisers and Carriers can also do a lot of damage to a Soul Ripper, and are cheap to replace.

Avoiding the Soul Ripper

Assuming that your base is adequately protected against Soul Rippers by using about a 150 SAM launchers + shields, Soul Rippers are still an effective unit to establish map control and to defend a base. Clever tactics will defeat the Soul Ripper in this area too.

Without doubt, the units best at destroying an opponent using the Soul Ripper are those it cannot hit. The Tempest can dive long before the slow Soul Ripper arrives, and making one of these should be a top priority as Aeon on a water map, against Soul Rippers. The Atlantis can too, but cannot attack effectively. Most air units outrun the experimental gunship.

As a defensive unit

The soul ripper is perfect for this job, its slow speed and vulnerability to ASFs (its only two flaws) are countered by being near your base, with ground AA to cover it, and the ability to land and repair at a moments notice. Much like the megalith, it should never be sent on its own, but always as a support unit; either in an air raid on firebases (although this isn't very efficient due to its poor speed), or to provide covering fire for a ground force, forcing the enemy to bring in AA units; which can be used to your advantage, to effectively manipulate your opponents choice/combination of units. Also is extremely useful for talking out fatboys that are kiting an assault force or shelling your base, as the high DPS with the strength to withstand bursts of ASFs then quickly retreat and get repaired make it the most effective counter for the fatboy.

A Soul Ripper