Experimental Units | ||||
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Direct Fire | ||||
Naval | ||||
Air | ||||
Indirect Fire | ||||
Other |
Bombers | ||||
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Tech 1 Attack | ||||
Tech 2 Fighter/Bomber | ||||
Tech 2 Torpedo | ||||
Tech 3 Strategic | ||||
Other |
Seraphim Experimental Bomber: Ahwassa | |
Massive bomber capable of devastating entire bases. Armed with an experimental strategic bomb and three AA auto-cannons.[ e ] | |
Build costs | -780000 -48000 36000 |
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Max health | 52000 (+25/s) |
Speed | 20 (Air) |
Veterancy | 50 (+15/s) |
Intel (radius) | Vision: 70 |
Weapon: Othe Tactical Bomb Bomb - Bomb |
|
Damage per second | 1100 |
Bomb damage | 11000 |
Damage radius | 20 |
Reload time | 10 seconds |
Range | 90 |
Weapon: Losaare AA Autocannon x 3 Anti Air - Projectile |
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Damage per second | 450 |
Projectile damage | 450 |
Reload time | 1 seconds |
Range | 64 |
Weapon: Air Crash Death |
|
Damage | 10000 |
Damage radius | 8 |
The Seraphim Experimental Bomber, nicknamed Ahwassa is a Seraphim air unit. It is very fast for its size and equipped with massive fuel cells, giving it unlimited air time. It is the most expensive air-based non-game ender in the game. It carries anti-air guns for defense against other aircraft, and drops a negative energy earthshaker bomb capable of completely ravaging a small base, or an army. Unupgraded UEF and Seraphim ACU's are able to stand up to a single attack by the Ahwassa, with 12000 and 11500 HP respectively. The bomb deals 11000 damage, so it will destroy a stock Cybran or Aeon ACU if the bomb is dropped directly onto it.
The Ahwassa is equipped with 3 Anti Air cannons, giving it effective Air defense too. It has 52000 HP, and regenerates 25 HP per second. When destroyed, it has a very powerful Air Crash doing 10000 damage, a similar blast to the Air Crash of the Aeon CZAR. However, due to its speed and momentum when it is destroyed it is impossible to use the air crash as a precision weapon to crush targets like the enemy ACU, unlike the CZAR which will fall on top of anything it is directly over when destroyed.
The true power of the Ahwassa is its speed, 2 1/2 times that of the CZAR and the Soul Ripper, making it by far the fastest experimental in the game. This also makes it far more durable than either of the other 2 fliers, despite having only slightly more HP than the CZAR; its speed makes it more resistant to the ASF "strafing runs" that destroy the slower experimentals in only a few passes, as the ASFs are forced to chase the Ahwassa in order to attack it, allowing its AA defences to pick them off as they catch up. Additionally, since it deals all its air-to-ground damage in a single shot, it doesn't expose itself to unnecessary fire from ground AA emplacements (especially the slow-firing SAM launchers), where the hovering CZAR and Soul Ripper rapidly become fodder to multiple shots. The only reliable way to prevent yourself from taking damage from an Ahwassa is to intercept it in open space with a large cluster of ASFs as far out from your base as possible. T2 flak units are not effective due to the Ahwassa's ability to destroy 118 acres of them in a single pass. On the other hand, the Ahwassa is less effective than the other air experimentals against large single units like other experimentals or naval units, due to its low DPS.
This bomber has a very low firing rate and a broad turning radius. The low firing rate means that it is almost completely useless against a well-shielded base, as the shields will recharge before the bomber can make another pass. If the bomb hits shield it will do no damage to anything. It is best to recon the target area, select a priority target, and destroy it on the first pass. The bomber will not be able to drop two bombs on the same target in any reasonable time, so a wise tactic is to send 3 or 4 T3 bombers in for cleanup in case the Ahwassa fails to completely destroy its objective.
Because of how it turns, the Ahwassa becomes vulnerable to just about anything as it turns. Make sure that it does not turn in the path of T3 artillery emplacements, as it can and probably will get hit if it shoots--you may want to force the bomber to move away from them It will take longer for the Ahwassa to take a second shot if you manually set a path, but it will be much safer than letting it turn on its own.
This unit is also great for breaching defenses so your ground forces can advance.
Hover Bombing[]
There is a very advanced technique you can perform with the Ahwassa called Hover Bombing. This technique seeks to keep the Ahwassa stationary and fire its payload without approaching the target allowing it to take out bases from afar and without flying through it.
In order to perform the Hover Bomb one must spam move commands either directly under the Ahwassa or slightly in front of it. This will make the Ahwassa hover or advance very slowly. Few seconds of this and the Ahwassa will fulfill the minimum distance requirement despite not moving much and will be allowed to fire its payload. Afterwards order the Ahwassa to attack a target that is directly in front of it and is at about 3/4s of its maximum attack range. Using Ground Fire over Return Fire is highly recommended. The Ahwassa will thrust forward and fire its bomb over the span of 1 second. If you issue move commands directly under it after it releases its bomb it will stop in its track. If you issue move commands directly behind but very close to its center, the Ahwassa will slowly fly backwards without changing its facing. Afterwards keep spamming move commands for 10 seconds (Ahwassa's reload time) and repeat the process all over again.
Practice is required to perform this technique as the Ahwassa just loves to rotate and turn around against your wishes. But with enough practice you can make the Ahwassa move in any direction slowly without changing its facing and hover bomb indefinitely. This technique is a great way to avoid an ACU's death explosion.
The main benefit of Hover Bombing is that it can make the Ahwassa reach its maximum DPS of 1100 because bombing runs take longer than 10 seconds.
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The Ahwassa can destroy submerged units if it does not attack them directly, but rather the ground under it via Ground Fire mode. So if there are strategic submarines bombarding your base while submerged, issue the Ahwassa to attack the ocean floor underneath them and it will annihilate all submarines within the blast radius.
Tips[]
1. To ensure a successful strike against a well shielded base, use a few strategic bombers to bring down the shields, with the Ahwassa traveling behind them to strike as soon as the shields are downed. Or, if your economy can take it, use 2 Ahwassas, which will work better against heavily shielded bases.
2. The Ahwassa requires a specific distance travelled towards the target before it can fire, that is it cannot fire immediately after finished turning. You have to turn while the target is far away, then let it go straight towards the target for a few seconds. Thus, although it reloads it's bomb in 10 seconds, it usually requires over 30 seconds before it can fire again.
3. The Ahwassa excels in eliminating massive amounts of T3 units to ease a ground assault.