A long row of Venoms can carry the Beam Cannon's beam all the way across the battlefield.
The Beam Cannon was the Brotherhood of Nod's advanced energy-based artillery platform during the Third Tiberium War.
Background[]
The Beam Cannon was a powerful particle beam emitter mounted on a versatile six-wheel chassis, giving the vehicle a high degree of mobility. As a long-range artillery vehicle, the Beam Cannon sacrificed heavy armor in favor of mobility and cost-effectiveness, so commanders would need to position it behind their own lines.
The Beam Cannon was highly effective against vehicles and structures, especially when in groups, as well as being reasonably effective against infantry. The Beam Cannon had four unique properties. Firstly, it could be used to supercharge Obelisks of Light, increasing their rate of fire, attack range, and vision range (up to maximum of four Beam Cannons per Obelisk). Secondly, the Beam Cannon could extend their effective range by reflecting its laser beam off mirrors which were mounted on the underside of Venom Patrol Craft. Thirdly, the Beam Cannon's weapon could be commandeered by Nod Avatars in order to act as a secondary laser. Fourthly, multiple Beam Cannons firing at the same target could combine their beams in order to produce a single beam with firepower greater than the sum of its parts. This powerful beam was especially strong against heavily armored structures and vehicles, such as Mammoth Tanks.
Compared to the Specter artillery with which the Beam Cannon shared a similar battlefield role, the Beam Cannon offered higher firepower for less cost and required less advanced technology. The Beam Cannon was also more effective against moving targets, since it fired a laser beam directly at its target instead of using artillery shells which take time to hit their targets. Their versatility also come at the fact that they reinforce the Obelisk killing power. However, the Beam Cannon lacks the Specter's stealth ability and splash damage. Moreover, the beam cannon would be at a full disadvantage on dealing with a complete set of fortification top hill; they require a fragile-to-antiaircraft-defence Venom to shoot.
Beam Cannons close together will combine their beams into one powerful beam that is more powerful than if they were firing individually. The formula for mass Beam Cannon damage per second is 150 � n^2, where n is the number of Beam Cannons merging their beams together.
The Beam Cannon was not seen in the Ascension Conflict, although its design elements may have been used in the new AT-20 Scorpion tank.
Abilities[]
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Call for transport | If an Air Tower is deployed, Beam Cannons can call in a Carryal transport for pickup for a small fee of $200. This ability has a 2 minute cooldown. However, it is not available to Black Hand. (Ctrl + D.) |
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Charge Defenses | Beam Cannons can provide Obelisks with additional firepower by charging them. Up to 4 Beam Cannons can charge an Obelisk at any one time; each one boosts the Obelisk's rate of fire, vision range, and firing range by 10%. This ability has a 20 second cooldown once the Beam Cannons stop charging an Obelisk (Ctrl+A). |
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Reflector Beam | Nearby Beam Cannons can bounce their beams off of Venoms to hit distant targets. The Venoms must be stationary and the Beam Cannons must be within range of a Venom of which to reflect their beams off (Ctrl+S). |
Quotes[]
Created[]
- Beam Cannon ready for engagement!
Select[]
- Optics cleared!
- Beam cannon online!
- Luminators primed!
- Calibrated for high intensity!
- Systems functioning!
- Tests complete!
Moving[]
- Objective verified!
- Input the coordinates!
- Destination set!
- Lenses secure!
- Adjusting for new coordinates!
- Beam Cannon in transit!
Attacking[]
- Neutralize 'em!
- Focusing light array!
- Activate weapon systems!
- Directing energy beam...
- Fire!
Charge defense[]
- Initiating overcharge!
- Charge the base defense!
- Supplying additional power!
Use reflector beam[]
- Establishing relay!
- Forwarding target data!
- Set for weapon assist!
- Transmitting to Venom craft!
- Adjusting lens position!
Move to Attack[]
- Enemy unit confirmed!
- Moving to engage!
- Charging accelerators!
- Mobilizing for new target!
In combat[]
- Readjusting!
- Maintaining target focus.
- Tracking for termination!
- Target's in line!
- Feedback pulse confirmed!
Retreating[]
- System compromised! We're going back!
- Returning for recalibration!
Assessment[]
| “ | Optics cleared! - Beam Cannon |
” |
Pros:[]
- Most inexpensive artillery available, easily massed and with a high firepower to cost ratio
- Effective against all ground targets
- Good weapon range (outranges all base defenses)
- Can combine beams to exponentially increase damage
- Highly accurate, giving it a reasonable degree of effectiveness against infantry
- Speedy, compared to other artillery units, and transportable via Carryall
- Can charge Obelisks of Light for increased weapon range, vision range, and rate of fire
- Can be used in conjunction with Venoms in order to strike targets from complete safety
- Weapon can be commandeered by a Nod Avatar, doubling the rate of fire
- Available to all Nod factions including the Black Hand and Marked of Kane
- Very deadly against slow moving targets when in small groups of 2-4.
- Available in T2, only the Operation Center is required (in KW Expansion only. In Original C&C 3, it requires a Tech Lab to be built).
Cons:[]
- Light armor
- Weak unless in large groups
- Cannot hit targets on top of hills without assistance from Venoms (it needs a direct line-of-fire)
- Cannot suppress infantry, giving less time for the Beam Cannons to attack before the infantry get into range
- Vulnerable against aircraft
- Unlike Specters, Beam Cannons do damage over time as opposed to instantaneous damage, so they are a poor choice for hit and run tactics
- Even though it may attack from outside the vision range of enemies, the location of the Beam Cannon is still obvious due to the bright red beam between the vehicle and the target
- Unlike the Juggernaut, Specter or Devastator Warship, the Beam Cannon is a very poor choice against infantry spams or cheap units due to the firing delay and lack of splash damage.
- Maximum range is longer than line of sight, requiring other units with longer sight range to allow them to make use of their full range.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
 Brotherhood of Nod Third Tiberium War Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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