If you mention the iconic units of Red Alert 2, many players may think of the Apocalypse Tank for the first time.
The Apocalypse Tank is a high-level training unit in the Soviet camp and one of the most powerful land combat units in the entire Red Alert series.
As the face of the Red Alert, generations of Apocalypse tanks have been designed as a powerful mobile output fortress.
In the original Red Alert 2, the Apocalypse Tank had 800 HP, which was twice as large as the Rhino Tanks of the two factions of Mining Vehicles (1000 Points), Base Vehicles (1000 Points), and Kirov Airships (2000 Points) of all ground units.
Considering that apocalyptic tanks are heavy armor, the frankness in the actual game is much higher than the numbers on the cards.
In terms of firepower output, the Apocalypse Tank is 100 damage, which is exactly the same as the Prism Tank and the Phantom Tank, which is lower than the Tank Killer's 150 points. However, these are superficial figures, and in actual combat, the type of armor of the opponent and the type of their own shells must also be taken into account.
For example, if you use the Apocalypse tank to hit the creeps, it is almost a one, if you change the tank killer, whether you can single-handedly win the third-level soldiers is a problem.
The Apocalypse tank has a 120mm cannon barrel capable of firing two high-explosive shells at a time. This high-explosive bullet is a special warhead, unlike ordinary armor-piercing shells and grenades, it can cause small sputtering damage, whether facing buildings, tanks or infantry, it can cause a lot of lethality.
In addition to the main gun barrel, it also has an air defense system that can fire two anti-aircraft missiles at once. In the original Red Alert 2, the Apocalypse Tank was also the only tank that could automatically defend itself.
But the most unusual thing is that the Apocalypse Tank has a self-healing ability, which can regenerate 4 HP per second. In this way, the apocalyptic tank is not only "meat" and powerful in firepower, but also has air defense capabilities and automatic blood return capabilities, which can be called all-round players.
Because of this, the Apocalypse Tank has also become a very popular unit for many players. The favorite thing to do in "Red Alert 2" that year was to dismantle the map of the Bering Strait, and after demolishing the bridge, it was full of dense apocalypse tanks to push six cold computers.
However, time has passed, the years have passed, and the land overlord who was once remembered has now become a mascot-like existence. Flashiness has become the first impression of many players.
Although the apocalyptic tank is very fierce, but to really reach the battlefield, when it needs to win or lose, it is often not as good as imagined. In today's battle situation, both sides want to defeat each other in the most direct and effective way, and the Apocalypse Tank is obviously not a good choice.
Why is the Apocalypse Tank not good? The reason is that the Apocalypse tank has four major fatal weaknesses, which also affects its appearance rate.
The first is the cost and factory speed. The price of the Apocalypse tank is 1750 yuan, which is nearly twice that of the Rhino tank, and the training time is also very long, in addition, it also needs to be premised on the combat laboratory, which means that the formation speed of the Apocalypse tank is very slow.
Today's Red Alert battles can often end a battle in a few minutes, and if the other side finds you there slowly saving the apocalypse tank, you may have just built your first tank, and the opposite side has already attacked.
Using the Apocalypse tank as the main tank means that the early defense is thin and will bear great risks.
Second, it's slow. Even if your apocalyptic tank is formed, the other party will snicker when they see your situation. Because in their eyes, these seemingly intimidating big guys are not war machines at all, but clumsily scrap iron.
The Apocalypse tank moves at only four points, the slowest of any tank, exactly the same as the infantry. This makes it impossible to schedule deployments quickly.
Know that the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and if your tank speed is always half a beat slower than others, you will only be led by the other side.
Third, the attack cannot be moved. This is the Apocalypse tank's most fatal weakness. With the same movement on both sides, the Rhino tank and the Grizzly Tank can automatically attack enemies on the surrounding ground, while the Apocalypse Tank cannot do this.
This means that when the team is fighting, the Apocalypse tank can only fight position warfare, waiting for others to attack. Once you move, the opposing tank will choose to stick to you and attack you, because the Apocalypse cannot attack while moving, and must stop before firing the cannon.
In this way, the Apocalypse lost the initiative in the movement war, and only had to be kited by other tanks.
Fourth, it is easy to be restrained. There are many units that can restrain the apocalyptic tank, and the prism tank and the phantom tank are all sharp weapons to restrain the apocalyptic tank. For example, 100 apocalypse tanks can never win 100 prism tanks, interested friends can do an experiment.
Of course, in the face of the apocalyptic army, the best choice is to produce a spider. A spider is 500 yuan, and after sprinkling the Iron Curtain, it can drill into the Apocalypse Tank to forcibly change one. Even without the Iron Curtain device, replacing an expensive apocalyptic tank with three spiders is a sure thing to do.
Fifth, there are better alternatives. Today's Land Overlord is neither an Apocalypse tank, nor a Mirage or a prism, but the main Rhino tank of the Soviet Army.
The Rhino tank is the most cost-effective tank with fast movement speed, cheap cost, moderate frankness, fast molding speed, and mobile attack. Today's Red Alert 2 battle has become the world of rhino tanks, and the apocalypse tank can no longer be seen.
Even if you are lucky enough to pick up a box and get an Apocalypse Tank, you will most likely get the damage of the two armies in the front block like a mascot, and its role is not even as good as that of five police dogs.
Seeing so many Achilles heels, perhaps some players will question in their hearts, can the apocalypse tank really not work, fell off the altar?
I think not, whether the Apocalypse Tank works or not depends on the player's way of playing and mentality. In the eyes of PVE players, the Apocalypse Tank is still the land overlord of destruction and decay, and in the eyes of PVP players, victory or defeat is the first key, and the Apocalypse Tank is insignificant.
It is a pity that the time to play with friends is running out today, and looking back on the past, the picture of the two sides pulling apart and spreading across the mountains and apocalypse tank duels can only exist in memory.