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Battlesuit
Battlesuit
Melee Unit in Beyond Earth
Required 4 Purity Purity
1 Titanium Titanium
Servomachinery Servomachinery
Moves Movement 2
Base Unit Strength Strength 24

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Game info[]

The Battlesuit is an exoskeleton armor which greatly enhances the capabilities of the soldier inside. Tier 2 Battlesuits have a force field which activates automatically when the soldier doesn't move a lot, thus greatly enhancing its Strength Combat Strength when defending. They are often a durable but slightly more expensive alternative to Soldiers.

Unit Upgrades[]

In comparison to the basic units, a Tier 1 Battlesuit has roughty the same functionality and Strength Combat Strength as a Tier 3 Soldier.

Tier 1[]

Tier 1 Battlesuits come a bit earlier than Tier 3 Soldiers yet have the same Strength Combat Strength. They can excel in the early-to-mid game as Tier 1 due to their definitive raw Strength. Their armor is reminiscent of Space Marines from numerous video games, with large, clad plates, an excessive bayonet and red flags signalling their patriotism to Old Earth.

Battlesuit portfolio

Battlesuits attacking a Xeno Cavalry (left) and their upgrade post (right)

Subject Tier 1 (Battlesuit)
Tech Prerequisites Servomachinery
Affinity Prerequisites 4 Purity Purity
Resource Cost 1 Titanium Titanium
Production Cost 190Production Production
Combat Strength 24 Strength Combat Strength
Movement 2Movement Movement
Perk Choice A --
Perk Choice B --

Tier 2[]

At Tier 2, Battlesuits may continue on the path of Purity or incorporate some other Affinity features, depending on the sponsor. They also receive a defensive force field which increases their ranged deflection.

Subject Tier 2 (Evolved Battlesuit) Tier 2 (True Battlesuit)

Tier 2 (Prime Battlesuit)

Tech Prerequisites Servomachinery Servomachinery Servomachinery
Affinity Prerequisites 10 Purity Purity

4 Harmony Harmony

12 Purity Purity 10 Purity Purity

4 Supremacy Supremacy

Resource Cost 1 Titanium Titanium 1 Titanium Titanium 1 Titanium Titanium
Production Cost 330 Production Production 330 Production Production 330 Production Production
Combat Strength 66 Strength Combat Strength 66 Strength Combat Strength 66 Strength Combat Strength
Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement
Perk Choice A +20% Strength Combat Strength when flanking +20% Strength Combat Strength when flanking +20% Strength Combat Strength when flanking
Perk Choice B +40% Strength Combat Strength when not next to friendly unit +30% Strength Combat Strength when attacking +20% Strength Combat Strength when adjacent to a friendly unit
Passive +30% Strength Combat Strength when defending +30% Strength Combat Strength when defending +30% Strength Combat Strength when defending

In Universe information[]

The soldier was, is, and in all probability will ever be the best combat platform. The human body has good sensorial set, great cross-terrain capabilities, can handle a variety of weapons, is capable of adaptation and improvisation, and despite its physical fragility possesses amazing survivability on the battlefield - even with all modern horrors military technology throws at him. Combine this with relatively short and inexpensive training periods required to make a normal human combat-ready, and you get the most adaptive and cost-effective battle platform ever available to our race.

Thus it has long been the dream of every military commander to improve the natural qualities of soldiers. Throughout human history, many new types of weapons were invented to enhance the deadliness of the soldier, at the same time as many new types of armor and defensive equipment aimed at increasing his survivability on the field. From the club and the sword to the pulse shocklance, from the leather jerkin to the kevlar body armor, they all have the same aim - to make man a better warrior. Battlesuits are nothing different, however, they are definitely the best thing ever invented in that line.

Experiments with exoskeletons were already a fact since the early 21st century; but there was one main obstacle which made powered armor unsuitable for large scale war - the power package. With the batteries available at the time, a soldier had at most an hour in his armor, time in which he had to take battle position, perform his mission, and return to base; and that estimated time never included any waiting, coordination, or a margin for unforeseen events. As a consequence, many soldiers used to get stuck in mid-field when their power packages drained; and were forced to abandon their missions, or worse.

But the discovery of Floatstone and its idyosincratic monopolar gravity fields made possible the creation of a new generation of featherweight fusion reactors - small enough to be installed in an exoskeleton. Suddenly, all that was next to impossible before, became a matter of simple mass production. The new battlesuits easily doubled the speed of soldiers on the field; their weight capacity now measured in tons, and their damage resistance - in almost kilotons. All this was sufficiently cheap to produce, and the soldiers - sufficiently quick to learn its uses, so that a new generation of soldiers came to life, and took over traditional battle equipment (at least in the colonies that possessed the secret of the reactors).

But the fact is that a Battlesuit is nothing but a piece of metal without the soldier within it. Beyond some fancy enhancements such as computer-enhanced vision and audio feeds, tactical overlay map and a constant connection to Central Command, the Battlesuit can't replace the experience and ingenuity of its operator. Thus, the Battlesuit infantry divisions have developed a whole system of merit and honor, which builds on the characters of those that wear them, and not on cheap mechanical improvements. Each regiment traditionally carries their battle standard, which was created based on the regiment's history. Often, past commanders of the regiment are honored on the standard, and during roll calls, turning into living legends which inspire the soldiers and create a whole new cultural aspect in the colony.

Civilopedia entry

Improving the quality of individual soldiers is and has always been at the heart of military sciences. The human body is an excellent combat platform: It possesses good load-bearing and cross-terrain mobility, a robust sensory package, and can be improved through training to have excellent in-situ decision-making and tactical reflexes. The Battlesuit enhances the potential of each soldier in all these categories.

The Battlesuit derives from earlier work in industrial exoskeletons. While those earlier models easily boosted the load the operator could carry, they were hampered by the need to carry bulky and short-lived power supplies, or they had to remain tethered to power sources. The discovery of floatstone and its idiosyncratic monopolar gravity fields meant that exoskeletons could be constructed and powered by a new generation of featherweight fusion reactors. Liberating the energy source eliminated the last long-standing obstacle to effective powered armor for the military, and the Battlesuit quickly went into mass production. A soldier now has his combat capacity measured in tons, his mobility effectively doubled, and all this at minimal additional time added to his training.

The Battlesuit builds on the fundamental strengths of humanity. Without its soldier, the Battlesuit is simply an idle construct. It has defined the new standard for infantry; a shift in the strategic landscape such as this has not been seen since the invention of the machine gun.

Battlesuit infantry regiments are traditionally given a nickname based on their regimental commander, with the most valorous and legendary commanders’ nicknames persisting after their death and retirement. The most famous regiment of all may be the highly decorated Juanito’s Jaguars of the 4eme Marine. Col. Richard Juanito may have died in battle some eighty years before, but the regiment’s daily roll call still asks his name first each morning. The Senior Sergeant speaks for the long-dead officer: “He has gone ahead of us.”

Gallery[]

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