Darkwalker

Darkwalker
Background info
Faction	Necris
Game info
Type	Ground
Health	1000
Seats	2
Appears in	Unreal Tournament 3

"Mounted on a tripod of nano-fueled tentacles, the Darkwalker stands imposingly tall in the battlefield, intending to strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose the Necris. Few have faced this offensive platform in battle and lived to tell the tale.

Side mounted particle accelerators combine their firepower into a large sweeping beam that disintegrates anything in its path. Integrated compressor units along the underside of the vehicle release a battle cry that is as destructive as it is intimidating.

The concussive blast released by the horns impairs the senses and paralyzes anyone caught below the Walker, leaving them vulnerable to fire from the secondary turret of the crushing forces of the crouching Darkwalker itself."

– Vehicle description

The Necris Darkwalker is a vehicle appearing in Unreal Tournament 3.

Overview

It is a large, slow-moving vehicle, mounted on spider-like legs, enabling it to travel smoothly over very uneven terrain. It has particle accelerators that can create a sweeping thin beam that can disintegrate anything in the beam's path. It also features a shriek meant to frighten the opposition.

The Darkwalker camera gives you a good view of the map around you - if you see anyone behind or below you, the secondary "yell" attack can knock them off their feet allowing you to turn around and shoot them. The Darkwalker can also crouch, allowing you to pass through low openings and ceilings, and squish anyone who happens to be underneath.

In spite of it powerfulness, the Darkwalker is huge, and slow to move and turn.

Related Achievements

	Jack of All Trades  10
	Kill an enemy with every vehicle (except Hoverboard).

Tips and tricks

• The Darkwalker's shriek is not only useful to get a rid of enemies right below you, but it can also force people out of Vipers and Mantas.
• Roadkill with a Darkwalker is impossible, so don't hope to crush someone by stepping on them.
• Some areas on maps are very hard to access using a Darkwalker. Crouching will deal with low overhangs, but the Darkwalker itself can easily "climb" some areas otherwise inaccessable.
• Unlike Goliaths and Paladins, Darkwalkers are not vulnerable to Raptors and other flying vehicles. Attacking from below is dumb, as the shriek will send you flying.
• Using a self-destructing Viper is useful, as it does 600 damage, more than half of the Darkwalker's 1,000 health. Just be careful not to get hit by the Darkwalker, as the beams can easily kill you.
• Doing some Longbow AVRiL camping is actually quite smart, because 5 of the rockets will put down a Darkwalker with ease.
• The primary beam attack is extremely powerful but changes direction slowly, lagging far behind the crosshair. Thus, it is most effective on targets directly in your path or slightly around it.
• A good strategy is to skirt the perimeter of the arena, keeping you back against the wall to minimize the Darkwalker's weakness.
• The Darkwalker's secondary attack can also be extremely useful against certain vehicles: Players are kicked out of Mantas and Vipers if within the area of effect and the Scavenger is kicked away and forced into "ball mode" for some time.
• Its weaknesses allow players to effectively damage and destroy it by attacking it from behind or running in a large circle around it, attacking in between beam shots. Skilled players should be able to limit the Darkwalker to no more kills than a well-placed Redeemer if they exploit the Darkwalker's weaknesses.
• The Darkwalker's vulnerability is reduced and its firepower increased in team deathmatch games if a second player gets in. The attack of the secondary weapon is much more agile and can help offset the vehicle's weaknesses. The darkwalker is an interesting addition to team deathmatch as it adds an additional cooperative element, making TDM slightly more than just combining the frag counts of several players.
• The Darkwalker is very effective at destroying smaller vehicles if your aim is good enough. However, the Darkwalker is also quite good at destroying nodes that aren't well covered. The darkwalker's primary attack has huge range, so it can be used to great effect in large open areas to hit slower moving vehicles like tanks and the leviathan in the distance. Of course, for the same reasons, you can expect to be hammered by AVRiL rockets and other gunfire in such open areas.

Trivia

• The Darkwalker resembles the Strider from the Half-Life series.

Preview notes

"The Necris vehicles in particular are quite possibly the best thing to enter a game in a long time. They are not mere functional clones of the Axon vehicles, but instead provide genuinely unique experiences. Many of the Necris vehicles feature mechanical tentacle arms that can be used to climb over giant walls or other pieces of architecture that would otherwise be impassible. The Darkwalker in particular is impressive. It’s physically very large and quite slow, but its primary cannons stream out large amounts of damage in pulses."

– PlanetUnreal

Gallery

Concept art.

See also

• Vehicles
• Phayder Corporation
• Necris