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Annihilation Tripod

Do you need to clear out a cluster of multiple POI's that are so close together you're taking fire from several plasma turrets at once? And the ground has multiple Zirax patrols? Introducing an HV designed to do precisely that: the Annihilation Tripod.

Many HV's are designed to look like futuristic tanks, and there's a lot of beautiful designs in the workshop. However, many of them aren't truly that effective at POI assault because they're low to the ground which gives the POI turrets a height advantage. Most players simply use an SV instead, and attack from above. I wanted to design an HV that could really go in there and show the Zirax who is the boss.

This design goes vertical, so you can rain agony down on your foes from above. The plasma turrets are level with, or higher than, the turrets on most POI, which makes the enemy turrets easier to hit (they are less likely to be shielded by other parts of the POI). It has fairly good acceleration forward and from side to side, allowing it to dodge incoming turret fire.

While the Annihilation Tripod is designed for assault, it can also be used as a standalone defense tower, and will make your enemies pay for even thinking about getting near you.

Please be warned that if you want to loot/salvage POI's, the Annihilation Tripod may damage them more than you want. Surgically taking out the turrets from above with an SV may be the best method. (But by the time you have the resources to build something like this, does it matter how much of the enemy installation is left?)


The Annihilation Tripod has the maximum weapons allowed for an HV as of Alpha 8.6.1: 4 plasma turrets, 1 artillery turret, 4 rocket turrets, 6 minigun turrets, and 6 gatling guns. It is armored with combat steel. Most systems are redundant, with generators, fuel tanks, weapons, RCS, and thrusters scattered throughout the structure.

Some basic equipment to help with POI assault is included, such as a medical station, armor locker, and oxygen station. There is also a mobile constructor, which can be used for field repairs, or just storage.


Turrets aren't very smart about targeting, they like to all attack the same target at once, without regard to what the most threatening target is. The targeting should be set so the plasma cannons and artillery focus on taking out enemy turrets, whereas the miniguns and rockets focus on drones and patrols. You may want to adjust the targeting but be careful to leave at least some heavy weapons focused on only enemy turrets, otherwise you could be taking plasma fire while your turrets are all shooting at some Zirax patrol hiding behind a rock.


The Annihilation Tripod was originally designed on an arid planet, and can traverse all but the most mountainous regions. It can also conquer moons easily. On temperate and snow worlds, like any large HV it has some trouble navigating forests quickly. There are harvesters on the legs to cut through trees but it can be a slog.

To quickly transport the Annihilation Tripod over forests and rugged mountains, you can use the Annihilation Tripod Cart.