Jericho

The Jericho is an Auxiliary-mounted vortex cannon. It is highly effective against cover and hull, but has a slow "projectile" speed.
== Acquisitions Entry ==
This is an ingenious creation of a ballistic weapon without the immense mass requirements of ammunition. The idea behind vortex cannons is quite old, but the destructive potential they offered was never enough to merit serious development (at least not by the military). The Spacers not only provided the theory's combat efficacy, but adopted vortex cannons as their primary non-photonic weapon type. The drawback is that they're difficult to aim - vortex muzzle velocity is much lower than conventional munitions and the projectiles themselves are invisible to the naked eye. Jerichos have real trouble against shield emitters to boot, but will annihilate most fortifications and unshielded targets in a single blow. Even the lighter Jericho mounts common among Arlos will open a Tobruk like a tin can.It's obvious their scientists and engineers were spurred by mass/reactant concerns, but Spacers pursue too many unusual lines of investigation for simple pragmatism. I suspect there's a continuing desire to show superiority over "dirt eaters" as well, though I can't be sure.-Efi
== Notes & Strategy ==
Powerful deliverance of force, a rewarding option, detonating structures quickly, and dealing massive damage to unshielded targets.
But do mind its operation. The Jericho shot travels nearly unseen to its target and rather slowly. This tricks the gunner's judgement of trajectory. Add a slow reload rate and you have a "cognitive" challenge of sorts, making the gunner calculate mentally each shot. With it's nearly invisible "projectile", the Jericho may illude beginners. [Due to player feedback, the projectile was made much clearer in an update. And damage was reduced to balance the difficulty vs. reward of mastering the weapon.]
The slow, deliberate action of the Jericho couples well with "shotgun" weapons, which allow (short) windows of focus between the shotgun blasts to aim the Jericho blasts. The Crambo is one fine suggestion for a sidearm, overwhelming shields with its beehive shells, cleaning the way to the Jericho to smash the target. The close range the Crambo puts you takes you closer to targets, increasing chance to hit.
High cover damage makes it a great tactical tool for mouse-holing. And able to take down any key structure in one hit. Even the sturdiest walls are reduced to nothing in a maximum of 2 hits.
== Trivia ==
* Its name may be a reference to the Biblical siege of Jericho, in which its great walls were promptly brought down to the sounding of trumpets and horns by the Israelite army, according to Joshua 6:1-27.
== Achievements ==
Category:Cannon Weapons
Category:Auxiliary Weapons
Category:Weapons