Purifier

The Purifier was a heavy walker used by the Black Hand in Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath.
==Background==
A first generation combat robot created by Marcion's Black Hand and later employed by the Brotherhood of Nod, the Purifier was a precursor to the Avatar Warmech deployed during the Third Tiberium War. Its design was inspired by Marcion's personal experience during the Second Tiberium War. Specifically, when he used an imrpovised flamethrower to rout entrenched GDI forces during urban combat, saving the rest of his regiment. This experience saw Marcion declared a hero of Nod, his very presence inspiring the Nod militants around him.
The Purifier was developed to recreate that experience. Representing Marcion on the battlefield, it was equipped with a shoulder-mounted flamethrower and a subliminal projection device that would enhance the morale and righteousness of the Black Hand troops surrounding it. Though not as advanced or flexible as its successor, the Purifier was effective in its own right, especially when accompanied by infantry it can "inspire."
Upon its initial deployment, the Purifier was the subject of no small amount of controversy, with many Black Hand hardliners decrying the use of a "soulless machine" within a religious army that otherwise stood opposed to such devices. Marcion, seeking to prevent further schism within the Black Hand, remedied the situation by requiring each machine be blessed by a Black Hand abbot before entering the battlefield.Electronic Arts Los Angeles, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath. Nod Weaponry, "Purifier".
==Abilities==
	Subliminal messaging	Friendly infantry squads within 150 range of the Purifier gain +50% fire rate, +25% armor and are +50% harder to suppress. Does not affect garrisoned infantry. Does not stack with itself.
==Upgrades==
	Purifying Flame	The same Tiberium-based fuel used in upgraded Flame Tanks can be loaded into Purifiers, burning blue-hot with devastating results (Ctrl+S).	Purchasable at Black Hand Secret Shrine $3000 and takes 1:30 to research.
==Deployment history==
Purifiers were fairly rare during Marcion's rebellion; several guarded his main base from attack and attempted to escort Marcion away from the battlefield once his command center was destroyed by LEGION's forces. Another group of twelve Purifiers was encountered following the Black Hand's reintegration with Nod, when LEGION assaulted a GDI Liquid Tiberium Lab. Though they had been damaged by Steel Talons forces, they were reactivated and utilized to complete the mission. Despite the introduction of the Avatar, the Black Hand chose to continue to use the Purifier, up to the year 2052, when the 2nd Armoured Regiment of the Black Hand assisted the Marked of Kane in capturing the Tacitus.
Purifiers take the place of the Avatar for the Black Hand subfaction and are thus built at the same tech level and require the same facilities before combat delivery can commence, i.e. a Tech Lab and a War Factory/Redeemer Engineering Facility.
Like the Avatar, the Purifier husk can be reactivated by suitably trained personnel if the Purifier has been destroyed, provided the husk is not destroyed first. The Purifier was replaced by the Fourth Tiberium War era Avatar walkers.
==Game unit==
The Purifier's base statistics are very similar to those of its mainline successor, the Avatar. Both of their laser armaments fire at the same speed with the same damage, and both warmechs have the same size, speed, health pool, and armor.
The difference between them comes in their special abilities; the Purifier is incapable of augmenting itself with technology from other Nod vehicles, but is built with a flamethrower already attached, and at a price that is lower than that of an Avatar with the same upgrade. It also provides a bonus to nearby friendly units, similar to the Voice of Kane, something that the Avatar is unable to do under any circumstances.
Groups of Purifiers can counter most things within the game; their lasers are highly effective against enemy armor, and their flamethrowers can toast anything that comes too close, nearly instantly killing infantry and dealing reasonable damage to vehicles. When upgraded with Purifying Flames, they become even more deadly and can melt enemy structures and vehicles within very short spaces of time, especially when the Purifier is stationary and used in conjunction with the its laser. They can also be used to increase the effectiveness of allied forces in a battle merely by being near them.
Unlike most other walkers (except perhaps a garrisoned Steel Talons Behemoth or an appropriately upgraded Avatar), the Purifier does not need an escort to deal with commandos; despite the latter's durability, they remain infantry units, and will fall under the Purifier's flamethrower if subjected to it for to long.
Purifiers, however, can still be destroyed when confronted with overwhelming anti-tank weapons, long-ranged units, or wily commanders who use hit-and-run tactics (ironically a skill of the Brotherhood that the Black Hand is a part of). They also lack anti-aircraft capabilities, and so can be destroyed by anti-tank aerial units such as the Nod Vertigo and the GDI Orca, or can be overwhelmed by swarms of Venoms or Invaders (launched from Scrin Planetary Assault Carriers).
Like all other high-tier walkers, Purifiers leave husks when they are destroyed. These husks can be revived by any commander, though will not retain their veterancy. The Purifier's core will eventually die down if left uncaptured for a lengthy period of time, so preventing an enemy from nearing it (or just outright destroying it) are both valid methods to deny the enemy a powerful weapon.
==Changelog==
*Kane's Wrath patch 1.01: 
**beam weapon damage increased by 6.25%
**purifying flame damage bonus decreased 75%
==Quotes==
===When created===
*Purifier ready!
*The flame shall purify!
*And then there was fire!
===When selected===
*Ready to burn!
*Fired up!
*Purifier ready!
*Flame tanks primed!
*In control!
*Systems engaged!
===When moving===
*Onwards!
*Lead the way!
*Location set...
*Target vector!
*Forge a path!
*Acknowledge!
*Advancing!
===When ordered to attack===
*Combat sensor online!
*There will be fire!
*Into the fray!
*All will be ashes!
===When attacking===
*Burn it!
*Into ash!
*Fire is purity!
*Eliminate!
*Thy will be done!
*Leave no trace!
*Char!
*White hot!
*Set it on fire!
===In combat===
*Combat system engaged!
*Active purification!
*They burn!
*It shall rain ash!
*Purifying!
*All will be cleansed!
===When retreating===
*If it is Kane's will.
*I depart!
*I shall return!
==Trivia==
*The Purifier is similar to the Emperor Overlord tank from Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour, in that it is a faction specific variant of an existing high-tier unit, and its default state is one of the upgraded states of its base unit.
*Unlike the Avatar, the Purifier's mechanical arm is purely cosmetic; it is never used in any combat scenario. This trait is shared by Nod's Epic unit, the Redeemer.
==Gallery==
CnCArena_Purifier.png|In the C&C: Arena leaked trailer
==See also==
*Avatar, the successor to the Purifier and Nod counterpart
*Mammoth tank, GDI counterpart
*Juggernaut, GDI walker counterpart
*Behemoth, Steel Talons walker counterpart
*Annihilator tripod, Scrin counterpart
*Reaper tripod, Reaper-17 counterpart
Category:Kane's Wrath vehicles
de:Läuterer