Ballista

## Overview

Ballistae are powerful missile weapons that fire massive bolts at targets. It uses a series of mechanisms, primarily torsion, to fire massive bolts. They can be operated by a single person to devastating effect against enemy forces.

Ballista bolts are stacked under the weapon. After a bolt is fired, the firing mechanism takes a moment to reset while a new bolt is raised into position. Three bolts can be seen on a Ballista, the top one ready to be fired.

## Gameplay

Ballistae are stationary weapons seen throughout the campaign and can be found on certain Dominion and all Breach mode maps. They fire devastating bolts that can penetrate multiple Heroes in one shot. However, they have a limited range of motion, a slow rate of fire, and are vulnerable vision-wise as they have limited peripherals and no mini-map while on the weapon. Heroes on the Ballista also take twice the damage, which can mean sudden death if the Hero does not dismount quickly once attacked.

All Ballistae deal damage that is roughly equal to half of most Heroes' Health. This means that in most cases, it takes two bolts to take down a full health opponent, or one bolt if they are below half-health.

### Dominion

Sentinel is the only map that has Ballistae on the field. These Ballistae are located on or near the sidelane Capture Points, and prove to be key tools in keeping watch of the central lane B.

Soldiers will instantly die from being hit by a bolt, with the bolt being able to shred through lines of them.

### Breach

All Breach maps feature a Ballista during each phase of the Siege, with one exception being during the first phase of the Kazan Castle map.

Ballastae will plow through Pikemen and Captains alike in a single shot.

On Defense, the placement of Ballista helps them defend against incoming Attackers. However, as Attackers continue through the phase, the Ballista may find more value in Attacker's hands, or may end up purposeless if the Ram passes past the Ballista's zone of influence.

In the last phase, Attackers can use the Ballista to attack the Commander, whereas Defenders can use it to kill anyone who tries to attack the Commander head-on. Typically, there will be structures that help protect the Commander, where he only becomes exposed if he strays from his initial location.

## Tips & Tactics

### General Strategies

* The Ballistae in the Story Campaign fire once per second. However, in multiplayer, they fire once every three seconds. Prioritize your targets between the soldiers or enemy Heroes.
* Hitting a running target can be challenging, as it requires leading your shots because of the bolt's travel time. Try shooting targets who are stationary or distracted, such as those who are reviving another Hero or are in the middle of a fight.
* Gaining control of a Ballasta regardless of whether your team will use it or not is vital. The fact that you have a Ballasta on your team's side can deter your enemies' actions.
* Don't get tunnel visioned while on a Ballasta. Be wary of enemy Heroes that approach you; there will be a small threat indicator, but also listen for other signs of incoming enemies.
	+ On Sentinel, Ballista are also vulnerable to being sniped by other Ballistae, with the doubled damage making bolts lethal even from full health.

### Counters

* Ballistae do not have complete view of the battlefield. There are several paths that allow you to flank a Ballista without exposing yourself to its fire.
* Enemies on a Ballista have limited peripheral vision and no mini-map. Use this to your advantage and score a free hit before they know what is happening.
* In Dominion, if you intend on sniping the person from another Ballista, aim for the head as the Ballista they are mounted on will act as an obstacle.

## Trivia

* The Samurai faction seem to have a hold of massive variants of the Ballista, as seen on maps like Overwatch. However, aside from being a part of some cutscenes, these larger Ballistae are not operable during gameplay.