Superheated Ballista

The Superheated Ballista is a cheap, yet fairly powerful ESC 1 Halax weapon capable of dealing additional damage to enemy Blocks whenever it lands the killing blow on an enemy structure or weapon. This ability makes it very useful for dealing reliable damage to enemy Blocks in the early game, especially when paired with other ESC 1 Halax weapons.

Story
Like many other spacefaring civilizations, the ancient Protohalax relied upon mass drivers and projected energy weapons as the standard for most of their ranged weaponry. These weapons, though primitive, retained their effectiveness even after the magically-attuned Halax emerged, but their usage waned considerably as the Halax redesigned their technology to coincide with their worship of Syllys. Although magical weapons comprised many of the upper layers of the Halax arsenal, they were often too resource-intensive or complex to fit the role of a cheap and reliable siege weapon. This drove Halax engineers to create the Superheated Ballista, a weapon that was inexpensive enough to be deployed in large numbers, yet still distinct enough so as not to offend the Halax religious magistrate. Ever since they were developed, Superheated Ballistas of varying sizes have seen action in countless Halax conflicts, mostly on their smaller warships that are unable to fit the equipment needed for Vulxama projection. The Superheated Ballistas seen in the Arena Conflict stand as the largest incarnations to-date, and have some of the highest stopping power of any projectile weapons used by the races of the Arena. The methods by which Superheated Ballistas fabricate and propel their gigantic seething-hot metal bolts are known to be of great interest to Transhuman engineers, who believe some of the technology can be repurposed to improve their own projectile weapons. It is widely believed that experimental Transhuman Penetrator Rounds are actually derived from the design of Halax ballista bolts.

Although they are not explosive and do not have any special qualities, the bolts fired by Superheated Ballistas are not to be underestimated. The durable metal alloy comprising these bolts is enchanted by Halax wizards to be nearly indestructible, a quality that both helps them break through tough enemy armor and remain solid even after they are heated to temperatures close to those on the surface of a star. Once they have been reinforced and heated, the bolts are propelled through the air via a large gravity sling, aided by several low-ranking Panxama wizards. The triangular shape of these bolts make them perfect for penetrating through enemy armor, and they are capable of piercing right through weaker enemy installations and damaging the Blocks they reside upon in certain situations, dealing even more damage as they melt almost everything near them. Interestingly, these bolts rarely remain embedded into their targets, as once their durability enchantments wear off, the extreme heat of the bolts causes them to instantly disintegrate, leaving only a hole behind. While this was not an intended design feature of Superheated Ballistas, many Halax appreciate this automatic bolt disintegration, as it makes it difficult for enemy forces to study the design and composition of their bolts.

Gameplay
The Superheated Ballista is one of the stronger basic weapons in MAGINOT, and an extremely important part of the Halax arsenal, due mostly to the fact that it is the only non-magical ESC 1 weapon available to the Halax. As a result, most Halax players will be relying on these weapons significantly during the early game, as their Mana income will be extremely limited. Thankfully, Superheated Ballistas are well-suited for both single-target destruction and consistent Block damage in the early game. Upon destroying an enemy weapon/structure, Superheated Ballistas inflict an additional 30 PHY damage to the Block their original target was located on, effectively doubling their damage whenever they land a killing blow. Paired with the extra damage of the Burrower Ball Cannon, Superheated Ballistas can quickly deal large amounts of damage to enemy Blocks, eliminating enemy fortifications one by one. This functionality makes Superheated Ballistas useful even in ESC 2, complimenting the combined-damage effect of Saturation Trebuchets rather effectively. Since they do not require Mana to build or fire, Superheated Ballistas also serve as an excellent backup weapon Halax players can use if their Amplifier Citadels keep getting destroyed, or if their magical weapons are being inhibited in some way.

While it is somewhat more versatile than the basic weapons of other races, the Superheated Ballista still has its fair share of limitations. It has no direct upgrades to improve its capabilities, and its damage can only be boosted with the help of the Protohalax Heritage upgrade, unlocked at ESC 4. However, this upgrade comes at the cost of Mana production, and doesn't have the same long-term benefits as Hallowed Theatre or Aggressive Teleportation, so acquiring it simply to extend the usefulness of your Superheated Ballistas is not very wise. In addition to this, the low base damage of the Superheated Ballista can be blocked entirely by sufficiently-advanced enemy defensive technology. Against races with a large array of defensive options, such as the Druko, the Superheated Ballista is much less effective. Even despite its unique qualities, the Superheated Ballista, like most basic weapons, ultimately becomes obsolete as a game progresses.