Tribes: Aerial Assault Weapons

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Spinfusor: Shoots an exploding disk. Useful for when your opponent is on the ground. Able to keep them pinned and also deals splash damage. Arguably the most useful weapon in the game. Used by all 3 armor types. Can also be used to disk jump. You will take damage from firing it and jumping but it will make you jump further. So disk jump at your own risk in Tribes: Aerial Assault.

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Plasma Rifle: Fires a plasma ball straight. This weapon is very useful for taking out enemy remote turrets. It also deals splash damage. Overall a good weapon of choice for all armor classes in Tribes: Aerial Assault. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Grenade Launcher: A favorite for hitting people midair. The grenade launcher lobs a grenade that explodes upon impact. It will bounce and explode on the ground so you can shoot it around things. Since it lobs grenades it will shoot up and over a hill to come down onto a target. Everyone loves a grenade launcher. You will too until you get hit with a midair grenade.

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Blaster: Generally considered the weakest weapon in Tribes: Aerial Assault. It fires a red burst of energy that draws on the players energy pool. This burst does a small amount of damage. It does cut through shields though.

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Chaingun: This weapon takes time to load up when firing. It will spin before shooting. It's primarily used for enemies who are in the air. It doesn't deal much damage in Tribes: Aerial Assault. It was nerfed on a majority of AADS server maps. Most people only use it in spawn armor. It also deals more damage the longer you have it activated. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Laser Rifle: Tribes Aerial Assaults sniper rifle. It shoots a laser beam. You zoom in and fire. It deals damage based on your current jet energy and takes away your energy as you fire. You can one hit players with this occasionally based on their armor type. Note: Only can be equipped in light armor

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Missile Launcher: Locks onto players heat signature. Used to take down enemy sensors and turrets. Doesn't miss unless redirected by a flare. Weapon of choice for midfielders. Midfielders will typically use this weapon to try to draw out all of an attackers flares. Then that will allow them to hit the player with a missile on the way back through with a flag. It is also useful to try and stop players in Transports, Fighters, Bombers, and on a mongoose. It is one of the most deadly weapons in Tribes: Aerial Assault for heavier armor types. Note: Available to heavy and medium armors only

Tribes: Aerial Assault weapons Fusion Mortar: The weapon of choice for the heavy armor player. Extremely slow fire rate but does the most amount of damage. It fires similar to the grenade launcher with a lobbing trajectory. This has a very large splash damage. Note: Only available to those in heavy armor.

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Ammo Pack: This pack allows you to carry a lot more ammo but the added weight will make it more difficult to fly. It is used a lot when playing midfield. In Tribes: Aerial Assault this pack will give you a ton of flares. Making it easier to help your lighter armor teammates avoid being shot down from enemy missiles. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Repair Pack: Used to repair equipment in the game. Turrets, Inventory Stations, Vehicles, Vehicle Pads, and Generators. Also yourself when in trouble. One can be located in any Tribes: Aerial Assault CTF map. In the case your base is down. So you can get your team back in the fight. Note: In offline play you can run and heal yourself without losing jump energy. On AADS servers repair running was removed and the repair pack runs off of your jump energy. So be mindful when playing Tribes: Aerial Assault online multiplayer. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Energy Pack: This is the favorite pack of most by far. It allows you to fly higher and move faster. The flag runner and chasers best friend. In Tribes: Aerial Assault the fight for air superiority is key. You will even see a majority of medium and heavy armor types prefer this pack.  

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Shield Pack: Tired of fighting outdoors? This is the pack for you. When activated it uses your jump jet energy and converts it into a shield. It is best for use inside of a base when you aren't going to be doing a lot of jumping around. That way you can maximize the amount of shield you have. Typically the better base disruptors in Tribes: Aerial Assault are masters of these packs. A lot of base disruptors will use a vehicle to get to your base quickly. Ditch the vehicle and wreck your generators. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Satchel Charge: This pack will explode when you hit the button to detonate it. It can be stuck to players and the front of vehicles. It creates a fairly large explosion area and does a lot of damage. Occasionally people like to put these on, or near their flag. You can also place one on yourself and detonate yourself and others. In Tribes: Aerial Assault if you hear the distinct beeping from one of these. Get away fast. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Remote Inventory Station: These can be deployed by you or your team. They will give you the ability to get packs and some minor gun upgrades in the case your base generators are down. You must be in medium or heavy armor to have this pack available as equipment. It will refill your health like a regular inventory station but will not allow you to change armor types. Useful for midfielders, base disrupters, and to offset bad map designs. These are typically deployed early in the game and redeployed as the enemy finds and destroys them. In Tribes: Aerial Assault these can be lifesavers especially in smaller maps like Firestorm. So make sure a few are deployed early on in the game. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Remote Turret: These packs allow you to deploy a remote turret. Remote turrets are primarily used to help defend the inside of your base from base disruptors. Once they sense an enemy. They will begin to fire. Each team gets a limited amount of remote turrets. So place them strategically. In Tribes: Aerial Assault these will also make the screen somewhat shaky as you are being hit. So if you are attacking be sure to pick off these pesky turrets as soon as possible. Note: medium/heavy armor only

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Remote Sensor: These are used to help increase the effectiveness of your remote turrets. They increase the range. Some people use them to block entrances to things such as doorways or to trip people up when trying to take a flag. In Tribes: Aerial Assault online multiplayer they are favorites for blocking paths to the flag on Beggars Run and Paranoia. So be prepared to get tripped up by these things. Note:  medium/heavy armor only

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment AA Turret: This barrel can be deployed onto any base turret in order to turn it into an anti air turret. It will decimate enemy fighters and knock enemy attackers all over the place. It is rumored however that these turrets get their AA nickname from the drunken state it puts enemy attackers into. So they will leave you wanting to go to an AA meeting. Either way we like them. Note: Turret barrels can only be deployed in medium/heavy armor in Tribes: Aerial Assault 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Mortar Barrel: This barrel is deployed on a base turret. It is deadly accurate and when it misses it creates giant green explosions. It is a favorite on maps like Paranoia. Note: medium/heavy armor only to deploy turret barrels in Tribes: Aerial Assault

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Missile Barrel: This pack deploys onto your existing base turret to make it fire missiles. Just like the missile launcher in Tribes: Aerial Assault. It locks on to enemy heat signatures. So if they aren't using their jets. It won't fire. It also will target enemy vehicles. This barrel is useful when you are also using a missile launcher because you can time your missiles in conjunction with it. To make life terrible for enemy attackers. Note: Only medium/heavy armor can deploy turret barrels. 

Tribes: Aerial Assault equipment Plasma Barrel: Last and least is the plasma barrel. These come standard on a majority of maps. They have a high rate of fire but limited range and rarely hit anything they target. Essentially these are useless and you will probably never use this pack in Tribes: Aerial Assault. It is like putting a four-cylinder into a Ford Mustang. Just utterly useless. Unfortunately for Tribes: Aerial Assault Plasma Turret Barrels. No Eco boost exists to help offset the misery.  Note: Medium/heavy armor types must be used to deploy turret barrels. 

In battle, the Blood Eagle display unbridled ferocity, raising the flayed bodies of fallen enemies as banners and following a scorched earth strategy. Their code of honor closely resembles that of medieval samurai from ancient Earth, and they never break their sworn word. They teach their enemies to fear them, and they obliterate their foes completely. Despite their brutality, Blood Eagle are surprisingly courteous hosts during a parley. Blood Eagle units commonly adopt colorful titles, for example, the Second Pennant, Third Talon, is known within the Blood Eagle as "The Eviscerator Talon of the Wolf slayer Pennant."

The Ancient Saviors

Nicknamed "preachers" or "crusaders," this oldest and most traditional of the Tribes of Man traces its ancestry back to the legendary Harabec, the immortal Phoenix. The Children's ultimate goal is reunification of all tribes under the Phoenix banner. The Children adhere to a body of custom called "The Tenets of Harabec" and expect other tribes to follow it as well. They were the ones who started the Firetruces, and they are the consummate diplomats of the wilderzone. They also pay the greatest respect to the legendary Immortals, those mysterious beings said to guide humanity through the ages. Many Tribes are curious as to the secrets the Children of Phoenix hide, and wonder whether the Children speak the truth about being protected by the Immortal Harabec himself.

Though the Children constantly urge peace among the Tribes, they are also warriors without peer who finish their battles with terrifying finality. They respond to raids when necessary to protect or avenge their people, but they seldom engage in all-out feuds or long-term wars. "When the Phoenix wakes" is a tribal expression for "when hell freezes over." This phrase comes from recognition of the potential threat posed to tribal independence should the Children of Phoenix cast aside their history of restraint.

The Phoenix take pride in their elite status. So far, no other tribe has succeeded in shattering that reputation. Though they more arrogant than any other Tribe, even the Blood Eagle, the Children of Phoenix are also the most compassionate. Their regal leadership is the closest thing to a unifying force among the Tribes of Man.

Lately, the Children of Phoenix struggle with division in their own ranks. The Harbingers of Phoenix argue for a great Crusade to unify the other Tribes by force, while the Keepers of Phoenix maintain the best way to achieve true unity is to lead by example. So far, the Keeper faction continues to hold power, and the Harbingers are content to argue in the tribe's councils.

Strategy and Mystery

Nicknamed "Sworders" or "sandrakers," the Diamond Sword craft the most innovative and dangerous strategies of any tribe. They say the mind is the greatest weapon, and practice a philosophy derived from the Zen Buddhist teachings of ancient Terra. Tribe members tend to be enigmatic, even cryptic. When not fighting, they meditate on obscure riddles. The phrase "talking to a sword" comes from the Sworders' reputation for answering a question with a question.

An interesting tale links the origins of the Diamond Sword to the Empire. Long ago, the story goes, the Emperor of Earth used as bodyguards a force of Imperial Knights so hard and elite that people called them The Diamond Sword. These Knights served with honor and distinction until one day a mysterious figure addressed the Imperial Court. This man, the Enlightened Master, foretold a day when the Empire would have need of a weapon in a faraway place, a weapon of surpassing hardness and strength. His words moved the Court, and the members of the Diamond Sword petitioned the Emperor to allow them to be that weapon. The Emperor agreed, and the Diamond Sword followed the Enlightened Master into the wilderzone. When warriors who hear this tale claim the Diamond Sword are lackeys of the Empress, Sworders typically answer, "Can the hand made of smoke draw a sword?"

If the Diamond Sword have a weakness, it is that they rely overmuch on their elaborate plans. If caught unprepared (a rare event), Diamond Sword warriors are said to have difficulty adapting to circumstances. They become surprisingly vulnerable in those situations. Of all the tribes, the Diamond Sword are the ones least likely to enter feuds and protracted wars.

Diamond Sword forces fall into three main armies: the Unyielding Facet, the Reflective Facet, and the Pure Facet. Each follows its own particular philosophy on battle.

The Deadly Hunters

Nicknamed "howlers," the Starwolf tribe sprang from harsh, mysterious origins. Some tales tell of a band of Blood Eagle and Children of Phoenix stranded on an icy world, of a truce that became true friendship. Other tales tell of a great hunter of Cybrids, an errant Knight or a lost soul, a woman who found new life among enemies and gave her name to the tribe born under her leadership. Many of the stories add mention of a vision or a visit by the Great Wolf. Whatever the truth, adversity bred strength. When the Starwolf eventually exploded into the tribal struggles of the wilderzone, they carved out a large holding with predatory swiftness.

Their symbol is the most ancient among all the Tribes, taken from the aboriginal American tribes of ancient Terra. Though other Tribes ridicule the "Star pony," the Starwolf smile in the knowledge that the others use shallow symbols empty of meaning. The corpses of those who jested about the Starwolf banner litter the wilderzone, giving rise to a common tribal expression for foolishness: "to mock the wolf to its face." However, Starwolf factions that have ventured beyond the Cassopeian Gate have reportedly adopted a new sigil that departs from the original tribe’s traditional look.

The Starwolf follow a shamanistic religion, honoring "The Great Wolf" as their tribal totem. Warriors who fall in battle are said to "walk with the Great Wolf." Starwolf holdings sprawl across vast regions of space, and Starwolf warriors are the first to explore new worlds and follow jump gates into the unknown. This great dispersal makes massing large armies difficult, and so the Starwolf favor fluid, guerrilla-style tactics and mobility.

Of all the tribes, the Starwolf are the most independent. This independence has been both a great strength and a great weakness, for they distrust powerful leaders even within their own ranks. Their own clan-feuds are the stuff of legend, and they do not cooperate well in large groups.

Starwolf organize themselves into Packs named for their world of residence.

BioDerms. Originally cyborgs created from convicted criminals in the 27th century, BioDerms referred to a vat-grown artificial humanoid by the 32nd century. By the 38th century, genetic engineering rendered form only remotely human. For centuries, they were the slaves of humanity, but finally, under the leadership of an exceptionally charismatic member of their kind, they revolted against the Empire.