The Mechapede closely resembles a Terran millipede or centipede, though it is exponentially larger. Its speed is faster than even a Seeker, and can fire in any direction. However, it can not move in reverse, making hasty retreats a cumbersome task.
Abilities[]
Spawn Shard Segment
Creates a Shard segment on the Mechapede that fires 3 Tiberium shards per salvo. Spawning a segment costs $100 and takes 1 second. Each segment has 1000 health (Ctrl+A).
Spawn Toxin Segment
Creates a Toxin segment on the Mechapede. Spawning a segment costs $100 and takes 1 second. Each segment has 1000 health (Ctrl+S).
Spawn Disintegrator Segment
Creates a Disintegrator segment on the Mechapede. Spawning a segment costs $100 and takes 1 second. Each segment has 1000 health (Ctrl+F).
Spawn Disc Segment
Creates a Disc segment on the Mechapede that fires 5 shots. This is the only segment that can target aircraft. Spawning a segment costs $100 and takes 1 second. Each segment has 1000 health (Ctrl+D).
Game Unit[]
The Mechapede's "head" is the only part constructed at first; it has a weapon similar to the ScrinDisintegrators. Eight additional segments, of four varying types, can be added.
Shard segments are powerful against enemy infantry and vehicles
Disk segments can down enemy aircraft
Tiberium spray segments use a weapon not unlike the Corruptor, and can prove to be very lethal to enemy infantry (as well as being able to heal friendly Scrin units, and if used properly, itself)
Disintegrator segments are potent against enemy armor, and use a weapon similar to their namesake unit
The flexibility of this unit allows even a single Mechapede to be an extremely versatile support unit. Multiple Scrin Mechapedes with four Shock Trooper plasma disk segments and four Disintegrator plasma cutter segments (not counting the head) can destroy a fully armed MARV in a matter of minutes. In spite of its huge population count, the Mechapede is the strongest non-epic Scrin ground unit in the game, aside from the Cult of Reaper'sReaper Tripod.
The loss of a Mechapede's body segment will not destroy the unit, as it can then rebuild more segments. However, it will destroy all the segments that come "after" the one that was destroyed, so the loss of a segment close to the head can prove to be rather costly. The only way to totally destroy the unit is by targeting the head segment. It is impossible to gain infinite segments on the Mechapede.
Because the Mechapede relies on a large number of small legs to move around the battlefield, human commandos are unable to use det-packs on its legs (in spite of its classification as a walker).
creating a decoy army of Mechapedes will no longer desync the game.
disintegrator segment damage and range halved, corrupter segment range decreased 25%, range of disc segment increased 8%, Shard segment rate of fire improved significantly
Kane's Wrath patch 1.02: disintegrator segment range increased from 150 to 175; corrupter segment healing reduced by 66%; ravager segment range increased from 300 to 325
Trivia[]
Mechapedes do not follow rally points when set in a Warp Sphere or Warp Chasm. In fact, they do not even leave the portal when they are finished warping in, unlike other Scrin "vehicles". Instead, they instantly appear in front of said production buildings.
In official versions of the game, the Mechapede's sections can change positions while moving.
Its pre-release name was the Millipede, as seen in the Worldbuilder.
Interestingly, the Mechapede bears a striking resemblance to the Impeding Assault Tank (IAT) deployed by the alien Umbaran species in the Star Wars franchise. Both take on the form of centipedes, are highly mobile, are composed of many different segments (each patterned with glowing lines and are armed with its own, independent cannon) and would be instantly damaged beyond repair should their "head" be destroyed.
However, considering the release date of the episode the IAT debuted in (2011) and that of Kane's Wrath (2008), this is most likely a coincidence.