Obelisk Of Light
Unit
Affiliation	Nod Forgotten
Role	Advanced Base Defence
Armament	Laser
Production
Produced by	Nod Construction Yard

The Obelisk of Light is a shining example of military applications of LASER technology, appearing in all Tiberium Universe games.

OverviewEdit

Born out of the need for a powerful defensive mechanism for Brotherhood military bases, the Obelisk is quite possibly the most powerful laser weapon in recorded history, result of Project Obelisk WDTA2411 5^[1]. Its mode of operation remains basically the same throughout the wars - massive capacitors underneath the structure amass power, which is then used to create a powerful laser beam, directed against enemies via a system of advanced optical and focusing systems. Obviously, it requires massive amounts of power to function. In Tiberian Dawn, the Obelisk of Light is a sloped back obelisk that ends in a large focusing crystal that projects the laser. It's under complete computer control, with humans only needed to oversee that it works properly.

An interesting offshoot of Nod research was the development of portable Obelisk modules, codenamed Firefly and Tarantula respectively, which utilized a similar technology, though much less powerful. These weapons never made it outside limited field testing and did not have a major effect on the resolution of the conflict.

DeploymentsEdit

Obelisks were always a prominent part of Nod bases, especially around important Nod structures. For example, the bases defending Sarajevo featured nearly a half dozen of these powerful base defenses, including one that was specifically assigned to defend the Temple of Nod itself.

After the war, the Forgotten seem to have acquired a single Obelisk of this type and used it to defend their main headquarters in the Second Tiberium War.

In-gameEdit

This powerful emplacement suffers from a severe lack of armour plating, making delicate internal mechanisms vulnerable to damage and outright destruction. Its not a major drawback, however, since very few enemies are able to fire at it from outside its effective range. As they could only target one unit at a time and had significant recharge times, swarming tactics can easily neutralize them.

The laser beam is powerful enough to reduce a human target or light vehicle, such as a Humvee, to ash instantly, and to do serious damage to heavier vehicles. Furthermore, its long range allows it to engage enemy targets before they can retaliate; an Obelisk of Light has longer range than almost any GDI unit.

GalleryEdit

First generation Obelisk firing on GDI Humvees

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See also Edit

• Military applications of lasers

ReferencesEdit

v·d·e Brotherhood of Nod First Tiberium War Arsenal

Unit Infantry Minigunner • Rocket soldier • Flamethrower infantry • Chemical warrior • Engineer • Commando Vehicles Buggy • Recon bike • Light tank • MCV • Harvester • SSM Launcher • Artillery • Stealth Tank • Devil's Tongue Flame Tank Aircraft Apache • F-22 Raptor (cutscenes only) • Chinook • C-130 Hercules • Cargo plane Structures Production Construction yard • Hand of Nod • Airfield • Helipad Support Tiberium silo • Tiberium refinery • Communications center • Repair facility • Power plant • Advanced power plant • Temple of Nod Defenses Turret • Obelisk of Light • SAM site

v·d·e Forgotten Second Tiberium War Arsenal

Units Infantry Mutant Soldier • Mutant Sergeant • Mutant Hijacker • Mutant Sniper • Ghost Stalker • Tiberian Fiend Vehicles Attack buggy • Attack cycle • Wolverine Mk. I • Artillery • Harvester • Mammoth tank Aircraft Harpy   Structures Production Construction yard • Tiberium refinery • Barracks • War factory • Helipad Support Power plant • Advanced power plant Defenses Laser turret • Component tower (SAM) • Obelisk of Light • SAM site Items in italics are only used in Firestorm