Editing Cerberus

The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a plasma artillery battery for long-range bombardment.{{ Infobox zkunit
| name = Cerberus
| defname = staticarty
| description = Plasma Artillery Battery - Power by connecting to a 50 energy grid
| image = http://manual.zero-k.info/unitpics/staticarty.png
| icontype = staticarty
| cost = 2500
| hitpoints = 3750
| sight = 660
| gridlink = 50
| weapons = 
	{{ Infobox zkweapon
	| name = Long-Range Plasma Battery
	| type = Cannon
	| damage = 601 × 3
	| reloadtime = 10
	| dps = 180
	| range = 1850
	| aoe = 96
	| inaccuracy = 2.0
	| projectilespeed = 400
	| special1 = Trajectory toggle
	}}
}}==Description==
The Cerberus offers long-range artillery/counter-artillery capability, making it excellent for area denial. It is not designed as a defense turret, and will go down if attacked directly.

==Tactics and Strategy==
Cerberus is an extremely expensive, immobile artillery piece that needs a connection to an energy grid with at least 50 energy points in it. These characteristics alone should make it clear that it is not a unit that you build lightly.

That being out of the way, a well-placed Cerberus can exert control over a very large portion of the map. It can siege fortified positions with little risk because it outranges not only all defenses, but nearly all other artillery as well. In addition to great range, it has enough damage and splash to threaten almost any unit or defense mix.

The main risk with building a Cerberus is that its a major assassination target. Its expensive, it has low health for cost, and it cannot flee from danger or even just reposition to avoid counter-fire. Even if you protect a Cerberus from being scouted by the enemy, it won't take long for the enemy to figure out where it is from the trajectory of its shots, and once the enemy knows where it is, its an easy target for tactical nukes, bombers, scythes, and other such threats.

The enemy may also simply push hard against the Cerberus and destroy it, if you build it without having a mobile army or fortifications to keep it safe.

As such, before building a Cerberus, you should make sure you can protect it. Its a good idea to add a shield and some fixed defenses around the Cerberus specifically, including some AA defenses.

Another major mistake you can make when building a Cerberus is to build it too far back. Cerberus is too expensive to be treated as only a defense turret: you should always build it near enough to the front that it can pressure your enemy's frontline.

Cerberus benefits immensely from being put in a high position: it makes it harder to attack, gives it clearer shots, and makes it even harder for enemy artillery to fight back against it. A Cerberus on high ground is often game winning, or at least forces your opponent to retreat from its range.



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