Nod’s elite division, the Black Hand, has always been known for its advanced infantry, and their Kane’s Wrath appearance is no different. The infantry commanders once used to boost basic infantry types are now their backbone, and their usage of flame weaponry is amplified by wider deployment of flamethrower infantry and an exclusive upgrade for that weapon type. However, they completely lack any air units or stealth capabilities, and must therefore rely on sheer numbers.
Infantry
Confessor Cabal
Cost: $400 | Squad size: 6 | Prerequisites: none
Confessors are elite Nod officers whom the Black Hand uses as a standard infantry unit. They add 25% to the armour and 50% to the rate of fire of nearby friendly infantry, also making them 50% harder to suppress. They are the game’s most cost-effective anti-scouts, especially if drafted from Shredder Turrets with a $100 saving.
Abilities:
Hallucinogenic Grenades
Cost: free | Cooldown: 0:30 | Prerequisites: none
Throws hallucinogenic grenades at a target area, which cause enemy infantry units to fire at their comrades for 6 seconds.
Upgrades:
Black Disciple
Cost: $1000 | Researched at: Secret Shrine
Adds a Black Hand Trooper to Confessor Cabals and Militant Rocket Squads.
Charged Particle Beams
Cost: $1000 | Researched at: Tech Lab
Increases the attack damage of Confessor Cabals, Awakened, and Shredder Turrets by changing their weapons to particle beam cannons.
Militant Rocket Squad
Cost: $400 | Squad size: 2 | Prerequisites: none
Although armed with rocket launchers capable of destroying aircraft and armoured vehicles, Rocket Militants are still slow and vulnerable on the battlefield.
Upgrades:
Black Disciple
Cost: $1000 | Researched at: Secret Shrine
Adds a Black Hand Trooper to Confessor Cabals and Militant Rocket Squads.
Saboteur
Cost: $500 | Squad size: 1 | Prerequisites: none
Slow and unarmed, the Saboteur is nonetheless important in his own right. Saboteurs are the only units able to capture enemy structures, and now they can take over downed large mechs including the Juggernaut, the Avatar, the Annihilator Tripod, and their variants. Tactical use of Saboteurs is considered an art among many commanders. They can be used to capture civilian structures and repair destroyed bridges or to repair friendly structures. Note that with each of these actions, the Saboteur is lost.
Abilities:
Booby Trap
Cost: free | Prerequisites: none
Plants a booby trap on to a structure, walker husk, or bridge hut. The trap detonates as soon as an enemy tries to capture the object that it is attached to. If placed on a garrisonable structure, any infantry unit that tries to enter it will be killed.
Fanatics
Cost: $700 | Squad size: 5 | Prerequisites: Operations Center
Nod Fanatics are equipped with volatile explosive devices that detonate when in close proximity to enemy forces. Fanatics are impossible to suppress and must be eliminated before reaching their target.
Note: Due to an error in coding, Black Hand and Marked of Kane Fanatics are not immune to their own weapon when attacking, meaning fewer of them will die by blowing themselves up, hence dealing less damage.
Black Hand Troopers
Cost: $900 | Squad size: 6 | Prerequisites: Operations Center
Extremely well trained, loyal and supernaturally tough, the elite Black Hand forces are armed with flamethrowers that can clear out garrisoned structures and burn entire infantry platoons. Black Hand Troopers of the Black Hand subfaction come trained as Veteran.
Upgrades:
Purifying Flames
Cost: $3000 | Researched at: Secret Shrine
Increases the attack damage of Black Hand Troopers, Flame Tanks, and Purifiers’ flamethrowers by equipping them with Tiberium-based fuel that emits blue flames.
Commando
Cost: $2000 | Squad size: 1 | Prerequisites: Secret Shrine, Tech Lab
The Nod Commando, the best of the best of Nod’s infantry, can mow down infantry with twin fast-firing laser weapons and instantly blow up buildings and large walkers with satchel charges. She can not be crushed in normal circumstances. Unlike her Nod and Marked of Kane counterparts, she is not stealthed.
Note: Only two Black Hand Commandos can be trained at a time per player. They come trained as Heroic.
Vehicles
Attack Bike
Cost: $600 | Prerequisites: none
The Attack Bike is a quick and light scout vehicle, armed with anti-air rockets and equipped with a scanner array which can detect stealthed units. It is also often used in small groups for Harvester harassment.
Upgrades:
Tiberium Core Missiles
Cost: $2500 | Researched at: Tech Lab
Increases the attack damage of Attack Bikes, Stealth Tanks, Mantes, and SAM Turrets by infusing their missiles with Tiberium.
Raider Buggy
Cost: $500 | Prerequisites: none
Cheap, fast and equipped with burst-firing machine guns that make short work of infantry and aircraft, the Raider Buggy is the most common Nod vehicle. Black Hand Raider Buggies are also able to detect stealthed units.
Abilities:
EMP Burst
Cost: free | Cooldown: 0:10 | Prerequisites: Upgrade at Tech Lab
Disables all ground vehicles in the immediate vicinity, including the Raider Buggy, for 10 seconds.
Upgrades:
EMP Coils
Cost: $1000 | Researched at: Tech Lab
Refits Raider Buggies with EMP Coils.
Scorpion Tank
Cost: $700 | Prerequisites: none
The Scorpion Tank is the shield of Nod. Highly manoeuvrable, the standard Scorpion is armed with a 105mm cannon that is effective against vehicles and structures, and has sufficient armour to withstand direct fire, at least for a while.
Upgrades:
Dozer Blades
Cost: $2000 | Researched at: Operations Center
Refits Scorpion Tanks and Reckoners with Dozer Blades, which allow them to crush heavy infantry and safely clear mines. It also gives them a 15% armour bonus on all sides.
Harvester
Cost: $1600 | Prerequisites: Tiberium Refinery
Critical to the financial success of both sides, the Harvester is the only unit capable of collecting Tiberium for refinement. Harvesters will automatically begin to collect Tiberium if a field is nearby. Unlike their Nod and Marked of Kane variants, Black Hand Harvesters are not stealthed.
Abilities:
Return to Refinery
Cost: free | Cooldown: instant | Prerequisites: Tiberium Refinery
Orders the Harvester to immediately return to the closest Tiberium Refinery and unload its currently harvested Tiberium, if any.
Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV)
Cost: $3500 | Prerequisites: none
The Brotherhood’s menacing-looking MCVs are capable of rolling over any relatively clear terrain and unpacking into a Construction Yard. While it is well-armoured, it is slow and unarmed, therefore it must be protected at all costs.
Abilities:
Unpack into Construction Yard
Cost: free | Cooldown: n/a | Prerequisites: none
Orders the MCV to unpack into a Construction Yard in its current location. This order is reversible.
Flame Tank
Cost: $1200 | Prerequisites: Operations Center
The Flame Tank is outfitted with two massive flamethrowers capable of clearing out garrisoned buildings and burning infantry and structures to the ground with ease. Black Hand Flame Tanks come built as Veteran.
Upgrades:
Purifying Flames
Cost: $3000 | Researched at: Secret Shrine
Increases the attack damage of Black Hand Troopers, Flame Tanks, and Purifiers’ flamethrowers by equipping them with Tiberium-based fuel that emits blue flames.
Reckoner
Cost: $900 | Prerequisites: Operations Center
Protecting infantry throughout the battlefield, the Reckoner APC can deploy into a bunker manually or automatically after taking significant damage. When mobile, it can carry 2 infantry squads, and when deployed, it can carry 3 infantry squads who can then fire from within it.
Abilities:
Evacuate
Cost: free | Cooldown: n/a | Prerequisites: none
Orders all infantry squads within the Reckoner to leave the vehicle.
Deploy into Bunker
Cost: free | Cooldown: n/a | Prerequisites: none
Orders the Reckoner to deploy into a bunker in its current location, allowing infantry to fire from within the Reckoner and adds a third infantry slot. This is done automatically after a mobile Reckoner takes significant damage. This order is irreversible.
Upgrades:
Dozer Blades
Cost: $2000 | Researched at: Operations Center
Refits Scorpion Tanks and Reckoners with Dozer Blades, which allow them to crush heavy infantry and safely clear mines. It also gives them a 15% armour bonus on all sides.
Mantis
Cost: $1200 | Prerequisites: Operations Center
The Mantis is a fast drone vehicle equipped with powerful anti-air missiles. It can not fire at ground targets, and can not crush infantry.
Upgrades:
Tiberium Core Missiles
Cost: $2500 | Researched at: Tech Lab
Increases the attack damage of Attack Bikes, Stealth Tanks, Mantes, and SAM Turrets by infusing their missiles with Tiberium.
Beam Cannon
Cost: $1000 | Prerequisites: Tech Lab
Though not intended for direct attacks, groups of Beam Cannons can deal considerable damage to vehicles and structures from afar, given sufficient time.
Abilities:
Charge Defences
Cost: free | Cooldown: 0:20 | Prerequisites: Obelisk of Light
Orders the Beam Cannon to charge an Obelisk of Light. Up to 4 Beam Cannons can charge the same Obelisk, with each one boosting the Obelisk’s rate of fire, line of sight, and firing range by 10%.
Specter
Cost: $1500 | Prerequisites: Tech Lab
Nod’s Specter artillery vehicle was designed as the ultimate evolution of the artillery-based guerilla warfare. Unlike their Nod and Marked of Kane variants, Black Hand Specters are not stealthed.
Purifier Warmech
Cost: $3000 | Prerequisites: Tech Lab
The predecessor to the Avatar, the Purifier comes equipped with a flamethrower in addition to the standard laser. They add 25% to the armour and 50% to the rate of fire of nearby friendly infantry, also making them 50% harder to suppress. When badly damaged, Purifiers leave a husk that can be captured by Saboteurs (or their equivalents) of any side, after which the Purifier is restored to half health.
Upgrades:
Purifying Flames
Cost: $3000 | Researched at: Secret Shrine
Increases the attack damage of Black Hand Troopers, Flame Tanks, and Purifiers’ flamethrowers by equipping them with Tiberium-based fuel that emits blue flames.
Redeemer
Cost: $5000 | Prerequisites: Redeemer Engineering Facility, Tech Lab
Nod’s epic unit – a giant quadrupedal walker which looks like the bigger and more powerful version of the Avatar Warmech. It can garrison up to 2 infantry squads to increase firepower and specialization.
Note: Only one Black Hand Redeemer can be built at a time per player.
Abilities:
Rage Generator
Cost: free | Cooldown: 1:00 | Prerequisites: none
Causes all nearby enemy units to fire on their comrades for 6 seconds. The effect only applies when the enemy units’ current targets are dead or leave their firing range.
Emissary
Cost: $1500 | Prerequisites: none
The Emissary can locate viable base sites and deploy in order to expand the area in which buildings can be constructed. It is most useful when place near Tiberium fields. It is the only Nod vehicle that is built from the Construction Yard instead of the War Factory.
Abilities:
Unpack into Outpost
Cost: free | Cooldown: n/a | Prerequisites: none
Orders the Emissary to unpack into an Outpost in its current location. This order is irreversible.
Aircraft
Armageddon Bomber
Unbuildable
This fast aircraft is designed to quickly drop weapons as called for through support powers.