Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Battle Tortoise

"Let's load up the troops!"

-Battle Tortoise leaving the War Factory

The Battle Tortoise is the heavy assault armored personnel carrier of the Alliance of Hawke's Ferelden-Europan Alliance. This rolling bunker of the Alliance is planned to be voiced by David Tenant.

Tactical analysis

 * Armed and Dangerous: From the Battle Tortoise's raised firing platform six squads of infantry can pour their combined firepower into enemy positions, protected from retaliation by thick armour. Because it relies on garrisoned infantry for its firepower, it can be tailored to a wide variety of roles.
 * Haul 'Em In: If any enemy survives the storm of firepower its garrison can dish out, the Battle Tortoise can fire upon them with a cannon and missile launcher, capable of handling small forces.
 * Roll Over: The Battle Tortoise can also simply ride over enemies with its tracks, breaking them down and using the raw materials to repair itself. Even vehicles are not safe from being crushed beneath its enormous bulk.
 * Beware: The Battle Tortoise is much slower and less manoeuvrable than the vast majority of Alliance vehicles, and this can result in it being overwhelmed by enemy vehicles surrounding it and firing at its weak points. The short range of its garrison also means it can be destroyed by firing from beyond its retaliation range. Additionally, without a garrison the Assault Striker can only crush their foes, and building and a few vehicles can't be crushed.

Overview
Another massive contribution made by the Ferelden to the Hawke cause came in the form of the Battle Tortoise. This moving citadel is capable of carrying several infantry units and allowing them to lead fire from its many operable gun ports along with its heavy machine gun to combat infantry and missile launcher against armored and airborne targets. Due to the heavy layers of armor, the Battle Tortoise is not only capable of soaking up tons of damage, it can also simply crush smaller vehicles with its weight.

Of course, the Tortoise has its drawbacks; the immense weight of the vehicle makes it quite cumbersome. Combined with the cost of outfitting the Tortoise with infantry to provide extra firepower and the unit's susceptibility to mind control, the Battle Tortoise can prove to be very costly if destroyed or captured.

History
"There can be no standing against us."

-...

One hundred and sixty tons of heavy assault vehicle, with thick Chobham armor, transport capacity for an entire squad of infantry, all-around firing arcs from the fighting compartment, and big, grinding treads give the ASP5-68 Battle Tortoise a brutal reputation as the Alliance heavy hitting bruiser and one of the few vehicles in the world that count the Apocalypse Tank as an equal. First unleashed in the final weeks of the war, the Battle Tortoise rolled through western borders of Eorzea, crushing surprised Voshkod checkpoints and shrugging off even the heaviest of anti-tank fire.

Leading the counter-attacks that threw the Voshkod back and let the Alliance reclaim the western half of the city, the forty-four original Battle Tortoise ranked up an impressive four-digit enemy casualty rate at the cost of merely six vehicles lost in combat. The Voshkod were shocked by this development; the Battle Tortoise was massive, powerful, and yet still retained an impressive rate of speed and acceleration.

Though lightly armed, the Battle Tortoise passengers can shoot out of the fireports. If this wasn't enough, the tortoise can roll over enemy positions itself, crushing light vehicles under its reinforced tracks. Turning a hated Voshkod technology, the so-called Grinder Treads, against their masters, the Gravametric Inductor's passive ability gives similar properties to the Tortoise, tearing apart crushed vehicles and slotting them into weakened areas of armor. If that wasn't enough, the Tortoise is fully capable of ramming walls with its two frontal treads.