Elemental Battle Armor - Technical Readout 3058U page 45
Although not the first Battle Armor developed in-universe - that honor goes to the SLDF's top secret Nighthawk special operations PA(L) - the Elemental was the first Battle Armor design introduced to the BattleTech game, appearing in the Lethal Heritage novel and the original Technical Readout 3050. Now more than twenty years later it is still a highly capable suit that is used by many as the benchmark to measure other designs.
First fielded in 2868 against the Nova Cats, a Trial which it won, the Elemental was developed by Clan Wolf from pressurized diving suits used for deep-sea work by the Goliath Scorpions, with help from research data on the original Nighthawks. Named Elementals due to their ability to operate in any element, some references in The Remembrance suggest that earlier versions were tailored to fight in specific environments, with these perhaps later inspiring designs such as the Salamander, Sylph and Undine. Introduced two years after the Battle Armor, Clan Hell's Horses enhanced genotype infantry were a natural match for the new war machine and in time those warriors were also called Elementals, such was the impact of the Elemental suit.
When encountered by Inner Sphere forces during Operation Revival, the Elemental's squat brutish appearance and jumping movements earned it the nickname "Toad", while the havoc it wreaked in combat horrified the shocked troops. Few would have even heard of the rare and secret Nighthawk and those that had found it no comparison to the firepower and toughness of the Elemental; this new and fearsome opponent was so alien to the Spheroids' experience that amusingly some even speculated that the strange invaders were indeed aliens before the Clans were finally identified as the descendants of the SLDF.
The Elemental's mobility would be the most familiar feature to the Inner Sphere soldiers who first observed it. The suit's ability to jump 90 meters at a time matches that of conventional Jump Infantry and even the sight of them riding an OmniMech harks back to the Panzergrenadiers of old, so while it was a display unmatched by Inner Sphere troops and their BattleMechs, it would not be particularly shocking in itself. The speed and jump capability of the Elemental set the standard for later Battle Armor and is bettered by few canon designs, but is still perhaps the least impressive of the suit's capabilities.
The firepower and protection packed into the Elemental is where it really shines. The thick armor plating with its Harjel sealant system can absorb a hit from a standard 'Mech-scale Particle Projection Cannon or Autocannon/10 without effecting the operation of the suit, an ability that the majority of canon Battle Armor designs fail to achieve. Originally, the wearer was not counted towards the ability to resist damage, so just ten points would put the suit out of action, while the Elemental was also immune to flamers, but these were both changed in later rules revisions.
Unprecedented for mere infantry, each Elemental also packed 'Mech-scale weaponry, albeit light by 'Mech standards. The main armament consists of a backpack-mounted twin-tube Short Range Missile launcher, which can be jettisoned once both salvos have been fired. Although dropping the launcher does improve mobility at the RPG level, it has no effect in the Total War rules and so is effectively only a fluff effect in larger scale games. Initially capable of firing either standard warheads or Infernos, later rules also introduce torpedoes and the heavyweight Multi-Purpose Missile, which can be fired as either a missile or a torpedo.
Like its larger brethren, the Elemental also possesses a degree of Omni-capability, with a Modular Weapon Mount on its right arm and an Anti-Personnel Weapon Mount slung under its left arm. Early descriptions of the Elemental indicated a second AP mount on the right arm, but this was also removed in later revisions. If allowing Battle Armor Anti-Personnel weapons to be based upon the actual stats of the weapon used, rather than always using the generic ballistic infantry stats as per the Total War rules, the pick of the bunch is the Mauser IIC, which as well as being hard hitting for an infantry weapon, also has a range of 9 hexes and can even be loaded with Inferno grenades for a heat-based attack.
The right arm modular mount is much more impressive though, allowing the Elemental to wield weapons equivalent to the full-sized versions found on 'Mechs and tanks. The original trio of weapons consisted of the Small Laser, Flamer and Machine Gun, with the laser the most common choice, while the other two provided anti-personnel alternatives. The Flamer's heat-based attack could also prove highly effective against the lower tech, hotter running BattleMechs that the Clans fought during the first months of the invasion. Over time additional configurations have been added, with the first only appearing in the Natural Selection novel, when Evantha Fetladral uses a "spotting laser", which we can now recognize as a Light TAG, to designate a bandit 'Mech for attack by indirect fire. Sadly, this has never received recognition outside of the novel and so no canon stats or record sheet exists.
New canon configurations do not appear until Technical Readout 3058U, with the Heavy Machine Gun leading the pack chronologically, followed a year later in 3060 by the ER Micro Laser and Micro Pulse Laser, all developed by Clan Smoke Jaguars as an offshoot of their ProtoMech project. The Micro Pulse effectively makes the Small Laser, Machine Gun and Heavy Machine Gun configurations obsolete, being equal or superior to those three weapons in every way, while for a few more years the ER laser provides the longest ranged option, until Clan Jade Falcon developed the incomparable Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifle in 3069.
Although the AP Gauss-armed Elemental also initially lacking a canon record sheet, and so was disallowed by some players, this was addressed in Record Sheets 3058Uu Clan & Star League to much rejoicing by fans of Battle Armor in general and Elementals in particular. Able to inflict three points of damage out to 9 hexes and matching the anti-personnel performance of a Heavy Machine Gun or Micro Pulse Laser, there really is little need to take any other weapon onto the battlefield. The Micro Pulse is still more accurate at ranges 30 meters or less, making the weapon a niche or flavor selection, while the faithful old Flamer still has a role, providing the best anti-infantry performance as well as an incendiary capability.
Technically the Elemental is capable of being configured with a variety of other weapons and equipment, however the lack of canon record sheets will perhaps restrict where these configurations may be used. Light Machine Guns, Light Recoilless Rifles and Bearhunters would all fit within the available mass and space, although none offer any real improvement over existing weapon options, while some might find a use for the smaller missile launchers that would be mountable. The Total War rules also allow non-weapon equipment to be installed on a Modular Weapon Mount, so you could even field a Point of Elementals equipped with Active Probes or ECM, which can prove to be very useful even though they leave the Point effectively defenseless once its missiles are fired.
Backing up all this firepower is the Battle Claw. Not only does this allow the Elemental to climb aboard OmniMechs and OmniVehicles so that they can quickly transport the infantry into battle, in what is called the Mechanized Battle Armor tactic, it is also an offensive tool for use against man and machine alike. Lacking vibro-blade augmentation, the Battle Claw can only be used against personnel in the RPG and ClanTroops game, but few players complain given the lethality of the Anti-'Mech attacks the claw grants the suit. Whether savaging a 'Mech's leg or clinging to their victim while they blast away at pointblank range with their right-arm weapon, a Point of Elementals can swiftly down a foe foolish enough to allow them to get within melee distance.
From the beginning, the Elemental set the bar high for all the Medium Battle Armor designs that would follow and its design influenced the development of the construction rules, making it one of the rare cases where the precedent represents the optimum. The Elemental has the maximum armor available for a Medium, and thus the highest possible protection for a suit that can perform both Mechanized Battle Armor tactics and Anti-'Mech attacks. Its overall mobility is the best that can be achieved for Mediums without installing heavy enhancements and its armament is a fine balance of the high damage, high intensity punch provided by the SRM launcher and the sustained firepower and flexibility provided by the weapons fitted to the Modular Weapon and Anti-Personnel mounts. With optimum armor, optimum mobility and optimum firepower, the Elemental is still the best jack of all trades, and the master too, of the canon designs.
The main Elemental model has endured unchanged for nearly two centuries while filling the majority of the Battle Armor ranks in the Clans' Toumans. One known variant, recently disclosed in Technical Readout 3085, was developed at the start of the 30th century by Clan Snow Raven to satisfy their need for Battle Armor to operate with their shipboard marines. The Elemental (Space) is a fairly extensive modification that removes the missile launcher and reduces the Modular Weapon Mount payload capacity to install space operations equipment, including adding a second Battle Claw and upgrading both to the heavier type. With less mass available to install a weapon on the Modular Weapon Mount, which is presumably moved to the forearm now that the arm ends in a manipulator, the Elemental (Space) lacked the capacity to wield a Small Laser, and the until the introduction of the Micro Pulse Laser configuration it was limited to only Flamers and Machine Guns, pointing towards marine boarding actions being its primary role. When compared to the original Elemental, the Elemental (Space) is nearly twice as effective at marine combat, but when forced to fight on the ground it will find itself outperformed by its terrestrial cousin, so it would only ever occupy a specialist role.
The Clans' somewhat conservative approach to Battle Armor changed when they returned to the Inner Sphere in Operation Revival and once more fought a foe whose idea of combat was a little less ritualized, with the result being completely new designs and additional variants of the basic Elemental. Seeking to disrupt the operations of their often frustrating Inner Sphere opponents, Clan Wolf developed an Elemental version tailored to locate and destroy enemy command posts far behind the battlefront, with the first known use being in the resumed offensive in November 3051. Labeled the Headhunter by Inner Sphere troops, there is no known Clan designation and it appears that they have adopted the Spheroid name. Described in the Clan Wolf sourcebook as carrying extra fuel at the expense of arms and armor, the stats presented in Technical Readout 3058U retain the same protection as the standard suit while removing the missile launcher and replacing the right-arm Modular Weapon Mount with a fixed Machine Gun. In addition to extra fuel, the Headhunter adds advanced sensor equipment to help it track its prey, and outside of its intended role, the Headhunter provides Wolf players with a canon scout Battle Armor design.
The Elemental family then remained unchanged for the next couple of decades, until Clan Jade Falcon introduced a variant modified to their tastes. Designated the Elemental(Fire), the Falcon's upgrade swaps the standard armor for fire resistant materials, once more duplicating the ability granted the Elemental in its original Technical Readout 3050 appearance. This defensive improvement comes at the cost of the missile reload, with the suit now mounting a one-shot launcher, plus the removal of the AP mount. The Elemental (Fire) also lacks some weapon configurations, retaining only the AP Gauss, Flamer and Micro Pulse Laser among its canon setups, a choice that I cannot find myself faulting the Falcons for making. While it losses a little firepower, the Elemental (Fire) presents a nasty surprise for any opponents expecting to be able to counter Battle Armor with Infernos or Plasma weapons.
On the battlefield, the Elemental follows the standard tactics for Medium Battle Armor, which is not surprising considering that it set those standards. Often found in combined arms units called the Nova and Supernova, which permanently attach OmniMechs with Elementals (and other suits in later years) for Mechanized Battle Armor operations, the Clans are able to swiftly deploy their Battle Armor to hold key positions or to throw them straight into the teeth of their enemies, often employing Anti-'Mech tactics as soon as they are up and running. Well coordinated attacks between the two arms can swiftly overcome an opponent lacking a similar mix of mutually supporting troops, something the Inner Sphere troops who fought early on in Operation Revival found out to their cost.
When operating independently, whether as part of a purely Elemental unit or just temporarily separated from their OmniMech taxis, Elementals do find their options restricted unless fighting in confined or rough terrain. As long as the Battle Armor can exploit its jump capability to be able to approach the maneuverability of their opponents, then they remain capable of driving the battle, possibly even flanking or pursuing their enemy, although in many cases it is enough of a task just to get within firing range without suffering too many losses. However, if the enemy possesses a significant advantage in mobility, the Elementals are better off hunkering down in the best cover they can find, while denying the enemy as much territory as possible through the threat of their close quarters combat potential and their longer reaching missiles.
With only two salvos available for the missile launcher, an Elemental Point prior to the introduction of the AP Gauss Rifle can easily find itself outranged by the enemy, an enemy that is quite likely to be faster moving as well, which is a situation that can doom unsupported Battle Armor that lacks decent cover. One school of thought is to hold back the missiles as long as possible, hopefully forcing the enemy back and thus reducing the accuracy of their fire. Another option is to fire off the missiles early on, trying to cripple the enemy enough that the Elementals can finish them off with their remaining weaponry; while this tends not to occur very often, since even a pair of ten missile salvos are unlikely to inflict enough damage, it does at least mean that the Elementals will be less likely to die with unfired ammunition still in their magazines.
When encountering conventional troops, Elementals will generally have a much easier time than against 'Mechs. Their missiles have a greater chance of disabling even the most heavily armored of tanks, which is then a sitting duck for a Swarm attack, something that even a moving vehicle is best to avoid. Infantry are perhaps the worst off, with most Elemental configurations allowing a single Point to easily wipe out an entire platoon of PBIs in one burst, although in return the Battle Armor troops should be vary cautious when encountering infantry equipped with Infernos, which are just as capable of gutting a Point of Elementals.
The best advice for Elementals confronting enemy aerospace forces is to hide and hope their own 'Mechs and fighters can eliminate the threat before they find out the hard way what a full load of cluster bombs will do to them. The Inner Sphere has also learned to employ other area effect weapons against Battle Armor, such as artillery, while the more widespread availability of guns capable destroying a suit in one shot, and more accurate weaponry such as pulse and variable-speed lasers makes the modern battlefield a more hostile place for all Battle Armor.
So what does the future hold for the Elemental? The isolation from the Homeworlds was initially unkind to some Inner Sphere Clans, who found themselves running low on the design, although Clan Wolf solved their shortages thanks to two new Elemental factories built in the mid 3070s. The hardest hit were the Nova Cats, who effectively replaced the Elemental in their Touman with a mix of the Draconis Combine's Void Battle Armor and their own simplified design, the imaginatively named Clan Medium Battle Armor, which the Wolves and Bears also adapted to their own uses. Meanwhile, the Hell's Horses developed the Elemental II as another alternative during their migration to the Inner Sphere; however their reason for doing so was an attempt to develop a more effective suit rather than concerns about availability.
Although both new Clan designs include recently developed technology, both are still forced to downgrade some features to enhance others, so even after more than two centuries of frontline use, the Elemental is still not yet obsolete. With the AP Gauss Rifle in particular offering better than ever combat capability without the need for a redesign, this venerable Battle Armor design remains a viable combatant. Beyond all these trials and tribulations, the Elemental remains the ubiquitous yardstick against which all other canon Battle Armor designs are measured and is likely to remain so for years to come.
Next up:
- Infiltrator Mk. I
- Sloth
- GD Scout
- GD Standard
- Raiden
- Kage
- Kanazuchi
- Gnome
