STORY

The Earth Soldiers are the ones directly responsible for the start of the "generational" faction split. Sgt. Blaze was the first gladiator to throw down his weapon in protest over the conditions in the Arena. As far as he was concerned, fighting for eterninty was one thing, but being submitted to outlandish energy weapons and freakish environments was more than he was willing to bear. He refused to fight until conditions changed. Others soon followed suit.

The "Sarge's" demands were simple; a return to simpler times. Blaze wished for the days when power was measured in big guns, not subatomic physics. Where environments were built by human architects, not immortal beings with no grasp for the laws of gravity. Sarge wasn't looking for a collection of platforms and uranium-slug rails; he wanted giant machineguns and levels he could truly call home.

Soon, others joined his side and split into different factions. The Vadrigar, faced with gladiators warring over words, not combat, were considerably perplexed. It took some time and considerable expenditure of their powers, but the Vadrigar accepted the terms and reinvented the arenas.

Now, Sarge and the others breathe a sigh of comfort in their newfound homes. One can occasionally see Sarge standing over the rooftop of an ancient archipelago, a pair of gatling guns propped up as he admires the world he helped reinvent. The moment is usually fleeting, however, as he pulls the mortar from over his shoulder to clear out the riff-raff fighting down below...


CHARACTERS
Iconic Character:
Sgt. William James Blaze, a.k.a. "Sarge" - A hardened twentieth-century warrior. Originally an Allied soldier during World War II, Blaze was captured by the Nazis and locked in a cell in the lower levels of Castle Wolfenstein. Blaze overpowered his guard, grabbed a pistol and knife, and worked his way through the castle, defeating enemies one by one. Eventually, he escaped and destroyed the Nazi's plans, including the assassination of Adolf Hitler himself.

Exposure to chemicals used in Nazi "zombie" experiments gave Blaze added strength and an increased life span. He fought through the twentieth century and beyond, eventually becoming captured by the Vadrigar during a last-man-stand in war-torn Eurasia.

Other Characters Include:
Mynx
Razor
Biker


WEAPONS

Knife - The greatest soldier of the twentieth century cleared out an army starting out with little more than this blade. Honed to precision with a diamond-carbine blade, the knife cleaves through armor and flesh to cut the very soul.

Luger - the simple pistol used by the light Nazi guards. Lightweight, accurate, and deadly.

MP-40 - a decent submachinegun. The only rapid-fire Earth weapon capable of delivering moderate damage over a distance without depleting the ammo supply.

Gatling Gun - for when one person absolutely has to die right now. The damage is mind-numbing, the spread is wide, and the ammo-burn rate is like a fire hose.

Dual Gatling Guns - for when EVERYONE has to die RIGHT NOW. The deadliest ballistic weapon(s) in the game. When a player picks up a second Gat (or happens to find two laying around), the real firepower begins. Of course, anything but full ammo and it's gonna be a short firefight.

Mortar - high velocity impact grenade launcher. Sarge's mortar fires in a arc, requiring the player to compensate for the drop at long ranges. The mortar refires slightly slower than most rocket launchers, but its high-speed flight and huge concussive radius more than make up for this fact.

Napalm Launcher - forget everything you've seen. Earth flamethrowers aren't a blaze of fire and flash like in the movies. This is a real flamethrower, a napalm-shooting stream that falls with gravity. Players coated with the substance display a remarkable tendency to burn. Health packs, water, lava, and slime help stop the fire, though we recommend staying out of the latter two.

Sniper Rifle - a high-powered, single-shot rifle for taking opponents out from afar. Don't get excited about locational damage, headshots, or superb accuracy... this rifle takes skill to use. Players will actually have to take bullet velocity, distance, and gravity into account when shooting at their target. Be mindful of the dangerous ricochet.

Hand Grenades - for when things have to go boom. Pull the pin, wind back, and throw... just do remember to actually throw.


ARMOR

Earth Soldiers have the most protective armor in the Arenas. It forms an impenetrable steel shell that can take a pounding. Earth's armor absorbs 90% of all damage inflicted. Of course, that protection comes with a price. You could be down to your last breath and deflect several bullets, but one well-placed rocket will remove that armor with a single shot. Running over light armor gives you 50 points of protection, heavy armor grants you 100, and helmets add 5 points, up to a maximum of 200 points no matter how you stack it, and it does not decrease over time. Earth Soldiers do well to grab all the armor they can, as being the slowest class they're going to need it. Once armored up, however, they become heavily armed tanks.


STRATEGY

Despite the wide spread patterns of most of their weaponry, the key to the Earth Soldiers lies in accuracy. Players who are able to lock on to their target and blast everything in sight will be the last ones standing on the battlefield. Players should remember that most of their weapons draw off the same ammo; an excessive pull on the Gat trigger can easily leave them with nothing but a Knife to defend themselves with. It's advisable to switch to lower weapons as players run low on ammo. Hand Grenades are also useful as a last-ditch resort.

Mortars and Napalm Launchers both require a sense of timing, particularly if players are accustomed to their normal counterparts. Mortars do not work well at long range, but cover medium range quite well. They can also flush a camper off the quad platform on Q3DM17, if the arc is judged right. Napalm Launchers reward those who can take the high ground and lambaste those fighting below.

The sniper rifle is the only brand new weapon in the Earth Soldiers' arsenal, brought in to compensate for the railguns so prominent in the other classes. It is NOT simply a railgun with no trail. The shot takes a moment to get there, the bullet is affected by gravity, and has a deadly ricochet if it hits something concrete. If you're not carefuly you can hit yourself. Anyone who can compensate for these factors will wield one of the deadliest weapons in the game.

Overall, players will have to discard their run-and-gun rocket-jump tactics from Quake3, and develop new tactics. Those who adapt will dominate; those who fail will be cannon fodder.