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- "The Nexus is the main source of pain for this part of town, thanks to a huge suppression device that's raining down hell from the roof of that place."
- ―Barney Calhoun[src]
The Suppression Device is a stationary Combine artillery weapon. It functions much like a large mortar, except instead of firing shells, it fires an extremely powerful and concentrated Dark Energy pulse beam.
Overview[]
The Suppression Device fires an arcing beam of Dark Energy plasma. If its beam hits the ground, it destroys objects and disintegrates living beings within a 3–5 meter (9–15 feet) radius from the impact. The suppression device has to "warm up" before it can fire the pulse, and the ground where the pulse will land begins to glow yellow-blue shortly before the beam hits. Also, the device is able to lead its shots, firing directly on the spot that the target will be at at his/her current speed. This allows the next impact of the pulse fire to be ascertained, and thus avoided.
The suppression device is powered by a series of Combine generators and possibly forms its ammunition from them as well. A suppression device was installed onto the roof of the Overwatch Nexus in City 17. During the uprising in Half-Life 2, Gordon, Barney, and a small band of Resistance fighters are required to disable all of the generators in the building in order to power down the device so that the Resistance on the streets can move more freely. The suppression device only appears once in the game, but it is likely that the Combine may have installed similar devices in other parts of City 17 where there are large numbers of Resistance personnel.
It is unknown whether the suppression device functions on its own or whether it has an operator, but the small interface and binocular-like lens suggest the latter, probably a trained Overwatch specialist. Furthermore, it will fire ahead of the player when they are running, suggesting an operator predicting a path of motion. No operator is seen during the game, but it may be that he left the scene after the suppression device was disabled by the Resistance. Also, Combine personnel on the roof of the Overwatch Nexus may have been guarding an operator, or may very well be the operator themselves, as well as the device itself.
Gallery[]
List of appearances[]
- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)