(This page is currently under construction!)
1 Information
The Black Sect (German: Die Schwarze Sekte) is a special faction that only appears as a single-player exclusive enemy faction, and as such it is not designed to be played by the players in the game. The Black Sect has several unique characteristics compared to the other factions. The faction colour of the Black Sect is black.
2 Official Description (HELP files)
The Black Sect is a hidden/unknown faction in the official Urban Assault Help files, and therefore does not have an official description. Although a placeholder description was present during the development.
3 Overview
The Black Sect is a mysterious confederation whose true identity is unknown. Having only a few original assets, the Black Sect can gain access to various war machines from the other factions through their extensive intelligence and espionage network. All Black Sect vehicles linked to their Anvil-class host station battle network are rendered invisible on radar, thanks to its stealth projection module. They have bases of operations surrounding the Black Sea. Their true origin could be traced back to the earliest European secret societies, with all the requisite branches into the royal families.
4 Units and Buildings Information
Main Article: Black Sect Units and Buildings Overview
5 Playability
No
The faction is not designed as a playable main faction for players. It only appears as a single-player exclusive AI opponent. The faction is not a part of the normal game balance system.
6 Lore Information
The Black Sect is a mysterious confederation and a clandestine secret society of unknown nature and origin. Allegedly composed of pirates, scavengers, and mercenaries; but whose true identity and modus operandi are completely shrouded in mystery and secrecy. The Resistance intelligence reports that their true origin "could be traced back to the earliest European secret societies, with all the requisite branches into the royal families", as well as boasting "fashioned history since before there was history, allowing deluded heads of state to believe they acted on their own", which implies that the history of the Black Sect could be as old as the Taerkasten Order, and their key members had powerful (and potentially manipulative) influences behind the scenes of the matters pertaining to statecraft and political agenda of the global governments and world orders. Nothing is known about their goals or objectives.
Having only a few original assets of their own, the Black Sect relies on stealing or borrowing technology from the other factions through machinations and schemes, such as industrial espionage networks and sabotage, initiations of the members with knowledge, or even directly purchasing their equipment through the black markets. The Black Sect gained access to the Resistance Anvil-class host station (the last-remaining prototype host station model of SDU1 that was also intended for SDU7) thanks to the defection of SDU1, who is suspected to have been a covert Black Sect affiliate or a covert operation agent to begin with. Surprisingly, the Black Sect also has the ability to create even Mykonian and Sulgogar units, which hints that even the aliens have connections with the Sect. This is also backed up with the constant communication between the human forces and the Mykonians during the course of events.
The Black Sect has invaded the regions surrounding the Black Sea (which is their namesake origin) in the original Urban Assault campaign, and only makes appearance towards the end of the game. In conjunction with their advanced stealth technology as well as clandestine intelligence and spy networks, the Black Sect are skilled at employing various black operations strategy and manoeuvres, and has a tendency to initiate a surgical strike on their opponents where they least expect. They also prefer to establish a network of radar stations in combat.
7 Characteristics
All Black Sect units that are linked to the Black Sect Station battle network and command system are equipped with special stealth projection modules thanks to the advanced electronic warfare technology of the Anvil-class host station, rendering them invisible to the player's radar sensor and strategic map. For every mission that the Black Sect appears in, they are able to create a portion of units and buildings from all the other factions that have made appearances. Therefore, the Black Sect will frequently employ cross-faction unit compositions. The Black Sect Anvil-class station (that was originally developed by the Resistance) is also one of the most durable stations with strong self-defence capabilities involving two powerful turrets.
Overall, the player cannot easily exploit any weaknesses in the Black Sect due to their numerous intended advantages, and therefore the Sect is arguably the most difficult faction to fight. For this reason, they are often recommended to be the top priority to be eliminated. The permanent invisibility of their assets combined with their extensive spy network and production capabilities for creating hybrid armies made out of assets from the multiple factions mean the players cannot rely on a set strategy to deal with their unpredictable elements in general. The Black Sect units are also identical to their original counterparts in the missions, which means their units will also enjoy the benefits of the technology upgrades for those same units.
Aside from the Anvil-Class host station, the Black Sect has a unique flak station of its own. The Black Sect flak station uses the same base structure as Resistance Flak Station 2, but it has only one turret located at the very top of the pedestal, that can launch a rapid-fire but short-ranged ion cannon weapon. Thanks to its impressive damage output, this turret can quickly dispatch a large number of incoming units in a short time, but with a limited range it cannot attack targets at a distance. This flak station is deliberately designed in a way so that the AI units will have a hard time fighting against it, but the player-controlled units will have no issue at destroying it swiftly. The turret component at the top has a very low durability as well.
The Black Sect cannot be played in Multiplayer. This single-player exclusive faction has a drastically different design which excludes it from the natural balance system between the other playable major factions for multiple reasons.
8 Official Localisation Titles
English: Black Sect
German: Black Sect (Die Schwarze Sekte)
French: La Black Sect (La Secte Noire)
Japanese: ブラック セクト
9 Trivia
Under Construction.
10 Notes
Under Construction.