“Stand and deliver, Nexus!”

Survival in Andromeda depends as much on adaptability as it does technological prowess or sheer firepower, and none have taken this lesson to heart more than the Exiles. Cast out into the chaotic expanse of the Heleus Cluster in the wake of the Nexus Uprising with no support and limited resources, survival for both peaceful homesteaders and full-fledged Outlaws alike has been a matter of determination, ingenuity and a willingness to adapt in the face of new challenges. Combat strategy is no different. As the true capabilities of the kett became known and the various Exile factions found themselves facing more substantive opposition from a variety of threats, the need for sustained, long-range heavy firepower to augment the slow-firing M-98 Widow sniper rifle became apparent, particularly against heavily armoured foes like Fiends and Destroyers.

Within three months following the Battle of Meridian, Outlaw factions across Heleus had responded to the challenge with the inclusion of Desperadoes into their order of battle. Their numbers drawn from the toughest and strongest members of each warband, Desperadoes serve as heavy weapons specialists, adept at bringing down armoured targets at range or suppressing masses of light infantry so their comrades can advance unhindered. Their weapon of choice is the Hailstorm, a heavy autocannon designed and manufactured within the secretive Exile community known as Advent, its prodigious firepower more than making up for its ungainly size or the cost and effort needed to produce them. Though a Desperado’s kinetic barriers will quickly crumple before a concerted attack, being caught out of cover by one is a death sentence, and APEX operators are encouraged to eliminate them with all haste, before they reach an ideal vantage point and bring their weapon to bear.