The Authority is a highly organized and weaponized military force that controls and shapes the Wasteland how they see fit. Unlike the mutants and bandits that wander the Wasteland, the Authority knows what it's doing. They use personal energy shields, recharging stations that refill their energy meters, and utilize cover and tactics.

Led by General Martin Cross, also known as the Visionary, the Authority's main purpose is to restore order to the world by any means necessary, including killing unmutated humans. The Authority seems to have an agenda against Ark Survivors, ruthlessly seeking them out wherever they are found and taking them back to Capital Prime for unknown reasons. However, it is speculated (through the novel and a trailer) that the reason for this is the fact that all Ark Survivors have had Nanotrites implanted before going into deep cryo hibernation.

It is discovered that they have their origins within the United States military. On the night that 99942 Apophis hit, the last of the Arks, a "Super Ark" capable of holding hundreds of people, was taken over by a select team of soldiers led by General Martin Cross and Colonel James Casey. With its original residents left for dead, Cross altered its programming so that it would emerge in 2105, and so be the first of the Arks to emerge in the Wasteland by many years. This set up Cross and his men so that they might shape the new world in his vision.

The Authority enjoys an overwhelming edge in technology over any other faction in the game including but not limited to: dropships, jetpacks, energy shields, advanced firearms, powered exoskeletons, — and appear to be constantly developing new tech to give them the edge over their foes.

The Authority tends to watch over towns that have no specific interest for it, and only makes an approach if it's required. All surveying is performed by the Authority Drones while the soldiers are only found around (or inside) the Authority installations and in the places of interest, like the settlements that possibly shelter Ark Survivors.

Contents 1 Enemy types 1.1 Authority Enforcer 1.2 Authority Shield Guard 1.3 Authority Sniper 1.4 Authority Mutant 1.5 Authority Elite 2 Enemy tech 2.1 Authority Drone 2.2 Authority Predator 2.3 Authority Dropship 3 Notes 4 Trivia 5 Screenshots 6 Concept art

Enemy typesEdit

Their military is not composed of ragtag bandits or poorly trained local militia but professional soldiers who are the best trained, best equipped, deadliest and most disciplined fighting force in the Wasteland. They never panic, always follow orders and show no fear even in the face of impossible odds. They are without question the toughest human enemies in the entire game, each and every one of them is equipped with a suit of hi-tech battle armor packed with sophisticated electronics, and it takes nearly a full magazine from an Authority Machine Gun using standard issue rounds to kill an Enforcer, so the armor piercing rounds are a must. However their armor has a critical weakness: it has inadequate EMP shielding, making Authority troops the only humans in the game that are effected by EMP weaponry (although a single hit from one of these weapons will not kill them if they are at full health). The Combat Shotgun's pulse slugs are particularly effective as they are both armor piercing and EMP rounds. They often carry a wide array of loot including: EMP Grenades, MG Rounds, AV2x Rounds, pulse slugs and various ingredients and engineering items.

Authority EnforcerEdit

Enforcers are the bread and butter of the Authority's military, equipped with the deadly AMGs loaded with AV2x Rounds. These soldiers will mostly seek cover when engaged in combat, even hiding behind a Shield Guard, if one is nearby. If the protagonist stays too long in one place, Enforcers will begin throwing HE Grenades to flush him out. Though infrequent, some Enforcers will use EMP Grenades instead of the standard issue grenades.

At some locations these soldiers will be deployed via dropship, using jetpacks to slow their descent. If the player manages to shoot them before they land, the soldiers lose control of their jetpacks and will violently explode, resulting in an instant kill. (There is, unfortunately, no way to loot their bodies afterward.) This only happens in the Campaign and not in the Wasteland Legends.

Authority Shield GuardEdit

Equipped with an energy shield and a Combat Shotgun loaded with pulse slugs, these men will slowly walk towards the protagonist's position. The shield itself can be overwhelmed by a barrage of bullet fire, but it's especially vulnerable to EMP Grenades, Striker Crossbow Electro Bolts and shotgun pulse slugs. Nearly impervious to most weaponry, the shield has a small weak spot: the Shield Guard's arms are exposed allowing the use of shotguns. If the shield has dissipated, the Guard will, if possible, move to a glowing blue floor panel connected to an Aunthority Mobile Generator to recharge.

Sentry Bots and Sentry Turrets are good distractions. They will also focus his full attention on the position of a live grenade, allowing the player to shoot their backs.

Authority SniperEdit

Equipped with a Sniper Rifle and a laser sight, this military unit will shoot any hostiles within its visual sight. A good way of disposing this threat while at distance is shooting them with the Sniper Rifle, although flanking them whenever possible and/or using grenades while at close quarters might prove to be a better solution.

Note that it's possible to just pass the sniper at medium distance utilizing unpredictable movement trajectories and some careful jumping while they try to aim and shoot.

Authority MutantEdit

For more details, see Black Cauldron Project and Mutants.

These fast and deadly creatures are the one successful breed of mutants totally under the control of the Authority. They are equipped with a pulse weapon and armor which makes them significantly harder to kill than common mutants.

Authority EliteEdit

Equipped with the Authority Pulse Cannons and advanced heavily armored exosuits (which are not affected by EMP weapons), these soldiers are some of the toughest human enemies encountered.

The best way to take them down is with heavy weapons like the shotguns or Rocket Launchers, Pulse Cannons or using armor piercing rounds. They behave much like the Shrouded Clan heavies, only they are tougher and better armed. Oddly enough, the bullet speed of their Pulse Cannons is somehow slower than the protagonist's Pulse Cannon. The player can easily dodge their projectiles by just moving sideways, making the Elite in some gamer opinions less lethal than the Shrouded or Gearhead Miniguns.

Enemy techEdit

Authority DroneEdit

Authority Drones do not carry weapons but they act as the eyes and ears of the Authority. The Authority sends these drones out into the Wasteland and settlements, usually to look for Ark Survivors, and they also act as early warning systems, reporting any nearby Authority Enforcers the location of enemy.

They have a lot of health and it takes some ammunition to bring them down. Most of the time they escape and send reinforcements before the player can even kill one. (The Pulse Shot ammo may make the task easier.)

Authority PredatorEdit

Main article: Predator

Predator is the vehicle type used by the Authority forces in the Wasteland. More sturdy than even the Monarch, the Predator is comparable to a tank, capable of devastating other vehicles with its Pulse Cannon. It is only encountered in the very late stages of the game in the Eastern Wasteland and the Authority Territory. The Predator is also weak against the Monarch's Pulse Cannon. This is a fast moving vehicle capable of moving quickly but in a sluggish turn.

Authority DropshipEdit

They act as reinforcement deployment vehicles in that they fly around to areas where enemies have been detected and will drop a squad of Enforcers, Snipers, and Shield Guards to that location via jetpacks.

These things cannot be shot down.

NotesEdit

• Before attempting the quest "Assault Capital Prime", if the player goes to Subway Town they will see an Enforcer standing next to a Authority Mobile Generator which is a part of an Easter egg.
• Residents of Wellspring sometimes comment that the town pays "protection money" to the Authority. They also claim that the town should instead be paying the bandits since they in fact own the Wasteland.
• The Authority officers were known to attend the races in Wellspring, and multiple Subway Town Speedway races took place near Capital Prime in the Authority Territory. Despite that, their official policy states that enjoying racing, or doing it, is a sign of degeneration.

TriviaEdit

• The Enforcer, Sniper, and Shield Guard use the same character model except the Shield Guard has blue electrical dots on his body while the Enforcer and Sniper have red dots by default. If the Shield Guard is EMPed, the blue dots become red probably signifying the loss of the EMP shield.
• In the game's resource files, the Authority is referred to as the Regime, which was an early concept name for them from the game's early phases of development.
• The Authority bears a striking resemblance to the Combine in the Half Life game series and the Enclave in the Fallout series. The groups have similar roles and behave in a similar fashion and descended from elements of the United States government or military. Their troops have access to vastly superior technology, wear heavy armor, have troop transports that fly them to areas of conflict, and have city scanners in areas of occupation. Also, the motto "God bless the Authority" is very similar to the Enclave's motto "God bless the Enclave" (and the real-world motto "God bless America"). In addition, the Authority is similar to the Strogg from Quake 2 and Quake IV.
• With their politics and the flag that resembles the 3rd Reich's German war flags, the Authority shows distinctive Nazi resemblance, not to mention the symbol resembling SS (as in the Waffen SS).
• The Authority Enforcers share some resemblance with the Crimson Lance in Borderlands, a game developed by Gearbox Software in 2009.

ScreenshotsEdit

Concept artEdit