Guttertank

For more information about other enemies, see Enemies

Guttertank
Венец творений Пина
Attributes
Appearance	Large, red machine with bulky and angular design and inbuilt rocket launcher
Attack Damage	35 (Rocket) 35 (Punch)
Health	23
Support Priority Rank	4
Damage Modifiers	N/A
Weight	Heavy
Susceptible to fall damage	Yes
Other/Misc	Erratic area denial enemy with significant close range potency.

Guttertanks are Greater Machines that first appear in the mission [ 7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT ]. They appear as big, red tank-like robots that fire rockets from their built-in rocket launcher while throwing devastating close-quarters punches.

Appearance

Guttertanks are bulky, humanoid machines with bright red armor, bearing a strong resemblance to WW2 era German tanks. They have horse-like legs with square-shaped metal "hooves" that help prevent the machine from getting stuck in patches of mud on the battlefield. On their right forearm is a large rocket launcher, which is connected to a white steaming tank mounted on their back, presumably used in the process of synthesizing ammunition. Meanwhile, their left arm is more human-like, with only three fingers and a thumb, which is used for punching and placing landmines.

Combat

The Guttertank primarily attacks by firing rockets at the player, which if missed, freeze upon getting close and explode after a short duration. These rockets function largely the same as the player's Rocket Launcher rockets, including how magnets attract rockets. Rockets fired by Guttertanks can be frozen with the Freezeframe Rocket Launcher, and act in a similar fashion.

Occasionally, it may decide to lay down a landmine on its current location instead of firing a rocket. These mines will linger even after the Guttertank gets killed and are identical to those lying around in [ 7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT ]. Landmines can be parried by the player once it bounces before detonation, which grants a full heal and launches it in the direction of the punch. Landmines launched in this fashion create red explosions. The Guttertank is completely immune to its own rockets and landmines, except if they are redirected through Attractor Nailgun magnets, parries, or rocket riding.

If the player gets close, the Guttertank will swing its fist at the player after a short windup. This melee attack has considerable knockback, range, damage, and cannot be parried. However, with the right timing, the Guttertank will trip on itself in the event that the punch is successfully dodged, taking a small amount of damage and making it vulnerable to a parry. This attack predicts the player's movement, which means if the player is grappling towards it with the Whiplash or approaching it, the Guttertank will prepare it's punch sooner. Close-quarters combat against the Guttertank can be dangerous and is ill-advised if unprepared.

Difficulty Changes

• HARMLESS
  • Guttertanks move and attack much slower than usual.

• LENIENT
  • Guttertanks move and attack slower than usual.

• VIOLENT
  • Guttertanks move and attack faster than usual.

• BRUTAL
  • Guttertanks move and attack much faster than usual.
  • They no longer trip over themselves when missing a punch, unless standing on Firestarter Rocket Launcher gasoline.

Terminal Data

For more information, see Terminal

TYPE: Greater Machine

DATA:
As Guttermen singlehandedly ended the trench warfare era of the Final War, armies scrambled to create countermeasures, leading to the creation of more machines of war.

Built from the foundations of Guttermen to save time, Guttertanks were equipped with highly efficient explosives and arms capable of damaging and destroying thick armor. The slow, lumbering walls that once dominated the battlefield had now become obsolete.

As human soldiers had quickly become useless in war, utterly outclassed by machines, they were almost entirely phased out. This led to the second era of the Final War, where machines fought machines in a back-and-forth tide as new designs were phased in and out at a feverish pace, each designed specifically to counter the last.

Although at first the soldiers celebrated returning home, they soon found that the pointless, endless arms race left little in its wake. All resources were used on machines of war, and impoverished civilians had to struggle to survive. Home was just another battlefield, a war of all against all.

Conquest leads to war - War leads to famine - Famine leads to...

STRATEGY:
- The Guttertank's punch is deceptively fast and powerful. The best way to get close safely is to bait a punch before closing the gap.

- Due to reused technology, the Freezeframe Rocket Launcher is capable of freezing Guttertank rockets too, making them temporarily incapable of long range combat.

Rending Apart

When one first encounters the Guttertank, it presents itself as an imposing and oppressive opponent. Not only do its attacks deal enormous damage, it actively tracks the player's movement when using its rocket launcher as well as punishing the player for moving too fast and/or recklessly against it. The key is to change movement direction once it's preparing a rocket or a punch. Even when several Guttertanks are present, their rockets oftentimes can easily be dodged by simply strafing towards the projectile then away from it using that method. The player can also use sliding instead of strafing, causing the Guttertank to miss by a much wider margin due to the player's greater speed.

The Freezeframe Rocket Launcher is a powerful tool against the Guttertanks, as its freezing power works on their rockets as well; on a full charge, this means a max of 5 seconds where their ranged attacks are wholly nullified. While the Guttertank's rocket is frozen, it's possible to hop on and guide it back into them, instantly killing them while netting additional style. Rockets that have been ridden by the player need to be unfrozen in order for the damage and style to apply. Sticking a Guttertank with a magnet can also hinder them, as it significantly reduces the maximum range of their rockets. Magnets paired with four charged rockets is an easy way to kill Guttertanks.

The range of its punch attack is much larger than its actual animation of it would make one believe. One can bait it first by dashing backwards, before going in for close range damage while it's recovering. The time in which the attack can deal its damage actually starts right before the punch animation, but dodging it with a dash isn't actually that strict, just requiring that the player dash slightly earlier.

If a Guttertank is baited into punching and misses, it will create a window that can be used to parry the Guttertank, dealing a significant amount of damage. Due to the wide window and lack of attacks coming from the Guttertank, it is recommended to go for a Shotgun parry for additional damage. Additionally, using a full heatsink from the Overheat Nailgun while the Guttertank is disabled, followed by the Electric Railcannon, can do immense damage due to the nails conducting the electricity, allowing for an instant kill if done correctly.

Patch History

Patch 15c (2024/05/11)	Guttertanks can no longer hit the player through a wall with a melee attack.
Full Arsenal Update (2024/04/15)	Guttertank point cost reduced from 55 to 40 in the Cyber Grind arena.
Patch 14c (2023/01/17)	Fixed Guttertanks sometimes being parryable after death. Riding a Guttertank's rocket back into itself will no longer kill it if they are being protected by an Idol.
Patch 14b (2023/12/24)	Guttertanks will now stagger and become parryable when not hitting anything with a punch. Guttertanks now only spawn on melee tiles in the Cyber Grind. Fixed Guttertanks not becoming Radiant in the Cyber Grind.
VIOLENT NIGHT Update (2023/12/20)	Guttertank introduced with the new Violence layer, and now appears in the Cyber Grind.

Trivia

• The Guttertanks were made by Germans, signified by the text "FAUST PANZER" (translates to FIST TANK) on their left-hand arm.
  • The text seems to be a reversion of "PANZER FAUST" (translates to TANK FIST), an anti-tank weapon that was used during WW2.
    • "FAUST PANZER" is a pun on the fact that this enemy is a tank that can punch things instead of a thing that can punch a tank.
• The Guttertank's Terminal entry alludes to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with death being the main hint of the last line of text in it. Likely as implication of the horrors mankind created in its wake that would lead to its extinction after the Final War.
• The Guttertank emits strange radio noises and shows its capable of vocalization whenever it places landmines or is stuck by a magnet.
  • The radio vocalization can still be heard from the transceiver on its back even after being destroyed.
• The Guttertank's punch can one shot a Gutterman, although the former will likely get [+PANCAKED] by their corpse posthumously.
• Along with Streetcleaners, they are the only enemies to passively emit upwards-moving particles on spawn.
• Their arm cannon's design could be inspired by Samus Aran's arm cannon.
• Guttertanks can also create red airshot explosions just like the player's own Rocket Launcher.
• The Guttertank's design was originally Gutterman concept art, but it was decided to split the designs into two separate enemies.
• There is a secret second variant of the Guttertank called the "Nuttertank". This variant is likely a one-off joke.

Gallery

Guttertank concept art, drawn by Andrei Mischenko. Notice how the the Gutterman is used as a base.

A Guttertank placing a landmine.

Official render of the Guttertank by Victoria Holland.

High-poly Guttertank.

A Guttertank making a red airshot.