- Can jetpack quickly around, and over, the battlefield. - Effective against all unit types. - Heavy Tau Battlesuit. - The pinnacle of Earth Caste battlesuit development, it stands twice the size of the XV8 Crisis Suit series. However, it is an extremely agile and fast suit. Riptides are armed with heavy weapons, giving firepower and protection to compliment their agility. The Riptide draws power from two primary energy sources. The first, the Fusion Reactor, is the standard and more reliable method of energy. However the Riptide is also equipped with a Nova Reactor, an experimental dark matter energy source that is only activated should the Riptide's Shas'vre pilot require a burst of extra power. - Armed with Ion Accelerator, Twin Fusion Blasters, and Riptide Shield Generators. - Can be upgraded with Twin Smart Missile Systems, and various Battlesuit Support Systems.