Malone Ratcatcher MK.1
| “ | Early iterations of this machinegun were built to be emplaced in bunkers and on the decks of lightly armed warships, the Ratcatcher is Harvey Malone’s first freely mountable infantry weapon designed for field use. Just like its predecessors, this heavy weapon suppresses enemy soldiers with unmatched efficiency. | „ |
| — In-game description |
The Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 (simply known as a Ratcatcher) is a Warden Mounted Machinegun. It fires 12.7mm and must be mounted in order to be fired.
Specifications
It has a 150-round magazine and a high fire rate of 300 rounds per minute which makes it loses its accuracy during long bursts, especially when fired from a standing-height Tripod mount.
It has a 37.5m effective range and 45m maximum range, beating every other machine guns by a few meters.
It is a Large Item carried on the shoulder that must be mounted on a deployed Tripod or certain Half-Tracks to be used. When mounted, its mount's inventory gets a dedicated ammo slot that can hold thirty 12.7mm magazines. Its firing arc is limited to 90 degrees and depends on the mount's direction.
It excels at eliminating infantry, although it is just as effective against light vehicles and some structures.
Use
To mount it press B then aim at the mount and press LMB.
Press Q to operate the gun (crouching might be required for low-height deployed tripods).
To reload, a 12.7mm needs to be either in the mount's inventory or in the shooter's backpack (priority for backpack if both).
To remove it from its mount, open up the mount's menu with E and click the "Detach Tripod Weapon" button 
(located in the bottom right corner).
Production
| Structure | Input(s) | Output | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition Factory (Tripod Factory) | 3 x Construction Materials  4 MW of power  |
1 x Malone Ratcatcher MK.1  |
00:00:25 |
| Factory (Heavy Arms) | 100 x Basic Materials  5 x Refined Materials  |
Crate of 5 x Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 |
00:02:05 |
| Mass Production Factory (Heavy Arms) | 100 x Basic Materials 5 x Refined Materials |
Crate of 5 x Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 |
00:20:50 |
Must be fully researched in the Weapons and Structures 
Tech Tree in order to be produced.
Storage
They can be stored in base stockpiles but also in Material Pallets, Rooster - Tumblebox Trailer, or Material Transfer Stations. Crates of them can be directly submitted to those places.
Tactics
The Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 is a powerful mounted machine gun, capable of unleashing high volumes of fire towards incoming enemy infantry. Unlike its Colonial counterpart, it relies less on its damage output, and more on its suppression capabilities. As such, it is recommended to fire in smaller bursts to minimize the spread, allowing the weapon to dial in on targets.
Due to its rather immobile nature, it is important to place them in defensive spots, where line-of-sight to targets are unobstructed, but can be rather difficult to be fired upon. This is somewhat difficult to do, as it is a direct-fire weapon, but placing them in trenches does help protect them.
When placed on a half-track, the immobile nature of the weapon is negated, allowing it to attack enemy infantry from any direction, as long as it can get into range. Flanking is highly recommended in order to maximize its effectiveness.
Tips
- Since you can't receive cover bonuses while using Tripod Weapons and given the Ratcatcher's fast fire rate, you'll keep your accuracy for longer if you use the gun on a crouch-height positioned tripod (i.e. tripod on the ground rather than on edge of Trench or Sandbags).
- A Motorcycle can be used to quickly transport the tripod and gun while you carry the ammo in your backpack.
Trivia
- The appearance of the Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 is similar in to the Hotchkiss Mle 1914 and DShK 1938 heavy machine guns.
Gallery
A Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 mounted on a tripod
A Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 mounted on a tripod inside of a Trench
A Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 mounted on a Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage
A Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 mounted on a Niska Mk. 1 Gun Motor Carriage (side-view)
The Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 introduced in the Update 0.47 Dev Stream
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