Tracer Shank

Tracer Shank
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Biographical information
Species:	Fallen
Type:	Shank
House:	House of Wolves ; House of Devils ; Devil Splicers ; House of Winter ; House of Dusk ; Kell's Scourge ; House of Salvation
Rank:	Major ; Minor ; Elite
Combat information
Weapon(s):	Wire Rifle turret
Abilities:	High Durability (Majors) ; Rapid Flight ; Absorption Shield (high difficulty, Destiny 2)

"Seems like the Fallen have an endless supply of these floating death-machines. No matter. Anything they spit out, we'll toss right back."

— WANTED: Tracer Shank^[1]

Tracer Shanks are a variant model of Shanks belonging to the Fallen.^[1]

Overview

In place of a standard Shank's weaponry, Tracer Shanks have a built-in Wire Rifle, allowing them to snipe hostiles from long range as effectively as any Vandal. Their rifle is also mounted on top of their chassis rather than the bottom, and they have a different sensory array. They were first introduced by the House of Wolves, but in time all Houses and syndacates adopted them in their ranks.

During the Wolf Rebellion a group of Tracer Shanks were located in The Breach of the Cosmodrome Wall. They were subsequently destroyed by Guardians on orders of the Queen's Wrath, Petra Venj.^[2]

Gameplay

Tracer Shanks combine the threat of a Shank with that of a Vandal. They can fire from extreme distances, and from unexpected angles thanks to their ability to fly. This also allows them to easily bypass cover. That said, they are still weak like their regular models, and are still destroyed after very little damage. They are also deployed in fewer numbers than their fellows, and their movement speed is lower than that of a scuttling Vandal.

Known Tracer Shanks

R-M80, Loyal to Avarokk

Variants

Notable Variants

Shank, Kell's Scourge - Shank and Tracer Shank of the Kell's Scourge
Splicer Tracer Shank - Devil Splicers Tracer Shank

Common Variants

Sniper Shank - Heroic difficulty
Splicer Sniper Shank - Devil Splicers Heroic difficulty
Resilient Shank, Kell's Scourge - Elite Shank and Tracer Shank of the Kell's Scourge
Resilient Tracer Shank - Elite Tracer Shank

Specific Variants

Trivia

Tracer Shanks bore the colors of the House of Wolves when they were first introduced. Around the time of The Taken King and Rise of Iron, they were recolored to match the colors of the Sniper Shanks seen in Fallen S.A.B.E.R..
- The reason of this is unknown, but was presumably done so that the Tracer Shanks can be used by all Houses, as the House of Devils and the House of Winter were seen employing the Shanks into their arsenal.
For a while, Tracer Shanks employed by the House of Salvation fired projectiles similar to the Arc turrets that regular Shanks are armed with rather than Wire Rifle projectiles. This issue seems to have been rectified as of now with them firing normal Wire Rifle projectiles.