Kainan Wolfe
Shadow of War
- Intent: To create an armor suit for the Eternal Empire's elite units
- Image Source: Killzone 3 Official Concept Art
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Sk-UL Armor, Sk-UL Mk2 Armor
- Manufacturer: Karavin Concern
- Affiliation: Closed-Market | Eternal Empire, Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Model: Sk-UL Mk3 Special-Purpose Advanced Hazardous Environment Armor
- Modularity: Yes (Helmet, Plates, non-cosmetic changes to be subbed as derivations)
Production: Minor
- Material: Duralumin, with Phrik vambraces, for limited protection against lightsabers
- Classification: Multipurpose
- Weight: Average
- Resistances:
- Kinetic: Average
- Lightsabers: Low
- Other: Sonic: Low | EMP/ION: Very Low | Elemental: Average | Chemical/Biological: Very High | Electric: Very Low
- Integrated Rebreather Unit: Designed to be used in hostile environments, the Sk-UL Mk3 armor includes an integrated rebreather unit complete with an air filtration system and an internal oxygen supply for environments where this is required
- Integrated Low Visibility Optics: The Sk-UL Mk3 armor's helmet features a built-in visual enhancement system for low-light and poor visibility environments
- Phrik Vambraces: Unlike the rest of the Sk-UL series, the Mk3 features Phrik vambraces, offering its users somewhat limited protection against lightsabers
- Vacuum Rated: Intended for use in hostile environments, the Sk-UL armor is completely sealable and can be used in vacuum, or in highly toxic environments. This has the side effect that it also protects the wearer against chemical weapons which make use of corrosive agents, or toxic gas
- Enhanced Visibility: Featuring an integrated optics system, the Sk-UL armor offers enhanced visibility in low-light conditions and environments with low visibility
- Lightsaber Protection: Designed for use by special security units, the Mk3 variant features a set of Phrik vambraces which allow the user to block some lightsaber strikes, although the rest of the armor is unprotected against such weapons
- Dead Giveaway: The Sk-UL armor's integrated optics produce a distinctive, bright orange glow, which can be spotted from a large distance, giving away the wearer's position and making it useless for sneaking up on a target in open environments such as the wilderness, regardless of the time of day
- Vulnerable Electronics: The complicated onboard electronics which operate the suit's integrated optics and rebreather systems are vulnerable against ion and EMP-based weapons, which can cripple these systems and potentially severely impair the wearer
- Lightning Rod: The armor's high metal composition and addition of highly conductive electronics leaves the armor extremely vulnerable to electricity. Techniques such as Force Lightning or ingenious traps that take advantage of this, are extremely effective against wearers of this armor suit
As the Eternal Empire has, over the years, come to employ a wide variety of special forces and elite units such as the Wolfguards and Huscarls, keeping all of them supplied had become a massive logistical problem, resulting in some units having to rely on obsolete or improper armor suits which decreased their overall effectiveness.
A decision was made to replace the various types of armors which these units utilized, with something standardized which can, at the same time, be personalized so as to visually distinguish the various elite branches of the military. An evolution of the Sk-UL armor line, who's variants had already become standardized amongst the regular military and secret police forces, was commissioned by the government and the project was assigned to Karavin Concern, as the conglomerate already had experience with this armor line.
The Mk3 variant has been developed from the onset to be the ultimate evolution of the series, offering its wearers the best protection money could buy, while maintaining a light weight which did not impede upon the martial arts prowess that some of the Eternal Empire's elite units were well-known for.
Mk3 armor suits often feature striking visual embellishments, specific to each separate unit, however this does not sacrifice the variant's performance. Designed to perform well in a variety of environments and against a wide range of opponents, the Mk3 armor suit features the addition of a pair of Phrik vambraces which offer the wearer some albeit limited protection against lightsaber wielders.
The need to miniaturize several components in order to reduce weight, does come with some drawbacks, however. The armor is especially vulnerable to electric-based attacks, its highly conductive composition and various electronic systems being highly susceptible to a wide range of Force techniques as well as any weapons, traps or clever tricks which make use of electricity as a means to inflict damage.
Additionally, the armor's electronics can be relatively easily disabled by ion or EMP weapons, potentially causing severe impairments to the user, as crippling damage to the suit's complex optics and rebreather unit could leave the wearer without the use of these invaluable systems, this being especially dangerous in extremely hostile environments such as vacuum, or locations with toxic atmosphere.
