AR2 is one of the oldest mods in the C&C community, with the last official release taking place in 2004. AR2's storyline takes place on a planet known as Atrigo wherein two factions, the Nemesis and the Genesis, battle each other for their own survival. The original mod team's design emphasis was to make the two sides as distinctive and diverse from each other as possible. AR2 was originally designed by modders from now defunct Derelict Studios -- I am not the original creator of this mod. This project does not currently have sanction from any original AR2 team members. If you are a member of the original AR2 team, please feel free to reach out.
No official name is given to this class, although it is commonly known as the "Sclerite", referring to the dark, hard plates covering a large part of its outer body. No captured entity has been examined thus far and so its actual structure is unknown, but this augmented infantry, either cybernetic-organic or biologically engineered, is similar to Genesis battlegears in one way or another. The Sclerite makes it evident that Nemesis has already acquired the technique to modify living tissues on a massive scale, and suggests that Nemesis might only be steps away from creating controlled infantry like the Genesis. The frequent appearance of mutated lifeforms after the explosion of Sclerites is expected to be not coincidental, and supports the claim that Nemesis might have gone even further in the research of Vinifera and other Scrin prion related mutation than previously speculated.
Despite taking up double the space of ordinary infantry, the Sclerite is a perfect companion for Quads and Matrices for its deadliness against most types of land units, its strong armor and the fact that it explodes into Viniferal mist and subsequently mutates into an infected visceroid when it dies. The Sclerite has since its release replaced the Firestorm in elite Nemesis teams for dangerous field operations and assassinations.
I've browsed through all the images in here and I really love the lore written into the descriptions, the mod's universe is fascinating!
Absolutely agree, the lore resonated with me the moment I've seen the menu artworks - and went stronger from there.