How to choose the optimal loadout for a mission and how to use your units effectively during battle.
Initial Considerations
- Enemy Units (see specific counters)
- Your units – Try to conserve your best units and avoid overkill
- Map Length- For long maps, use snipers and vehicles. For short maps, use base defence turrets and heavy gunners.
- Difficulty – Maps with higher stars spawn more enemies than maps with lower stars. Even if the enemy units seem weak, you can still get overwhelmed on high difficulty missions.
- Timing of enemy waves
Recommended Upgrade Path
2. Armor Plating – very important for surviving on island 2 and 3
3. Deployment logistics – very important for surviving on island 2 and 3
4. Pip supply – By getting this upgrade you can focus on using your medallions on cash upgrades and ranking up units instead of upgrading pip supply during battle
5. Extended Salvo- fairly cheap and useful
6. Modular construction – mainly for pumpjacks, oil derricks and TOWs
The Battle
Early Game
Defend and possibly get some quick kills (for xp) by using tear gas or missiles. If you’re using vehicles, focus on unlocking them ASAP. Consider using warpips, pipsqueak, shield, sniper, constructable turrets, and/or base defence turrets during this stage.
Unlock and Deploy Win Condition (skip on low difficulty maps)
Win conditions are generally heavy gunners (late island 1 – early island 2) or vehicles (late island 2 – island 3). Use barrels / trade medals for cash to buy them if necessary.
Expand Your Frontline
Go on the offensive by pushing forward. The aim of this stage is not to completely destroy the enemy, but to gain a lot of xp for your final attack. Solidify your advantage by deploying pumpjacks, oil derricks, ranking up your units, and getting cash upgrades.
Final Attack
Try to time your final attack so that it does not occur during an enemy wave. However, sometimes attacking during a wave is necessary.
If you decide to attack during a wave, send your units in groups (so that your units aren’t seriously outnumbered) and in several of your own waves if necessary.
If you are not attacking during an enemy wave – maintain constant pressure by sending one large group and then deploying individual reinforcements once the main group suffers casualties (getting outnumbered is not really a concern in this case).
Specific Counters
Tips and Unit Specific Strategies
- The range boost from defence mode can be used offensively by allowing your units to get the first strike on the enemy in an engagement
- The accuracy boost from attack mode can be used defensively by allowing your units to quickly kill invading units
- Do not use more than one vehicle on any single map (except the final mission of island 2 and 3 – where I recommend the tank + LRV combo)
- If in doubt, add drone strikes, dumbfire missiles, tear gas, smoke grenades or barrel to your loadout
Infantry Tips
Pipsqueaks
- Good auxiliary force, but relying on them as your main force is risky
- They are extremely weak at rank 0, so prioritise getting them to rank 1 / 2
Warpips
- Good for early game defence (2-3 can hold off most infantry attacks)
- When using them as a standalone force, focus on upgrading pip supply so that you can use them in large numbers (6 – 10 units per attack)
- They do not benefit much from ranking up
Heavy Gunner
- Good multipurpose unit, but slow moving
- Win condition for islands 1 and 2
- Focus on getting the cash upgrade in the early game. Then trade medallions for cash when you want to attack.
- A group of 3 – 6 is usually enough to overpower the enemy and win
Sniper
- Situational anti-infantry support unit
- Do not use them on short maps or maps with an early enemy wave
Shield Pips
- Good for stalling the enemy
- Time when you spawn your units so that the shield pip is in front of your main force
Tactician
- Not very reliable, but powerful if it gets a lucky artillery strike
Vehicle Tips
LRV
- Good on long maps, where there is enough time and space to spawn lots of warpips
- Focus on getting them to rank 1. Rank 2 is not necessary.
Puma
- Good multipurpose unit
- Focus on ranking them up to rank 2 ASAP
- Do not use on maps with enemy RPGs or Tanks
Tanks
- Very powerful, although weaker vs infantry compared to LRVs and Pumas
- When against massed infantry, focus on ranking them up to rank 1
- When against other tanks, focus on ranking them up to rank 2
Consumables and Turrets
Dumbfire missiles
- Good for getting quick kills in the early game
Tear Gas
- Strong against infantry waves
- Blanket the enemy spawn point or chokepoints (e.g. bridge) with gas
- Can be used to set off mines
Smoke Grenades
- Enhance the survivability of your units
- Can set off mines
Drone Strike
- Expensive but relatively common compared to IC7 and airstrike
- Low damage to vehicles
- Very good for setting off mines
- Use on sharpshooters, large clusters of enemies, howitzers
IC7
- Very powerful anti-howitzer and anti-tank option
Airstrike
- Similar to IC7, although less effective due to longer unlock period
TOW
- Good for early game defence vs. buggies, anti-infantry jeeps, Warmule and UAZ
- Use in groups of 2 or 3
- Can be used to distract the enemy
Barrel / Barrels
- On difficult missions, use these two items together to get lots of cash
Thanks to Aciffane for his great guide, all credit to his effort. you can also read the original guide from Steam Community. enjoy the game.
