Expert Combat Strategies

We’re going to collect expert combat strategy tips in this thread. Post your own and we’ll edit the top page to incorporate the best!

GENERAL:

- Jammers are very effective at shutting down enemy Stealth and Air units.
- Flaks are the cheapest way to slaughter both Rocket Trucks and Raptors.
- Remember that Hills increase the range of ranged units by 1.
- Stay on the offensive to keep your troop morale high.

BLITZ:

- The Warmachine’s attack is very powerful. Sometimes it makes sense to involve your Warmachine in combat in order to preserve its remaining resources.
- Blitz mode is about controlling access to resources. You don’t need to necessarily extract those resources, just controlling access to them might be enough to choke your opponent.

CLASSIC:

- Capturing doesn’t reset if you move another Commando onto the building before the end of the turn. Commando chains are usually the most effective way to capture a cluster of buildings with a group of Commandos.

Here are a few tips I can think of (some people may already know this):

- Units do as much damage as their health: Unit with 50% health will do 50% of their damage (add/subtract additional factors such as terrain and attack/armor type)
- Stealth units that attack while cloaked do 200% damage (Jammer Trucks effectively remove this bonus if they get too close)
- Light attacks against light armor do 150% damage; Light attacks against medium armor do 100% damage; Light attacks against Heavy armor do 50% damage; Vice-Versa for Heavy attacks; Medium attacks do exactly the same damage on all types of armor
- Forests and hills cost 2 “move points” to go across (2.5 for wheeled); Plains cost 1 “move point” to go across (1.5 for wheeled); Roads cost 1 “move point” to go across for any unit; Foot units can go across anything for 1 “move point” except mountains (2 “move points”); None of this applies to air units; Archipelago and Reefs cost 2 “move points” to go across but the Reefs cost 3 “move points” if the ship has a massive hull
- Stealth units can only be uncovered by standing directly adjacent to them (if they are two moves away, they will remain hidden)

Here’s a few interesting things I’ve noticed:
- Rocket Trucks have superior range to Mortar Trucks, but they are not strictly better. Their weapon is in the “Heavy” class, and its base damage is 40. A Mortar, on the other hand, is a Medium weapon with a base damage of 48. Mortars have slightly more move range than rockets (5 vs. 4), and more health (50 vs 40). Considering that rockets are $185 more expensive, you have to decide if the situation really demands rockets.

- Stealth units can move through a jamming field, but if they do, they can’t cloak at the end of their movement, even if they are no longer in the jamming field and there are no adjacent enemy units.

- Both War Machines and Rocket Trucks can target air units with their ranged attacks. The War Machine’s attack is Medium-class, with 60 base damage. This lets it one-shot enemy raptors and puts a big dent in Condors. Rockets are Heavy-class, so they are much less effective against air units.

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-Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the terrain. If there’s a line of mountains, put some commandos on there and have a few ranged units backing them up. Don’t be afraid to create a choke point in fron of the range units, defending them.
-If you find yourself being ambushed by stealth units, don’t be afraid to use valuable resources on a Jammer.
-If you can afford it, create as many units as possible. Don’t spam commandos though. Spam Annihilators and the like.
-If it comes down to attacking a warmachine, or attacking another unit, attack the warmachine. Always target them when you can, unless it is tactically better to not do so. Same goes for your own, move it out of the way, rather than attacking or spawning a unit, unless you are certain you can kill off all attacking units in range.
-This one seems obvious, but anyway, know the strengths and weaknesses of your, and your enemies units. If a unit is presenting a large problem, don’t hesitate to make a unit that totally annihialtes it. You’ll thank me for this later.

And don’t hesitate to read the ingame tips before a match, whether against players of the CPU. They’re very helpful.. well most of them, anyway.

I’m not sure about this one.
-on open maps keep a stealth unit close to the enemy war machine, waiting for the moment to strike.

But if the enemy bumps into it, byebye stealth tank!!

-Create a stealth tank, and hide it. Wait a while. Surprise attack!!

-Getting 100% morale, and keeping it for a turn gives a 2000 resource bonus.

-Decide before your turn whether you need a large movement, low damage unit (raptor) or a slow moving, high damaging unit (annihilator), or even if you need an all-rounder (scorpian, flak).

-If the enemy is creating a formiddable defense – have no fear. They will lose morale every few turns for failing to attack, and you can easily charge them with all your might.

-Know what can, and can not, attack what. Creating a condor bomber to rid yourself of 5 problematic raptors does not work, create a few flaks instead (condor cannot attack raptor – as said in the purchase menu). Conversely, attacking a flak tank with your raptor isn’t very wise.

-Take advantage of range If you need to take out the enemy rocket truck, get a scorpion tank and charge through it’s attack range. Conversely, if you find your army of rocket trucks stormed upon by scorpion tanks, retreat some, and create some ground units, or a condor bomber.

With all the tips in this thread, I’m sure you will be well on your way to Battalion mastery.

as a reply to notverygood. Spamming stealth tanks, rockets, annies (annihalators) and condors are bad ideas. Usually an army of any of these units is easily taken out by a well balanced army. For instance if your opponent is spamming stealth tanks make 1 or 2 raptors and about 5 heavy commandos. Scout the terrain with these units because raptors can move long distances and commandos can attack a stealth if it is intercepted. However at all times keep your warmachines protected with a considerable amount of scorp fodder (4 is a nice number) and a couple heavy commandos. your war machines can act as artillery as your raptors and scout commandos do the bloody work.

For condors 2 flack tanks and 2 raptors are usually sufficient in obliterating an army of these.

The list can go on and on but my suggestion is that you play the ai and make all the units and get familiar with them.

Its important that you keep a well-balanced army in battle. if you overload on a single unit your army will become weak and your opponent can exploit this. Furthermore you must always use choke points and if the map doesnt have choke points, forge them with units.

All in all a well balanced army will beat a specialized army any time.

For the General with a budget, stealth tanks uncloak when they enter a jammer’s range and lose their stealth damage bonus. In a pinch you can build one and put it next to your warmachine. Your warmachine may still take a hit, but it won’t be the devastating blow a stealth tank normally is.

Never make rocket trucks, battlecruisers, or mortar trucks without more standard units in front of them. Also, build units of effects. For example, if you build 3 annies and your opponent builds an annie, rocket truck and condor bomber, then both of you have most likley run out of resources, but the person with the three different units will win. In other words, if you build a flak, rocket truck and scorpion tank then you have an anti-air defence, a unit to cover your other units, and a unit to go on the offence.

- On maps that allow them: always use infantry/commando transports. These allow your infantry to take to the skies and invade enemy territory or get to a specific point way ahead of an un-knowing foe.

- If you attack first, you have the advantage. For instance, when an infantry attacks another infantry, each with full health, the attacker is left with 3 bars of health (about 30 health points out of 40) and the defender is left with 1 bar (10 health points out of 40). So dealing 30 damage to your opponent and taking 10. - If you find yourself in an artillery war, whenever your opponent lets up they ranged units range, move your ranged units in and push your enemy back. - Always, always, ALWAYS, check where your opponents units can attack. Simply click on them and see there range/movement. Knowing is more like 75% of the battle here.

I have one tactic I’ve used that has worked pretty flawlessly for me.

Basically I make it seem that I’m focusing my main units on a singe tactical position, usually a couple annihilators and some rocket tanks. Naturally my opponent will send their forces to apprehend them. At this point I send a couple of fast moving units(raptors etc.) and attack them from behind. By the time my opponent has turned his units back, most of his/her war machines are dying. Then I either rush them with all my units, or I pull the annihilators back and attack them with my ranged units.

Of course, this tactic can really vary depending on how the terrain works, but most of the time it works for me.

It’s a really basic strategy really, but basic can be good sometimes :P

my strategy for this game is i use scorpions or flaks, in one area, all in a block, with my warmachine in the back. when my enemy comes in to hit me, they leave their warmachines voulnerable in the back. that’s when i send in the fast moving raptors and attack them from the back. almost always works. the one major problem with this strategy is to make sure your opponent has used up all of his warmachine’s money. you dont want to attack him and find out he just built raptors or flaks while you were waiting.

My stragie for the game is i get best offensive units first a guards at the beging of the match and then i would sent out 1 def and offensive to distroy some guys then guard your place with defensseive and get some air units to fire i usaly win alot

Chokepoints. You probably know about them. So, use scorp fodder to hold up a chokepoint, rocket trucks in the back, but do it while commmandos capture property. Another tip is to surround capturing commandos.

my strategy for this game is use stealth tank for surprise atack and to become the game more easy

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-Pay attention to what your enemy builds and counter it. Planes? build flak. Stealth, build radar and tanks. This is used to starve your enemy in blitz so you can use what you have left to go for the kill.

-Speeding raptors in to attack warmachines and turrents in thier blind spots is also good. just be sure to have ground cover nearby or on the way.

I love Blitz and Classic.

Heres a tip.Make a gap in an enemy line then fill it with cheap,powerful,awesome,scorpions.Very simpley.

I find that in Blitz, if you’re losing, you can plant yourself in a corner (Prefferibly with sea on one side) and make a radar truck, and then cover it and your war machine with your annhilator, like a box defense. Very effective, and you can damage your enemy funds very fast and possibly win, if not annoy the hell out of them to the point they leave. :P

One of the most important strategies in co-op games is communication. I find extremely annoying that most people in co-op games simply ignore the chat screen and improvise. This leads to disharmonic tactics and an inevitable defeat.

A good strategy I like is using a jammer to protect my warmachine and keeping it by the warmachine at all times.
While I’m doing that I build units to counter-attack my enemys units and take him down!

PS: I’ve noticed that moving a Jammer to a position where its jamming range overlaps an air unit that was already there then that air unit is helpless and can’t move!

A nice trick is to block a vital path(like a bridge or a mountain pass) with an invisible stealth tank. Unless the enemy sends a commando(rare) his attack unit is bound to be stopped in front of the stealth tank, allowing you to shower it with artillery or get the first strike with another more powerful close-range unit.

I still love rocket trucks: they’re really long range and a bunch of them can destroy almost anything that tries to come close. Furthermore they can attack land, sea and air.
Exceptions are:
1. scorpion tanks, a simple solution here is have a few planes (raptors or condors) in front of your trucks: the tanks can’t attack them, so you can you a plane as a passive defence.
2. raptors, for these having a bit of flak in the neighbourhood makes it already very costly for the enemy to attack. Even in a concerted attack, he will get heavy losses. Apart from that, the flak also deters commando’s very efficiently

I still have the feeling that rocket truck armies with some support are stronger than balanced armies. Annihilators and mortars for example are completely useless against a rocket truck army.

Weakness in this theory: mainly tested against AI in Battalion Nemesis and not against people in the arena… :-)