War Wind II Human Onslaught Tips and Tricks By Barnabas Soon Version 0.85 E-mail: humanarchives@hotmail.com This file and all its contents are sole propety and is copyrighted by Barnabas Soon since Jan 1 2000. Should you wish to place this on your website please contact me first. Feel free to print out any part of this file but do not edit it in any way. You may distribute this file but do not alter it in anyway during distribution. This file may not be sold or be used to make a profit. Where you can find it This file can only be found at www.gamefaqs.com and www.geocities.com/emunalysis If this is found anywhere else please tell me so I can mail these people a earful. ---------------------- Contents Introduction Storyline Overview of game History of this guide General overview of each race and their character General Tips Tips for S.U.N Tips for Overlords Tips for Marines Tips for Descendants Beasts of Yavuun and how to deal with them Using heroes Hot keys to remember Walkthroughs* FAQ's* Credits Comments and suggestions on what War Wind II should have been* Legal stuff Comments and suggestions *-see introduction ---------------------- Introduction This is a text file to help people needing advice on how to play War Wind II. This file will give you information to deal with playing the game. Each faction's tips will give you tips on units, buildings as wells as various other aspects of the game. It is important to read the manual, readme file and on-line help as it has some valuable advice as well as the technological trees which I am not covering. *-This is not an FAQ or walkthrough, or a suggestions list although if people mail me questions walkthroughs and suggestions I will place them in this file. I may even add in my own advice. ---------------------- Storyline War Wind II starts of several decades after War Wind I. In War Wind I, the Tha'roon have enslaved the Eaggra and Obblinox but the Eaggra managed to rebel successfully and gain their freedom, they then ally with the Shama'li and become S.U.N. The Obblinox on the other hand rebel as well but unfortunately are quelled by the Tha'roon, they are then collectively known as the overlords. Years pass and S.U.N becomes complacent, the Overlords are now ready to crush S.U.N and re-enslave the eaggra. As Overlord forces drive S.U.N forces to their knees and are about to finish them, S.U.N mages attempting to summon NagaRom in the last battle feel magic crushing them like a wave...... Many light years away on earth in the arctic scientists have unwittingly uncovered a stone tablet of NagaRom. They bring it back to their base and place it storage with Marines guarding it when a flash of light blinds them all. Back on Yavuun...... Without warning the whole arctic installation appears, overlord soldiers encountering the marines trade fire without asking questions. The scientists escape into the forest. The marines regroup and fall back to plan their next attck. Several generations pass and this is where War Wind II starts. ---------------------- Overview of this game War Wind II is a real time strategy wargame involving 5 races struggling for survival on a planet known as Yavuun. The races are the Shama'li, the Eaggra, the Tha'roon, the Obblinox and the Humans. These races are broken into 4 main groups, S.U.N(servants under NagaRom comprised of Shama'li and Eaggra), Overlords (comprised of Tha'roon and Obblinox), Marines (comprised of humans) and descendents (comprised of humans as well). ---------------------- Characteristics of each faction Each faction is fighting for something different here is what their outlook is in War Wind II S.U.N S.U.N wishes for peace between all races and factions. In the game they are allies of the descendents. Overlords The Overlords wish for total domination of Yavuun. In the game they are trade partners of the marines, trading resources for technology. Marines The marines wish for a human nation on Yavuun and wish to eliminate everyone else including the descendets. In the game they are trade partners of the overlords, trading technology for resources. Descendents The descendents wish to return to Earth, the human's homeworld. In the game they are allies of S.U.N. ---------------------- General tips: ---------------------- Hiring units In general, you should train a unit to at least persuasion level 3(if resources permit) and then go and persuade worker units which will help increase resources. If you are in need of warriors, you should persuade 1 warrior per worker or have all your warriors together in a group on aggressive so they can respond to any attacks. ---------------------- Setting stances Aggressive This is a good defensive stance(ironic isn't it) for guarding your base. However keep an eye out because they will persue fleeing enemy troops right into their base. Defensive This is a good aggresive stance(ironic isn't it) because they will take out any close range enemies but respond to your command. Reactive This is a neutral stance but not good for defending troops when they are in groups because if one is attacked, unless there is splash damage, your other troops won't come to help. Evasive This is a good stance for scouting because selected scout will use its stealth ability(if applicable). ---------------------- Riding in vehicles Unless you have a very fast vehicle, its a good idea to have a worker unit piloting the vehicle so he/she can repair the vehicle if it becomes damaged. ---------------------- Unit/Vehicle upgrades I suggest that one should research in vehicle upgrades first rather than unit upgrades because you get all vehicle upgrades with only one research. Follow what the manual says about this as well. -Tip- Marines do not have vehicle upgrades to speak of. ---------------------- Unit upgrades/Cybernatics I strongly suggest that when you do equip your units with cybernatics, use offensive or advanced cybernatics. Do not bother with defensive as they slow your unit down. ---------------------- Influence and songs Song (All last about 30 seconds)Check manual for details War Song: I normally use it in an emergency when my units are about to die. Magic/Inspirational Song: I rarely use this but its probably a good idea to call it when your magical units are in need of mana or under attack because magical damge doubles. Construction song: I use this when I build a guard tower(because its so slow) or am in need of a huge number of resources right away. Travel/retreat song: I have never used this because I never have an all out war. Its a good idea to research or call a song(except the travel song) before an attack so that you can get maximum influence points out of the attack. -Tip- If you would like a song to go on and on, start a song and then go to the options menu(this would be a good time to save) then return to the game. I'm not sure if saving the game has anything to do with this apparent bug but do it if returning straight to the game dosn't work. -Tip- You can change the music with the . and , on the keyboard. If you're in a war song as described above, then it plays songs like the main menu song as well. ---------------------- Movement packages There are 3 types, normal, off-road roadster and unrestricted. Needless to say, try to use the terrain which gives your unit extra speed. -Remember- Hovering units can cross water but not natural barriers like cliffs. Stealing resources (being sneaky) All units with stealth can steal resources, simply enter a building containing resources(eg a Silo) and access the steal resource button by double clicking on your unit. -Tip- The hot key is s Storing resources/supplies Should there be resources on your unit(either picked up or stolen) access the store resource button by double clicking your unit. The unit will return to the nearest Town Centre or Silo to store the resources. -Tip- The hot key is O ---------------------- Supplies I prefer to have the supplies option turned on but regardless, you should roughly have 1 food producing building per 5 units. ---------------------- Friendly fire I won't go into this because I always turn friendly fire damage off. ---------------------- Weapons The manual tells you all about it. -Tip- Some weapons can not attack flying units but all can attack hovering units. Note: I won't go into a unit's or building's detail because they are all in the manual at the back ---------------------- Detecting and detroying mines When you find a mine (signalled by an expanding and contracting blue circle) use a ballistic or missile attack to destroy the mine ---------------------- Building other constructions ---------------------- Defensive Walls Pro's Provides protection Obstructs enemies Con's Useless otherwise Takes time to build a whole row Destroyed easily by deconstructors Do not build this, it is a waste of time and resources ---------------------- Offensive walls Pro's Provides protection Obstructs enemies Damages enemies if they walk through Con's Takes time to build a whole row Destroyed easily by deconstructors Do not build this, it may be better than defensive walls but it is pointless, attack rather than defend. ---------------------- Human roads Pro's Increases speed for all units except off-road ones Con's Easily destroyed Waste of resources Waste of time building a line of them You really should only build roads if you have two bases and wish to connect them up. ---------------------- Yavuun roads Pro's Increases speed for all units except off-road ones Con's Easily destroyed Waste of resources Waste of time building a line of them You really should only build roads if you have two bases and wish to connect them up. ---------------------- Bridge Pro's Allows you to travel across water Con's Expensive Waste of resources Waste of time building a line of them Destroyed easily by deconstructors Unless absolutely neccessary avoid trying to build long lines of bridges you really do not need them. Its also very risky crossing this because enemy stray shots can destroy part of it causing your units to drown. -Tip- Try to find the narrowest place to build a bridge thereby saving resources. ---------------------- Control Bridge Pro's Allows you to travel across water Can switch bridge off thereby drowning enemy units Con's Expesive Waste of resources Waste of time building a line of them Destroyed easily by deconstructors Like the bridge avoid trying to build these, they are much more expensive then normal bridges. Stray shots can also destroy parts of this. -Tip- Use normal bridges to save resources, then place maybe one or two Control bridges along the way so you can drown enemies. -Tip- An even sneakier way to deactive two control bridges thereby trapping the enemies in the middle with no way to go. Then let one open. When they cross shut it off causing them to drown. This is a more controlled way to handle the situation. ---------------------- Trip Mines Pro's Damages units greatly Con's Chance of being stepped on remote Expensive to cover a large area Easily destroyed by weapons with a blast radius These trip mines are a waste of resources do not build them ---------------------- Remote Mines Pro's Damages units greatly Can control explosion Con's Chance of being stepped on remote Expensive to cover a large area Easily destroyed by weapons with a blast radius Like trip mines, these are a waste of resources do not build them ---------------------- Security Alarm Pro's Alerts to enemies prescence Has a range of eight squares Con's Easily destroyed Can only alert but can not see unit The security alarms are a bad investment since they can not see enemy units, you may be alerted to their prescence but you still have to build or train units to look out for the enemies so this is just extra unneccesary cost. ---------------------- Bombs Pro's Damaging Has a blast radius Con's Requires bomb-planting skill Tedious having to use bombs Expensive Do not build these general bombs, if you are the Overlords use your Alchemist spells. If Descendents and Marines use Invention. If S.U.N. use Engineers to destroy enemy buildings and Rangers to snipe enemies. ---------------------- Tips for S.U.N (Servants under NagaRom) ---------------------- General Pro's and Con's Pro's Units generally have several skills Most units have stealth ability They can cast magic Con's Almost no vehicles Units do little good against vehicles unless in huge clusters or highly skilled No boats or water-bound vehicles Need separate reserch for Shama'li and Eaggra spells ---------------------- General tips for: ---------------------- Selecting a leader Read the mission instructions, if it requires battling enemies for extended periods choose the Shadow Dancer, if it involves bringing a character to a certain spot or setting up a base, choose the Prime Maker. Note: If you have to bring several characters to a certain spot later in the game, it is better to choose the Shadow Dancer becauase enemies are probably guarding the spot. ---------------------- Bringing units over from previous missions I suggest bringing over at least: 1 farmer with full skills 1 ranger with full stealth and detection skills 1 cavalier(or mounted cavalier if possible with full up grades) 1 Guru with full spells(preferably 2 for Butanium harvesting) 1 druid with full spells (preferably 2 for regrowth). If you feel it takes just too long to research all the spells, you should concentrate on Shama'li or Eaggra spells for one whole level, upgrade at least 2 magical units (preferably with potential to maximum spell) and then carry them over to the next mission. The same goes for upgrades, give your units whatever upgrades you want and then bring them over for the next mission. -Tip- Do not bring over Butanium consuming units unless you really need them or can locate a source of Butanium quickly. ---------------------- Scouting Have extended training on one unit with stealth ability(preferably not a mission-critical unit) up to stealth level 4 (invisibility) and then send it to scout the area out. I recommend a Eaggra ranger because it can detect mines, stealth units and bombs as well as hide from the enemies. ---------------------- Butanium gathering You should have at least 2 shamen or Gurus doing this so they can take turns while one is regaining mana the other is casting the Ground Harvest spell. Alternatively, you can cast ground harvest with both of them as a group spell. ---------------------- Unit Pro's and con's ---------------------- Shadow Dancer Pro's Able to cast magic and persuade units. Can use war song and magic song Has stealth ability Can attack air units Con's He is vital to the mission and if killed will cause the mission to fail. Attack depends on mana and if mana falls to zero then he cannot attack or defend himself. The shadow dancer being a leader should be kept in base to help defend it. He should also be given extended training and be used to persuade units at a reduced costs. ---------------------- Farmer Pro's Can harvest resources and build buildings/vehicles and reapir as well Can be turned into a stronger unit(especially if he has potential) Can be hired at a cheaper price if persuaded Con's Bad at attacking or defending Low health Requires training to widen build/construction options Can't attack air You should train a farmer(wihout potential) to have full skills in the second S.U.N level and then carry him over to the next mission and the next mission etc. etc. so you can build all buildings. ---------------------- Defender Pro's Has stealth ability Fast Good close-range attacker in earlier levels Con's Becomes redundent in later levels because attack is weak and easily killed. No futhur advancement. Stays defender. Can't attack air As stated, do not bother training defenders in the later levels except as fodder for the enemy or for scouting if you prefer it to a Eaggra ranger. ---------------------- Cavalier Pro's Can mount Boncas to become Mounted Cavalier with no costs Has stealth ability Has animal handling Better close range fighter than defender Can tame elder Bonca's and turn them into rooks Can be turned into Ranging spirits Con's Still weak when unmounted like a defender Needs Bonca's on map to become mounted cavalier Can't attack air The cavalier has the ability to handle animals, they should be given extended training should you wish to tame aniamls. Mounting a Bonca(option accessible by clicking on the cavalier twice)is a good idea because they have higher damage, faster speed, more armour and can be given animal training. ---------------------- Mounted Cavalier Pro's Excellent close range fighter against people Fast Can act as scout or used to lure the enemy into a trap Costs nothing to become Mounted Cavalier from Cavalier Can be given upgrades to become even better Can steal resources Can carry two items Can detect steath units regardless of stealth level Con's Can only be done if Boncas are around Somewhat slow at attack Can't attack air You should research in Animal Training and then upgrade the Mounted Cavalier with Obedience, conditioning, and endurance making them much more powerful. ---------------------- Shaman Pro's Can cast spells Can attack air units Has Persuasion Con's Poor attacker Does not contain as much mana as Guru I generally don't have Shamen, I have Guru's. See Guru for tactics using Shaman. ---------------------- Guru Pro's Can cast spells Can attack air units Has persuasion Has higher mana then Shaman Con's Poor attacker Not much more different than Shaman Gurus(or shamen) should be used to cast Great earth spirit on wounded troops and should cast soothing voice on enemies. Unfortunately, the spell can only be cast on visible units. Hence the enemy must be visible to you and not covered by fog of war. By the time the Guru can see them the Guru is probably halfway dead already, what I suggest is having an invisible unit(eg an Eaggra ranger) reveal the enemy and then use your Guru to cast soothing voice on them. ---------------------- Raging Spirit Pro's Fast attacker Does relatively good damage against soldiers Can become invincible for a short period Con's Very costly to reasearch and train Not very good against vehicles(an incinerator in particular) or groups of people unless in very huge numbers. Will die after invincibility has worn off. Can't attack air I personally feel that ranging spirits are a useless waste of resources and influence points because they are very expensive and yet have no skills. They do slightly more damage than a Mounted Cavlier but can not be upgraded except for cybernetics. Note: I generally consider how good a unit is by how many enemies they can potentially kill versus how much they cost. ---------------------- Prime Maker Pro's Has Construction and Travel song Can harvest resources and build buildings/vehicles, can repair as well Has persuasion Con's Has a flamethrower as a weapon which destroys trees(which can be turned into resources Can't cast spells Can't attack air units The Prime Maker is a leader and hence should be protected or at least kept at a safe position. The prime maker can not cast spells like the Shadow dancer but can harvest and build as well as persuade. ---------------------- Combat engineer Pro's Can harvest resources Can build bombs and alarms Can detect bombs and mines Can detect some stealth units Can be turned into more powerful units Can plant bombs Has destruction skill Can attack air units Con's Slow when moving over clear terrain Bad at attacking and defending except against vehicles Low health Combat engineers are weak, use them for bomb planting and harvesting resources. I normally turn them into Rangers or Druids as soon as possible. ---------------------- Ranger Pro's Attack always hits Long range Has stealth ability Can detect bombs and mines Can be used as scout Con's Slow over open terrain Slow weapon reload time The Ranger is one of the most useful and versatile units in S.U.N. They can detect mines and bombs and can scout. I would do as the manual says and use them as snipers especially in large groups backed up by 1 or 2 Mounted Cavaliers and Guru's a distance behind. Their slowness is a problem but casting pathfinder or Great Earth spirit probably helps, especially pathfind. -Tip- NEVER MIX SHAMA'LI AND EAGGRA SPELLS!!!! The reason is programming bugs which somehow never let them wear off and never allow you to cast spells on them again. ---------------------- Druid Pro's Can cast magic Has freeze ray Has animal handling Con's Slow weapon reload time Slow over open terrain I consider Druids an essential part of the team because they have regrowth. This allows you to practically have infinite resources by simply regrowing the trees once they are out. The only disadvantages is that it takes all mana to regrowth. Note: The druid is useless in battle except to freeze the enemy. ---------------------- Attack drone Pro's Can fly Has powerful attack Fast Con's Expensive to research and build Can be used only once Explodes after a while of flying I consider this a waste of money because it can only attack once and costs more than a thousand resources. I suppose you could build them around your base and when the enemy comes make them fly and explode on the enemy. Its fun to build but useless in war. ---------------------- Scout drone Pro's Can fly Fast Has large vision range Con's Explodes after a while This is another waste of money though not as great as the attack drone. The ranger can do the same job better becuase it has the ability to detect mines and bombs. After all, what is the use if it explodes after a while? Of course, I don't really use this alot and I could be wrong. ---------------------- Stealth gun tower Pro's Has extremely high stealth ability Has powerful ballistic attack Con's Consumes butanium even when unactive Not very good against vehicles I never build this but I have tried it out in the multi-player games. This is an okay defense against people but against my incinerators when I was playing marines its practically useless, but then most units are against an incinerator. ---------------------- Sun vehicle Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Rook Pro's Can carry 4 units Relatively well armoured and high health Quite fast Con's No attack Somewhat large and clumsy I have used Rooks on several occassions but never in a military suituation its just too time consuming having them find a place to let their occupants down. If anybody knows how to train Elder Bonca's into Rooks I would be most grateful, I'm not too sure myself. ---------------------- Burrower Pro's Can go underground Can cross land, sea and natural barriers Con's Only space enough for 2 units The burrower is a good choice for scouting places unreachable by rangers. Just remember it has no stealth abilities so burrow into the ground if pursued. I generally place 2 rangers in the burrower for scouting purposes. -Tip- Hot key for burrowering is U ---------------------- Spells of S.U.N. (Consult manual for spell descriptions) ---------------------- Eaggra spells ---------------------- Pathfinder Cast this over Rangers or off-road units to make them travel faster ---------------------- The Eye I don't use this because I just use rangers ---------------------- Nature Seeing This spell is good if you know a map has plenty of animals so use it when you know it does. ---------------------- Earthform This spell I find rather useless but possibly morphing several druids into trees and unmorphing them when an enemy comes looks pretty cool. ---------------------- Regrowth If you run out of trees, have 2 druids with this spell and cast it over the tree trunks alternately. ---------------------- Resurrection I have never used this spell before but obviously use it on important units like raging spirits. ---------------------- Spells for Shama'li ---------------------- Great Earth Spirit This is a good spell for healing and increasing your unit statistics for a while. It is cheap and the first spell you get as a shaman or guru. ---------------------- Soothing Voice This is a great way to stop enemies from attacking you. This works very well with Eaggra rangers and druids as they do not have splash damage and splash damage can break the units out of the spell. ---------------------- Ground harvest This harvests butanium which is essential if you have burrowers or stealth gun towers because having low butanium can cost you influence. ---------------------- Naga Rom's Touch I have tried using this but it yields no results on normal units, however the manual says it increases regeneration so I assume it works on units with advanced cybernetics or a mounted cavalier with regeneration. ---------------------- Wind Spirit This spell is alright and is probably the "equilizer" for SUN against the overlords and marines. Just remember that vehicles can be destroyed even though they are usually powerful so you should have a group of units to help destroy any enemy units around the newly captured vehicle. -Tip- Only workers of a faction can repair that factions vehicles so any captured vehicles will not be able to be repaired. Take care them! ---------------------- Implore help This is spell is okay but somewhat useless if you have only the minimum number of spell casters required. For some strange reason, the more spell casters casting implore help the greater the chance the unit summoned is powerful, however the mana used is the same I believe (I have not tried to count it accuratly). ---------------------- S.U.N. buildings Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Garden Pro's Provides supplies Allows building of other buildings Usually already built in a mission Con's Weak health Easily destroyed if enemy has high deconstruction These are essential so build as many as needed ---------------------- House of Justice Pro's Can store resources Allows building of other structures Allows skill upgrading Usually already built in a mission Con's Expensive Resources can be stolen from if not guarded Protect this well and make sure that dinge vermins do not steal resources from it. To lose this at the beginning of the mission with insufficient resources to rebuild it is disasterous. ---------------------- Sanctuary house Pro's Allows certain buildings to upgrade and new buildings to be built Can store even more resources then House of Justice Con's Cost resources to upgrade Same advice for House of Justice. Try upgrading later when you have more then enough resources to train your troops. Base defense and harvesting comes first. Resources can be stolen from if not guarded ---------------------- Silo Pro's Costs less then a House of Justice but still stores resources Takes up less space then a House of Justice Con's Resources can be stolen from if not guarded Very weak health Easily destroyed if enemy has high deconstruction Protect these well. These can act as a resource collection centre in the furthur reaches of the map. If this is destroyed resources will also be destroyed. ---------------------- Lookout tower Pro's Increases units statistics if in the tower Unit inside does not take damage from attacks Gives you ability to build a school of Growth Gives you ability to research stealth gun tower Con's Easily destroyed if enemy has high deconstruction Slow in building I usually build only one or two of these since they are bad against units with deconstruction. I usually place Rangers in them to keep an eye out for enemies, stealth or otherwise. I suggest rangers are the best S.U.N units to place in them as they have long range and detection ability. Use the tower to spot enemies and a group of other units to intercept them. Watch out for enemies beyond visual range though as your unit may not react if set on certain stances. ---------------------- School of Growth Pro's Can train defenders, cavaliers, rangers and druids Allows you to upgrade to a santuary house if a temple has been built Con's Cost resources to upgrade ---------------------- Corral Pro's Can train defenders, cavaliers, rangers and druids Can now research Bonca upgrades Grants Bonca upgrades Con's Cost resources to upgrade Cost influence and resources to research Bonca upgrades Upgrades only apply to Boncas which may not be present. Upgrade this only if you want to have animal upgrades if not don't even bother. ---------------------- Temple of NagaRom Pro's Allows spell research up to level 4 Allows sancturary house to be built Allows offensive and defensive cybernetics to be researched and granted Con's Costs resources to upgrade Cost influence and resources to research upgrades Must research Eaggra and Shama'li spells separately This is an essential building if your magical units are ever going to increase in power. Annoyingly enough you must upgrade the different race spells separately. ---------------------- Greater Temple Pro's Allows spell research up to level 6 Allows offensive, defensive and specialised cybernetics to be researched and granted Can research Raging Spirit This is better than the Temple although you may have to wait a while before upgrading to this. ---------------------- Dish Pro's Allows research for attack and scout drones Improved communications and mapping (Unknown effect) Con's Upgrades not oo useful I don't bother to build this at all because I don't like to use attack and scout drones. If someone can tell me what effect improved communications and mapping does I would be grateful. ---------------------- Tips for Overlords General Pro's and Con's Pro's Powerful units and vehicles Con's No healing abilities except for war song Tha'roon spells tend to inflict damage on caster No flying except for Jump Troop Somewhat expensive to run armies Only 3 units with stealth ---------------------- General tips: ---------------------- Selecting leader Most of the time you should choose the Obblinox war general because the war general has the war song which can heal your units during the fight and increase their strength. Most of the time your troops will have to destroy all enemy bases as their mission so you should choose the war general most of the time. ---------------------- Bringing units over from previous missions The units I suggest for bringing over would be: 1 or 2 Obblinox herdsmen with full skills 1 or 2 Chaingun mechs for defense with solar power plants at least 1 or 2 Jump Troops with specialised cybernetics 1 or 2 Elite for training and defense if you do not have jump troops or you think you will be short on butanium. They should have specialised cybernetics 1 War Alchemist 1 Minister, should have specialised cybernetics if possible This provides a strong combination as you can see. After all, not many things can stand against Jump troops, Chain gun mechs, Elites and a War alchemist. The Minister can help to scout. ---------------------- Scouting This is slightly difficult with the overlords as they do not have stealthy units except for Psionics, the Minister and the Prime Minister. Your best option besides using the above units is to use either a Tha'roon guard without potential, a hover pod or a jump troop since the jump troop can fly away in case of danger, the pod is very fast and the guard is expendable. Remember that the overlords have no healing spells so you may have to use a war song to heal your unit. ---------------------- Butanium gathering This is very important as quite a number of Overlord troops require butanium (eg Jump troop) so try and secure at least 3 vents. ---------------------- Unit Pro's and con's ---------------------- Prime Minister Pro's Has a laser attack which always hits Can cast spells Has persuasion ability which lowers hiring cost Has work and magic song Con's Somewhat slow moving He is vital to the mission and if killed will cause the mission to fail. Attack depends on mana and if mana falls to zero then he cannot attack or defend himself. The prime minister is not my choice of leader unless you have alot of hiring to do or you need the work and magic songs. You're probably better off with the Obblinox general. ---------------------- Imperial Guard Pro's Can attack air units Can train to become more powerful units Has a wide attack Con's Weakest unit You should always have a few guards around to combat any air threats although you should keep them behind as they are fairly weak. ---------------------- Exterminator Pro's Flame attack can hit multiple units Can still be useful in later levels Con's Flame attack destroys resources and bush No futhur advancement, stays exterminator Can not attack air The exterminator is fairly cheap yet can still help up in the higher levels better than its equivalant unit in other factions. Have a few if you need to boost the ranks. Its cool to watch several of these guys attack. ---------------------- Elite Pro's Flame attack more powerful than exterminators Can advance further to become a Jump troop Con's Flame attack destroys resources and bush I love these guys because they can become Jump troops. Even if not their flame attack can devastate. ---------------------- Psionic Pro's Can cast magic Has stealth ability Con's Most spells useless Slow Weak attack One of the most useless units in the game I strongly suggest not training any of these except possibly for scouting. Their Anti-magic spell comes in useful from time to time as does their Will the weak but don't depend too much on them. If you use Anti-magic the enemies will start rushing towards him and will probably kill him. ---------------------- Minister Pro's Can cast magic Has stealth ability Has persuasion ability Con's Most spells useless Weak attack The Minister like the Psionic isn't much use although he does have a persuasion ability. Like the Psionic probably their most useful spells are the Anti-magic and Will the weak spells. -Tip- If you equip a Minister with Specialised or offensive Cybernetics the Minister will be able to become fast and strong enough to use Anti-magic on the enemies without losing his life. I mildly suggest you have a Minister equipped Cybernetics. ---------------------- Jump Troop Pro's Has powerful laser attack which hits automactically and long range High HP Can fly Con's Somewhat expenisive Can not attack in air Needs Butanium or really slows down The Jump Troop is one of the best units around. Although it can not attack in the air its laser can make mince meat out of most people when combined with its flying ability. -Tip- Equip these guys with specialised cybernetics as soon as possible, it is well worth it. -Tip- Here's how to destroy a unit like an Incinerator with no trouble using 1 or 2 Jump troops. This only works with units which have a short range and can't attack the air. Have them land far away and attack the unit. Then go air borne when the enemy tries to attack you. Fly away and then land far away and attack. Fly away again. Keep repeating this until you have defeated the enemy. ---------------------- War General Pro's Has war song which can heal troops Shotgun can damage several units Has persuasion ability Can attack air units Con's No other special skills The War General is my preferred leader because she can hold her own on the battle field and heal units with her war song. Also, her shotgun can hurt air units which is important. ---------------------- Herdsman Pro's Can build and repair buildings and certain units Can tame animals Can harvest Can build certain items Has deconstruction ability Can train to become more powerful Con's Weak attack Low life These are one of the most useful units, besides harvesting, repairing and building, the Herdsman can tame animals which means you could end up with a huge army of creatures fighting for you. Although they have deconstruction you should use Alchemist instead. ---------------------- Alchemist Pro's Can destroy buildings and vehicles in several blows, at higher levels one blow will do Can plant bombs Can cast spells and make bombs Con's Not as good as War alchemist Not good against people Slow attack Loses ability to tame and construct The alchemist is okay as a unit. Obviously, you should use it for attacking buildings and vehicles. Its ability to make bombs is good but it can be tedious making them. ---------------------- War Alchemist Pro's Can destroy buildings and vehicles in several blows, at higher levels one blow will do Can plant bombs Can cast spells and make bombs More powerful than Alchemist Con's Not much better than alchemist Not good against people Slow attack Loses ability to tame and construct On the whole. Don't bother training these guys unless you want a two- headed Colossus. ---------------------- Two-Headed Colossus Pro's High HP Blast attack powerful and has splash over damage Con's Uses too much resources to research Must sacrifice Minister and War Alchemist Slow Consumes butanium Very expensive. This slow unit may be powerful and have alot of armour. However, I have never built this for actual combat, only for show. Its missile attack may be powerful but it can not use the Psionic or Waralchemist skills. In other words, just don't get this. ---------------------- Cannon Pro's Long range Has somewhat high damage Automated (requires no driver) Has a blast radius Can obtain vehicle upgrades Con's Slow Cannot hit units next to it. Slow reload Large target The cannon is a poor unit on the whole. Although it has long range it becomes useless when enemy units close in. Worse still, it cannot run away. If you are defending, always protect it with several troops because this really draws enemy fire. ---------------------- Chain Gun Mech Pro's Has an attack radius Has a high damage Fast reload Quite high damage Usually hits No need for driver Can obtain vehicle upgrades Good against troops Con's A bit expensive Slow especially in vegetation Although expensive chain-gun mechs are fairly effective against troops with its shot gun attacks. I usually use them to defend my base. Several of these in a group is deadly so cluster them together and watch the enemies fall! Just watch on for those deconstructors and take them out at long range. -Tip- The fact that they are machines means they can get vehicle upgrades (for some strange reason). So if you need more butanium just get a solar power plant upgrade, if you need speed get an all-terrain fitting, it's worth it. ---------------------- Overlord vehicle Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Hover pod Pro's Very fast Can attack air units Can travel over water Con's Lightly armoured Can only carry 1 unit The hover pod is an okay vehicle, since it is so fast it can escape if it takes too much damage and being a hover unit, I do not think it triggers bombs. Use it to scout out where the enemy is, I suggest putting a herdsman in it to repair it. ---------------------- Hover tank Pro's Very very powerful attack Fires twice Can attack air units Relatively fast attack (compared to other vehicles with missile attacks) High HP High armour This much power comes so cheap Con's Can only sit two people This AWSOME, FEARSOME vehicle is your best friend, in fact almost nothing can stand up to this. Strangely enough, this vehicle comes cheaper than a two-headed colossus and can be repaired. In other words, BUILD THIS INSTEAD. If anything argues BOOM! Of note is a mission I played in the overlords campaign. It involved using two hover tanks with Obblinox herdmen and a Tha-Roon or two with some resources to destroy a whole Descendents base (I am not kidding about this mission), they had everything except Defense Satellites.This mission was easy if tedious and I succeeded after a while. So it can be done for those skeptics out there. If this is what two can do imagine what five tanks can do to your opponents! -Tip- Place a obblinox herdsmen in this so he can repair the tank if it breaks down. -Tip- To avoid deconstructors, put this in the water, next send in a Hover pod to lure them out of the base. Then bombard them from the water. ---------------------- Spells of the Overlords (Consult manual for spell descriptions) ---------------------- Tha'Roon spells ---------------------- Darkened mind I personally do not think this is good, at all. I guess in multiplayer it may be better. ---------------------- Anti-magic force This spell would be useful if it had further range. I once used this only to have the whole base attack my poor Psionic. -Tip- To use this effectively, you can do one of two things. 1) Upgrade your Psionic to be faster. 2) Have friendly units waiting in ambush. ---------------------- Brain blast I never use this because you take damage. ---------------------- Cerebral Stun Have never used this but I guess you should use this when you're being chased by organic units in close range. Due to its short range I do not think its that good since units like Rangers can still pick you off. ---------------------- Will the weak Useless, try using herdsmen instead. Their (herdsmen) taming is permenant. ---------------------- Wordly sight Why bother with this spell? Sure it reveals the map but the cost of getting everyone to know it is expensive. The resources could be used to build hovertanks... ---------------------- Obblinox ---------------------- Brew Poison Potion An okay spell, just make sure you use your alchemist or war alchemist and do not accidentally leave it lying around. ---------------------- Rage potion An okay spell in the beginning levels with relatively weak units and no Advanced cybernetcis (cybernetics gives the ability to regenerate). Give this to units which are dying and send them in. Becomes useless once you have advanced cybernetics, jump troops and hover tanks. ---------------------- Brew oil bomb This spell is the best offensive spell for the Obblinox, it does quite a lot of damage, costs little mana and has a blast radius. Down side is you have to manually order them to throw the bomb which can be difficult in the heat of combat. ---------------------- Enchant an item Sometimes useful. This can be a cheap sleazy way of getting more butanium amongst other things. -Tip- There are 10 items which can be enchanted (Not counting fog device because it has been removed from the game. The items which are worth enchanting are: Item Resource bundle-----becomes Butanium canister Supplies Bundle-----becomes Rations and Utensils Teleportation Device-----doubles range and does not damage teleporting unit Rations and Utensils-----substracts 2 from food consumption Work tools-----adds another construction skill level Shield Armour-----adds another point of armour Cryo bomb-----doubles normal damage and doubles freezing duration Medical Kit-----Heals all damage for the unit ---------------------- Overlord buildings Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Supplies synthesizer Pro's Provides food Allows building of Academy of Garage Con's Easily destroyed Your units need food, this should be a priority ---------------------- Stronghold Pro's Can store resources Can train units Allows building of academy, garage and warehouse Strong structure Con's Expensive What can I say, it's important. Protect it. ---------------------- Citadel Pro's Can hold more resources then Stronghold Can train units Allows building of bio-wing, Arcanery and Communications Antenna Stronger Con's Expensive This essential structure is the only way you can get the important arcanery and bio-wing extensions. ---------------------- Warehouse Pro's Allows you to store extra resources, butanium and supplies Cheap compared to citadel or stronghold Can act as a resource collection centre Con's Easily destroyed Prone to get resources stolen If destroyed so are the resources Guard this well. ---------------------- Gun tower Pro's Allow building of Academy and Garage Increases vision, range of fire and damage Con's Stationary target Easily destroyed by deconstructors Not many units in Overlord army can use this well The gun tower is essential to obtain other units. However, only long range units are able to protect it effectively since short-range units will not be able to protect it from deconstructors. The problem is all the long-range units (except for the Oblinnox Matron) are powerful and should be used on the offensive (e.g. the jump troops). There place your Matron in here so you get protection and at the same time can snipe enemy troops. ---------------------- Butanium synthesiser Pro's Gives butanium Con's One synthesiser for one gas vent Unable to increase production These are important, so protect these or your vehicles are out of fuel, decreasing morale. ---------------------- Academy Pro's Can train Guards to become exterminators Can be upgraded to become Arcanery Con's Does little else except train troops The Academy is an important structure training exterminators and elite. Make sure it does not get destroyed. ---------------------- Arcanery Pro's Can now train Herdsmen to become Alchemist, Guards to become Psionics. Can now research spells, Obblinox and Tha'Roon Con's Somewhat expensive to get because you must upgrade several buildings The arcanery is a much better structure then the Academy making it very important. ---------------------- Garage Pro's Can repair vehicles (I think) Provides vehicular and machine upgrades Can obtain offensive and defensive cybernetics Con's Researching all those upgrades takes resources and influence The garage is a no nonsense structure. Protect it as well. ---------------------- Bio-wing Pro's Can now research specialised cybernetics Can now give specialised cybernetics Can now research Jump troops Can train Elite into jump troops Con's Expensive Even more important than the Garage. ---------------------- Communications Antenna Pro's Can research two-headed colossus Can create a two-headed colossus Improves communications and mapping (Not to sure what this does) Con's Unless you want a two-headed colossus its useless The communications Antenna is very useless since the two-headed colossus is. I am not ot sure what it does besides provide research for the colossus. ---------------------- Descendant General Pro's and Con's Pro's Has many mana-using units Has some good buildings Has several good leader units Good at construction and destruction as well as harvesting Con's Most units and vehicles not offensive Not as good as other factions when it comes to war ---------------------- General tips: ---------------------- Selecting leader Since the descendents have four leaders there is a wide pool of talent at your disposal. So far I usually use Taherih Safien because she has a very long range attack, stealth, persuasion and animal taming. I do not usually use David becuase he only has persuasion and a shotgun attack. As for Johnas, he is bad as a unit and is good only because he has 3 songs. Domingo Mejia is not bad as a unit due to his construction and destruction abilities. But these skills are about the same as a professor and inventor, so I usually do not choose him. ---------------------- Bringing units over from previous missions The units I suggest for bringing over would be: 1 or 2 Inventors 1-3 officers 1 Workbot 1 Surveillance satellite You may wonder I do not bother bringing over interns with potential. The reason for this is the fact that inventors do everything an intern does and more. So really there is no point in bringing one. With the combinaion above you will be all set, the inventors can harvest quickly and freeze enemies which attack. The officers will dispatch with any air units. The workbot can harvest normal resources or any butanium vents you find (at least I think that they can harvest normal resources) and the surveillance satellite can keep close watch on the enemy units and any stealth ones. ---------------------- Scouting This is somewhat difficult at first with the Descendents since only Taherih Safien has stealth. Later, you may have surveillance satellites but it is extremely expensive to get. I really have no advice for this but send out groups of units. Probably most effective would be zoo keepers and Zoologist to scout, while the others stay behind, since the zoo keepers or zoologist have off road movement and can use the over growth to hinder enemy movement escaping to safety in numbers. ---------------------- Butanium gathering The best thing about the Descendents is their ability to harvest efficiently. This is no different when it comes to harvesting butanium. The Descendents use workbots which harvest the gas. The best thing about them is the fact more then one workbot can harvest a vent so you can build up your butanium stock pile very quickly. ---------------------- Unit Pro's and con's ---------------------- Johnas Bruener Pro's Has many songs Has persuasion Con's Bad fighter Low HP Slow Johnas is not very good and I never choose him except when forced to. The only good thing about him is that he has 3 songs. ---------------------- Domingo Mejia Pro's Can harvest and collect resources Has construction skill Has destruction skill Can plant bombs Can persuade units Can repair buildings Con's Basically the same as a Professor or Inventor Domingo is an okay unit but since the professor or inventor does about the same thing I rarely choose him. ---------------------- Taherih Safien Pro's Can tame animals Has stealth Has long range attack Has persuasion Fast in bush Con's Only has one song She is probably the best choice as a leader since she has skills which most of the Descendents do not have. Personally she is a good scout and at times I wish she was a regular unit so I could get more units like her. ---------------------- David the Stout Pro's Has a powerful attack Can damage several units Has persuasion Con's Only one song No other skills I rarely used David because he is just another security officer which is not what I want. I suppose if you really want another good fighter choose him. ---------------------- Intern Pro's Can build Can harvest Can deconstructor Can be trained to become Professor, Zoo keeper or Security Con's Not as good as the inventor Although these guys are essential, after a while I turned them into Professors or Inventors as soon as I could because the Professors and Inventors can do a better job and superior in every way. ---------------------- Professor Pro's Can build Can harvest Can deconstruct Has a freeze ray which can freeze enemies Can create items Con's Can not attack air units Ray takes a long time to recharge Not too good an attacker Convert your Interns as soon as possible to this. -Tip- Professors and Inventors harvest faster than Interns and so, once again I say, turn you interns into Professors. ---------------------- Inventor Pro's Can build Can harvest Can deconstruct Has a freeze ray which can freeze enemies Can create items Con's Can not attack air units Ray takes a long time to recharge Not too good an attacker The inventor is alright but the major difference between it and a Professor is that it can harvest faster (twice as fast as an intern I think, the professor only 1.5 times as fast). Also it has more Mana and slightly more HP. There is no big advantage or disadvatage of getting this woman. -Tip- The inventor can create 8 items in total (not including the fog device which was removed from the game). All the items should be created except for the Defoliant bomb. Note however that the bombs must be used by units with bomb planting ability. ---------------------- Zoo Keeper Pro's Can travel fast in under growth or bush Can alert you to invisible units Can tame animals Con's Can not see invisible units No other skills Attack is short range The Zoo Keeper is not too good by itself, in fact she's pretty useless. The only upside to her is that you can tame animals and travel fast in the undergrowth. ---------------------- Zoologist Pro's Can travel fast in under growth or bush Can alert you to invisible units Can tame animals Better than Zoo Keeper in everyway Con's Can not see invisible units No other skills Attack is short range The Zoo Keeper is in my opinion a waste of resources and an Intern with potential. Do not bother training this unless you are really desparate. ---------------------- Security Pro's Can attack air units Attack can spread over an area. Cheaper than Professor Con's Not to powerful Has no skills Slow attack The security is okay for defending your base and protecting your unit, but its lack of skills make it a bad unit to travel alone. -Tip- The marines Viper is extremely powerful and Security and Officers are no match for it since they do not have deconstruction. If anyone has a clue on how to destroy a viper using Descendent units without massive loss of life or vehicles please e-mail the answer. I do know that the missile tower can fire in air but is not effective due to its slow reload time and the fact that it can be destroyed by Grenadiers or Sappers easily. ---------------------- Officer Pro's Can attack air units Attack can spread over an area. Cheaper than Professor Better than a security unit in every way Con's Has no skills Slow attack The officer although better than a security is about the same. I usually do not waste resources on training one. ---------------------- Workbot Pro's Can harvest Butanium adn resources (I think) More then one can harvest from one vent A mobile butanium harvester Con's Weak attack Does nothing else The Workbot is a mobile butanium harvester which means if an area becomes too dangerous to harvest simply move it away. ---------------------- Surveillance Satellite Pro's Has stealth Allows mine detection Can see unit movement and terrain changes once area is explored Unrestricted movement Con's Slow No attack No way of repairing it The surveillance Satellite is a must for every mission since it is the only unit in the Descendents capable of detecting mines and scouting in stealth. -Tip- To build any satellite (Surveillance or Defense) you must have a Dispatch. To save money build it in one mission and carry it over to the next. ---------------------- Defense Satellite Pro's Powerful laser attack Unrestricted movement Con's Slow Visible to enemies No way of repairing it The defense satellite is bad at attacking (from the name this should be obvious). Keep it close to your base if you do build it. However I suggest you do not even bother with it becaus it is slow and has no repair ability. I once had a several grunts attacking my Defense Satellite, destroying it. ---------------------- Descendents vehicle Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Ambualance Pro's Can heal units within Moves quite fast Can carry four people Con's Can not attack These are important thanks to their healing ability, ensure that they are not destroyed. ---------------------- Mortar Skiff Pro's Powerful mortar attack Moves fast Con's Can only carry two people Light armour Can not attack air The mortar Skiff is a good unit to use because it can retreat quickly into the water if it is getting pummeled too much. Keep it away from Hover tanks, Vipers and Stingrays. -Tip- Mortar Skiffs are most effective in groups of 3 or more. ---------------------- Gun Car Pro's Can carry 3 people Has a ballistic attack which can attack air and several people Con's Weak against Deconstructors Slows down in bush drastically The Gun Car is very weak and falls prey to Deconstructors easily so I rarely use this. ---------------------- WASP Pro's Can fly Fast Con's Weak Can only fire one rocket at a time Can only carry one unit at a time The WASP looks cool but is a weak unit and can be taken out by enemy units easily, even when in a swarm. ---------------------- Spells of the Descendents(Consult manual for spell descriptions) The descendents do not have spells, rather they have inventions The items that can be created are: Rations and Utensils Good idea if your army is large and you have few farms ---------------------- Defoliant Bomb Not too good idea because it destroys potential resources and does no damage to any unit except Eaggra and Descendents and S.U.N are supposed to be allies. ---------------------- Cryo Bomb Good because it can freeze troops. It may be expensive but considering the Descendents are so good at harvesting this should be no problem. I suppose you should use this when retreating. ---------------------- Work Tools Not too good an idea because well, the Inventors and Professors are pretty good at construction and Destruction. Its okay if you wish to save resources on training however. ---------------------- Chemical Bomb Powerful bomb, its good but limited in use because using a Professor or Inventor to plant bombs can be difficult since they have no stealth. ---------------------- Medical Kit A must, all units on the battle front should have them especially if there are no ambulances around. It can be annoying having to distribute these around however. ---------------------- Shield Armour A good idea for all units as well especially Descendent units since they are so weak. ---------------------- Teleportation Device Can really turn the tide in a battle but only if the enemy is using powerful vehicles like Incinerators or Hover tanks. -Tip- Only workers of a faction can repair that factions vehicles so any captured vehicles will not be able to be repaired. Take care of them! ---------------------- Descendent buildings Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Farm Pro's Provides food Allows building of Academic Hall and Engineering lot Con's Low HP The farm is essentially for keeping your people well fed so make sure you have enough farms. ---------------------- College Pro's Can give units extended training Can store resources Allows building of Academic Hall and Engineering lot Con's Expensive The college is the town center, protect it. ---------------------- Campus Pro's Has more life than a college Allows building of Security office, laboratory and dispatch Can store more resources than College Con's Expensive to upgrade Even more important than the College ---------------------- Watch Tower Pro's Increases units vision, range of fire and weapon damage Con's Easily destroyed by deconstructors The tower is alright but once again it can easily be destroyed by deconstructors. ---------------------- Missile Tower Pro's Can attack air units Average reload time Con's Immobile Easily destroyed by deconstructors The missile tower is a useless structure since it can easily be destroyed by deconstructors. ---------------------- Security office Pro's Can train security or officers Con's Does little else The security office is an average structure. It can only train security personnel but that's pretty good as it is. ---------------------- Academic Hall Pro's Can train Professor and Inventors Can research Invention skills Can research Specialised and Offensive Cybernetics Allows the Campus upgrade from a college Con's Does not grant cybernetic packages As a building this is quite good acting as a center of combined training and research. ---------------------- Engineering Lot Pro's Automatically repairs any vehicles in it for free Allows research of Vehicle upgrades Allows research of W.A.S.P Allows building Ambulance and Mortar Skiff Grants Vehicle upgrades Con's Easily destroyed The engineering lot is good except for its low armour rating so do not build it near the battle front like I did. ---------------------- Laboratory Pro's Grants Cybernetics Can research workbot Can train zoologist and Zoo keepers Con's Unneccessary building The laboratory is important because it grant Cybernetics and allows research for the workbot. I really hate it because it is unneccessary and just confusing, after all why research in the academic hall only to have to go to the laboratory to get cybernetics? ---------------------- Radio Dispatch Pro's Improves mapping and communication (no fog of war apparently if you have a surveillance satellite up) Allows Defense and Surveillance satellites to be researched Con's Expensive The radio dispatch is essential in the Descendents case apparently. The surveillance satellite only eliminated the "fog of war" with this operational I think, and you can only build satellites with its help. ---------------------- Tips for Marines General Pro's and Con's Pro's Powerful units and vehicles Fast healing Most units have stealth Most units have all kinds of skills Con's Army uses a lot of Butanium for the good units No vehicle upgrades Only one unit has animal handling ---------------------- General tips: ---------------------- Selecting leader Marines are spoiled for choice in this case. All the leaders are good. Generally I choose Kate Turner because she has all songs. Karl Richards is a slightly above average unit but only has one song. Malcolm is powerful and highly skilled but has no songs. He can easily be replaced by several grunts and sappers. ---------------------- Bringing units over from previous missions The units I suggest for bringing over would be: 1 or 2 Grenadiers with full skills for scouting (if frogman is absent) and deconstruction 1 frogman with full skills for scouting and bombplanting 2 Gunny Sergeants with full skills to later be turned into Legionnaires 2 Legionnaires to replace the Gunny Sergeants with specialised Cybernetics 1 techie to train animals 2 bio-driods offensive Cybernetics preferably since specialised will consume more butanium This powerful combination will be the death of the enemies. The 2 bio- droids alone will ensure your victory. This is however fairly butanium intensive with the Legionnaires, specialised Cybernetics and bio-droids so try and find a source of Butanium as soon as possible ---------------------- Scouting This is extremely easy for the Marines since most of their units have stealth. I would suggest using a fully skilled Grenadier in the first few missions and then the Frogman in the later levels because they can detect mines and bombs etc. and the frogman can cross water and land. ---------------------- Butanium gathering This is very important as quite a number of Marine troops require butanium (e.g. the bio-droids) so try and secure at least 3 vents. ---------------------- Unit Pro's and con's ---------------------- Karl Richard Pro's Has war song Has persuasion Has a ballistic attack which damages several units in the area Con's Only one song Karl Richards is good I suppose even though he only has one song. He is an average choice ---------------------- Kate Turner Pro's Has all songs Has persuasion Con's Only has a close range attack Weak I usually choose Kate Turner since she has all songs. There really is no need for her to be strong since all the other units in the Marines are strong. ---------------------- Malcolm Pro's Powerful unit Has bomb-planting ability Has detection ability Has a rocket launcher which damages several units at once Has stealth Con's Has no song Missile launcher dangerous to friendly units if friendly fire is on No persuasion Malcolm is excellent for those missions you think you have no need for persuasion but need a powerful unit on your side, he has no songs however nor persuasion so he works best in combat ---------------------- Enlistee Pro's Can build buildings Can harvest Can repair buildings Can become more powerful with training Con's Weak compared to the rest of the Marines The Enlistee provides resources and repairs buildings. It is important to protect them. ---------------------- Sapper Pro's Has stealth Can detect mines and bombs Throws instead of plants bombs Has deconstruction Good against vehicles Has a blast attack which can damage several units Con's Slow attack Bad against people The sapper is good unit for scouting, deconstruction and sabotage but weak when it comes to attacking people so back it up with Grunts and Gunny Sergents. ---------------------- Grenadier Pro's Better than a Sapper Can be turned into a Frogman Has stealth Can detect mines and bombs Throws instead of plants bombs Has deconstruction Good against vehicles Has a blast attack which can damage several units Con's Slow attack Bad against people The grenadier like the sapper should be used to scout, destroy and sabotage. -Tip- Keep one or two for the next mission so that you can get a frogman. ---------------------- Grunt Pro's Has a ballistic attack which attacks several units at once In groups can be very effective Has stealth Can attack air units Long range attack Con's Reload long Has no other skills Singly can be taken down easily The Grunt is meant to be the basic soldier in your army. In groups they are very effective against the enemy units approaching them. ---------------------- Gunny Sergeant Pro's Better than a Grunt Has a ballistic attack which attacks several units at once In groups can be very effective Has stealth Can attack air units Long range attack Con's Reload long Has no other skills Singly can be taken down easily The Gunny Sergent although not powerful should be carried over so they can be turned into powerful Legionnaires. -Tip- Do not equip them with Specialised Cybernetics until after they have become Legionnaires. ---------------------- Frogman Pro's Has stealth Can detect mines and bombs Has bomb-planting ability Has deconstruction Has a blast attack which can damage several units Can swim/travel underwater Attack is now good against people since it is faster Con's Loses ability to throw bombs Attack does less damage than before Needs bombs to be effective The frogman is good if you want to plant bombs and scout since it can travel in the water. Use it clear an area out before sending in your troops. ---------------------- Legionnaire Pro's Powerful laser attack Has stealth Has long-range attack Has fast reload for such a powerful attack Con's Expensive to research Can not attack air Slow The Legionnaire may be expensive but it is one of the best units to get. A squad of four of these deadly Marines will bring death. -Tip- To make your squad even more powerful bring give your Legionnaires specialised Cybernetics so they do more damage, do not have to return to base to heal and have even longer range. ---------------------- Techie Pro's Can freeze enemies Has animal Handling Can create items Can become a bio-droid Con's Weak unit One techie is usually enough for one mission. Keep it well protected. -Tip- The techie can create 8 items in total (not including the fog device which was removed from the game). All the items should be created except for the Defoliant bomb and first aid kit. Note however that the bombs must be used by units with bomb planting ability. ---------------------- Bio-droid Pro's Has a powerful shotgun attack Attack can damage several units Can fly Can move fast Has a lot of life and armour Can heal at M.A.S.H. facility Con's Consumes butanium Destroys techie Must land to attack These powerful units should be carried over and used as "drop troops." Simply land on the outskirts of the enemy base and fire. -Tip- Here's how to destroy the enemies with only two Bio-droids or one even. Land on the outskirts and attack a building. This will draw the enemy out so run to a spot with water. DO NOT fly unless you want only units which can attack you to follow you. If you fly units which can not target you will return back to the base. Then attack them at the edge of the water. If damage becomes too great fly back and heal in the M.A.S.H. facility once your droids are back to full life return and repeat. -Tip- Hot key for flight is F ---------------------- Dog Pro's Can alert you to the prescence of hidden units Fast in the undergrowth No need to recruit so no limit to number of dogs you have Con's Weak Can not see hidden units The dog is useless so do not bother with using it unless you plan to have a whole pack of them mugging lonely units. The sappers and Grenadiers are much better as they can detect and remain in stealth. ---------------------- Marines vehicle Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Incinerator Pro's High armour High damage Flamethrower can attack through a target Can carry four units Con's Slow Short range Consumes a lot of Butanium when several are built Slow recharge Large size Can be destroyed by deconstructors in due time These incinerators are a force to be reckon with. Their flamethrower attack may be short range but are very damaging. Have them in groups of three so things do not get too crowded. Due to their powerful attack most deconstructors should die before coming close enough to attack you. -Tip- If the undergrowth blocks your way, torch it with your flames. ---------------------- Viper Pro's Fires a barrage of four missiles Missiles can damage several units at once Can fly Can transport four troops Heavy armour Fast moving Con's Slow reload The viper is an "airborne assault vehicle" as stated in the manual and its use is pretty clear. Place four troops in their, one to pilot the rest to jump out and swarm the enemy. Having several of these attack the enemy at once with ground support would be a good idea. ---------------------- Stingray Pro's Powerful attack Long-range attack Ballistic attack can damage several units at once Travels quickly over water Can transport four troops Armour moderately heavy for a water vehicle Can attack in air Con's Can only travel on water The stingray is a reliable vehicle but as said above is limited to water so can be annoying. -Tip- Rather then landing all troops on to land, have one remain in the stingray to defend your troops. -Tip- You can also draw the enemy out from the base then retreat to the shore with someone already in your stingray. The stingray will then be able to attack the enemy as they chase your ground troops. ---------------------- Spells of the Marines(Consult manual for spell descriptions) The Marines do not have spells, rather they have inventions The items that can be created are: Rations and Utensils Good idea if your army is large and you have few Mess Halls ---------------------- Defoliant Bomb Not too good idea because it destroys potential resources and does no damage to any unit except Eaggra. You may decide to use this to clear undergrowth for your vehicles but why bother when your Incinerator can torch it for you? ---------------------- Cryo Bomb Good because it can freeze troops. In the case of Marines I do not think you should bother with this since the Marines weapons are probably better then a cruo bomb. ---------------------- Work Tools Not too good an idea because well, you really only need one or two enlistees with high skill levels. ---------------------- Chemical Bomb Powerful bomb, its good for the Marines because you can either use Sappers, Grenadeirs or Frogman to plant this. I usually have the frogman plant these bombs at the enemy base and watch troops slowly die. ---------------------- Medical Kit You should not bother with this since the M.A.S.H. facility heals your troops for free. ---------------------- Shield Armour A good idea for all units especially the leaders. ---------------------- Teleportation Device Can really turn the tide in a battle but only if the enemy is using powerful vehicles like Hover tanks. -Tip- Only workers of a faction can repair that factions vehicles so any captured vehicles will not be able to be repaired. Take care of them! ---------------------- Marines buildings Pro's and Con's ---------------------- Mess Hall Pro's Provides food Allows building of barracks and MASH facility Con's Easily destroyed This is obviously important. Protect it or your troops may starve. ---------------------- Headquarters Pro's Stores food Can train sappers and Grenadiers High armour Allows building of BArracks and MASH facility Can increase unit's skill level Con's Expensive Resources can get stolen from this if unprotected ---------------------- Base Pro's Stores more food than the Headquarter Can train sappers, Grenadiers and techies Can research Invention skill levels Allows building of uplnk, kennel and Firing Range Con's Expensive Resources can get stolen from this if unprotected ---------------------- Guard Tower Pro's Can increase unit's extended vision, range of fire and weapon damage Allows building of Barracks and MASH facility Con's Stationary Easily destroyed by units with destruction skills I recommend placing bio-driods, Grunts, Gunny Sergents or Legionnaires in here. ---------------------- Butanium Refinery Pro's Supplies Butanium Enlistees do not have to bring Butanium back to Town Center, automatically stored Con's Requires protection Can not increase production This is crucial to build vehicles and keep them runnning smoothly. Protect these as well as you can. ---------------------- Barracks Pro's Can train Grunts, Gunny Sergents and Frogman Can research Bio-droid here Allows building of Base Con's Can not attack or defend The barracks are essential. You should build them as soon as you can. ---------------------- Firing Range Pro's Can train Legionnaries Can research Legionnaires Con's Expensive Useless besides training Legionnaires The firing Range is good because it can train Legionnaires but is a silly addition to War Wind. -Tip- In the Marine campaign you can build a firing range long before you can actually build Legionnaires. Do not waste resources building this until the mission briefing says you can build Legionnaiers. ---------------------- Kennel Pro's Can train dogs Con's Useless unless you want dogs Do not build this since dogs are useless and are outclassed by just about every other unit. ---------------------- M.A.S.H. Facility Pro's Can heal any organic units quickly and for free, including Legionnaires and Bio-droids Allows research of Cybernetics Grants Cybernetics Allows Base to be obtained Con's Can be destroyed fairly easily by deconstructors Protect this and place it in the middle of your base if possible. All units including bio-droids and Legionnaires can use this so use it. ---------------------- Uplink Pro's Improves communications and mapping Allows research of Viper Con's Useless besides research I strongly suggest you only build this when you really, really, really need a Viper. Most of the time do not bother with this but send in your bio-droids instead. ---------------------- Pacifying and taming animals Have a unit with full animal handling go pacify all animals which might otherwise hurt your other troops.Generally, it is better to tame more powerful creatures like the Rubble fiend then the slink weed or snipe thorn. The animals ---------------------- Bonca Pro's Fast moving Medium HP Can be turned into Mounted Cavalier if you ask a Cavalier to mount it Con's Attack is short range Destroys vegetation and resources unless tamed Bonca's are okay units to tame, they have alot of HP compared to most creatures. If you are S.U.N have your Cavaliers mount them instead. If they are eating resources you should destroy them if you are the Marines. Otherwise tame them. ---------------------- Elder Bonca Pro's Fast moving High HP Can be turned into Rook if you are S.U.N. Attack is greater than Bonca Con's Large target Attack is not too powerful Consumes vegetation and resources unless tamed These, like the Bonca's are okay units to tame, they have more HP then Bonca's and are better fighters. Taking one down can be difficult however if you choose to destroy them. ---------------------- Bonca Fledglings Pro's Fast moving Fast attack Con's Low life Can be very annoying when it attacks your buildings If attacked will summon Bonca's to attack you These Fledglings are very annoying, do not attack them if possible or be prepared to face Bonca's and Elder Bonca's attacking your troops. I assure you that the Bonca's which arrive will be hard to destroy due to their large numbers. ---------------------- Dinge vermin Pro's Has a high stealth Very fast Has 2 inventory slots Con's Difficult to tame because always on the move trying to steal resources from you. Not very powerful I would suggest having a dinge vermin or 2 to steal enemy resources and scout for you if you would like to reserve your units for later. Their three "pockets" come in especially useful. -Tip- To capture a dinge vermin (they can be very slippery) simply surround it with units. It will stop and not attack you. Then tame it. -Tip- Dinge vermin can be hard to spot so check your resources, if they are dropping for no reason then check for a translucent brown figure entering your Town Center. ---------------------- Diseased Rats Pro's Causes enemies influence to drop Fast Con's Easily destroyed Weak attackers Low HP Destroy these guys and do not bother to tame them they are a nuiscence. ---------------------- Foul Fess Pro's Can morph Can detect any hidden or invisible units Con's Slow Attack is not very powerful Can not move out of water Attack is short-range Average animal to tame the foul fess are annoying. Unfortunately I could never tame one since they are in the water. But I have used them in my custom maps and they do have morphing abilities and can withstand some punishment. ---------------------- Grabby Briar Pro's Can morph Can detect any hidden or invisible units Can travel quickly through undergrowth Con's Visible unless morphed Attack not too powerful The Grabby Briar is another average unit to tame, it can come in handy for scouting and detecting. ---------------------- Ionic Brakus Pro's Stops all mechanical units short High Armour High HP Can detect mines Alerts you to stealthed units Con's Slow Its ability to stop mechanical units can be turned against you One of the best animals to time with an Ionic Brackus on your side the enemies vehicles and machines will be immobilised taking away any advantage. This especially benfits S.U.N since they use mostly organic units. -Tip- The ionic Brakus influence changes with proximity. Far away vehicles slow, and at close range they freeze completely. ---------------------- Rubble Fiend Pro's Can morph Can detect any stealthed units Has high armour Con's Unpredicatble, sometimes takes alot of damage, sometimes walks away with little damage Invisible only when morphed Attack is also unpredicatable at times Annoying when traveling close to Ruins The rubble fiend is an okay unit to tame. Its attacks are close range however so be sure to have some support. Try to pacify it if possible rather than destroying it. ---------------------- Slink weed Pro's Can morph Can detect any stelathed units Can travel quickly in undergrowth Con's Weak attack Low HP Slow when traveling across open ground Slink weed are annoying and not worth taming except in the lower levels when you need a scout in a densely forested area. Pacify or destroy them. ---------------------- Snipe Thorn Pro's Medium-range attack Can attack air units Good in packs Quick Con's Weak attack Low HP Annoying when in packs Do not waste your time trying to tame them, by the time you train enough to be effective you could probably have done much more. Destroy them or pacify them if you see them or they will slowly chase and hunt you down. ---------------------- Wild Ape Pro's Fast moving Con's Weak attack Low HP Annoying when in Packs Like the snipe thorn do not waste your time in these poor units. Pacify or destroy them. ---------------------- Using heroes ---------------------- Each faction has different heroes and they each should be used to capitalise on their strengths Young Twins ---------------------- Pro's Fast Con's Low HP Low attack Attack is short-range These poor units are bad fighters, do not place them in the battle front! ---------------------- Juien Gien Eight Eyes Pro's Can hover over land and water Can detect mines Has magical spells (I think) Con's Not too good a fighter Juien Gien is okay as a spell caster, just keep him away from combat. -Tip- Since most land units can not travel on water, float him on water to safety. ---------------------- Gamon the Seeing Pro's Can cast spells Can detect land minds Con's Not too good a fighter Gamon is okay as a spell caster, like Juien Gien try to keep him away from battle. ---------------------- Boa the Trader Pro's Fast Can float over water Has freeze ray attack Con's Not too good a fighter As a unit Boa is okay as long as you have room to manuever and water to float away upon. ---------------------- Saw'Shaw Pro's Has two attacks, freeze ray and shotgun Fast Powerful shotgun attack Can damage several units at once Can persuade Fast reload Con's Attacks sometimes do not work together as planned Argueably the best hero (except for possbily wenda) Saw'Shaw is best one-on-one. -Tip- Saw'Shaws two attacks work hand in hand. She fires a freeze ray then a shotgun, paralyzing the enemy, then firing the freeze ray again before the enemy has time to recover then the shotgun again. This is really powerful and you can kill units and vehicles without losing HP ---------------------- Wenda of Ohio Pro's High HP Long-range attack Accurate Fast Powerful attack unmatched by most units Can attack air units Con's Long reload time Wenda is one of the best heroes save for Saw'Shaw, her long reload times however are annoying as the enemy can kill her during this period. Use hit and run tatics. ---------------------- Elder mates Pro's Can travel fast Attack is average Con's Attack is short-range Low HP The Elder mates are poor attackers, do not bother to use them to lead an attack. ---------------------- Artifact Vehicle Pro's Can travel fast Con's Easily destroyed by deconstructors Abandon this if you can or clear the area before driving in this. It once got destroyed by a sappers splash damage in my game! ---------------------- Hot keys to remember ---------------------- B---build F---fly L---land U---Burrow/mount Bonca/Reverse Earth Form C---cast spell T---take resources P---persuade N---tame animal O---Store Resources F5---Set Aggressive stance F6---Set Defensive stance F7---Set Passive stance F8---Set Evasive stance ---------------------- Spell Hot keys to remember ---------------------- S.U.N. ---------------------- Shama'Li ---------------------- G---Great Earth Spirit H---Ground Harvest S---Soothing Voice Eaggra ---------------------- G---Regrowth N---Nature seeing P---Pathfinder ---------------------- Tha'Roon ---------------------- A---Anti-magic Force C---Cerebral stun ---------------------- Obblinox ---------------------- E---enchant item O---brew Oil Bomb R---brew Rage potion ---------------------- Human ---------------------- A---armour C---Cryo bomb M---Medical kit R---rations T---Teleport Device W---Work tools X---chemical bomb ---------------------- Legal stuff ---------------------- This Guide is Copyrighted by Barnabas Soon. Please do not edit or change this in any way. You may distribute it freely unedited but do not charge a fee. You may however, print out any part of this but only for your own use. Do not distribute part of it but as a whole. ---------------------- Comments and Suggestions ---------------------- If you have any comments and suggestions please e-mail me. Only constructive ones please. Do not waste my time. THE END---THANKS FOR READING THIS!