Includes all Economical/Support, Static defense & Superweapons.
Introduction
This guide is current for ZK stable version 1.2.4.11.
Setokaiva here, from the game Zero-K and from the zero-k.info site. I have taken up writing a series of detailed overviews about specific units and structures, this page is dedicated to housing these guides for easy viewing. Credit goes to kingraptorowns for putting in the initial unit pictures which also showed me how to put in the rest!
This one is dedicated solely to static defenses, superweapons, and economy/support structures.
Here are links to the Ground and Air/Sea/Special sections of my guide, respectively.
Ground Units & Striders
* Link to Manual *
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/SpecificUnitGuides* Link to Wiki *
http://code.google.com/p/zero-k/wiki/SpecificUnitGuidesAir, Sea & Special Units
* Link to Manual *
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/SpecificUnitGuides_2* Link to Wiki *
http://code.google.com/p/zero-k/wiki/SpecificUnitGuides_2Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Table of Contents
- Details
- Economy
- Metal Extractor
- Wind/Tidal Generator
- Solar Collector
- Geothermal Powerplant
- Fusion Generator
- Moho Geothermal Powerplant
- Singularity Reactor
- Storage
- Energy Transmission Pylon
- Anti-Land/Sea
- Defender
- Lotus
- Faraday
- Stardust
- Gauss
- Stinger
- Doomsday Machine
- Annihilator
- Behemoth
- Big Bertha
- Urchin
- Newton
- Anti-Air
- Razor
- Hacksaw
- Cobra
- Chainsaw
- Screamer
- Support
- Radar Tower
- Advanced Radar Tower
- Sonar Station
- Caretaker
- Air Repair/Rearm Pad
- Aegis
- Sneaky Pete
- Missile Silo
- Superweapons
- Protector
- Silencer
- Starlight
- Zenith
- Disco Rave Party
<wiki:comment> ^ This inserts the table of contents.</wiki:comment>
Details
* Radar Range * -- Indicates the range at which this structures radar can pick up enemy units. Radar is blocked if there is terrain in the way, creating a radar shadow.
* Max Slope * -- The maximum amount of sharp terrain sloping a structure can handle before it becomes unbuildable there.
* Build Power * -- How fast a unit or structure can build things.
* Radar emit height * -- This dictates the height at which radar waves are projected from relative to the ground on which the radar is placed.
* Halves Radar wobble * -- Applies only to the Advanced Radar Tower, and Commanders equipped with the Integrated Radar Module. Normally, the 'Radar Dots' that show up through the fog of war wobble around, making fire quite inaccurate if directed at said dots. Advanced radar counters this by slicing the amount of radar wobble in half, and then again for every such installation; one reduces it to 50%, another to 25%, and so forth.
* Explosion * -- Each structure has its own explosion whenever it is destroyed or self-destructed. This always comes at the end of the stats in the Weapons section, and shows both the total damage potential and the AoE in which it is spread. Units further away from the AoE (Area of Effect) take less damage from these explosions.
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Economy
It is
very important to know about the Overdrive system, so I have included a link to that part of the guide here as well.
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/Overdrive ----------------
Metal Extractor
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Metal%20Extractor| Class/Role | Extracts Metal |
The humble Metal Extractor (aka mex) produces all your metal - without which, all of your units, and by extension war would not exist (It'd be trollcoms all day long x_x). Be as aggressive as you can, take as many of these as possible and hold them, and also raid and deprive your enemy of this precious resource.
Due to the extreme importance of this structure, I strongly recommend setting the Metal Extractor to 'High Priority' in the 'Initial States' submenu of 'Unit AI' in Options. That way, they will be built immediately rather than you having to wait around longer if your resources are split due to a stall.
| Terraforming Hole | Using the Raise or Level terraforming tool, you can create (on land maps with no water, generally) a hole to put your mex in, rather than setting it on flat ground. Whilst this takes some oversight on your part, it will prevent some enemy units from being able to easily destroy them - they'd have to reach the lip of the hole and fire down on it. |
| Solar Pairing | Mexes produce more metal when overdriven with energy. Placing a Solar Collector at each mex not only makes sure they have at least minimal grid to draw upon in case you have spare energy, but also helps you smoothly extend your energy production. |
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Wind/Tidal Generator
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Wind/Tidal%20Generator| Class/Role | Produces Energy (Variable) |
| Metal | 35 | Reclaim | 14 |
| HP (Wind) | 130 | HP (Tidal) | 400 |
| Energy Production | 1.2 (Tidal), Variable up to 2.5 (Wind) |
| Sight Range | 273 |
This Generator behaves differently depending on where it is built. On water, it becomes the somewhat sturdier Tidal generator, with constant energy output. As Solar Collectors cannot be built on water, Tidals are the only choice of basic sea generator. On land, however, it becomes the fragile Wind generator, whose energy output depends on altitude - they become more efficient the higher they are.
Some people choose not to use these right off the bat, instead opting for Solars due to their ever-reliable output and armor form when under fire (they can also be shot over). However, Wind generators are definitely not to be neglected, as they can have at least equal if not greater output than Solars, and they are much, much cheaper. Extreme heights allow Wind Generators to become the most efficient energy source in the game.
It quickly becomes a question of Defensibility vs. Resources. Do you want more energy, or do you want to be better able to defend yourself?
Here is a link to another guide on the manual, dedicated to building a good Wind farm.
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/WindgenfarmGuide| Power Lines | While Pylons are the dedicated grid connection structures, chains of Wind Generators are also often used as the connectors in an overdrive grid as unlike Pylons, they contribute energy. |
| Hill Farms | Wind is more efficient on higher altitudes. Tall hills are often used to create Wind farms. |
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Solar Collector
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Solar%20Collector| Class/Role | Produces Energy (2) |
| Armored (when 'Off'): 1/4 damage received |
| Energy Production | 2 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
The iconic Solar generator has the ability to bunker up when under fire, effectively giving it 2000 HP rather than 500; and they do this automatically (for 8 seconds) with no oversight from your part - however, this causes them to stop producting energy. This makes them great to build if you keep getting raided, as they are notoriously difficult to kill when bunkered down. You may even be able to use these as armored shields for the rest of your structures, or use them as simple walls up front for damage absorption and blockades.
| * Combos/Strategies/Counters * |
| Wall-off | Solars have great endurance - they can be used as makeshift walls to block shots and movement while also providing energy. |
| Poking | As closed Solars produce no energy, poking them during raiding disrupts the enemy energy economy. |
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Geothermal Powerplant
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Geothermal%20Powerplant| Class/Role | Produces Energy (25) |
| Energy Production | 25 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
| Morphs to: Moho Geothermal Powerplant (90s, 1000m) |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
Only buildable on Geothermal vents, these highly volatile reactors are incredibly cost-efficient -- but opportunities to build them are few and far between, making vent sites a prime contested location in many games. They are often close to the front.
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Fusion Generator
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Fusion%20Reactor| Class/Role | Produces Energy (35) |
| Energy Production | 35 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
Fusions offer a compact, efficient energy source to fuel your war effort in the later stages of the game. However, they are
extremely vulnerable to attack and should be kept protected at all costs by whatever means are at your disposal. Interestingly, they are not as efficient cost-for-cost as Wind Generators can be, but the output of the latter tends to vary widely map-to-map and they require a tall hill to achieve truly impressive ratings.
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Moho Geothermal Powerplant
<br>
| Class | Produces Energy (100) |
| Metal | 1500 (500 Geo + 1000 morph) |
| HP | 3250 |
This is the most efficient reliable energy source, but do not upgrade your Geos unless you are wholly committed to defending them or they are not surrounded with anything of value; when these go, they go with a
BANG.----------------
Singularity Reactor
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Singularity%20Reactor| Class/Role | Produces Energy (225) |
| Energy Production | 225 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
Meant only for late-game battles, Singus fulfill all of your energy needs, and also help bump up your overdrive quite a bit to multiply your metal production. These can give you that added economical edge you need, but watch out; you do NOT want these to be destroyed, least of all in the center of your base.
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Storage
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Storage| Class/Role | Stores Metal and Energy (500) |
This is not a building recommended by many pros, mainly because you could have simply used that metal and energy rather than storing it. It is decent if you're reclaiming a huge amount of metal all at once, or in an FFA and need to stockpile, but never make it in a 1v1 or standard team game if you can help it. Just keep the facs churning out units and find new ways to use your resources as fast as they come in.
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Energy Transmission Pylon
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Energy%20Transmission%20Pylon| Class/Role | Extends overdrive grid |
| Overdrive Grid Radius | 500 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
*You must construct additional Pylons!*
... I regret nothing. xD
These really come into their own in the mid-to-late game, when you are building your overdrive network and linking it to other mexes across long distances. Don't bother with them early game, your resources are better spent on more generators to do the same job. Do use these, though, if you are linking your power grid to your heavy defenses; its a LOT better than making a fusion or line of winds to it.
Also, I would like to point out that the explosion of this thing is fairly powerful for such a cheap unit; if you can find a way to make it work, these could feasibly be used as a bomb or a trap - I've seen a group of Pyros get annihilated once because they blew up a Pylon standing next to it. You can self-destruct them, too (and cancel if he fakes you out), but you'll need to time it carefully. Still, could wipe out the odd Puppy rush, you never know.
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Anti-Land/Sea
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Defender
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Defender| Class/Role | Light Missile Tower (AA/Skirmish) |
| Morphs to: Razor (3 Rank, 30s), Hacksaw (3 Rank, 30s) |
| * Homing Missiles * |
| Damage | 105 |
| AoE | 8 |
| Reloadtime | 1.2 |
| Salvo Reloadtime | 8 |
| Range | 610 |
Iconic, reliable and cheap, the Defender brings mid-ranged firepower to the field with a trio of light homing missiles effective in a skirmish or AA role. Whilst alone they barely pack enough firepower to threaten a Raider, in groups they can lay down a withering storm of fire to thin out enemy ranks before they reach you. They're also good to build for skirmishing enemy defenses from outside their range; though this can take a while to kill them.
| vs. Scouts/Raiders | Two shots to off a Glaive, three for a Bandit |
| vs. Skirmishers | They have the range to deal damage, but they won't make a kill in one volley |
| vs. Light Air | Drones from the Gunship fac, or Interceptors / Napalm Bombers from Airplane fac spring to mind |
| * Counters * |
| Anything heavier than a Scout |
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Lotus
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Lotus| Class/Role | Light Laser Tower |
| Morphs to: Stardust (3 Rank, 30s), Newton (3 Rank, 30s) |
| * Laserbeam * |
| Damage | 7.35 |
| AoE | 8 |
| Reloadtime | 0.1 |
| DPS | 73 |
| Range | 460 |
The Lotus(aka. LLT) is the gold standard of raider defense in the early stages of the game. Use it to protect all your valuable economical assets and expansions, but remember single turrets won't hold up to more than two or three raiders and none of them will last against skirmishers or something heavier.
| * Effective * |
| vs. Scouts/Raiders |
| In groups | They provide good DPS for their cost; cluster them and they can pour on damage |
| * Counters * |
| Skirmishers/Artillery |
| More Raiders than they can handle |
| Assault/Riot Units |
| Air | LLT's don't have a prayer of taking on bombers, though they are fairly good against most gunships. |
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Faraday
<br>
| Armored (when not firing): 1/4 damage received |
| Damage | 1000 (P) |
| AoE | 160 |
| Paralyzetime | 2.5 |
| Reloadtime | 2.8 |
| Range | 460 |
The Faraday is an EMP tower, trading conventional weaponry for a long-range electro-stunner -- it's a lot like a Venom, only it can't keep units stunned; its stun time is lower than the reload. However, it can still greatly aid in defense efforts by preventing units from moving and firing -- particularly good against those that rely on time for their weapons to do damage, such as beam-laser equipped ones like Banshees or Maces.
| vs. Air | I've seen Faradays tag everything from gunships to bombers; being EMP'ed is nothing short of a death sentence for a plane. |
| Artillery | Though you might have trouble punching through its armor, long-range units can pummel it from afar without risk on your part. |
| Kill their cover | Faradays don't deal any damage on their own; they rely on others to do the actual killing on the EMP'ed units. Getting rid of any turrets or units nearby renders them nearly useless. |
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Stardust
<br>
| Class/Role | Anti-Swarm Turret |
| Morphs to: Gauss (3 Rank, 60s) |
| * Pulse Autocannon * |
| Damage | 45 |
| AoE | 96 |
| Reloadtime | 0.12 |
| Range | 410 |
This intimidating turret is the ultimate Anti-Raider defense. It packs a massive damage potential and AoE, allowing it to quickly slaughter swarms that would otherwise cause you some serious trouble. Of course, it's short range is a significant handicap, and it's a little on the unarmored side; but still, having a few of these may just save your ass should the enemy try and overrun you with units.
| vs. Swarmers | Utterly annihilates scouts and raiders. Don't let it be flanked. |
| vs. Battle Units | If kept well-supported, Stardusts can tear through health in a hurry with their insane damage potential. |
| High Ground | Stardusts can get a bonus to range and effectiveness if put on a small hill, be it terraformed or no. This is because if put on flat ground, most of the 'bullets' might impact the ground or explode in mid-air. With this, more shots will hit their targets. |
| Skirmishers/Artillery | They have an even shorter range than the LLT and are very vulnerable to being outranged. |
| Bombers/Brawlers | They don't do too well tracking bombers, and Brawler gunships can outrange them -- just watch out for AA. |
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Gauss
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Gauss| Class/Role | Ambush Gauss Turret |
| Metal | 400 | Reclaim | 160 |
| HP | 3000 | Wreck HP | 2250 |
| Armored (when not firing): 1/4 damage received |
| Morphs to: Doomsday Machine (3 Rank, 75s) |
| * Light Gauss Cannon * |
| Damage | 200 |
| AoE | 16 |
| Reloadtime | 2 |
| Range | 560 |
| Shots pierce through units & ricochet off terrain |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
This turret is one of the few units in the game that packs a Gauss weapon. This unique armament is extremely fast and accurate, can pierce through multiple units in a line, and ricochet off terrain to possibly hit even more. It can also bunker down into armored form when not firing, giving it durability on the level of a Razor; this is incredibly useful if you can effectively repair the turrets, as well.
There is a long-standing argument about the effectiveness of the Gauss vs. the Stinger, in various situations. The Stinger is generally the more effective of the two, since it inflicts more damage and has a longer range. The Gauss, however, has more health, can armor up when artillery fire comes down on it, and its gauss weapon also has a rather unique property (besides the pierce-through) that the Stinger does not: it inflicts more damage when firing on larger units.
If the Gauss shot at a heavy tank or Commander, it would inflict 400 damage instead of 200. If it fired at a really big unit, like a Strider or a Factory, it would likely inflict 600
every 2 seconds. This is because Gauss weapons work on the same principles as the Disintegrator Gun; the shot deals more damage the longer it spends passing through a unit.
Due to these considerable bonus traits, the Gauss can be noticeably more effective than the Stinger in certain situations. One thing to note, however, is that it *no longer has the ability to pierce through shields.* That's right, you're going to have to do it the hard way from now on. All in all, though, the Gauss is a respectable defense turret that may just need some practice to find its best niche.
| vs. Light units | These turrets are better able to deal with lighter and faster targets than Stingers are, as they shoot faster and still deal good damage. |
| vs. Large units | Gauss weapons do double damage to larger targets, and triple damage to really big ones -- and that's not even counting the possibility that the shot might ricochet and do more damage. |
| vs. Air | Gauss turrets make for somewhat decent flex-AA, if low-flying bombers or gunships come near. |
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Stinger
<br>
http://zero-k.info/Static/UnitGuide#unit-Stinger| Class/Role | High-Energy Laser Tower |
| Morphs to: Annihilator (3 Rank, 90s), Doomsday Machine (3 Rank, 90s) |
| * High-Energy Laserbeam * |
| Damage | 850 (170 x5) |
| AoE | 14 |
| Reloadtime | 4.5 |
| Range | 620 |
Stingers represent the beginnings of a real defensive hardpoint. They have hardened armor that can withstand being poked at, and their long-range laser cannon can outrange most other units (including advanced skirmishers) easily. They work best when used against middle-tier battle units, and fare very poorly when put up against raiders or many of the heavier assault units. Artillery can remove them with ease.
| vs. Battle Units | Standard fare units tend to fall quite quickly to HLT fire, though you are recommended to keep the turret repaired since it will come under attack frequently. |
| vs. Skirmishers | Stingers can outrange everything up to a Recluse comfortably, picking them off one by one. Remember to keep them repaired when facing focused fire, though. |
| Swarmers | HLT's specialize in killing one unit at a time; overrun them with swarms of light units and raiders, and they won't have a prayer of hitting them all. |
| Artillery | All forms of long-range units are effective at wearing down Stingers. If you're on the receiving end of such punishment, it's recommended that you have a countermeasure ready, like Sniper bots or counter-battery artillery. |
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Doomsday Machine
<br>
| Class/Role | Medium Range Defense Fortress |
| Armored (when 'Off'): 1/4 damage received |
| Requires 50 energy (Main gun) |
| Damage | 1200 |
| AoE | 192 |
| Reloadtime | 3 |
| Range | 650 |
| Damage | 102.2 (51.1 x 2) | DPS | 1022 |
| AoE | 20 |
| Reloadtime | 0.1 |
| Range | 430 |
You're in the big leagues now. This monster of a defense installation is built for the wholesale slaughter of any ground push, and has the range and firepower to compete with everything from raiders to skirmishers to heavy tanks. You will need powerful artillery or a special strategy to get past it, or a LOT of firepower to bull your way through.
This defense turret needs to be connected to a power grid with at least 50 cumulative energy; this can come from everything from winds to solars to fusions, as long as the total makes or exceeds 50. The DDM is unique in that it can still fire its heat ray if it doesn't have power; it just needs the energy so it can fire its main cannon.
| vs. Heavy Ground | Completely slaughters nearly all common ground units, and makes quick work of armored heavies as well. |
| vs. Gunships | Can kill Black Dawns that ball in to bomb it, as a start; the cannon is surprisingly accurate, and should be able to kill Banshees as well, to say nothing of its Heat Ray. |
| Artillery | Outrange it FTW |
| Missile Silo | One Shockley EMP Missile can stun this beast for a LONG time, rendering it useless |
| Thunderbird | Throw in an EMP bomber or two and you can stun it; but beware, no one in their right mind throws this up without making AA nearby, as the mere presence of a DDM indicates a defense hardpoint. |
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Annihilator
<br>
| Class/Role | Tachyon Accelerator |
| Armored (when 'Off'): 1/4 damage received |
| Damage | 4000 |
| AoE | 20 |
| Reloadtime | 10 |
| Range | 1200 |
These towering pinnacles of firepower form the cornerstone of many heavy defense efforts. They pack the aptly-named 'Blue Laser of Death', allowing them to lay waste to enemy operations within a very long range -- even some artillery units have trouble getting close enough without being hit.
This defense turret needs to be connected to a power grid with at least 50 cumulative energy; this can come from everything from winds to solars to fusions, as long as the total makes or exceeds 50.
| vs. Sea | Outranges most common ships, though Warlord and Reef still have an advantage. |
| High Ground | Always try to either find a natural hill or make one of your own, so Annihilators can fire over your other turrets; it just won't do to have them blocked, no sir. |
| Cloaking | The precision nature of the weapon, coupled with it's long reload time make it quite vulnerable if the enemy gets their hands on some Erasers. |
| Swarmers | You'll need a lot, most likely, but swarms of units are one of the Annihilators weaknesses; just don't for the love of God bunch up. |
| Air | A big enough gunship or bomber attack can pose a serious problem for Annihilators, as they require support from allied AA. |
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Behemoth
<br>
| Class/Role | Plasma Battery (Bombardment / Area Denial) |
| Damage | 1800 (600 x 3) |
| AoE | 192 |
| Reloadtime | 10 |
| Range | 1850 |
| High Trajectory option |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
Only recommended - and usually only seen - in the late game, Behemoths are pretty much a third of a Warlord battleships firepower rooted to the ground. They're awesome for pounding groups, statics, and generally suppressing enemy operations from a distance - but do NOT leave them unsupported, as they are very very very vulnerable.
This defense turret needs to be connected to a power grid with at least 50 cumulative energy; this can come from everything from winds to solars to fusions, as long as the total makes or exceeds 50.
| vs. Groups | Ridiculously effective at routing mobs of unshielded battle units with their AoE and high damage. |
| vs. Statics | That Annihilator across the gorge getting you down? Throw up a Behemoth and bomb it from a safe distance. |
| Air | Best to use either a BD rush or several bombers, preferably Precision or Implosion. Watch out for AA; there's bound to be lots of it in the late game. |
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Big Bertha
<br>
| Class/Role | Strategic Plasma Cannon |
| * Very Heavy Plasma Cannon * |
| Damage | 2000 |
| AoE | 192 |
| Reloadtime | 7 |
| Range | 6200 |
Ah, the mighty LRPC (Long-Range Plasma Cannon). Long has it served well in the strategic attack capacity by obliterating enemy bases and installations from afar. Unfortunately, it is terribly inaccurate even with a visual lock, and can be countered cost-effectively in many cases. Still, there are few things better for taking out those all-important high-tier power plants and factories in the late game.
| vs. Assets | Perfect for sniping Geo's or Fusions in the back of the enemy base. |
| vs. Statics | Hammer away at those defenses from the safety of your base. Watch out for shields. |
| Shields | Whilst accuracy isn't a problem for the Bertha when it comes to hitting shields, the reload interval is enough of a handicap to let the shields recharge in between shots. |
| Terraforming | Throw up a big enough wall and you can block Bertha shells. |
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Urchin
<br>
| Class/Role | Torpedo Launcher |
| Sight Range | 660 |
| Sonar Range | 800 |
| Damage | 190 |
| AoE | 64 |
| Reloadtime | 3.2 |
| Range | 590 |
This is one of the only responses available to submerged units, though it also fills a double capacity by being able to attack ships (like all torpedo-armed units). Interestingly, it can also be built on land as well as water and still allow its torpedo to track a water unit. Sadly, it is completely useless against Hovercraft.
Use just enough of these to reliably take care of amphibious bots and some ships that threaten your base, or your locations of strategic interest. Just remember, they can be easily overwhelmed alone; thankfully, they're much cheaper and more cost-effective than almost all other torpedo units available.
| Land/Air/Hovers | Can't hit any of these. |
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Newton
<br>
| Class/Role | Gravity Turret |
| Impulse Factor | 125 |
| AoE | 8 |
| Range | 440 |
| Impulse Factor | -125 |
| AoE | 8 |
| Range | 460 |
This is an odd one, and something I've very seldom seen - even less seen used effectively. What this does is basically either push or pull enemy units relative to the Newton, letting you either keep enemies away or bring them closer - among other things.
| Air | Switch it to Attractive and the turret can pull aircraft right out of the sky, keeping them in your field of fire for longer. |
| Unit Launcher | Using an appropriately sized ramp and several Newtons, you can launch units quite a distance (depending on their Mass). Could be used to launch crawling bombs, or throw units into enemy base; ever since fall damage was put back in, though, this is probably less viable. |
| Artillery/Skirmishers | Just take them out from a distance; beware that you don't get snagged by the attractive gravity, though. |
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Anti-Air
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Razor
<br>
| Class/Role | Hardened Anti-Air Laser |
| Armored (when not firing): 1/4 damage received |
| Amphibious (Floats) |
| Morphs to: Cobra (3 Rank, 60s) |
| * Anti-Air Laser * |
| AoE | 8 |
| Reloadtime | 0.1 |
| Range | 1040 |
Razors are both a cost-effective counter to most air units, and a very potent damage shield -- when not firing, their armor is strong enough to survive a
nuclear blast. This makes firing at closed Razors generally a waste of time - especially reload-wise - unless there's nothing else in the immediate vicinity. Arguably the best way to kill a Razor is to force it to reveal itself by giving it an aerial target of some sort, which totally removes its armor bonus.
| vs. Air | As the cheapest dedicated AA turret, these work really well against gunships and are also fairly effective against planes. Make lots of them! |
| Chicken Magnet | Put these out front, supported by Caretakers for repairs; Chicken artillery units like Blobbers will continue to fire at it, and it will barely take any damage at all. You can further enhance it by putting it in a T-form hole. |
| Raven | Can force it to open; three bombs will crack it like an egg. |
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Hacksaw
<br>
| Class/Role | SAM Tower (Anti-Bomber) |
| Morphs to: Chainsaw (3 Rank, 75s) |
| * Homing Missiles * |
| Damage | 1180 (590 x 2) |
| AoE | 24 |
| Burst Rate | 1.4 |
| Reloadtime | 13 |
| Range | 850 |
Hacksaws are pretty much designed to counter bombers by knocking out everything up to a Precision bomber in one pair of hits. Lighter aircraft will overwhelm it, however.
You can avoid having your heavier air units destroyed by a Hacksaw by flying in a cheaper one as a decoy -- the Hacksaw will fire, allowing you to send in bombers during its full 13-second long reload period.
| vs. Air | In particular, bombers. Two will down a Wyvern. |
| Decoys/Swarmer Air | Force it to waste its shot; it'll be useless then. |
| Land | Derp. |
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Cobra
<br>
| Class/Role | Anti-Air Flak Gun |
| Sight Range | 660 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Morphs to: Screamer (3 Rank, 75s) |
| * Flak Cannon * |
| Damage | 132 |
| AoE | 128 |
| Reloadtime | 0.5 |
| Range | 1000 |
| vs. Gunships/Clusters of Air | The large AoE and damage potential on this beast makes it perfect for countering those nasty Banshee swarms or groups of Blastwings/Gnats. |
| Land | No, it's not the German Flak 88... it can't hit land, sorry. |
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Chainsaw
<br>
| Class/Role | Anti-Air Missile Launcher |
| Morphs to: Screamer (3 Rank, 60s) |
| * Long-Range SAM * |
| Damage | 225 |
| AoE | 24 |
| Reloadtime | 1 |
| Range | 1800 |
These are likely to go up in response to heavy airplane activity, moreso than gunships; the range allows them to peel away the fighter cover usually present on patrol over the defensive lines, and take out many bombers on its own as well. It's still really good vs. pretty much all air, though, but if the emplacement itself is targeted it will go down in a hurry.
| vs. Air | The range on this thing is SICK. If your enemy is running fighter cover over an area, this thing is perfect for swatting them from a safe distance. |
----------------
Screamer
<br>
| Class/Role | Very Long-Range AA Missile Tower |
| Sight Range | 660 |
| Resources per second | 4 |
| Total resources per Shot | 80 |
| Stockpile Interval | 20 |
| Damage | 1600 |
| AoE | 240 |
| Reloadtime | 1.8 |
| Range | 2400 |
For when enough is enough, there is this monster of a SAM site. It will destroy any kind of aircraft in two shots, at the most, the only downside being that the damage is so high it will likely not be leaving any wrecks lying around for reclaim.
| vs. Everything that flies | COMPLETELY SLAUGHTERS every kind of air unit in the game, and even those not (hint, hint; Chickens). |
| Ground | Derrrrrrp. |
| Infiltrator | Whilst I know these are usually kept under heavy guard, its usually not that hard to slip a Spy in and stun the Screamer - of course, you'll have to deal with the rest of the AA, but it can be a huge advantage. |
----------------
Support
----------------
Radar Tower
<br>
| Class/Role | Early Warning System |
| Energy used | 0.8 |
| Sight Range | 800 |
| Radar Range | 2100 | Radar emit height | 100 |
Radar Towers form the cornerstone of your intelligence efforts. They can detect enemy forces long before they enter your LoS (Line of Sight), allowing you to respond rapidly and effectively.
They are dirt-cheap to construct, so there is no excuse for you to not have them. Place as many as you need to ensure you have as much radar coverage as possible, and remember to continue setting them as you advance and gain land so as to keep your intelligence up to date.
Since radar waves cannot penetrate terrain, blind spots may be created in your coverage if any hills, trenches or the like happen to be in the way. Place your radars on high ground whenever possible to prevent this.
----------------
Advanced Radar Tower
<br>
| Class/Role | Long-range Radar |
| Energy used | 3 |
| Sight range | 800 |
| Radar range | 4000 | Radar emit height | 120 |
| Halves Radar wobble effect |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
A single Adv. Radar both packs substantially more range than the standard tower, and also cuts the radar wobble effect, making fire directed at radar dots in the fog of war more accurate. You'll likely be building these in the middle to late game.
Since radar waves cannot penetrate terrain, blind spots may be created in your coverage if any hills, trenches or the like happen to be in the way. Place your radars on high ground whenever possible to prevent this.
----------------
Sonar Station
<br>
| Class/Role | Locates Water Units |
| Size | 2 | Minimum Water Depth | 10 |
| Energy Used | 0.5 |
| Sight Range | 500 |
| Sonar Range | 600 |
Essential for naval players, but only if their enemy is using subs or underwater amphibious units; for surface stuff, its better to just use radar.
Like radar, sonar waves cannot penetrate terrain, so blind spots may be created in your coverage if any hills, trenches or the like happen to be in the way. Make sure to place your sonar stations where they can cover the most ground.
----------------
Caretaker
<br>
| Class/Role | Nanoturret |
| Metal | 220 |
| HP | 500 |
| Resource Production | 0.3 |
| Build Power | 10 |
| Build Range | 500 |
| Builds: Terraforming |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
Ah, the good ol' engineering station. Plop one in a big wreckage field and they'll suck it up, plop it next to your fac for more build speed, what-have-you; they are the most cost-effective source of buildpower for all of your needs.
Interestingly, they also have a much longer build range than any other constructor, which allows them to work on projects from a good distance. This can translate itself into a leapfrog type of strategy sometimes, by using Caretakers to build terraforming from far away, making walls to crawl up within range of enemy defenses - possibly letting arcing-trajectory units attack safely.
----------------
Air Repair/Rearm Pad
<br>
| Class/Role | Repairs and Rearms Aircraft |
This pad can support up to four aircraft at a time. Put Caretakers by them to assist in repairing damaged aircraft so they can get back in the fight quicker. Any air unit can dock here, but gunships won't do so by default; they must be set to auto-retreat back to a pad when damaged.
----------------
Aegis
<br>
| Class/Role | Light Shield Device |
| Energy Used | 1.5 |
| Sight Range | 200 |
| Morphs to: Aspis (30s) |
| * Energy Shield * |
| Strength | 3600 |
| Regen | 57 |
| Energy required to Regen | 9 |
| Radius | 350 |
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/Shields| vs. Artillery | Most artillery tends to be slow firing and more whittle-down than outright destroy; this can allow a well-supported shield block to regenerate most of the damage quickly. |
| vs. Lasers | Beam lasers must drain the shield completely before they can do any damage to the units behind. |
| EMP | Damages shields for 1/3 their EMP damage against units; since EMP-equipped units tend to have VERY high damage, this can be quite powerful. |
| Heat Rays | Units equipped with these weapons (Scorcher, Dante, Sumo) are effective against shields because their damage does not fall off with range (Engine limitation). |
----------------
Sneaky Pete
<br>
| Class | Cloaker/Jammer Tower |
| Energy Used (Jammer) | 1.5 |
| Energy Used (Self-cloak) | 1 |
| Energy Used (Cloaking field) | 12 |
| Sight Range | 250 |
| Jamming Range | 550 |
| Cloaking Field Range | 510 |
| Morphs to: Eraser (30s, 180m) |
| * Explosion * (Death) |
http://zero-k.info/Wiki/CloakThese see less use ever since structures were made incloakable; however, they are still cheaper than Erasers as well as being another way to get the cloaking walkers. On paper, they have much better ability to cloak and jam a wide area, hiding your forces; unfortunately, since you can't take it with you, it's use can be somewhat limited. It still remains one of the only sources of radar jamming, however, and structures are still quite hideable from radar waves.
----------------
Missile Silo
<br>
| Metal | 1200 |
| HP | 4000 |
| Sight Range | 273 |
| Build Power | 10.0 |
| Eos |
 <br> |
| Metal | 600 |
| HP | 1000 |
| Damage | 3500 |
| AoE | 192 |
| Range | 3500 |
| Shockley |
 <br> |
| Metal | 500 |
| HP | 1000 |
| Damage | 30000 (P) |
| Paralyzetime | 45 |
| AoE | 280 |
| Range | 3500 |
| Inferno |
 <br> |
| Metal | 500 |
| HP | 1000 |
| Damage | 150 (initial) |
| Cloud Duration | 45s |
| Cloud DPS | 20 |
| Afterburn Duration | 2-3s |
| Afterburn DPS | 15 |
| AoE | 512 |
| Range | 3500 |
| Quake |
 <br> |
| Metal | 400 |
| HP | 1000 |
| Damage | 20 |
| AoE | 512 |
| Range | 6000 |
A very unique structure, the Missile Silo can build and store four different types of long-range cruise missiles. It is a wonderful asset in the right situation and will easily allow you to turn the tides of battle in your favor; provided you can afford each shot. Missiles cost a very hefty amount of resources to build, and the process is excruciatingly slow if the silo is unsupported; thankfully, you can help it produce missiles with constructors and nanoturrets.
The first thing I want to make clear is this; THIS IS NOT A NUKE. I've seen people build Missile Silo's because they think they're getting a strategic missile, but what they're really getting is a limited-range yet powerful tactical missile. Used properly, it allows you the perfect means to destroy important enemy assets at a very safe distance and control the battlefield with ease.
The Eos is the basic missile, a tactical nuke with a very decent 3500 damage yield. It is the weapon of choice for sniping static targets and dense packs of structures, but it lacks the utility of the other warheads. Beware that it can be blocked by shields, namely a single fully charged shield can block it out, so it is not very useful vs highly shielded targets.
The Shockley is amazing. It packs an incredible amount of EMP damage into that small warhead, enough to stun units for up to *45* seconds at a very safe range. One shot will
completely disable any shields
and stun the units sustaining those shields, as well as anyone else that happens to be in the area. It is also wonderful for disabling heavy defenses like DDM's and Annihilators that might otherwise give you trouble. *Shockey is seriously OP if used right* and totally useless while your enemy adapts to its presence. So, in most cases, it makes sense to build 2-3 of those, use them to break defenses and dismantle the whole silo (unless you have targets for Eos).
The Inferno is a favorite among pretty much everyone these days. What you get for your metal is a
giant area-denial weapon that spawns a field of fire where it hits, igniting any enemy units caught in it for a very long time. It is more than enough to kill almost any non-heavy unit or structure; that pack of cons reclaiming everything in the field? Dead. That Tremor raining death on you from afar? Trashed. That large group of Recluses mowing down everything in their path? Utterly obliterated. It often kills far more than its cost in units, so make sure you put it to good use! *Napalm missile is seriously OP if used right* and totally useless while your enemy adapts to its presence. So, in most cases, it makes sense to build 2-3 of those, use them to break defenses and dismantle the whole silo (unless you have targets for Eos).
The Quake is an interesting one. Forgoing a traditional warhead, it instead sends out a powerful seismic pulse through the ground around where it hits, smoothing out a large area of terrain. This can be used to turn a sheer cliff into a ramp that units can cross, flatten terraform walls and restore the humps created by Dirtbags, on a massive scale. It is worth noting that Quake missiles can be fired at a far greater range than any other missile, nearly double. Quake missiles can be a game-changer if you have a pack of reapers, and enemy is countering them with dirtbags/terraform.
----------------
Superweapons
For when enough is enough.
----------------
Protector
<br>
| Class | Anti-Nuke System |
| Metal | 3000 |
| Reclaim | 1200 |
| HP | 3300 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Reloadtime | 6 |
| Range | 4000 |
| Coverage (The range the Protector actually blocks missiles targeted within) | 2500 |
----------------
Silencer
<br>
| Class | Nuclear ICBM Launcher |
| Metal | 8000 |
| Reclaim | 2800 |
| HP | 5560 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Stockpile interval | 180 |
| Resources per second | 19.2 |
| Resources per missile | 3240 |
| Damage | 11500 |
| AoE | 1920 |
| Reloadtime | 5 |
| Range | 72000 |
| * Effective * |
| vs. Everything |
----------------
Starlight
<br>
| Class | Planetary Energy Chisel |
| Metal | 35000 |
| Reclaim | 14000 |
| HP | 12000 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Damage | 100 |
| AoE | 56 |
| Reloadtime | 0.03 |
| DPS | 3333 |
| Range | 9000 |
| Damage | 3000 |
| AoE | 140 |
| Reloadtime | 20 |
| Range | 9000 |
| vs. Everything | Melts anything it can touch like candlewax. |
----------------
Zenith
<br>
| Class | Meteor Controller |
| Metal | 30000 |
| Reclaim | 14000 |
| HP | 12000 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Damage | 1000 |
| AoE | 160 |
| Reloadtime | 1 |
| Range | 9000 |
| Range | Mapwide |
| * Effective * |
| vs. Clusters |
----------------
Disco Rave Party
<br>
| Class | Rainbow Surprise Superweapon (Strategic Rapid-fire Plasma Cannon) |
| Metal | 35000 |
| Reclaim | 16000 |
| HP | 16000 |
| Max Slope | 18 |
| Damage | 3000 |
| AoE | 192 |
| Reloadtime | 1 |
| Range | 6200 |
| Damage | 300 (Incendiary) |
| AoE | 256 |
| Burn Time (Max) | 240 |
| Damage | 10000 (P) |
| AoE | 256 |
| Paralyzetime | 10 |
| * Effective * |
| vs. Everything |
| vs. Groups |
