NOTE: Due to there being 2 kinds of artillery (stationary and SP) I've decided to split this guide into two parts. SP Artillery units will be covered next.
Artillery is arguably the most useful unit in the entire game. Make no mistake: you need every single unit in the artillery branch, including the secret branch. I could talk for hours about the usefulness of artillery pieces, but for the sake of our newer players, I will do my best to compress it into 10,000 characters.
Let's take stock: How many artillery units will this cover?
-Artillery
-Anti-Tank
-Anti-Aircraft
-Rocket Artillery*
*Secret tech.
Now, onto the guide!
---ARTILLERY---
What they can do:
-Attack from a distance. This is their primary function. Artillery are effective in their simplicity: shoot the thing from very far away.
-Defending the home front. Especially with the 1.5 update, artillery can be extremely effective at defending key provinces, as they get the drop on enemy units. If it takes the enemy 1 hour to get from the farthest firing range (50) to the unit, that same unit will be attacked at least twice before it gets there, giving you a serious edge in combat.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Coastal Defense. While their attack values are decent, the range isn't ideal for defending your coastlines. It's not ineffective, but there are better alternatives.
-Siege. For those of you who don't know, a Siege is a long, drawn-out battle to capture an objective. It involves surrounding and bombarding a position for a long time. Sometimes literal days. Artillery can do this, but once again, they are hindered by their range.
What they can't do:
-Defend themselves. While their attack values are impressive, their defensive values are not. You need to station other units with your artillery, or at least build some forts around them.
---ANTI-TANK---
What they can do:
-Defend even the most undefendable province. The defensive values on this piece are absolutely ridiculous against everything with an armor plate. Tanks are very afraid of this unit... and they should be.
-Hide. AT guns are stealth units, and are completely invisible unless scouted. Of course, this only applies in the forests and urban areas, but it helps.
What they can do in a pinch:
Absolutely nothing. The truth is that AT guns are very, very efficient in one area of defense, and virtually nothing else, even at later levels.
What they can't do:
-Anything on an offensive front. These are first and foremost a defensive unit.
-Protect themselves from the skies. Even an interceptor can pick this one off.
---ANTI-AIR---
What they can do:
-Ward off all those damn aircraft! Why do you think it's called an AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) battery?
-Hide. Once again, AAA is a stealth unit, and the same rules apply as AT Guns.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Defend surprisingly well against armored units, especially in areas with a terrain advantage. Now, obviously it shouldn't come to that, but what an AA gun essentially is is just an Anti Tank gun that can point straight up (and the shells are rigged to explode).
What they can't do:
-Ward off infantry. Remember how I said that it's essentially a tank gun? Well, those aren't super effective when the infantry is right next to you...
-Fend off a surprise attack. They don't have very much HP, and if caught by surprise, it's game over.
---ROCKET ARTY---
What they can do:
-Siege. Finally, our first siege weapon! Rocket Arty is devastating to infantry and buildings, even at first level.
-Can be self propelled, just like regular arty. Thank you, Bytro.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Outclass regular artillery early game. This unit is a bit of a weird one: It's the most effective artillery unit against infantry, and the least effective against Armor Units (over time). However, make no mistake, it's almost twice as expensive as regular artillery, when you factor in the idea of using a different building, and its usefulness dwindles in late game. Best if paired with regular artillery.
-Function as an emergency AA battery. Much higher AA capabilities than regular artillery.
What they can't do:
-Anything against a navy. Even at maximum level, the damage output against naval vessels is extremely poor for its range.
-Ridiculously hard to replace. Do its high cost, these are not disposable units. Use with caution.
As always, doctrine info in the comments. Keep reading!
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Artillery is arguably the most useful unit in the entire game. Make no mistake: you need every single unit in the artillery branch, including the secret branch. I could talk for hours about the usefulness of artillery pieces, but for the sake of our newer players, I will do my best to compress it into 10,000 characters.
Let's take stock: How many artillery units will this cover?
-Artillery
-Anti-Tank
-Anti-Aircraft
-Rocket Artillery*
*Secret tech.
Now, onto the guide!
---ARTILLERY---
What they can do:
-Attack from a distance. This is their primary function. Artillery are effective in their simplicity: shoot the thing from very far away.
-Defending the home front. Especially with the 1.5 update, artillery can be extremely effective at defending key provinces, as they get the drop on enemy units. If it takes the enemy 1 hour to get from the farthest firing range (50) to the unit, that same unit will be attacked at least twice before it gets there, giving you a serious edge in combat.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Coastal Defense. While their attack values are decent, the range isn't ideal for defending your coastlines. It's not ineffective, but there are better alternatives.
-Siege. For those of you who don't know, a Siege is a long, drawn-out battle to capture an objective. It involves surrounding and bombarding a position for a long time. Sometimes literal days. Artillery can do this, but once again, they are hindered by their range.
What they can't do:
-Defend themselves. While their attack values are impressive, their defensive values are not. You need to station other units with your artillery, or at least build some forts around them.
---ANTI-TANK---
What they can do:
-Defend even the most undefendable province. The defensive values on this piece are absolutely ridiculous against everything with an armor plate. Tanks are very afraid of this unit... and they should be.
-Hide. AT guns are stealth units, and are completely invisible unless scouted. Of course, this only applies in the forests and urban areas, but it helps.
What they can do in a pinch:
Absolutely nothing. The truth is that AT guns are very, very efficient in one area of defense, and virtually nothing else, even at later levels.
What they can't do:
-Anything on an offensive front. These are first and foremost a defensive unit.
-Protect themselves from the skies. Even an interceptor can pick this one off.
---ANTI-AIR---
What they can do:
-Ward off all those damn aircraft! Why do you think it's called an AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) battery?
-Hide. Once again, AAA is a stealth unit, and the same rules apply as AT Guns.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Defend surprisingly well against armored units, especially in areas with a terrain advantage. Now, obviously it shouldn't come to that, but what an AA gun essentially is is just an Anti Tank gun that can point straight up (and the shells are rigged to explode).
What they can't do:
-Ward off infantry. Remember how I said that it's essentially a tank gun? Well, those aren't super effective when the infantry is right next to you...
-Fend off a surprise attack. They don't have very much HP, and if caught by surprise, it's game over.
---ROCKET ARTY---
What they can do:
-Siege. Finally, our first siege weapon! Rocket Arty is devastating to infantry and buildings, even at first level.
-Can be self propelled, just like regular arty. Thank you, Bytro.
What they can do in a pinch:
-Outclass regular artillery early game. This unit is a bit of a weird one: It's the most effective artillery unit against infantry, and the least effective against Armor Units (over time). However, make no mistake, it's almost twice as expensive as regular artillery, when you factor in the idea of using a different building, and its usefulness dwindles in late game. Best if paired with regular artillery.
-Function as an emergency AA battery. Much higher AA capabilities than regular artillery.
What they can't do:
-Anything against a navy. Even at maximum level, the damage output against naval vessels is extremely poor for its range.
-Ridiculously hard to replace. Do its high cost, these are not disposable units. Use with caution.
As always, doctrine info in the comments. Keep reading!
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