Field manual

Units

Every unit Meridian and Tidewater can field. Costs are credits (cr) / materials (mat). Speed is in tiles per second off-road: roads multiply it by ×1.75, forest by ×0.6 for ground units. Range is in tiles; DPS is damage ÷ reload before armour.

Infantry

Rifle squad
Rifle squad

Rifle squad

Infantry

Cheap line infantry. Your first troops and the best answer to enemy infantry.

  • Cost100 cr
  • Build6 s
  • Built atBarracks
  • WeaponRifle
  • ArmourInfantry
Health
100
Speed
2.2
Range
4
  • Damage12
  • Reload1.0 s
  • DPS12

Strong vsRifle squads, rocket squads, engineers, the enemy commander.

Weak vsTanks, mechs, buggies, buildings and drones (rifles do 25% to vehicles, 15% to structures, 10% to air).

Rocket squad
Rocket squad

Rocket squad

Infantry

Anti-tank and anti-building infantry that fires real arcing rockets. One of the few things that can shoot down drones.

  • Cost150 cr / 10 mat
  • Build8 s
  • Built atBarracks
  • WeaponRocket
  • ArmourInfantry
Health
90
Speed
2.0
Range
5
  • Damage40
  • Reload2.5 s
  • DPS16

Strong vsTanks, buggies, mechs, Mobile HQs, gunboats (×2.0 vs vehicles), buildings (×1.2), strike drones (×1.0).

Weak vsRifle squads and buggies' machine guns; rockets only do 35% to infantry. Fragile at 90 hp.

Engineer
Engineer

Engineer

Infantry

Unarmed specialist. Repairs your buildings for free at 25 hp/s (idle engineers auto-repair damaged friendly buildings within 6 tiles) and captures enemy buildings, except the HQ and walls.

  • Cost150 cr
  • Build7 s
  • Built atBarracks
  • WeaponNone
  • ArmourInfantry
Health
70
Speed
2.0
Range
—
  • Repair25 hp/s
  • Auto-repair6 tiles
  • CapturesEnemy buildings

Strong vsUndefended enemy production, power and turrets (capture them), and long fights near your own base (free repairs).

Weak vsEverything that shoots. 70 hp: escort them.

Vehicles

Battle tank
Battle tank

Battle tank

Vehicle

The main battle unit. Tough, hard-hitting and good against vehicles and buildings. Can't hit aircraft.

  • Cost400 cr / 60 mat
  • Build14 s
  • Built atVehicle bay
  • WeaponCannon
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
400
Speed
1.8
Range
5
  • Damage45
  • Reload2.0 s
  • DPS22.5

Strong vsBuggies, other tanks, Mobile HQs, gunboats near shore (×1.2), buildings and turrets (×1.0).

Weak vsRocket squads, strike drones (it can't shoot back) and mechs. Only half damage against infantry.

Scout buggy
Scout buggy

Scout buggy

Vehicle

The fastest unit in the game. A raider and scout that shreds infantry and supply lines, then leaves.

  • Cost200 cr / 20 mat
  • Build8 s
  • Built atVehicle bay
  • WeaponMachine gun
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
150
Speed
4.0
Range
4
  • Damage10
  • Reload0.6 s
  • DPS16.7

Strong vsRifle and rocket squads, engineers (×0.9), supply trucks, lone extractors; scouting and chasing down stragglers.

Weak vsTanks, mechs, rocket squads in numbers, gun turrets. Barely scratches drones (×0.1).

Mech
Mech

Mech

Vehicle

Heavy walker with the most health and the longest ground range. Good against vehicles and buildings, fair against infantry. Can't hit air.

  • Cost900 cr / 150 mat
  • Build28 s
  • Built atVehicle bay
  • WeaponHeavy gun
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
1100
Speed
1.4
Range
5.5
  • Damage50
  • Reload1.5 s
  • DPS33.3

Strong vsTanks and buggies (×1.3), buildings and turrets (×1.1). Fair vs infantry (×0.8).

Weak vsStrike drones (no anti-air), massed rocket squads. Slow and expensive.

Mobile HQ
Mobile HQ

Mobile HQ

Vehicle

Drives out and DEPLOYs into an Outpost: 12 tiles of new territory, +5 power and 100 storage. Can't deploy on roads, water or buildings.

  • Cost1500 cr / 200 mat
  • Build30 s
  • Built atVehicle bay
  • WeaponNone
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
700
Speed
1.6
Range
—
  • Deploys toOutpost
  • Territory12 tiles
  • Power+5

Strong vsDistance. Claims far ground: resource sites, lake shores for a harbour, a forward base.

Weak vsRocket squads, tanks, drones; it's unarmed. Escort it and deploy away from the front.

Air & sea

Strike drone
Strike drone

Strike drone

Air

Flies over walls, water and woods. Only rockets, flak, and (weakly) machine guns and rifles can hit it.

  • Cost350 cr / 40 mat
  • Build12 s
  • Built atDrone pad
  • WeaponMissile
  • ArmourAir
Health
120
Speed
3.5
Range
4
  • Damage35
  • Reload2.0 s
  • DPS17.5

Strong vsTanks, mechs, gunboats and Mobile HQs (×1.8; none of them can shoot back). Fine vs buildings (×0.8).

Weak vsAA turrets (flak ×2.0), rocket squads. Poor vs infantry (×0.3). Missiles can't hit other drones.

Gunboat
Gunboat

Gunboat

Vehicle

Moves only on water and passes under bridges. Long range lets it shell anything near the shore.

  • Cost450 cr / 50 mat
  • Build16 s
  • Built atHarbour
  • WeaponCannon
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
450
Speed
2.6
Range
6
  • Damage38
  • Reload1.8 s
  • DPS21.1

Strong vsShoreline buildings, harbours, other gunboats and vehicles parked by the water. Range 6 outreaches most ground units.

Weak vsStrike drones (no anti-air), rocket squads on the bank. Useless inland.

Commander & support

Commander
Commander

Commander

Hero

One hero per side, never trained. Friendly units within 6 tiles deal +25% damage (gold glow). Respawns 60 s after falling. Take direct control in WALK mode.

  • CostFree (one per side)
  • Respawn60 s
  • Aura+25% dmg, 6 tiles
Health
500
Speed
2.4
Range
5
  • Damage18
  • Reload0.6 s
  • DPS30

Strong vsInfantry; and as a force multiplier, everything your army is already good against.

Weak vsGetting focused by tanks and mechs. Keep them just behind the line so the aura covers it.

Supply truck

Supply truck

Vehicle

Comes free with each Extractor and hauls loads of 40 materials to your depots or HQ. Can't be ordered. Replaced 30 s after being lost.

  • CostFree with extractor
  • Load40 mat
  • Replaced30 s
  • WeaponNone
  • ArmourVehicle
Health
200
Speed
2.5
Range
—

Watch out forRaiding buggies and drones along its route. Put a depot near distant extractors to shorten the trip.

Weapon vs armour

Damage multipliers. 0 = can't target.

Weaponvs Infantryvs Vehiclevs Structurevs AirUsed by
Rifle1.00.250.150.1Rifle squad
Rocket0.352.01.21.0Rocket squad
Cannon0.51.21.00Battle tank, gunboat, gun turret
Flak0002.0AA turret
Machine gun0.90.50.60.1Scout buggy
Missile0.31.80.80Strike drone
Heavy gun0.81.31.10Mech
Can't targetBelow 0.750.75–1.01.1–1.31.8+

Example: a battle tank shell (45) does 54 to another tank, 45 to a building, 22.5 to a rifle squad and nothing to a drone. Research and the commander aura stack on top: Weapons research adds +20% damage per level, Armour research cuts damage taken by 15% per level, and units near their commander deal +25%. Buildings within 10 tiles of a powered Police Station take 25% less damage.

Who counters who

Infantry blob?

Rifle squads, buggies and mechs. Rifles hit infantry at full damage, buggy machine guns at 0.9 with a fast fire rate, and mechs at 0.8 from long range. Tanks and drones are wasted here.

Tanks and mechs rolling in?

Rocket squads (×2.0) and strike drones (×1.8). Drones are perfect: no tank or mech can fire back. Gun turrets and your own tanks hold the line while rockets do the work.

Drones overhead?

AA turrets (flak ×2.0, range 7) and rocket squads (×1.0). Rifles and buggies barely tickle them. Tanks, mechs, gunboats and gun turrets can't shoot up at all.

Gunboats shelling the shore?

Drones (they can't shoot back) and rocket squads on the bank, or your own gunboats. Keep valuable buildings more than 6 tiles from the water if you can.

Turret line in the way?

Mechs (×1.1 vs structures, range 5.5 vs turret range 6, lots of health), rocket squads (×1.2), or engineers to capture the turrets once the area is clear. Kill their power and turrets stop working.

Buggy raids on your economy?

A gun turret or two near extractors and outlying farms, a watch tower to raise the alert, and a couple of tanks on guard nearby. Tank cannons hit buggies at ×1.2.

Rule of thumb: mix it. Tanks in front, rocket squads behind, a few rifles for screening, AA cover at home, and the commander close enough to light everyone up gold.