===================================================
ADVANCE WARS DAYS OF RUIN / DARK CONFLICT UNITS FAQ
===================================================
v1.32 (01/Jun/2008)
Created By generiX
ADVANCE WAR-NING!
-----------------
To All Days Of Ruin Owners! I use EU unit names in this FAQ. I do mention US
names, but they are NOT commonplace! Neither are US CO names, CO Power names or
anything else.
=====
INDEX
=====
1. Introduction
2. Game Mechanics
a) Damage Formula
b) Defense Formula
c) Movement Costs Table
d) General Strategies
01) Early Game
02) Direct Fire Units
03) Indirect Fire Units
04) COs And CO Powers
05) Choke Point Central
06) How To Beat Various Map Types
3. The Units
a) Ground Units
01) Infantry
02) Bazooka/US Mech
03) Motorbike
04) Recon
05) Flare
06) Anti-Air
07) Tank
08) Heavy Tank/US Medium Tank
09) Mega Tank/US War Tank
10) Mech Gun/US Artillery
11) Anti-Tank
12) Rockets
13) Missiles
14) Mobile Workshop/US Rig
b) Naval Units
01) Battleship
02) Carrier
03) Submarine
04) Cruiser
05) Lander
06) Missile Boat/US Gunboat
c) Aerial Units
01) Interceptor/US Fighter
02) Bomber
03) Fighter/US Duster
04) Battle Helicopter
05) Transport Helicopter
06) Ship Plane/US Seaplane
3. Thanks
===============
1. INTRODUCTION
===============
Hello, and welcome to my first FAQ on an Advance Wars game! Simply put, the
Advance Wars series is easily one of the most underadvertised games Nintendo
make, and also one of the best! If you've never played Advance Wars before (why
are you looking at this then?), it is probably best that you go out and find a
copy of the original game and get hooked up (AW:DC, while it is absolutely
BRILLIANT, it's also extremely difficult, almost on par with AW2). I aim to
lend the uninitiated a helping hand with the game by listing details on the 26
units of the game.
Personally, this game is right up there as one of THE best games in the world.
The previous incarnations were also brilliant, but AW2 was frustratingly
difficult, and AW:DS was, in a word, unbalanced. Even an absolute idiot could
win thanks to some COs who were beyond broken, and to some units which were
almost unstoppable. Now, AW:DC is perfectly balanced, there are no overpowerful
COs (well, one), and every unit can be countered, resulting in a strategic
masterpiece with potentially limitless replay value (thanks to an awesome map
editor).
Differences Between AW:DC and AW:DOR
------------------------------------
* A lot of identities are different, such as the army titles, CO names, CO
Power names, and some terrain tiles.
* Several units have different identities, and the descriptive text is also
different. In my opinion, AW:DOR have worser unit names (exclude Mech and
Artillery, maybe Seaplane).
* While the storyline is the same, the language used in AW:DC is much more
serious (and better) than in AW:DOR. AW:DOR also has a liberal spread of
profanities in the script.
* The title icon has a different look between games (not just the name change,
obviously).
* There are also rumors of random game glitches in AW:DOR not present in AW:DC.
I don't remember the exact details, but it involved submerged subs, bridges,
and infantry.
* The personalities of some of AW:DOR's COs are much more extreme than in AW:DC
(to the point where Lili and Penny act completely differently).
SERVICE HISTORY
---------------
v0.1  18/Apr/2008 - Began work on the FAQ.
v1.0  06/May/2008 - Eventually remembered to finish the FAQ and get enough data
in for a worthwhile posting on gameFAQs.
v1.1  18/May/2008 - Massive influx of new (and maybe useful) data.
20/May/2008 - Allowed SuperCheats.Com permission to host the FAQ.
v1.2  21/May/2008 - Allowed MyCheats.Com and NeoSeeker.Com permission to host
the FAQ. Refined damage charts and included 'Attacks Used'
charts for units, and added additional info in various
sections.
22/May/2008 - Discovered and corrected minor errors.
v1.3  23/May/2008 - Created the 'General Strategies' section (I know, it's
getting a bit beyond a simple unit guide).
30/May/2008 - Allowed gamesradar.com permission to host the FAQ. Possible
typo fixes included.
v1.31 31/May/2008 - Corrected an error in the damage chart, and included a
separate 'Secondary Attack Chart' section.
v1.32 01/Jun/2008 - Corrected another damage chart error. Added a few random
details here and there.
Speaking of which, gameFAQs is the sole site allowed to host this FAQ. Anybody
caught posting this FAQ elsewhere will be mercilessly hunted down by a killer
lawsuit. Or something like that. I mean, I wrote this FAQ to be read by all,
just ask before nicking it for your own sites.
EDIT - Other sites have started calling for permission. I shall now list the
sites which have permission to host the FAQ
# gameFAQs.com
# supercheats.com
# mycheats.com
# neoseeker.com
# gamesradar.com
Whatever you do, don't claim this FAQ as your own work. It makes no sense at
all. It is the work of pretty much every Advance Wars forum on the internet.
Without those guys, this guide would have been left in limbo for a long time.
=================
2. GAME MECHANICS
=================
A) DAMAGE FORMULA
-----------------
If you want to win, you need to understand how the damage system in this game
works. If you have arrived here straight from AWDS, listen up; the formula has
changed slightly. The formula is:-
[BASE DAMAGE] X [ATTACKER HP / 10] X [ATTACK STAT / TARGET DEFENSE STAT]
In the case of an attack which ends in decimal figures, the final damage is
ROUNDED DOWN.
Example: A Tank hits an enemy Tank on a road. The formula would become:-
55% X 10/10 X 100/100 = 55% Damage.
That was kind of obvious; there was no defensive cover, and the attack power of
the Tank was basic. Now assume the enemy Tank is on a Woods tile, and it has an
Ace/Veteran level. The attacker has 8HP and is at Level 1. The formula changes
to:-
55% X 08/10 X 105/(100+20+30) = 30.8%, rounds down to 30%.
Quite significant.
Also, units can deal additional damage known as 'luck'. Luck is calculated as a
random value between 0 and 1, and is multiplied by the unit HP to give up to an
additional 10% damage. Of course this means that weaker units cannot
unexpectedly deal another 1HP of damage, and weaker units will generally deal
less luck damage than healthy units.
Luck damage is also weakened by the Attack/Defense ratio mentioned earlier
(during Finn's CO Power Bad Company, it gets to the point where luck damage is
basically negligable). I am unsure of the exact formula, but my guess is:-
[RANDOM NO. (0 to 1)] X [UNIT HP] X [ATTACK STAT / TARGET DEFENSE STAT]
Here is how the Attack stat is determined:-
# The default value for attack is 100%.
# If the unit is at Level 1, add another 5%.
# If the unit is at Level 2, add another 10%.
# If the unit is at Level Ace/Vet, add another 20%
# If the unit is in the Command (CO) Zone, add another 10%.
# If the unit is in the CO Zone and meets the COs criteria, add another 10% for
each star.
# If the team has any Communications Towers in their possession, add another 5%
for each one.
# If there is a Sandstorm in effect (and the CO is not Lili), subtract 30%.
For your convenience, here is a list of base damage values for each unit type
combination, including those damn Meteor fragments. These are for the IDEAL
circumstances: the enemy has 100% defense (no cover) and the attack stat is
also 100%, and the Primary Weapon has ammo. Cases where primary ammo runs out
are mentioned shortly.
/===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===\
| \ Defender|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | M | B |
|  \        |   |   | M |   |   |   |   | H | M |   | A |   |   | . | a |
|   \       | I |   | o |   |   | A |   | v | e | M | n |   | M | W | t |
|    \      | n | B | t |   |   | n |   | y | g | e | t | R | i | o | t |
|     \     | f | a | o |   |   | t |   | . | a | c | i | o | s | r | l |
|      \    | a | z | r | R | F | i |   |   |   | h | - | c | s | k | e |
|       \   | n | o | b | e | l | - | T | T | T |   | T | k | i | s | s |
|        \  | t | o | i | c | a | A | a | a | a | G | a | e | l | h | h |
|         \ | r | k | k | o | r | i | n | n | n | u | n | t | e | o | i |
|Attacker  \| y | a | e | n | e | r | k | k | k | n | k | s | s | p | p |
>===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=== <
|Infantry   | 55| 45| 45| 12| 10| 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 10| 30| 20| 20| 14|---|
|Bazooka    | 65| 55| 55| 85| 80| 55| 55| 25| 15| 70| 55| 85| 85| 75|---|
|Motorbike  | 65| 55| 55| 18| 15| 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 15| 35| 35| 35| 20|---|
|Recon      | 75| 65| 65| 35| 30| 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 45| 15| 55| 55| 45|---|
|Flare      | 80| 70| 70| 60| 50| 45| 10| 5 | 1 | 45| 15| 55| 55| 45|---|
|Anti-Air   |105|105|105| 60| 50| 45| 15| 10| 1 | 50| 15| 55| 55| 50|---|
|Tank       | 75| 70| 70| 85| 80| 75| 55| 35| 20| 70| 30| 85| 85| 75| 8 |
|Hvy. Tank  | 90| 80| 80| 95| 90| 90| 70| 55| 35| 85| 35| 90| 90| 90| 10|
|Mega Tank  |105| 95| 95|105|105|105| 85| 75| 55|105| 40|105|105|105| 12|
|Mech Gun   | 90| 85| 85| 80| 75| 65| 60| 45| 35| 75| 55| 80| 80| 70| 45|
|Anti-Tank  | 75| 65| 65| 75| 75| 75| 75| 65| 55| 65| 55| 70| 70| 65|---|
|Rockets    | 95| 90| 90| 90| 85| 75| 70| 55| 45| 80| 65| 85| 85| 80| 55|
|Missiles   |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Battleship | 75| 70| 70| 70| 70| 65| 65| 50| 40| 70| 55| 75| 75| 65| 45|
|Carrier    |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Submarine  |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 80|
|Cruiser    |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 38|
|Msl. Boat  |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 40|
|Interceptor|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Bomber     |115|110|110|105|105| 85|105| 95| 75|105| 80|105| 95|105| 85|
|Fighter    | 55| 45| 45| 18| 15| 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 15| 5 | 20| 20| 15|---|
|Battle Heli| 75| 65| 65| 75| 75| 10| 70| 45| 35| 65| 20| 75| 55| 70| 25|
|Ship Plane | 90| 85| 85| 80| 75| 45| 75| 65| 55| 70| 50| 80| 70| 75| 65|
\===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===/
/===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===\
|\  Defender|   |   |   |   |   | I |   |   | B | T |   |   |
| \         |   |   |   |   |   | n |   |   | a | r | S |   |
|  \        |   | S |   | M |   | t |   |   | t | a | h |   |
|   \       |   | u |   | s |   | e |   |   | t | n | i |   |
|    \      | C | b | C | l |   | r |   | F | l | s | p |   |
|     \     | a | m | r | . | L | c | B | i | e | . |   | M |
|      \    | r | a | u |   | a | e | o | g |   |   | P | e |
|       \   | r | r | i | B | n | p | m | h | H | H | l | t |
|        \  | i | i | s | o | d | t | b | t | e | e | a | e |
|         \ | e | n | e | a | e | o | e | e | l | l | n | o |
|Attacker  \| r | e | r | t | r | r | r | r | i | i | e | r |
> ===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=== <
|Infantry   |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 8 | 30|---| 1 |
|Bazooka    |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 12| 35|---| 15|
|Motorbike  |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 12| 35|---| 1 |
|Recon      |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 18| 35|---| 1 |
|Flare      |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 18| 35|---| 5 |
|Anti-Air   |---|---|---|---|---| 70| 70| 75|105|120| 75| 10|
|Tank       | 8 | 9 | 9 | 55| 18|---|---|---| 18| 35|---| 20|
|Hvy. Tank  | 10| 12| 12| 55| 22|---|---|---| 24| 40|---| 35|
|Mega Tank  | 12| 14| 14| 65| 28|---|---|---| 35| 45|---| 55|
|Mech Gun   | 45| 55| 55|105| 65|---|---|---|---|---|---| 45|
|Anti-Tank  |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 45| 55|---| 55|
|Rockets    | 55| 65| 65|105| 75|---|---|---|---|---|---| 55|
|Missiles   |---|---|---|---|---|100|100|100|120|120|100|---|
|Battleship | 50| 65| 65| 95| 75|---|---|---|---|---|---| 55|
|Carrier    |---|---|---|---|---| 35| 35| 40| 45| 55| 40|---|
|Submarine  |110| 55| 20|120| 85|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Cruiser    | 38| 95| 28| 85| 40|105|105|105|120|120|105|---|
|Msl. Boat  | 40| 40| 40| 75| 55|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Interceptor|---|---|---|---|---| 55| 65| 80|120|120| 65|---|
|Bomber     | 85| 95| 50|120| 95|---|---|---|---|---|---| 90|
|Fighter    |---|---|---|---|---| 40| 45| 55| 75| 90| 45| 1 |
|Battle Heli| 15| 15| 5 | 85| 15|---|---|---| 65| 85|---| 20|
|Ship Plane | 65| 55| 40|105| 85| 45| 55| 65| 85| 95| 55| 55|
\===========+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===/
In some rare cases, you can continue to attack the enemy using Secondary
Weapons when you run out of ammo. It is extremely inadvisable to run around the
battlefield with no ammo, but as a last resort they can sometimes do okay
levels of damage (but only against unarmoured ground units).
There are five units that can attack even when out of ammo: the Bazooka, all
three Tank types, and the Battle Heli.
Bazooka
-------
Bazooka and Motorbike units share the same Machine Gun type, so the damage is
the same for both.
Light Tank vs.
--------------
Recon:      40%
Flare:      35%
Anti-Air:    8%
Light Tank:  8%
Heavy Tank:  5%
Mega Tank:   1%
Mech Gun:   45%
Anti Tank:   1%
Rockets:    55%
Missiles:   55%
Workshop:   45%
Meteor:      1%
Heavy Tank vs.
--------------
Recon:      40%
Flare:      35%
Anti-Air:    8%
Light Tank:  8%
Heavy Tank:  5%
Mega Tank:   1%
Mech Gun:   45%
Anti Tank:   1%
Rockets:    60%
Missiles:   60%
Workshop:   45%
Meteor:      1%
Mega Tank vs.
-------------
Recon:      45%
Flare:      40%
Anti-Air:   10%
Light Tank: 10%
Heavy Tank: 10%
Mega Tank:   1%
Mech Gun:   45%
Anti Tank:   1%
Rockets:    65%
Missiles:   65%
Workshop:   45%
Meteor:      1%
Battle Heli vs.
---------------
Recon:      30%
Flare:      30%
Anti-Air:    1%
Light Tank:  8%
Heavy Tank:  8%
Mega Tank:   1%
Mech Gun:   25%
Anti Tank:   1%
Rockets:    35%
Missiles:   25%
Workshop:   20%
Meteor:      1%
B) DEFENSE FORMULA
------------------
Defense works dramatically different from previous games. Earlier, defense was
known as 'Absolute', meaning that 20% defensive cover reduced damage by exactly
20%. With enough defense (I'm looking at Javier here) units could become
completely invulnerable. Now, defense works as an Attack/Defense RATIO. It'll
make sense in a minute.
# The default value for defense is 100%.
# If the unit has Ace/Veteran status, add another 20%.
# If the unit is in the CO Zone, add another 10%.
# If the unit is in the CO Zone and fills the COs criteria, add another 10% for
each star.
# If the team has any Communications Towers in their possession, add another 5%
for each one.
# If the unit is lying on defensive cover, add another 1% for each star,
multiplied by the units HP.
# If Finn's CO Power (Bad Company) is in effect, add another 250% (I worked
this out on my own, however I don't know if anybody else found out this
exact value first, mail me on this one).
C) MOVEMENT COSTS TABLE
-----------------------
I should mention now that the two tables here aren't entirely my work. The
information was found on several AW forums and gameFAQs, and the table design
is adapted from a chart by 'Deathborn 668'. The chart indicates how many
mobility points are used up in crossing each type of terrain. Higher movement
costs cause the actual mobility of the unit to falter.
/=======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===\
|   Tile|   |   |   |   |   |   | C |   |   |   |   |   |   | M |   | W |
|       |   |   |   |   |   |   | o |   |   |   |   |   |   | o |   | a |
|\      |   |   | F | A |   |   | m |   |   |   |   |   |   | u |   | s |
| \     |   |   | a | i |   |   |   |   | B |   | P |   |   | n |   | t |
|  \    |   |   | c | r |   | R | T |   | r |   | l | S | R | n | W | e |
|   \   |   | C | t | p | P | a | o | S | i | R | a | h | i | t | o | l |
|    \  |   | i | o | o | o | d | w | i | d | o | i | o | v | a | o | a |
|     \ | H | t | r | r | r | a | e | l | g | a | n | a | e | i | d | n |
|Type  \| Q | y | y | t | t | r | r | o | e | d | s | l | r | n | s | d |
> =======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=== <
|Inftry | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|Bzka   | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|Tire A | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |---|---| 3 | 3 |
|Tire B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |---|---| 3 | 3 |
|Tank   | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |---|---| 2 | 2 |
|Air    | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |---| 1 | 1 | 1 |
|Ship   |---|---|---|---| 1 |---|---|---| 1 |---|---|---| 1 |---|---|---|
|Trpt   |---|---|---|---| 1 |---|---|---| 1 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
\=======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===/
/=======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===\
|\  Tile|   |   |   | R | S |   |   |   |
| \     |   |   |   | g | e |   |   | P |
|  \    | R |   |   | h | a |   |   | l |
|   \   | u |   | R |   |   |   | F | a |
|    \  | i | S | e | S | F | S | i | s |
|     \ | n | e | e | e | o | k | r | m |
|Type  \| s | a | f | a | g | y | e | a |
> =======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===<
|Inftry | 1 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Mech   | 1 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Tire A | 2 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Tire B | 1 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Tank   | 1 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Air    | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |---|---|
|Ship   |---| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |---|---|---|
|Trpt   |---| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |---|---|---|
\=======+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===/
D) GENERAL STRATEGIES
---------------------
01) Early Game
--------------
In the first stages of pretty much any good map, you'll be looking to capture
properties to secure those all-important funds. Look around and find 'key'
properties such as production bases, com towers, and mass clumps of cities. You
should rush the capture of key distance properties rather than slowly expand
your collection from your main area onwards.
The various Infantry units have unique movement speeds and types, so they can
reach properties in varying amounts of time. Basic Infantry have 3 mobility and
are slowed down by mountains and rivers. They are also the cheapest of the
three types, and are advised for capturing where the path is full of forests or
wasteland. Bazooka/Mech units have 2 mobility and aren't slowed down at all
(although at 2 mobility it's horribly slow). Use them for capturing through
mountain ranges. Motorbikes have 5 mobility and are generally your best bet for
long-range capturing, but they are massively slowed down by any non-paved/plain
tile, and cannot cross mountains at all. They also cannot use Transporters
(excluding Landers).
For the less capable Infantry and Bazooka units, there are transport vehicles
that you can utilise to massively boost their mobility. These are the Mobile
Workshop, Transport Helicopter, Lander, and Missile Boat. They can drop off
your Infantry in relative safety and, providing it can return to base, it can
be re-used to transport more units around. However, they cost at least two
Bazooka/Motorbike units to build, so they should be used carefully.
Mobile Workshops can haul Infantry around ground maps with 6 mobility, resupply
more rounds to Bazooka units, and build Temporary Structures (more on those
later). In essence, these pretty much act as little 'bases' for your Bazooka
units. However while they can easily outrun Motorbikes across heavy terrain,
light unrestrictive land means that it can prove tricky for this unit to pay
for itself in comparison to a Motorbike. On the plus side, it's fairly sturdy
in the early game, and the onboard Infantry won't be harmed at all if it comes
under fire(unless the unit is destroyed, in which case both units are lost).
Transport Helicopters are usually your best bet for moving foot soldiers about.
They travel by air, so they aren't slowed down at all, and they are fairly
quick to boot. They burn fuel daily, so the return leg can be a little close
for call on a few occasions. The main problem is that they are notoriously
incapable of withstanding attacks, and they are preyed upon by a lot of stuff.
Landing craft can transport 2 units of any type (from Infantry to Motorbike to
Mega Tank) across naval maps. They are pretty damn strong and fairly quick.
Only capable of dropping off units on Shoals and ports, it's range of areas it
can be used for is sometimes a little off. It also burns fuel daily.
Missile Boats are a new addition (and replaces the AW:DS Black Boat) and are a
good thing to have around with you. They have the highest movement range of any
transporter (7 mobility outruns a lot of stuff including every other naval
unit) and act like Landers. They can transport ONE foot soldier (so it's like
the Workshop) and drop off at beaches and the like. They are also capable of
self-defense: they have a powerful anti-ship weapon that usually pays for the
cost of the unit if it connects. After it strikes, it becomes defenseless,
having only one shot. It's also extremely fragile and it doesn't take much
effort to sink one.
Once you've become skilled in perfecting your early game abilities, why not try
screwing up your opponent's opening turns while you're at it? Usually you're
best sticking to using Recons to disrupt the enemy as they are cheap, really
fast (well, most of the time) and do enough damage to warrant some severe
cursing from your opponent. Sometimes you can send other types around to cause
annoyances. Using Flare tanks is a good idea on plains-heavy maps where Recons
would get hit quite badly by the terrain penalty (as well as intercepting enemy
Recons aiming to cause you some trouble as well). Battle Heli's and the
Fighter/Duster are useful in long-range naval maps. However, doing this will
usually just cause your opponent to divert his funds to developing a simple
countermeasure (this is sometimes a good thing though). Rememer not to spend
too much on early disrupture of the enemy, and focus on building a powerful
assault force.
If the enemy is causing you some hassle, develop counters of your own. A good
way of trying to annoy enemy Recons is to prioritise building Bazooka units and
Mobile Workshops to move them fast. Recons excel when they attack Infantry and
Motorbikes because the counterattack damage only becomes apparent after a few
attacks. Bazooka units can quickly nullify the threat of a Recon, and even if
the Recon gets a first strike, the counter is much more noticeable.
02) Direct Fire Units
---------------------
Direct units attack enemies by moving next to them to launch an attack. Direct
attacks are simple and usually effective, but there are a few drawbacks, most
notably luring. Be aware that most opponents are sneaky bastards and love to
taunt your most important units into the range of their indirects and other
powerhouses. Only wander into the range of indirects if you have enough units
at hand to completely annahilate the enemy's stranglehold on the area, or you
quite frankly have no choice in the matter.
Direct attackers will suffer counterattack damage (unless the opponent can't
hit the target, or the opponent is wiped out). Even the most resiliant units
can have their HP slowly whittled away by luck damage. The best way to null
the threat of counterattack damage in direct attacks is to maximise your attack
power by unit promotion and CO Zone, or simply using heavy armour. Counter
damage is basically negligable if you leave enemies at 2HP at most.
Most of the time, direct units will be playing what is known as 'range dodging'
with enemy units. On several occasions, tanks may face enemy tanks and stay at
the edge of each other's attack range. This is rangedodging, and one reason why
people keep shunning the Mega Tank. More agile units (Missile Boats and Light
Tanks) can sit outside the range of other units and attack the next turn, often
forcing the enemy to retreat. Don't let this happen to you. If it does, have
spare units or heavy armour around to deter the threat.
Fog of War has changed massively in the transition from the previous game.
There are loads more hiding places for enemy units to hide around. Compared to
before, unit vision is spread across the entire area that they move (instead of
just being moved about, causing visible enemies to vanish from view), and so
hiding places are much less effective. Have your directs drive past many hiding
places in one turn to scan them all at once for the enemy, then whack'em!
03) Indirect Fire Units
-----------------------
Indirect units bombard the enemy from far away with no fear of suffering a
counterattack. Indirects cannot move and fire on the same turn (excuding the
Battleship), cannot counterattack when hit (excluding the Anti-Tank) and have a
'blind-spot' where it cannot strike (excuding both the above units).
Indirects are fundamental in success in almost any map, but are at their most
effective in choke-points (mentioned later). Indirects are also great for
laying a defensive 'shroud of fire' around allied units: your units become much
less attractive a target if enemies will get pounded by your Rockets!
Protecting indirects is extremely important. Because they cannot counterattack
(and because some are really costly), they will always be considered a priority
target by your foe. They are also really fragile, so defending them becomes an
art that must be mastered. Loads of people suggest the use of Infantry units as
blocking units, but they cannot take much damage and are extremely easy to KO
in one hit at that stage of the battle. Also, a good player can move his CO
Zone so the shielding units charge his CO Meter like there was no tomorrow. The
art of defending units with other units is commonly known as 'meatshielding'
and it doesn't apply solely to indirects, either.
Fog of War was almost a godsend for Indirects. Previously, all indirects were
blind and needed Recons to spot stuff to shoot at. Now, the improved Mech
Gun/Artillery unit has enough vision to act independantly from other units.
Indirects use hiding places to thrive and survive, relentlessly pounding away
at the enemy while they are stuck thinking "where the hell did that come from?"
and such. If the area you wish to use has no hiding place, make one! Have a
Mobile Workshop build a Temporary structure to hide your cowardly indirects.
The enemy may now know where they are, but they can't hit it if they can't see
it!
04) COs And CO Powers
---------------------
There are twelve Commanding Officers (COs) in this game and they all play quite
differently. There is also a 13th option: playing with no CO at all. I advise
inexperienced players to fight a few Free Battles in No CO mode. The boost from
the CO Zone may be handy, but in most cases there are multiple battles all over
the place and you can only fight the rest using a 'bland' army. Get used to
getting units at Ace/Veteran Level: these are extremely important for No CO
mode. Units level-up when they KILL a unit (whichever unit lands the last hit
gets the level, even if they did minimal damage).
To use the abilities of the CO, he/she must first board the unit, either at the
HQ or a production base (temp. structures don't count). When the unit is on one
select the CO option from the move menu (don't move the unit from the base) to
board the unit at 50% the cost of the unit it has boarded. CO Units are at the
maximum level (Ace/Vet) by default, and they also generate a CO Zone around
them. The radius and effects of the Zone vary across COs.
Ten of the COs also have a CO Power they can use to tear the rulebook to shreds
and potentially turn the entire game around. Battles that take place in the CO
Zone increase the CO Meter. The meter has two distinct halves, each with 6
individual segments. Each segment fills up with every 5HP damage you cause,
irrespective of what unit it was. Counterattack damage by your units also fuel
the CO Meter, but the enemy must also be in the CO Zone for this to occur.
When the first half of the CO Meter is filled, the radius of the CO Zone goes
up by one. When filled totally, the radius increases by another one, and the CO
unit can choose to exchange its entire meter (and its turn) for usage of the CO
Power. Upon usage of the CO Power, the meter drops to Zero, and the Zone fills
the entire battlefield (so every unit gets boosted, not just those in the zone)
however the meter cannot recharge during a CO Power. In addition to boosting
all units, an additional effect occurs that helps the player. These vary from
CO to CO, and some are more useful than others.
If the CO Unit is destroyed, the meter falls to zero, the Zone dissappears, and
the user will have to wait until his next turn to re-deploy the CO. If the CO
Power was in effect, the effects of the CO Power will also be nulled.
When it comes to the actual COs, you'll want to adapt your strategies to make
the most of the abilities of the CO. The Zone gives a bland boost by default
(10% increase in attack and defense) and other boosts depending on the CO.
Stat boosts are mentioned as (Atk/Def %):-
*SPOILER WARNING*
Ed/Will
Laurentian military cadet rescued by the 12th Independant Legion, led by
Captain O'Brian. He vigilantly refuses to give up, at any cost. He also
shares a close friendship with the amnesiac Catleia.
CO Zone Radius: 2, boosts Ground Directs by 20%/00%.
CO Power: New Era/Rally Cry. Increases mobility of Ground Directs by 2.
Moderately useful. Although he is a specialist CO, the units he boosts are
extremely important. During New Era, his directs gain enough mobility to
allow him to tear dispersed enemy armies apart. His effectiveness weakens
on choke-point laden and island maps.
O'Brian/Brenner
Captain of the 12th Independant Legion (Brenner's Wolves in AW:DOR), he has
massive faith in the power of humanity. It remains strong despite the actions
of people such as Admiral Sigismundo and the bloody Mayor of Freehaven. He is
killed (or rather annahilated) by Sigismundo via one of Stolos' creations.
CO Zone Radius: 3, boosts all units by 00%/20%
CO Power: Lifeline/Reinforce. Restores 3HP to all units for free.
Easily my favourite CO of them all. O'Brian is far from an aggressive CO to
play as, so you will need to use a slow and steady approach. Defense boosts
mean blocking units withstand more damage, so its best to use indirects as him.
Lifeline patches up unit damage without cost (akin to Andy from earlier games),
so build more expensive units to exploit the free repairs to the max.
Lin
Second in command of the 12th Independant Legion. Calm and 'unflappable', she
believes that "In battle, the clearest thinker wins".
CO Zone Radius: 1, boosts Ground Units by 20%/20%.
CO Power: Night Vision/Scout. Increases vision by 2, hiding places become
visible from any range.
Another specialist CO, Lin is hard to use due to her weak CO radius. Don't fret
though, as the boost affects all ground units, and they are the most important.
You may want to treat Lin's unit as a solo powerhouse: go beserk and hit lots
of stuff, then return with (hopefully) a larger CO Zone. Her CO Power is quite
weak, but the boosts are strong and can prove decisive. Mostly though, you will
want to hang on to the increased Zone.
Catleia/Isabella
An amnesiac girl who remebers nothing, except for pretty much every single
military secret on the planet. She develops a strong friendship with Ed, and is
probably the one person who's wishes Ed fights for: peace. You don't play as
her in the main story mode for unknown reasons.
CO Zone Radius: 2, boosts All Units by 10%/10%.
CO Power: Overlord/Deep Strike. Increases indirect attack range by 2, and all
mobility by 2.
The boosts may only be minor, but Catleia is definitely a top-tier CO, if only
for the awesome CO Power. Overlord grants battlefield opportunites that some
COs in AW:DS would have died for. Use enhanced range to pummel forces from afar,
have directs move at lightning speed for vital kills. And of course, having
14 RANGE BATTLESHIPS. Has an unusually peaceful soundtrack too.
Zadia/Tasha
Flight Lieutenant of the Zephyrian/Lazurian army. She fights solely to avenge
the death of his brother Johnathon, who was executed by Sigismundo and the New
Laurentian/Rubinelle Army. Later on she would join the 12th Independant Legion
to fight the NLA.
CO Zone Radius: 1, boosts Aerial units by 40%/20%.
CO Power: Fox One/Sonic Boom. Increases Aerial unit mobility by 2.
Zadia is extremely difficult to use, however the pay-off can be lethal. Like
Lin, you can try to exploit the CO unit and mercilessly blow up stuff (which
with a 170% Attck stat isn't very hard). But Air units seem to play a weaker
role in battle with cheap, improved countermeasures. You may actually want to
put her in a Tank and take the fight to the ground. Then have the air force
ready to unleash Fox One. 11-range Interceptors and 9-range Bombers simply
annahilating everything in their path: priceless.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 12: History Of Hatred/History Of Hate.
Trak/Gage
Zephyrian army soldier, with ice blue hair and sniper rifle for the win. He
brings back memories of Hawke with his quiet and serious persona. He does what
is necessary, and that is enough to keep him happy.
CO Zone Radius: 2, Increases naval units and indirects by 20%/10%.
CO Power: Long Barrel/Longshot. Increases indirect range by 2.
Pretty basic CO, but gains plus points for coolness. Although his indirects
have increased power, range is only boosted during Long Barrel, so don't think
of him as the new Grit. His major boon, aside from the CO Power, is his naval
game. Trak in a Battleship; great fun. His directs are a little un-boosted, so
watch for people forcing a change in your tactics.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 13: Rearguard Action/Greyfield Strikes.
Carter/Forsythe
Current leader of the Zephyrian Army. A veteran with honour and morals, Carter
is comparable to O'Brian. He sticks by his code of honour and dismisses the use
of war-breaking devices made by Stolos. He is eventually executed at the hands
of Sigismundo and Finn.
CO Zone Radius: 5! Increases all units by 10%/10%.
CO Power: He doesn't have one. That means the radius doesn't get any bigger.
Carter is simple to use and extremely effective. A massive CO Zone is offset by
the lack of a CO Power to turn the tables. Minor boosts to a lot of units means
that Carter can strike hard using lots of units, rather than a single power-hit
with Lin or Zadia. Easily a high-tier CO.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 14: A Hero's Farewell.
Finn/Waylon
Captain in the 13th Airborne division of the Laurentan Army, later transferred
to the New Laurentian Army. As Finn, he is vain and seeks only to fulfill his
desires. As his US persona Waylon, he also gets some of the more memorable
quotes in the game. His whereabouts at the end of the game are unknown...
CO Zone Radius: 2, boosts aerial units by 20%/30%.
CO Power: Bad Company/Wingman. Increases aerial defense by 250%.
A more user-friendly variation of the aerial specialist. His defensive boost is
severe enough to deter attempts to attack his CO unit using like units. Unlike
Zadia, Finn is best in the air blowing stuff up. Use Bad Company to basically
reduce damage by +75% and blast into enemy territory with less fear. Be aware
that you can only attack for that turn. Afterwards, you are vulnerable to
attack.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 20: Counter-Attack/Waylon Flies Again.
Sigismundo/Greyfield
Admiral and supreme leader of the New Laurentian Army. He wants to destroy
anyone who stands in the path of his route to becoming ruler of the Earth. He
sees the meteor strike as a mere 'test' for the strong, and is seen by a few
fans as the most evil character in the game. He is eventually executed by Lin,
avenging the death of O'Brian (although with his bodily bulk, I'm surprised Lin
didn't use a harpoon to bring down the fat walrus).
CO Zone Radius: 3, boosts Heli's, Ship Planes and naval units by 10%/40%.
CO Power: High Command/Supply Chain. restores fuel ammo AND materials.
He's awkward to use, but Sigismundo has an ace on every battlefield. On ground
battles, he can have powerhouse units keep moving by restoring ammo at crucial
times. In Aerial battles, his Battle Heli's are incredibly stubborn to erase.
He truly shines in naval battles, though. His navy is almost untouchable, so
prioritising his CO Unit in a naval battle is even more important. Human
players tend to leave behind loads of temporary structures on the field with
Mobile Workshops getting their materials back.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 21: Countdown/Lin's Gambit.
Lili/Penny
Youngest child of Stolos, Lili is quite mental. Numerous experiments have
shattered her mind permanently. She is more memorable in AW:DOR where she
seems to be a collaborative mind of her and her teddy bear. She survives the
storyline after being 'rescued' from the IDS Pulsatrix/Great Owl mega-bomber by
Catleia.
CO Zone Radius: 3, no boosts though. All units are unaffected by weather.
CO Power: Enigma/Stormfront. Randomly changes weather conditions for 3 days.
Lili revolves solely around her CO Power. Without it, she is outgunned even by
Zadia. The weather changes to either Snow, Rain or Sandstorm for three turns
incuding the turn it is triggered. Snow reduces mobility by 1, allowing Lili to
range-dodge more effectively. Rain reduces enemy vision to 1 and blinds base
vision (even Lili's bases). Sandstorm forces the enemy to lose 30% attack power
and is extremely useful. With the duration of the weather, Lili can even chain
CO Powers back-to-back, making her almost unstoppable in the right hands. Also
has the most unusual theme tune in almost any game.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 24: Inside Pulsatrix/Crash Landing.
Larissa/Tabitha
Oldest daughter of Stolos, Larissa has, quite easily, the most unusual dress
code for almost any computer game character. Supposedly cruel and harbors a
hatred of weak people (especially as Tabitha in AW:DOR, where she is also quite
rude), she loyally follows her fathers footsteps. She hosts some of the best
Tactics talks in story mode, where she tries to get Ed to be her servant for
life. She is still alive at the end of the story, but her whereabouts are
unknown...
CO Zone Radius: ZERO. Boosts all units by 50%/50%.
CO Power: Apocalypse/Firestorm. Launches a fireball at the most expensive area
of enemy units. Damages units for 8HP.
Loads of forums out there have topics debating whether this CO is actually in
the Broken tier, alongside her father Stolos. All I can say to the contrary is
that her usefulness reflects the capability of the player controllong her. It
is extremely difficult to use Larissa considering her Zone only affects her
unit from the off. But the boosts are incredible, and bends the rulebook in her
favour on most occasions. When facing her, HER UNIT IS THE PRIORITY. If she
gets her meter to 50% full, she will gain momentum very fast and launch her
CO Power, basically winning the battle for her. Her main weakness is that until
then, the rest of her army is bland. So prioritise her unit while using your
own CO Zone to nullify her supporting army.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 25: Final Experiment/Lab Rats.
Stolos/Caulder
Head of the private military company Intelligent Defense Systems, IDS. He has
a unique fascination with death, and has conducted many inhumane experiments in
his life. He is actually the only remaining clone of the original Stolos: he
cloned himself many times, but the clones started fighting each other. What we
see here is the sole survivor. He also created the dreaded Floral Virus/Creeper
and he also cloned Larissa, Lili, Catleia (known as Lutia) and a younger
pacifist brother named Cyrus. He is killed in the wreckage of the Owl's Nest,
his main base of operations.
CO Zone Radius: 3. Boosts all units by 50%/50%, and heals for 5HP each turn.
CO Power: He doesn't need one. He's powerful enough with those boosts.
THE Broken CO in the game, Stolos outguns everybody. If you face him, you will
almost certainly get mowed down. I don't need to say much about Stolos: he is
banned from Wi-Fi play, and players mutually agree not to play as him.
Unlocked by defeating Mission 26: Beam Of Light/Sunrise.
*END SPOILER WARNING*
05) Choke Point Central
-----------------------
To new players, look at some maps and find areas where the land forces the path
of enemy units into a very narrow passage. This is known as a chokepoint, and
it is critical to success. By simply parking a unit in the choke, you have made
a wall against the enemy onslaught.
Chokes are often blocked by expendable Infantry, but they will simply fuel a
good player's CO Meter in my experience. You will want to block the choke using
heavy armour (you CAN get away with a Tank, but heavier armour is advised) to
make it hard for the enemy to press on. They may be expensive, but they are
much more useful and stubborn to wipe out, especially on harsh terrain. Try to
place the blocker unit on defensive cover (especially Woods, even moreso in Fog
of War) to further boost the defense. Be aware that this defense will go down
if the unit has sustained ANY damage.
The reason why people keep saying how chokepoints can turn the battle around is
because indirect units thrive on chokes. Guard the area in front of the blocker
unit with a simple Mech Gun, and you can force the enemy to back off, giving
you some breathing space.
Countering an enemy's stranglehold on a choke can be tricky, and downright evil
on ground-only maps. You will want to knock down the enemy blocker unit, but
you need indirects of your own to do this (or face getting smashed by the enemy
indirect). The best unit to use is the Rocket unit. Providing they don't have
one, simply out-ranging the enemy can give you the edge (and a well-deserved
punch in the face in non-Wi-Fi matches). In Ground-Aerial battles, chokes
are MUCH less effective as Battle Heli's and Bombers can navigate around the
blocking units to get a power-hit on the indirects.
06) How To Beat Various Map Types
---------------------------------
Loads of different maps lie in this game (and on the Internet), and some types
require unique approaches.
Ground-only battles are simple, all-out affairs. Be extremely wary of chokes,
as it can be almost impossible to beat one without a CO Power. In wide spaces,
COs such as Ed and Catleia with their CO Powers have a distinct advantage.
Ground-Aerial battles are great fun. Depending on how many chokes the map has,
you can have lots of dogfighting in a few turns. Chokes are much weaker here
than before, so have a good air force around: it'll prove vital to success. The
aerial specialists can have a good chance for victory here.
Ground-Naval battles can get tricky. Ground units have almost nothing to hit
the navy with, so take the fight to the seas with Battleships (with Cruiser
escort, obviously), Submarines and Carriers. Carriers allow for aerial battles
even if there are no airports; build Temporary structures at will to allow the
Ship Planes to work alongside your ground invasion. The navy specialists shine
in these fights.
Ground-Naval-Aerial battles are easily the hardest fights in the game. There
are countless possibilities for strategies and methods of countering them, so
my only advice is to understand and exploit each units advantages to the full.
CO choice is tricky, my advice is to choose who you feel most comfortable with.
Maps also are divided into two distinct types: Solo Mass levels (one island,
sometimes linked to another half by Bridges) and Island maps (many different
islands to fight over). The sole type players should NOT fight on are G-A
fights on Island maps (Triangles and Devil's Inlet). Those maps always end up
as stalemates.
Island maps are hardest of the two, since you will need lots of Landers to make
an effective landfall, and protection for them too. The best plan is to
determine what you need to send into the enemy domain, and organise your
Landers and where they will drop off your army. You will want to land as many
units as possible on ONE turn: if you drop few units, you will lose them, it's
that simple. Its also advised to lay covering fire for these units, use aerial
units and Battleships to lay a solid foothold on the ground so you can move on
with minimal resistance. If there are properties, ensure you have some Infantry
in the landing squad so you can secure extra funds, as well as a repair area
for the ground troops.
There are loads more map types out there, and I can only summarise the general
types you will find. However, there are some odd types of maps out there, and
you can generally find these on the 'Advance Wars By Web' website. A fan's
attempt at creating an online variation of AW:DS, it also harbors pretty much
THE biggest map archive on the internet. However, you'll have to copy them to
your game manually, and you may also have to adapt them to fit the new game's
tiles (ie you can't use pipelines and units exclusive to AW:DS). But once you
get good at adapting maps from here, you can essentially multiply the
replayability of the game by a limitless amount!
============
3. THE UNITS
============
I will list critical details about units, such as pricing, movement range/type,
power, as well as information about how (or if) the unit has changed from
previous games, and US names (oddly, unit and CO names from AW:DC and AW:DOR
are rather different. The language used in the storylines also vary a bit as
well).
# Armor applies to vehicles and determines its defensive capability. Armor
varies from SL (super light) through to SH (super heavy). Offensive units
will have their ability to take on various armor mentioned in the summary.
# Cost is funding required to deploy the unit (if the price has changed, the
difference is stated).
# Range is the maximum movement range of the unit. Remember that terrain limits
this in some cases.
# Vision is the vision range of the unit in Fog of War conditions. No matter
how large this is, you can only see into hiding places when you are next to
them. Certain units can only hide in certain places, these cases will be
noted in the intro for each unit category.
# Type is the movement type used by the unit. It dictates what the unit
can(not) traverse, and how quickly it can travel across it.
# Fuel is the maximum number of spaces the unit can travel before it cannot
move any more. Remember that non-ground units burn fuel automatically each
day. If the counter reaches 0, the unit either becomes immobile or falls out
of the sky/sinks into the sea.
# Primary Weapon is the units main weapon (if it has one). Ammo for the weapon
is in brackets. If the primary weapon runs out of ammo, the unit can only
attack with the secondary weapon (if it even has one). Certain targets can
only be hit using the Primary Weapon (usually applies to attacks against
Naval units by Tanks).
# Attack Range applies to indirect units, and states how far the attacks of the
unit can reach.
# Secondary Weapon is the units backup weapon, if it has one. These have
infinite ammunition, but are less effective than primary weapons. They are
sometimes used against specific units (usually Infantry and Helicopters).
# Material is sometimes equipped with units. These can be used to build stuff,
but materials cannot be resupplied (excluding Sigismundo's CO Power High
Command) so another unit is needed to gain more materials.
# Attacks Used shows which weapon(s) are used in attacks against certain units.
Specific units can only be harmed by either Primary or Secondary weapons.
Primary Weapons will always be used over Secondary Weapons unless there is no
ammo for the Primary Weapon.
# Positives is a list of good things about the unit. All units have something
going for them, exploiting these points to their maximum is one of the many
keys to success in the game.
# Negatives is a list of bad things about the unit. Take these into account
when choosing between different units to deploy.
# My Two Cents is my personal opinion of the unit, an in-depth description of
how the unit can be used to their full, and sometimes mentions how the unit
can be countered.
# Takedown is the suggested method of eliminating the unit with minimal
trouble. This term 'Takedown' is the art of destroying enemy units in one
attack.
# CPR is Command Post Recommendation. This lists whether the unit is useful as
a CO Unit, and it tends to mention what units the CO Unit can now
cripple/takedown.
# AI Posts is a list of which COs will board this unit when controlled by the