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Nod Strategy Guide
Version: 1.00
Last Update: 4/11/07
By: Matt Moncrief
Mamoncrief@yahoo.com
This Table of Contents is handily numbered to help you navigate the FAQ.
Simply use CTRL+F and type in the correstpoding number and it will take you
right where you need to go.
===================
Table of Contents
-----------
1.0 - Preface
2.0 - The Brotherhood
2.1 - Units
2.2 - Structures
2.3 - Abilities
3.0 - General Strategies
3.1 - General
3.2 - Rushing
3.3 - Turtling
3.4 - Strategy Recap
4.0 - Specific Strategies
4.1 - Nod Vs. GDI
4.2 - Nod Vs. Nod
4.3 - Nod Vs. Scrin
5.0 - Frequently Asked Questions
6.0 - Credits
7.0 - Guide Version Info
8.0 - Legal Info
===================
1.0 - Preface
-----------
So you want to become part of the Brotherhood? Well hopefully this Guide can
help. It will provide a basic run down of Nod and give some times on how to
successfully play this often misunderstood faction. This guide is not here to
hold your hand and teach you how to play, so if you are new to the series then
go play the tutorial mission first.
To say that Nod's strengths are understated would be an understatement (Irony).
At first glance in fact it is quite easy to think that Nod is at a terrible
disadvantage in the Command and Conquer 3 multiplayer universe. But this is not
the fact! Nods credo is "Be fast, be invisible." They have the most stealth
units in the game, and when played properly, the enemy will (literally) never
see you coming.
===================
2.0 - The Brotherhood
-----------
This is what a great gamestop special about the history of the brotherhood had
to say: An ancient and secret society that allegedly predates all but the most
early of civilization's history, The Brotherhood of Nod began to represent a
globalized as well as a highly militant Abrahamic cult in modern times, showing
the combined characteristics of a vast religious movement, a multi-national
corporation and a nation-state, whilst being none of the three in itself. The
society is led by a mysterious and charismatic man who is known only as Kane.
Their emblem is a black-rimmed red chamfered triangle, enclosing a black and
curved scorpions tail, poised to strike.
2.1 - Units
-----------
Infantry:
Militant Infantry
A group of willing yet poorly trained troops enlisted more as cannon fodder
than real firepower.Basically, if you find yourself relying on these guys, you
might as well throw in the towel. Giving them a confessor and the ability to
walk on tiberium makes them slightly more effective. Is it worth it? No.
Upgrades: Confessor, tiberum infusion
COST: $200 TIME: 0:02 Squad Size: 9
Militant Rocket Squad
NOD anti armor heavy infantry equiped with rocket launchers to inflict damage
upon armor, structures and air. These guys move slow, but can pack a punch.
If you find yourself in the middle of a tank rush, Just pump these guys out til
the attack stops. Later in the game however, more advanced Nod anti-air and
anti-tank weapons are a much better alternative.
COST: $400 TIME: 0:04 Squad Size: 2
Saboteur
He's an engineer with a bad attitude. He can set booby traps on bridges and
structures making urban maps a pain against enemies that like land units (GDI).
Unfortunately, there are a serious lack of bridges in multiplayer, so the best
ability they have (trap bridge) somewhat goes to waste.
Abilities: Capture buildings, set booby traps, repair bridges, repair buildings
COST: $500 TIME: 0:05 Squad Size: 1
Fanatics
Man are these guys fun. Many consider them the best infantry unit Nod has. They
are strong versus vechiles and structures, and can be devastating to a large
attack force without anti-infantry support. Try sending a few groups at a
Mammoth and watch the parts fly. Just don't try to send them to blow up a
guard tower. They will fall by the hundreds before ever reaching their target.
Abilities: Call for transport (Air Tower)
Upgrades: Tiberium Infusion (Secret Shrine)
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08 Squad Size: 6
Shadow Team
These elite infantry units absolutely wreak havoc. Stealthed all the time, they
take out infantry with utmost discretion. They also have explosive packs which
they can place on buildings. See more on this in the strategies section.
Abilities: Stealthed, glider pack, explosive charge
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08 Squad Size: 4
Black Hand
This group of elite NOD infantry is best used against infantry with its deadly
flamethrowers. However, you will rarely see these guys in combat outside of the
single player campaign. They could be useful on urban maps (like all infantry)
but outside of that, don't bother with them.
Abilities: Call for Transport, clear garrisoned structures
COST: $900 TIME: 0:09 Squad Size: 6
Commando
If you have played any of the previous Command and Conquer games, this is a
unit you should be very familiar with. Nothing has really changed about this
unit since its conception, except the Nod variety can be stealthed while
standing still. This makes them slightly more useful than their GDI counterpart
since after blowing up a building, you can run away and go invisible, hopefully
giving this pricey unit a little more life expectancy.
Elite infantry. Strong vs. infantry, structures.
Abilities: Stealthed while standing still, destroy structure, destroy walker,
call for transport. Only one Commando may be trained at a time.
COST: $2000 TIME: 0:20 Squad Size: Solo
Ground Vehicles:
Attack Bike
The Nod counterpart to the GDI Pitbull. It is fast, packs a whallop, and the
chicks dig it. However, there isn't much room for armor on a bike, and most
things will be able to take it out in one or two hits. In a swarm though, it
can be extremely effect as a mobile anti-air defense.
Abilities: Scanner array, detects nearby stealth.
COST: $600 TIME: 0:06
Raider Buggy
What would Nod be without its buggy?. In C&C 3 the buggy gets a facelift, and a
power boost to make it a threat worth thinking about on the battlefield. Put
all that together and it is the iconic Nod unit: Cheap and fast. When given its
ability to knock out a large area with its EMP coils, the usefullness of this
is inceased tenfold. There is nothing so sweet as an enemy laughing once, then
start crying, the as a small group of buggies charges his Sonic Emitter,only to
let off an EMP right as your swarm of stealth tanks and avatars materialize
out of nothing.
Abilities: Call for air transport
Upgrades: Laser Capacitor (Tech Lab), EMP Coils (Tech Lab)
COST: $400 TIME: 0:04
Flamethrower Tank
I have to say this was my favorite unit from the C&C games of yesteryear.
However, I feel its effectiveness has been somewhat decreased in this game, not
necessarily a nerf so to speak, but this is just one unit that did not benefit
from the changes in the damage model. This tank does constant minor flame
damage to all targets in a line in front of it, just like the Black Hand
infantry. Unfortunately, the tank has little armor and rarely will be given the
chance to even get within range. Even if it does however, armored units take
reduced damage from fire, making this tank almost solely anti-infantry.
AKA-not needed.
Abilities: BBQ garrisoned structures.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10
Scorpion Tank
So did any of you play C&C Red Alert? The first one? This is basically the
Allied Light Tank. It is weak, can't take more than a few direct hits, and
makes up for that in the fact it is speedy. Does this make this tank worthless?
Hardly. They are cheap as can be, and fast to produce, and if you put this
economic advantage to use, then they can become an unstoppable tool of death.
Basically, they are a rushers best friend.
Upgrades: Laser capacitor, Dozer blade (Both require Tech Assembly Plant)
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08
Stealth Tank
These tanks are a considerable improvement over their predecessors. They have
turned into the basic fighting tank of the Nod armies. They fire deadly
missiles that wreak havoc on ground and air units, making them incredibly
versitile fighters. They are also stealthed, as the name implies, to increase
their usefulness. But whats the best thing about them? They are still cheaper
than the basic GDI tank.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10
Beam Cannon
Shoots a destructive beam at vehicles or buildings for a period of time,
causing killer damage to most unit types. The enemy can swarm it, since the
Beam Cannon is better at taking out one unit at a time than dealing with hordes
so it needs to be protected. They can also target the Obelisk of Light, and
give that structure more range and power, just like tesla troopers in RA2.
Cost:$1000 Time: 0:10
Avatar Mech
Bipedal mech that takes charge of the battlefield with the unique ability to
rip weapons off of other units and use it to arm iteself. Sounds awesome, until
you realize that it costs six thousand credits just to fully upgrade it, and
then after that fact the enemey can hijack it, still fully upgraded, with a
five-hundred credit engineer. Unless you need to punch a hole in a especially
nasty defense, these guys should shouldn't see much action.
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30
NOD Emissary Utility Vehicle.
Expands your build radius. Handy indeed! Make sure to put them to good use.
Abilities: Unpacks into Outpost, outpost provides ground control to place
Structures: Call for Transport (Air Tower)
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15
Tiberium Harvester
Nod harvesters are key to any winning army. They are stealthed, which is
incredibly handy for avoiding random attacks at your economy. It can also be
used to mysteriously deplete your enemies tiberium field if he isn't watching
it closely.
Abilities - Harvest Tiberium, stealth, $700 gained on each run.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10
Air Vehicles:
Venom Scout Aircraft
This is, as it's name implies, a scout helicopter. It moves quick, and is
lightly armed. However, it benefits from the fact it never has to reload like
the Orcas, so it can be moved wherever, whenever, and sustain fire. It
slaughters infantry, and in large numbers makes an effective attack force.
Since it is cheap, and quickly built, use the same philosophy with Venom's
that is used with Scorpion Tanks: "If it you can take out three of mine with
one of yours, then I will build ten."
COST: $700 TIME: 0:07
Vertigo Bomber
All around superior to the GDI bomber, it is stealthed, is tougher, and has its
payload is consolidated into one bomb, giving it faster reload and lower damage
dispersion. The one thing the GDI bomber has and the Vertigo lacks is the
Stratosphere Fighter ability, which allows the GDI bombers to guarentee a hit
on its target, even if it doesn't guarentee a way out. Thus, Nod bombers take a
bit more strategy to use than their (suicidal) GDI counterparts.
Requirements: Tech Lab
COST: $1800 TIME: 0:18
2.2 - Structures
-----------
Construction Yard: (at beggining, deployed MCV)
This is the most important building in the game. It isn't the only construction
building at your disposal, but cranes cannot build more cranes, so the "Con
Yard" can be considered foundation of the base. They are costly to build, and
losing one early normally means certain defeat. They also are your source of
radar in C&C3, which is a real pain to lose. Never leave it unprotected!
Cost: see MCV
Crane
Used for building purposes providing an extra structure production que.This
also adds a defensive structure build que. Build one quick to let you race
up the tech tree before your enemies. But I would recommend not relying on them
completely. A second MCV is still the safest way to expand your base if the
money is available.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 10
Power Plant
These buildings do the obvious. Which is to power your NOD war machine. Power
is shown by the vertical bar on the left side of you mini-map. Be careful not
to overextend yourself, or you will go into low power, which knocks advanced
buildings and base defences off line. In a pitched battle, that could mean the
difference between victory and defeat.
COST: $500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: Produces
Tiberium Refinery
Defend this with your life, as it is most times the sole way of gaining the
resources necessary to fund your war machine. Conversely, when you are on the
offensive, the Refinery should be one of the first buildings you hit, since it
ranks just below the Construction Yard in order of importance. It comes out of
the box with its own matching Miner.
COST: $2000 TIME: 0:20 ENERGY: 6
Tiberium Silo
These are handy for times when you have too much money. Unfortunately, Nod
survives through the use of sheer numbers, so if you get to the point you have
enough money to warrant one of these, your doom is almost certainly sealed.
Either that or should stop toying with your poor enemy and finish him off.
COST: $300 TIME: 0:10 ENERGY: 3
Hand of Nod
Nod barracks, simply put. This structure needs to be protected however since it
is what allows you to build advanced base defenses. It is cheap and quick to
build, so getting a back up should be easy. It produces all Nod infantry units.
Requires: Powerplant
COST: $500 TIME: 0:05 ENERGY: 5
War Factory
Tanks, Tanks, and things that look like tanks all come out of this building.
Rejecting the traditional Nod way of delivering armor to the battlefield via
airstrip, this is a factory in the more conventional sense. Drones circle
around it repairing any vehicles that come near it, including the Avatar War
Mech.
Requires: Powerplant and refinery.
COST: $2000 TIME: 0:20 ENERGY: 5
Air Tower
This structure is responsible for the construction and re-armament of NOD air
power, and is also the place where Vertigo Stealth Bombers are stored when not
bombing the snot of your enemies. They are relatively fragile structures, so
keep them well protected in the back of bases. If the structure is destroyed
any Vertigo's in flight will be slowly destroyed. Venom's, however,
are unaffected. This structure also unlocks a number of support powers and the
airlift option.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10 ENERGY: 5
Operations Center
This structure is responsible for NOD technology and development. Pretty boring
but necessary in the fact that you need it to build the Tech Lab, which leads
you to the top tier units. It also unlocks a few of the basic support abilities
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 10
Chemical Plant
An advanced science center of some sort. The counterpart to GDI's Space Command
it provides a few support powers, such as: Tiberium Vapor Bomb, Seed Tiberium,
and the Catalyst Missle.
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30 ENERGY: 15
Tech Lab
The pinnacle of Nod technology resides withing the walls of this low-lying
dome like structure. It is after you build this that your war machine becomes
a truly devastating force. It gives you access to various upgrades and support
powers.
Research Upgrades: Raider Buggy EMP Coils, Scorpion Tank Dozer Blades, Venom
Signature Generators, Laser Capacitors.
Unlocks Upgrades: Power Plant Tiberium Core.
Provides Support Powers: Cloaking field.
COST: $4000 TIME: 0:40 ENERGY: 15
Temple of Nod
This building is the ceremonial center of any Nod base. The fact that it also
happens to function as a Nuke Silo is just a plus. Once built 7 minutes is
needed before the nuclear missle can be launched.
COST: $5000 TIME: 0:50 ENERGY: 20
Secret Shrine
Funky looking building that is shaped like a square. I don't know if the Shrine
plays any real part in Nod lore, but for the most part this structure is only
important because of the fact it let's you hire Shadow Teams. It also is a
research facility for infantry upgrades. (Confessor, Tiberiun Infusion)
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 8
Disruption Tower
This tower creates a stealth field hiding everything around it from sight. It
is a throwback to the Gap Generators, just incorporating newer, flashier,
stealth technology. This is vital, as it makes your base hard to target for
bombing runs and superweapon strikes. Also, enemies will hunt down disrupters
looking for your base, so planting disrupter towers all over can send them on
a wild goose chase looking for the location of your base.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10 ENERGY: 10
Shredder Turret
Basic Nod defensive structures. I will only say this once, since the next two
turrets follow the same pattern. Nod turrets are unique in that instead of
deploying a turret and it automatically firing on an enemy, when you build a
Nod turret you place a central "hub" first, then place 3 of the hub's
respective turrets in a smaller build area around the hub. This means each
turret you build actually gives you three little turrets. This makes for an
incredible defensive grid. It also makes your opponents make a tactical choice,
kill the little turrets to stop the fire, then turn on the hub and hope to take
it out before more pop up, or aim for the hub and try to destroy it while a
bunch of turrets take pot shots at it. Either way, in most cases Nod wins. Just
keep the turrets coming and most times you can build them faster than the enemy
can destroy them. Shredder Turrets are the backbone of this defensive grid, and
specialize in anti-infantry slaughter on the wholesale level. They also are
stealth detectors, so scattering them all throughout your base is a cheap and
effective way to make sure that no suprises sneak in unannounced. All in all
an incredibly solid anti-infantry defense.
COST: $600 TIME: 0:06 ENERGY: 6
Laser Turret
Same as the Shredder Turret, only vs. vehicles. Remember that they more
effective in numbers, and watch your power when mass producing them. They are
all you really need against everything except the Mammoth.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 6
SAM Turret
NOD anti air SAM missle turret. Again, it follows the same pattern of
deployment as the Shredder and Laser Turrets. The Nod Sam is an incredibly
good AA defense, so use them! They will even give the Scrin a run for their
money in large enough numbers, most times taking out all of the fighters
from a Planetary Assault Carrier faster than the Planetary Assault Carrier can
rebuild them.
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08 ENERGY: 6
Obelisk of Light
Few objects, save maybe the Mammoth Tank, are more iconic of the Command and
Conquer series than the Obelisk of Light. It deals massive damage to all
land units. Unfortunately, it is outranged by a number of units in the game,
and also can not attack air units. Despite this, it is an incredibly
powerful defense that when in used in conjunction with Laser, SAM, and
Shredder Turrets can put the lid on a nearly air tight defense. Shredder and
Laser Turrets, because of their sheer number, create a clicking nightmare,
making it difficult for the enemy commander to issue an order to focus on the
Obelisk. Also, the SAM's will cover for the lack of AA on the Obelisk.
Beam Cannons can charge the Obelisk as well, increasing it's range and power.
Most players don't bother doing this, but that can play into your hand since
it will often be the last thing the enemy expects. The damage increase is only
minor, but the range increase puts almost every unit in the game inside the
deadly range of the Obelisk. (The Juggernaut is the exception)
COST: $1800 TIME: 0:18 ENERGY: 15
2.3 - Abilities
-----------
Nuclear Missle
Not much can said about this. Push the Red Button, and the enemy base is
turned to cinders. Most times, however, it cannot finish off a Con Yard
completely, so it is best used just prior to an attack, or in conjunction with
a bombing run.
Radar Jamming Missle
$750
Annoying if used incorrectly, deadly if used at the right time. Use it right
before unveiling a massive group of stealth units or right before moving your
attack force of non-stealthed units out from under your Disruption Tower. 90%
of the time this will prevent them from taking any pre-emptive measures against
your group like moving in units to defend or bombing your attack squad. If the
player happens to be playing without the volume on, they could suffer crippling
damage before even noticing a thing.
Catalyst Missle
$1500
Offensive Power
This would be a really cool power if it was as strong as the Catalyst Missle
you fire in the single player campaign. Unfortunately, it's not. If the enemy
just happens to be sending a huge attack force over a large tiberium feild, let
them have it. Otherwise, this power isn't worth the price.
-Update- This power does major damage on tiberium, but also does major damage
to tiberium refineries. This power is an excelent way to immiediatly knock out
an enemy economy as it will instantly kill all refineries (and most cases
miners) within the blast radius.
Seed Tiberium
$500
Resource Power
Could be helpful if you are low on cash. But then again, if you are low on cash
could you afford the $500 it takes to deploy it? Another use is to put in an
enemies base and then use the Catalyst Missle. This is somewhat useful, but the
area of Tiberium Seed is relatively small. Also, the tiberium is dropped from
a plane, so if the enemy has a good AA defense, then chances are the drop will
never even occur. If you absolutely must use the Seed/Catalyst combo, drop the
Tiberium out front of their War Factory and wait for them to
spawn some units around it, then blast them away.
Mine Drop
$1500
Defensive Power
A good power for closing up choke points on the map, or for dropping in front
of war factories. However, if a unit with stealth detection spots them, the
feild is easily cleaned up by any enemy units, thus wasting the money spent
to drop them. See if your opponent is using spotters or not, then drop them
where he or she is least likely to see them.
Decoy Army
$500
Intelligence Power
A power that seems almost completely worthless, but if used correctly can be
quite handy. Send in the clones just before your main assault and draw your
enemies attention away from the units that are actually causing the damage.
Also, creating a Decoy Army at a base can sometimes make your enemy think twice
before attacking. If you are in a tough spot and just need a little more time,
try it out.
Shadow Strike Team
$1600
Reinforcement Power
Incredibly useful. You get a discounted and upgraded group of units delivered
to a point anywhere on the map. Use them to harass buildings or wipe out a
power grid (two teams per power plant will take it out.)
Cloaking Field
$1500
Utility Power
Most Nod units can cloak themselves already, but this is useful for hiding the
ones that can't. Beam Cannon Artillery especially benefit from this, since it
gives them the chance to effectively use hit and disappear tactics, greatly
improving their survivability.
Tiberium Vapor Bomb
$3500
Offensive Power
I've lost the bomb, do you have it? This makes a boom, but don't expect it to
take out a Construction Yard. Use it on power grids, production facilities,
and in conjunction with attack groups. A Vapor Bomb on a row of powerplants
combined with a Raider Buggy EMP on the Construction Yard will put the enemy in
a sorry state for about 30 seconds. Which is plenty long enough to annihilate a
good portion of whatever they have. Just be warned, the bomb is dropped from a
plane that is just as vulnerable to being shot down as your Vertigo's. Make
sure that this doesn't happen by taking out AA defenses prior to use.
===================
3.0 - General Strategies
-----------
3.1 - General
-----------
There are a few general strategies you may want to take under advisement while
playing as Nod. First is the most crucial aspect of the game, regardless of
which side you are playing as. This is the initial build que. Building a crane,
Refinery (or 2), Hand of Nod, and a few Power Plants is necessary for anybody.
The best order is debatable, but you need to find what you are comfortable with
and go with that. For me, I always build the crane first, then expand at double
the rate up the tech tree. However, different strategies call for different
measures. Find what you are comfortable with, and perfect it. Once you have
those basic buildings up, you should start expanding, claiming another tiberium
field. Be careful when you do this however! If you lose a surveyor and a
Refinery, for instance, right off the bat, it could set you back in the crucial
beginning time and make you suffer game long repurcussions you can't bounce
back from. Expanding is necessary, but should only be done once you feel you
are experienced enough to protect it.
Once you master the first few minutes of a game, the rest should be relatively
easy. I will stay away from going in depth into too much depth, but I will give
ou some advice and ideas from which you can then hatch your brilliant strategy.
Consider this a stepping off point.
Some general tips that will help against anyone:
- Nod has the best stealth capabilites in the game. Use them! Nod will almost
always lose in a one on one slugging match. You need to be crafty to beat
someone with Nod, and that means cloaking units and using hit and run tactics.
Strike them in the places that hurt most: their construction and economy. Often
times using the cloaked Nod units to their most efficiency simply means going
around to the back of the enemy base instead of pummeling through the front
door like GDI. Nod is the faction of finesse, so practice using each unit to
its full potential.
-Raider Buggies. Simply said, possible one of the units with the most potential
in the whole game, once given a simple little upgrade. EMP packs should play a
pivotal role in almost all Nod attacks. It is a simple way to knock out key
points in defenses, or disable an attack so it can be peiced apart by your own
defenses. The EMP blast is large enough to take out a number of enemies, or
buildings such as power plants. Use these little guys. Use them often, and use
them well. Often times in a drawn out match your chance of victory will be
greatly improved if you do.
- Learn how to use Avatars. They are expensive, so you don't want to use them
unless you know how. Learn which upgrades are good against which enemies. For
instance, on a non urban map, you don't really need to spend the extra money
to give the Avatars a flamethrower, since they most likely won't run into any
infantry. Invisibility is almost always a good option. If you do want to fully
upgrade them, then keeping a few around each War Factory is a good idea. Use
them as an incredibly strong and versatile base defense that auto-repairs
thanks to the factories repair drones. Just make sure you don't send a $6000
dollar unit into the fray, only to have it sent right back at you 30 seconds
later coutesy of a nearby enemy engineer.
- If you can, veteran your units. It might seem like an obvious statement, but
Nod units which are normally weak especially gain from veterancy. 2 fully
veteraned Attack Bikes can take down a PAC. Enough said.
- Don't forget Sabateurs. The only thing better than destroying a building is
capturing it. They can also trap a structure, so on an urban map, turn the
tight passageways into deathtraps.
-GDI aren't the only faction that can bomb. Vertigo's are tough and pack a
punch. Use them in conjunction with an EMP to knock out anti-air sites, or some
other form of anti-air cover. A large group of Venom's work just as well, as
they serve as fodder while the Vertigo dismantles the enemy base. Also, use
their stealth abilites to your advantage. This will mean that if you are
careful, the enemy shouldn't see you until you are right on top of them.
3.2 - Rushing
-----------
For Nod, rushing is one of the strongest strategic options available to you.
Nod units quickly get outclassed in the late game, so how can we prevent
that? Simple: don't let the battle reach the late game.
There is a risk here though. Rusher's put all of their eggs into one basket,
so to speak. If the rush is successful, then you win. If it fails, you are left
in a weak spot, vulnerable to a counterattack. However, with Nod, you will find
that more times than not your rush will be incredibly successful.
So how can you rush with Nod? With Nod this answer is incredibly simple.
However you want. Nearly all Nod units have rushing capability, even though
some are more effective than others. Shadow teams are an incredibly effective
rushing unit. Building 4 War Factories and having them pump out an infinite
number of Scorpion tanks is also almost a guarenteed win if you are fast.
Another handy tip that a rusher should never forget is the Raider buggy. I
already sang the praises of this little guy up above, so you know why you
should use them. Send them in along with Scorpions to take out enemy units
in case you run into someone with a horde of anti-tank infantry, since this is
the most common effective counter to the tank rush. Since the Raider's won't
have their EMP abilities this early, just keep them in the back and use them to
fight off any infantry that is around.
A strategy that has gone down in the annals of Command and Conquer history
is the Engineer Rush. Although a little more difficult to pull off in C&C 3,
building 3 engineers as soon as your barracks is built and sending them to
your opponents location to capture a few buildings is sometimes so unorthadox
it works. Send them in from the back, and you might be suprised how easy it
is to sneak into a poorly defended early game base. Yet another variation is
climbing up the tech tree and building an Air Tower, then calling for transport
and airlifting the engineers right next to the enemy base.
Another variation of this strategy that is incredibly effective is simply
building a surveyor right off the bat, and sending that back behind an enemy
base. When it deploys, have 2 Hands of Nod, a Shredder Turret, and a Laser
Turret ready to be placed. Set the Hands as close to their base as you can,
set the defenses down to defend them, and pump out engineers from one Hand and
rocket soldiers from the other. One of three things generally happen: You will
win very fast. You will enter into a pitched battle to protect your small
expansion base, using almost solely turrets to both attack and defend, or your
surveryor will be spotted and destroyed before your base goes up, and you will
be at a disadvantage. It's risky, but practice it against a few hard CPU's and
get the timing right, then try it in a 1v1 game.
If you are rushed in the process of building your army, don't fret! Unless you
opted to train Shadow Teams that is, then you are up a creek without a paddle.
But if you went the Scorpion tank route things are not yet lost. You have the
advantage since if they rushed first, they most likely have much fewer units
than you do, and you have the advantage of ready reinforcements. Even a rusher
will have a tough time taking you out. You should then, of course, respond
with a swift and decisive counter-attack.
Lastly, if you find yourself outgunned or outmanned, which shouldn't happen
if you have a steady stream of reinforcements coming (place the rally point
for your factories in your enemies base), then you should shift your goal.
If utter destruction can't be achieved, knocking out tiberium production will
most times do enough damage to knock a player out of the game. If you drop
to about ten tanks, take off after their miners. Take out all of their miners,
then shoot for refineries. While they are using their vehicle and construction
que's to rebuild their economy, you are pumping out tanks for your next wave.
3.3 - Turtling
-----------
Ah Turtling, it is simply the art of building so many defenses your enemy can't
get in. However it is considered sometimes to be a "noob" strategy. This isn't
true however, since in C&C3 turtling takes considerable skill. For Nod, it is
possible to create a thick web of defenses that is incredibly tough to crack.
The only problem with Turtling for Nod is that generally you turtle so you can
build an unstoppable force of the late game units that take forever to train.
Nod has no such units. The Avatar is the factions, "Superunit" but when pitted
against Annhilator Tripods or Mammoth Tanks, it will generally find itself
outclassed. So the Nod Turtle is forced to go the superweapon route most times,
which isn't effective at all against GDI and their Stratofighters. Basically,
if you want to turtle as Nod, you can quite effectively, but the advantages to
doing so are small. You will still need to win by sheer numbers, most times
with a unstoppable rolling mass of Stealth Tanks and Beam Cannons.
If you get rushed, good luck. An early attack on a turtler can be devastating,
unless you were really speedy with your defense. For this, a turtler needs
two or three refineries and at least 3 building que's on a constant building
cycle of Shredders and Laser Turret's. Building a large swarm of Rocket Militia
early on is also a good idea. They will come in handy no matter what, and can
be a cheap protection while you seal your base up.
Turtlers can't rely on simply their defenses either. Defenses are a great
starting point, but they lack the mobility to make an effective defense all by
themselves. To fill in this role, the Turtler will want to keep it inexpensive,
since most of their money will be going to build defenses and shooting up the
tech tree. Raider Buggies without EMP early on, and with EMP as soon as you get
it (which should be quick, you are a turtler) will fit the bill perfectly,
since they can knock out tough units cutting the danger to your defenses down
considerably. Attack Bikes fill the other half of the mobile defense role.
They are fragile, but fast, and can be used as an incredibly effective mobile
anti-air or anit-armor force. Keep as many as you can afford around your base,
and always rebuild after you lose a few.
Keep building turrets till your eyes pop, all the while making sure you are
the first one to hit the high tech levels. From there, you will have to decide
how you will play out the end game. You can choose to go for a massive land
force, generally consisting of Beam Tanks to take out Mammoths, Annihilators,
or buildings, and Stealth Tanks since they are strong and versatile, able to
take out whatever the enemy tries to use to take out your Beam Cannons. Another
option is to use Vertigo's and Venoms which will provide attacking strength as
you bomb your enemy into submission. Venom's are only good in swarms of over
about 40, so don't skimp. If they have alot of anit-air however, you should
simply scrap this plan all together. Especially if they are Scrin. The last
option is to use your superweapon. Build it, and pray that you can defend it
long enough to get a shot off. If you are fighting GDI, then this is the
strategy that is completely worthless, since the Stratofighters will drop down
on top of it and blow it off the map before you can cut the red ribbon on its
doorstep.
Even though Turtling may not seem like it is too difficult of a strategy to
follow at face value, to do it successfully is quite a feat of tactics. You
need to be on your toes the whole match, and never let your build que sit
silently. With alot of practice, this can be an effective strategy for an
experienced player.
3.4 - Strategy Recap
------------
While the above strategies are general directions people tend to head, they
are by no means the only way to win a match. If you are able to integrate
and adapt by using both of these strategies when appropriate, you will
greatly increase your chances of success. The best way to find out what
strategy works best for you is to try them out, and practice. Expect to get
pummelled a few times, but don't worry! Learn from the people that beat you,
and be helpful to the people who you beat. Remember the general strategies,
and that some integral units in any strategy should be Raider Buggies, Shadow
Teams, Fanatics, Beam Cannons, Stealth Tanks, and Vertigos. Scorpions should
be used primarily for rushing, and are more or less useless outside of the
first ten minutes of the game. But with a combination of the above units,
used effectively, you should be able to tackle even the most difficult foes.
===================
4.0 - Specific Strategies
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4.1 - Nod Vs. GDI
-----------
- From the very moment you start this match you are outclassed on the ground,
and at best even in the air. If you are not a rusher, then this is going to
be a tough battle. If you are a rusher, then GDI is a peice of cake. Scorpion
tanks can overwhelm the super-expensive Predator Tanks through sheer numbers.
- If you are going to fight a regular battle, then make sure you get to higher
tech levels quick. Your units won't match up strength wise, but if they start
building Mammoths before you start building Beam Cannon's and Stealth Tank's
then you will find yourself up a creek without a paddle as your base is
slowly overrun.
- Don't skimp on turrets. Nod anti-air is some of the best in the game, place
them all over to prevent from hordes of Orcas swarming your base. You can't
stop a Stratofighter attack, but you can darn well make sure that it is a
suicide mission. Keep more than one Construction Yard up, in expectation of GDI
taking one out with fighters.
- Mammoths cost a bundle, and are the true fear of anyone playing against GDI.
Use their costliness against your opponents. Instead of waiting to mass up
an attack to get a checkmate, send in a small group of Stealth Tank's to harass
GDI's Miners and take out any Refineries they can. Slowing GDI's cash flow is
the best way to keep their pricey units off the battlefield. This forces GDI
to play without their superunits and evens the playing field for you. Also,
the Catalyst Missle is a great way to out a bunch of Refineries that are too
well defended to be destroyed by land or air. The missle cannot be detstroyed.
-GDI work best given time. Their units are slow and powerful, and will hammer
through anything you can throw at them. If you let them form their attack.
This should never happen. Small groups of Attack Bikes sent around through
weak points in their base to attack building structures such as Barracks or
War Factories, or even a Construction Yard if possible, can distract them
from building their army. To win this battle you need to use your speed to
harass them the whole game through, until you can land the finishing blow.
-GDI anti-air is pitiful. Use Vertigo's and Venom's as fast attack units on
exposed targets. If they are making up for the poor quality of their anti-
air with sheer numbers of turrets, then you still win, since so much of their
money has been spent with stationary defenses instead of a huge attack on your
base. Make them fear your air power.
-Lastly, one thing when playing GDI no matter how hard you try to prevent it,
you will eventually have to face a Mammoth Tank. Taking these puppies out can
seem a daunting task as even your strongest units will barely scratch them.
There are two good strategies to take out the Mammoth. The less effective
but equally valid method is a whole lot of Beam Cannons. Tell them focus fire
and they will pop a Mammoth in a second or two. This is a great way to take
out a group of 3 or 4 of them, but if they are accompanied by Predator's or
some other vehicle, they will most times swarm and destroy your Beam Cannon's
before they can take out the Mammoths. The other way is to use your Raider
Buggies EMP to take out the Mammoths, then send in Fanatics to blow the
Mammoths apart.The Buggies should be able to get in past the escorts, and
the Fanatics should be able to peice apart the whole force.
4.2 - Nod Vs. Nod
-----------
- This is a tough battle in the fact there is no advantage on either side.
You both will use the same units, and it will be purely a matter of who uses
the units most effectively. It should be noted that in my experience 85% of
the people that play Nod will Scorpion rush. You must be ready to counter
this strategy. If you are still learning how to play Nod, be careful, because
most players have the Scorpion rush down to a fine science, and there is an
incredibly good chance that they will wipe you away before you can do anything.
Remeber your Rocket Militia in this case.
- Be prepared for anything. After reading this, you should have a good idea of
some of the offensive strategies you should expect. Scatter Shredders all
throughyour base to prevent a Shadow Team or Fanatic strike. These will make
sure that your whole base is covered with stealth detectors so nothing can
sneak in.
- If the army has a ton of SAM batteries, then you should give up on an air
attack. In turn, you should SAM your base thoroughly to prevent them from
using Vertigo's against you. If your enemy however doesn't build many SAM's
then feel free to bomb them into submission.
-Stealth Tanks are incredibly handy in this battle. They can hold their own
against all units in the game, but in a Nod vs Nod battle, the Stealth Tanks
are the most powerful easily produced unit on the field (the Avatar is stronger
but suffers from a number of flaws). It would be a good idea to park groups of
5 Stealth Tanks and 3 Attack Bikes in places all around the map. To your enemy,
this will look like simply a few bikes parked to scan for invisible units, when
in reality it is a sizable force that can easily be used to take advantage of
any mistake the enemy might make. If they let their Miner stray from their
base, spot it with the Attack Bikes and take it out. If they leave an expansion
base unprtotected, take it out. This is just another way to make sure you keep
the enemy on his toes, and make them plan their strategy to what you are doing
instead of the other way around.
-In the end, there is no one strategy in this fight. The reason to play Nod
is because they are so versatile, able to adapt to almost any situation.
Thus, the best way to beat a Nod opponent is know what Nod players generally
do, and do it better. This is less a matter of strategy and more a matter
of skill.
4.3 - Nod Vs. Scrin
-----------
-The Scrin are tough, and since Nod units are typically underpowered it would
seem like you have a fight on your hands. If you haven't noticed already most
Nod strategies involve rushing, so either pick your favorite early game horde
and go, or follow a couple of guidlines for a lengthy fight against the Scrin.
-Remember your anti-air! It might seem silly, but Nod anti-air is some of the
best in the game. Since it is inexpensive and effective, make sure to place
alot of them, all over your base. This stationary defense, when combined with
the mobile anti-air force provided by Attack Bikes should be enough to force
the Scrin to fight on the ground where they are weak(er).
-Planetary Assault Carriers (PAC's) are tough cookies that most Scrin players
will throw at you. The key to undoing this badboy is the Attack Bike. A group
of Attack Bikes will take down a PAC in no time flat. The key here is to use
attack move to speed around under the carriers, hopefully avoiding alot of
damage and making it harder for the player to click on a single bike to
concentrate the PAC's fire. Just remember that and the largest threat a Scrin
player could throw at you is neutralized.
-Annihilator Tripods can prove to be more of an annoyance than PAC's for Nod.
They deal high damage, and are good against groups as well as single targets.
To take them out, you should follow the same strategy to take out a Mammoth.
Send in a Raider Buggy to EMP it and follow with a large group of fanatics or
a charged shot from a group of Beam Cannon's. Then if you can get a Sabatuer
inside of it, it will nicely compliment any Nod attack force.
-Watch out for the Mastermind! Not many people use these, or so I have seen,
but they can still wreak major havoc if not spotted. They can mind control
structures and units, turning them against you. Shredder Turrets all over the
inside of your base should protect against them (and the odd Shock Trooper
tele-attack as well). When they mind control a unit, remember, that unit is
still yours if you can kill the Mastermind. So don't waste time fighting
yourself, and chase it down with one of the Raider Buggies you should have
lying around.
-The Scrin rarely seem to use land units, however, their land powers shouldn't
go totally unnoticed. Most of their tanks are lightly armored, similar to Nod,
so you are a little more evenly matched on the ground, but the Scrin tanks have
one advantage: the ability to combine with Buzzers. If the player utilizes this
ability then it will turn all of the Scrin units into anti-infantry machines.
This can make the Devourer Tank especially difficult. It can outrange a non-
charged Obelisk, and can do good damage on tanks and buildings alike. Because
of the Buzzers, Fanatics will not be effective at all. Instead, you have to
rely on an old fashioned slug fest. Raider Buggy's will still be effective, and
Stealth Tanks can hold their own against them.
===================
5.0 - Frequently Asked Questions
-----------
Q: Your Faq sucks. I'm going to burn your house down and violate your sisters.
A: I'd like to see you try, Viking scum. However, this is my first attempt
and if you have constructive criticism, please e-mail me!
Q: Nod Sucks! I did everything you told me too and I still got rolled by GDI,
you must have lied about everything you said.
A: Open Clarification: in the hands of a skilled player, any side can beat any
side. No one strategy guarentees victory, if it did the game wouldn't be any
fun. When you lose, ask yourself why, and then learn from it, instead of
blaming it on play imbalances, a cheating player, or a bad FAQ.
===================
6.0 - Credits
-----------
To all of the ex-Westwood programmers who had been with us from day one who
left before the completion of their dream could be released, and all the ones
who stayed on at EA to make sure the dream stayed on track. Regardless,
Viva Petroglyph.
To EA for bringing the game out instead of just letting it rot on some shelf.
To GameFaqs, the best source for gamers on the web.