,.:r::::::.,
.:lhSWOZQQQQQQQQQQQBOMKU:,
:JSWMEZQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQBZRMH:
:,:JS0OQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQZESi .
,0W0COQQQQQQZQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ8EQQQQQQQQZ80W1
.Z1EBQQQSl:.   .L8QQQQQQQQQQQQEK, .iJSQQQQQQOUK.
:EHQQQ0;.,         1SCZQQQY y  C       ,HBQQQQQ;y:
lMtQQM:.,      .l;lU     MS    rrlyvr      lRQQQQrvi
00SQQL..     rtFWEZQQQQQC    MQQQQQOMCCH:     UEBQQ;;r
Z8SQZL.    .HSCEQQQQQQQQQQBYiMQQQQQQQQQQESSH     hEQQvl;
MZHQOv    ,tMCZQQQQQQQQQQQQQOSQQQQQQQQQQQQQOKS1    .CQQYJ;
lQvQE:    yZCZQQQQMyvlSCBQQQQQQQQQQ8yZQQQQQQQQ0yM;    UBQiW:
QYQQS   ,ZEEQQQSLi...  :.BQQQQQQQQBCl  .U0B0OQQQhJH    YZQ;E
HESQQH  .QSQQQl.::,      lhOBQQQYl  E       rJtSQQBvJ   FyQ8B:
QYQQC  .QHQQ;.;.     ,:rryl   WM  rilvvi,     .YJCQQJt   ;:QQE
QvQE  ,QUQK.U:    ,UtSSEZQQQZ    ZQQQBRECFl     .H1QQSF  .:LQQ
.Z;Q   BKRHlJ    ,KCSEQQQQQQQQQ  QQQQQQQQQWHWt     v1QQCY  r:WQ.
:8Kt  iBh11r    UOF8QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQMHSi    .LZ80,  E:Q.
.OR;  QHERr    O8WQQQQQQQQQBWKZQOFQQQQQQQQQQQQKyl    :lSS1  BlQ.
.QQL  QUQR    ZMZQOtyYvYQBYr;.:C0:.SZZQQFHEQQQQO;v   ;8K1B  WWQ,
ZQH :ZtQQh  MR0BLi, .K;QEH,   ,.   .;UQOS  :0QQE8;  MHQBQ  CQQ
vQ: .EHQQ  .Q:yt.   iF1QK8          B.QQZ    ;lWQB   KrQQ  rQl
,OrQl  1W,Ml    YthQK:          iH;QQ,    rrWQ:  8.WQ
ZiQr  Z;;Q     ,E,SE            Z,QQ      ZrQH  MrSQ
ULZh  BrlQ      il it          Zl Q:     :BvQt  RiBh
,MhZ  SY.Q       rt rF        QH,O;      .R;QY  Q.Q,
KHQ  .0,Q        iRJHM.    .BH:E.        Q:Q, :0UC
CEy  8.Q          lEQQH  CQZJ:         .OyB  8KZ
.0Q  i1El           .Yi  :l,           FMQ. .QQi
LQl  hWO                              QQF  UQy
OQY                            tQQ
,S:                            .H
Scrin Strategy Guide
Version: 1.00
Last Update: 4/25/07
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 Visitors
2.1 - Units
2.1.A - Infantry
2.1.B - Vehicles
2.1.C - Aircraft
2.2 - Structures
2.3 - Abilities
3.0 - Strategies
3.1 - General
3.2 - Rushing
3.3 - Turtling
3.4 - Strategy Recap
4.0 - Specific Strategies
4.1 - Scrin Vs. GDI
4.2 - Scrin Vs. Nod
4.3 - Scrin Vs. Scrin
5.0 - Frequently Asked Questions
6.0 - Credits
7.0 - Guide Version Info
8.0 - Legal Info
===================
1.0 - Preface
-----------
While in the previous installments of Command and Conquer we have been left to
puzzle over what Tiberium is and why it is here, in C&C3: Tiberium Wars we
finally get some answers, in the form of the Scrin. The Scrin are an alien race
that seeded earth with Tiberium and has had a Mothership laying dormant at the
edge of our solar system for over a century, waiting for the Tiberium to wipe
out most of the planet, leaving little oposition for the Scrin to mop up and
turn earth into a suitable dwelling for these insectoid aliens.
Of course, Kane threw a crimp in that plan when he detonated the Liquid
Tiberium bomb that the aliens mistook that for their signal to commence the
invasion. Thus the third faction in the Tiberium War is introduced. This
faction still has quite a bit of mystery attatched to it, however, so I guess
we will simply need to wait for the expansion pack to get some real answers to
our question.
===================
2.0 - The Visitors
-----------
The Scrin are a very interesting side to play. While GDI tends to rely on a
steamroller effect, and Nod is the side of stealth and quick attacks, the Scrin
are a little harder to catagorize. They are the undisputed masters of the air,
but their units are expensive, and slow to produce. They have the best
defensive structure in the game, but relatively weak ground units. Their
infantry is not like any other faction, and in my opionion they play more like
the Protoss from Starcraft (this fact combined with the fact they also closely
resemble the Zerg, has led to many people affectionately calling this side,
"the Zergtoss.") then any of the factions from Command and Conquer. If you can
learn the intricacies of playing this side, they can be a force to be reckoned
with. Hopefully that is where this guide steps in.
2.1 - Units
-----------
2.1.A - Infantry:
Buzzers
The basic Scrin infantry is something completely different than the basic
infantry of the other sides. Rather than being a unit, they are a swirling mass
of razor blades that will destroy enemy infantry, and can also be used as an
anti-infantry defensive upgrade on Scrin vehicles. Pretty useful, if you use
them in this fashion. They can also clear garrisoned buildings.
COST: $200 TIME: 0:02 Squad Size: Solo
Disintegrators
These are a somewhat more traditional infantry unit. They are excellent at
destroying tanks and buildings, and can also be used as a portable mine field,
since they blow up when they are crushed. However, they are better used with
their normal attack, since the damage they do when crushed is pretty minor.
Abilities: Explodes when crushed.
COST: $300 TIME: 0:03 Squad Size: 5
Assimilator (Engineer)
The alien engineering unit. It can repair damaged structues, capture enemy
buildings and units (Annihilator, Avatar, Juggernaut). This unit is cloaked
when not moving which is a very nice feature for sneaky players.
COST: $500 TIME: 0:05 Squad Size: Solo
Shock Trooper
Probably the best infantry unit in the game, with Zone Troopers coming in a
close second. They are tough, deal good damage to ground units, and when
upgraded, air units as well. They can also teleport a short distance, somewhat
the equivelant of the Zone Troopers jump jets. These should be a staple of any
Scrin attack force.
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08 Squad Size: 3
Mastermind
An elite infantry unit that acts as the Alien Commando. They do not have any
weapons, per se, but they can mind control enemy units and structures. Can
anyone say Yuri Prime? They are also capable of teleporting units over a large,
but not unlimited, distance across the world map. So far, I have only seen
these used against me twice, but I use them all the time when playing Scrin
and consider them to be the best of the 3 "commando" type units.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 Squad Size: Solo
2.1.B - Vehicles:
Explorer
Just like the Nod Emissary and GDI Surveyor. They unpack into an extra building
area, so use them to make expansion bases and the like. Also very effective for
rushing. See the strategies section for more detail.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15
Harvester
Scrin Harvestor unit. The Scrin Harvester is unique in the fact that it harvets
slightly faster than the other factions, and that when it has tiberium in it
and is destroyed it creates and ion storm at its location for a rather long
period of time. If your base is getting attacked and it look dire, send in your
harvesters. They will often times prove a juicy target for oppenents, only to
then have the ion storm deal massive damage to their attack force. I always
build more harvesters than I could ever need for this reason alone.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10
Gunwalker
This is the equivelant of the Raider Buggy or APC, and without the bonus
abilities they come with. It is good versus air units and infantry, but is
grossly underpowered against tanks. Keep a few around, but don't bother
producing a sizable number of this unit.
Abilities: Combine with buzzers.
COST: $700 TIME: 0:07
Seeker Tank
If the Scorpion Tank is the light tank, then this is the featherweight tank.
Despite it's low armor however, it's offensive capabilites are not that bad.
It's plasma discs are strong, it can detect stealth, and you can make up for
some of it's lack of defense by combining it with Buzzer's. Not expecting it,
I actually once lost to a Scrin Seeker rush. It's unorthodox, but might be
effective.
Abilities: Detects Stealth, Combine with Buzzers.
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08
Corrupter
This Scrin unit is great against buildings and infantry, but get's cooked by
any armored unit. Somewhat like the flame tank in that respect, except the
Corrupter is all in all a more useful unit. It can heal Scrin units, and when
it attacks an infantry unit, it has a chance of turning them into a Visceroid.
Unfortunately, these Visceroids are still enemy units. A further drawback is
infantry is relatively uncommon outside of the campaign mode.
Abilities - Clear garrisoned structures, Combine with Buzzers.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10
Devourer Tank
This is the staple tank of the Scrin. It does good damage, has a long range,
and is effective against tanks and buildings. However, when mass producing it,
you will find it's rather high price somewhat a drawback. If you can manage to
get this tank on top of a patch of tiberium, then you can select and option to
have the tank absorb some the green goodness to power it's weapon. In this
state, a group of Devourer's are incredibly deadly, almost on par with the Nod
Beam Tank.
Abilities - Conversion beam, Combine with Buzzers.
COST: $1400 TIME: 0:14
Annihilator Tripod
This thing absolutely rocks. While the rest of the Scrin ground vehicles are
somewhat lack lustre, the Annihilator greatly makes up for it. It does heavy
damage to one target, or can use each of it's lasers to attack a different
targets for lighter damage. These should be the backbone of any attack force,
just make sure it isn't half hearted because the last thing you want is your
own Annihilators coming back at you a few minutes later. The forcefield is a
worthwhile investment, since these are relatively pricey units and anything
that increases their survivability is a good thing.
Upgrades: Forcefield Generator (Technology Assembler)
Abilities: - Combine with Buzzers
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30
2.1.C - Aircraft:
Storm Rider
The basic Scrin aircraft leaves much to be desired. It is pretty weak, can only
be built in groups of four per Gravity Stabilizer, and are expensive. Their
advantages are that they never have to reload and only need to be returned to
their homebase for repairs, and that they can attack both land and air units.
Does this make them worth it? Not really. Their defense is increased in an Ion
Storm.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15
Devastator Warship
Here is where the Scrin air power really begins to shine. These things are
wicked, to say the least. They can chew up a base in no time flat, and are
almost as effective at taking out land units. Their weakness lies in the fact
that they cannot attack other air units, so a Firehawk or group of Venoms will
pose a great threat to them. Still, these should be the air unit of choice for
anyone who like to play Scrin in the late game. Like all Scrin air units, their
defense is increased in an ion storm.
COST: $2400 TIME: 0:24
Planetary Assault Carrier
If the Devastator is the fist, then these guys are the backbone. Many people
swear by these units, claiming that they are incredibly overpowered and will
anything they run into in ruins. This, in my opnion is not the case. However,
they do play an awesome supporting role in any army, and should never be left
out. More on how to use the PAC's (Planetary Assault Carrier) will be included
in the strategies section. Regardless, these are the Mammoth Tanks of the sky.
In an Ion Storm, they also recieve a defense bonus.
Abilities: Create Ion Storm
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30
Mothership
I will include this here, since even though it is technically a support power
it spawns an air unit. The Mothership is basically a mobile superweapon.
However, do not expect spawning it to be an instant game over for your
opponent. A few Rocket Militia can take it out before it could even reach them
if given the chance. Therefore, proper strategy is required to use this unit to
it's full potential. Look for that in the Strategies section.
COST: $5000 TIME: instant deployment when Mothership support power is used.
2.2 - Structures
-----------
Drone Ship
The construction yard of the Scrin. Simply said. It is different from the other
Con Yards in the sense that it can fly, and is built from the Gravity
Stabilizer instead of the ground vehicle production facility, as is the case
with the other factions.
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30 ENERGY: 0
Foundry
Provides you with an extra production que, nothing to fancy here.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 10
Extractor
The Scrin Tiberium Refinery. Protect it with your life, as it will be the sole
source of money for your expensive late game air units.
COST: $2000 TIME: 0:20 ENERGY: 6
Portal
Production Structure. Produces all Scrin infantry.
COST: $600 TIME: 0:06 ENERGY: 5
Reactor
You can never have too many of these. They are the Scrin varient of the Power
Plant, and going low power is a very bad thing.
COST: $600 TIME: 0:06 ENERGY: Produces
Nerve Center
This is the low level tech center for the Scrin, allowing you access to the
basic support powers and the construction of the Technology assembler. A vital
structure that should be build quickly.
Provides Support Powers: The Swarm, Tiberium Vibration Scan, Lightning Spike,
Reconstruction Drones
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 8
Warp Sphere
The Scrin War Factory, this structure produces all of the ground vehicles.
Protect this building, as it won't stand up to much punishment at all.
COST: $2000 TIME: 0:20 ENERGY: 6
Stasis Chamber
This is the infantry tech center, which, in conjunction with a nerve center,
allows you to build Shock Troops. It also unlocks a very handy support power.
Read more about it in the Strategies section.
Provides Support Powers: Stasis Shield
COST: $1200 TIME: 0:12 ENERGY: 8
Gravity Stabilizer
The aircraft production facility is one of the most important structures you
can build. One isn't enough really, three or four pumping out PAC's and
Devastators is the key to victory for the Scrin.
COST: $1000 TIME: 0:10 ENERGY: 7
Technology Assembler
Unlocks the top tier Scrin units. It is once this is built that the Scrin
really begin to shine, as most of the staple Scrin units are available after
this is built. Also, the upgrades here are all very handy to have.
Researcher Upgrades: Shock Trooper Blink Packs, Shock Trooper Plasma Disc
Launchers, Forcefield Generators.
Unlock Upgrades: Reactor Fusion Core
Provides Support Powers: Phase Field
COST: $4000 TIME: 0:40 ENERGY: 10
Growth Accelerator
This is a Scrin unique building. When placed into the center of a tiberium
field, it speeds up the regrowth rate. However, it is a relatively pricey
structure in its own right, so unless it is a field of blue tiberium, or the
game looks like it will be drawn out for a long time, it probably wouldn't be
worth the cost.
COST: $1500 TIME: 0:15 ENERGY: 5
Buzzer Hive
Pieces apart infantry with ease, this is the basic Scrin base defense. Unlike
the Nod Shredder or GDI Sentry Gun, this defense will do literally no damage to
armored units. This defense is basically the equivelant of a group of Buzzer's
garrisoned in a building, so it shares the strengths and weaknesses of the
Buzzer. It is a detector however, so keeping a few around to spot stealth units
is wise.
COST: $600 TIME: 0:06 ENERGY: 7
Photon Cannon
A strong, but not well armored base defense. It deals very good damage to tanks
and moderately good damage against infantry, making it a solidly rounded
defense. The cost can become a problem, and the fact that they are easily
destroyed is a drawback as well. These are good to use, but not good to rely on
as the sole means of defending a base.
COST: $1200 TIME: 0:12 ENERGY: 8
Plasma Missle Battery
This is the Scrin AA battery. It is good at taking out air units, and ranks
somewhere in between Nods SAM and the GDI AA Guns. They are relatively cheap,
so using them in the back of your base and Storm Column's in the front is a
good idea.
COST: $800 TIME: 0:08 ENERGY: 7
Storm Column
The ultimate in base defense. In previous games, the Obelesk was king, but it's
crown has been taken by this alien beauty. While not dealing quite as much
damage as an obelesk, this structure has the capability of attacking both land
and air units, courtesy of the ion storm it creates. It can also target
multiple units, making it ideal for stopping a large attack force. Since it
creates an ion storm, and all Scrin aircraft get a defense boost when in an ion
storm, it is also very effective to park aircraft on top of them to help repel
attacks. This is not the only defensive structure Scrin can use, but it is
certainly the only one they need to use.
COST: $3000 TIME: 0:30 ENERGY: 12
Lighting Spike
Another Support Power that is listed here since technically once deployed it is
a defensive structure. It fires a single shot lightnight bolt, and is a great
way to block of tiberium fields, or simply annoy the enemy. Early in the game,
they are an effective defensive structure, and are always helpful to cover a
retreat as well.
COST: $1000 TIME: Instant Deployment ENERGY: None
2.3 - Abilities
-----------
Rift
Superweapon
This power is activated by building the Rift Generator, and can cause some
serious hurt to an enemy base. Basically the equivelant of the Nuclear Missle
or the Ion Cannon, it deals damage over a short period of time. It takes seven
minutes to recharge, so make sure that you use it when you need it most.
Another important note about superweapons is that while incredibly strong, they
do not automatically mean victory. In fact, the rift will only deliver exactly
half damage to a Con Yard. You need to accompany the Rift with an attack to
hopefully finish them off.
Tiberium Vibration Scan
Intelligence Power
Cost - $500
An excellent way to hunt down the spot where the enemy is weakest: thier
economy. Use this power, then send a few Devastators after each refinery, and
you could grind the enemies tiberium gathering to a standstill. An awesome
power for hunting down cloaked Nod miners as well. All in all a handy power to
use.
The Swarm
Reinforcement Power
Cost - $1000
Handy power for throwing a few units into the fray to handle any infantry that
you might come up against. Remember this power, and you can make the decision
not to build Buzzers, instead using your infantry que to build more powerful
infantry like Shock Troops.
Lightning Spike
Defensive Power
Cost - $1000
Automatically builds a Lightning Spike at the target location. This is covered
in the buildings section, but it can be said that this is a handy early game
support power.
Reconstruction Drones
Utility Power
Cost - $1500
This power, on paper, looks like it could be incredibly useful. It effectively
creates the repair drones that surround your Warp Sphere on any place in the
battlefield. However, it is incredibly expensive for what you get, and most
times in a heated battle, this will be the last thing you think of placing. On
top of all that, they only repair ground units, so air units do not benefit
from them at all. It could be handy, but I believe you will find that 90% of
the time this support power will simply gather dust.
Stasis Shield
Defensive Power
Cost - $1000
This creates an impenetrable shield over the target units or structures,
effectively disabling anything under the shield. While it is listed as a
"Defensive Power," I have instead found this to be one of the most effective
offensive powers the Scrin have. It is great to use on a cluster of powerplants
to send the enemy far into the red as far as power goes, or to use on a group
of refineries, preventing them from gathering any resources for a period of
time. Also, if you are being attacked by a large group, you could disable half
of them instantly with this power and take out the force in two groups, letting
a smaller number of units do more defending.
Phase Field
Defensive Power
Cost - $1500
This is a power much akin to Stasis Shield, with a few important differences.
Though enemies under the Phase Shield cannot attack, they can still move and
are not considered "Disabled." Thus, this power is a much better one to
actually use defensively. However, just like the repair drones, it cannot be
used to target air units. Therefore, this is a good power to use on your
Annihilators if they come under air attack.
Worm Hole
Utility Power
Cost - $2000
An awesome support power that can cut both ways. It can allow you to attack
effectively from any point in the enemy base, making sure that you always hit
the most exposed spot, most times meaning you can bypass defenses completely.
The only drawback to this is that if your attack is not successful, the enemy
could mount a counter attack on you as well. To avoid something bad happening,
send your end of the portal from a heavily defended spot, and put their end of
the portal at thier weakest spot. That gives you the best effect from this
power. Only ground units may pass through this portal, so don't expect to send
your group of PACs into the enemy base the easy way. However, a steady stream
of Annihilators are almost as effective. Also, in team matches, using this
power to send your attack in from the back while your teammate attacks from the
fron will catch your enemy in a deadly pincer attack. The same rule applies
when your ally comes under attack, using this to come to his aid is quick and
effective.
Scrin Mothership
Reinforcement Power
Cost - $5000
Ahh the Mothership. A superweapon that moves at a snails pace accross the map,
wiping out anything it comes into contact with along the way. That is, as long
as it doesn't come into contact with anything that could fire in the air. Even
the weakest of anti-air enemies can send this pricey unit to an untimely death.
Armed with the Catalyst Cannon, if the mothership gets in range, beware.
===================
3.0 - Strategies
-----------
3.1 - General
-----------
For any player, the most important part of any game is the initial build que.
Building a crane, Refinery (or 2), Portal (Barracks), 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.
The trick to the first few minutes of the game is speed. Get the buildings up
fast, and don't waste time. A few wasted second here are like wasted minutes
later in the game. Don't make that mistake. Once you get past that section of
the game, then it is time to move on to al little more defined strategy. There
are, however, some general tips that will help against anyone:
- First and foremost the tip that will, if you only learn one thing from this
guide, help you the most is this: learn from your losses. I once was in a match
with a player who, after I took out his whole base with Disintigrators said
that the tactic was cheap and that the play balance would fix the problems with
these units being overpowered. I suggested quite kindly that instead of blaming
the game for his loss, he should simply build a Sentry Tower at the start of
the game to defend against a possible infantry attack. He replied by saying
that, "Only nOObs build base defenses." At this I just shook my head, and
finished him off. Never be so proud that you cannot learn from your losses!
- Scrin really shines when given time. They have unstoppable late game units
that can steamroller through an enemy base like nothing was there. This means
that any Scrin player will most likely want to get up the tech tree as fast as
they can. If you reach minute 5 in a game without a Technology Assembler, then
you are probably going to slow.
- Scrin units are expensive. This means you need to have a great economy, or
you will fall behind and be overwhelmed by sheer number of units. Is 10 miners
and 5 Extractors too much? Not really. This is about the average number you
should have when playing Scrin.
- Learn to use Annihilators. Annihilators are THE ground unit for the Scrin.
They can hold their own against even Mammoth Tanks, and any smaller tank can be
crushed unter the Annihilators three legs. If you are fighting these smaller
tanks, then use force move to stomp them, and when fighting stronger units,
make sure to tell them to focus their fire, rather then disperse it all over
the field.
- Don't forget Buzzer's. They might be the basic infantry unit, but they are
much more helpful then the basic infantry from the other factions. They are
fast, so make excellent scouts right of the bat, they are hard to click on, so
when they swarm they can make for a clicking nightmare, and they deal sniper
damage, so they will destroy enemy infantry very quickly. They also can join
with Scrin tanks, giving the tanks a defensive boost. The Buzzers will also
form an anti-infantry attack source, meaning that Rocket Militia will no longer
pose a threat to your tanks.
- Learn to use Storm Columns. They are the games best defensive structures, and
also give a boost to your nearby aircraft. Building a Storm Column and parking
a few Devastators above it will form an incredibly effective defense, since the
Column will protect the Devastators from air attack, and the Devastators will
protect the Columns from ground attack. Storm Columns do have a minimum
distance apart they must be placed, so scattering them all over is the most
effective way, since one tower will most likely not completely stop an attack.
- If you want to use the Mothership, use it right. The Mothership is too
expensive to simply send into the fray. It will be the first target that the
enemy takes out, and won't stand up to any beating what-so-ever. Instead of
rushing it in headlong therefore, there is a good way to get the Mothership
there and get it attacking before the enemy knows what hit them. This strategy
involves bringing an Assimilator into the enemy base, capturing a structure,
then having a second Signal Transmitter ready to be placed. Place the Signal
Transmitter first, then run to your base and sell off your initial Transmitter.
Spawn the Mothership, and it will appear at the second Transmitter, right in
the middle of your opponents base. Then, you commence utter destruction.
- Use every type of unit. While GDI and Nod have units that are relatively
well rounded, a la the Mammoth Tank that can effectively take out any type of
unit in the game, the Scrin lack such a unit. The only strong unit that does
have this versatility is the Planetary Assault Carrier, and those are slow to
build and very expensive. In most cases, it is more cost effective to produce
a diverse range of units in an attack, rather than just spam one unit.
Annihilators, Shock Troopers, Devastators, and PACs should all join together
when attacking. You do not need a ton of each of them, you just need to use
some strategy. For instance, with this attack I would send in the Annihilators
slightly ahead of everything else, so they can start taking out AA defenses
and ground units that rush out to meet you. Devastators have a longer range, so
bringing them slightly behind will keep them out harms way and still let them
attack at the edge of the Annihilators vision. The Shock Troopers should stay
near the Devastators to protect them from air units. During this fight, I
would send my PACs straight into the center of the enemy base, using the fire-
fight as cover. When they get to the middle, set them on offensive mode, and
have them activate thier Ion Storm ability. When that happenens, the battle is
more or less over, because the ion storm is the same one that forms when a
miner is destroyed, or is formed over a Storm Column, so if you have six PACs,
having them all use their Ion Storm ability in the center of enemy base is just
like setting up six Storm COlumns in the middle of the enemy base. The
lightning bolts will then proceed to peice apart the whole base bit by bit,
along with whatever other units you have left over from your attack.
3.2 - Rushing
-----------
For the Scrin, rushing can be somewhat difficult. Their basic vehicles are, at
least in my opinion, the weakest of the three factions (NOTE:this is not the
opinion of everyone, I simply defend this position because even though the
Seeker might technically do more damage than the Scorpion, it spreads its shots
all over the target area, instead doing all of its damage in once concentrated
shot), so a basic tank rush is rarely successful. However, its unorthodoxy
works in its favor from time to time. Final judgement: if you feel compelled to
tank rush, try it and see if you like it. It isn't a sure shot at victory like
most people consider the Scorpion or Predator rush to be, but it can be put to
good use from time to time. With their tanks in a "maybe" catagory as far as
rushing potential go, most people tend to rush with Scrin infantry instead. The
most common rush uses Disintigrators. They can wipe out tanks, infantry, and
buildings relatively quickly, and this can be a rather effective rush.
In order to effectively Disintigrator rush, you need alot of them. 4 Portals
churning out an endless loop of them is typical. When you have amassed about
forty it is time to strike. Throw in a few Assimilators, because some buildings
are faster to simply capture than destroy, such as the Con Yard. It takes
longer to destroy a Con Yard with Disintigrators than it does to build an anti-
infantry defense, which will severly hamper your attack. If an anti-infantry
defense does go up, simply turn your attention to it, and take it out before
your losses mount. This is a risky rush, simply since it is so easily countered
with cheap defenses. There are 2 ways to make sure this doesn't happen. The
first is to destroy power plants first. When the Powerplants are destroyed, the
defenses go offline. Don't stop there though! As long as a Power plant is
built, the enemy can still build turrets. However, taking out all of their
power plants will take away their ability to produce anti-infantry turrets,
which will make your attack much more succesful. Just keep the Disintigrators
flowing into their base, and hope that you can overrun it.
I already spoke about rushing with Seekers. It is so unorthodox it just might
work. But generally, this should not be your plan for most games.
Another unit that the Scrin can use to rush, with much better effect than
either of the two previous units is the Shock Trooper. They have high defense,
good damage, and are relatively cheap to produce. They are your most sure-fire
bet if you feel the need to rush with the Scrin. They become available after
building a Nerve Center and Stasis Chamber, so build those as fast as possible.
You should have at least 25 before heading into the enemy base, and make sure
that anti-infantry targets are your first priority, since they are still
classified as infantry units.
Scrin can also rush with air units, although to the skilled player, this will
not be much of a threat. The Stormriders never have to reload, so sometimes
building four of them right off the bat and sending them over to the enemy
base can destroy some key structures before the enemy can produce any AA
defenses. However, cheap units like Rocket Squads or Raider Buggies will take
out the weakly defended Stormriders with relative ease.
The last rushing tactic is a variation on the engineer rush. Scrin Assimilators
are incredibly slow and ponderous, but they do have one awesome ability, they
can cloak themselves when not moving. This increases their survivability by
quite a bit. However, since Scrin has no easily attainable transport unit and
Assimilators are so slow, a Scrin engineer rush will have to utilize another
unit first: the Explorer. Build an explorer, and immediately send this back
around to the back of the enemy base. Look at your field of view that your base
has, and try to place it just outside of their vision. While it constructs,
build 2 Portals, a Buzzer Hive and a Photon Cannon. When the Explorer is
finished setting up, place the 2 portals right at the edge of the build area it
creates, and start pumping out Disintigrators from one and Assimilators from
the other. Then place the defenses as close to the enemy Barracks and War
Factory, respectively, as you can. Then capture all of their building and use
the Disintigrators to destroy any tanks or base defenses that will pop up.
Remember to send them after power plants first (they allow the player to build
anti-infantry defenses). If you get stiff opposition, remember to keep building
base defenses. They won't do it automatically, but you can tell them to fire at
other base defenses and buildings that the enemy might build. Thus, use your
defensive turrets as offensive weapons. It takes a few times to perfect, but
once you do, it will have an immensely high success rate.
I have never seen this used before, but as I was writing this, I mused to
myself how effective it would be to send a few Scrin Harvesters into the base
to set up some ion storms to wreak havoc on thier buildings and production.
This is might be the worst strategy in the world, but it would certainly be fun
to watch.
3.3 - Turtling
-----------
Turtling: the stereotypical "Noob" strategy. However, with the Scrin, turtling
is an especially effective strategy. The main reason anyone would turtle is so
that they can defend thier base against wave after wave of attack all the while
building up an invincible army of super-strong late game units. If you didn't
already notice, this strategy works incredibly well with the Scrin. So, let's
look at how you can tuck yourself inside of that ion storm coated crust of
yours and keep all of those big bad Mammoth Tanks from breaking in.
First of all, if you haven't noticed already, roughly 90% of the people playing
multiplayer on Tiberium Wars will rush. Thus, the turtler needs to be prepared
to stave off this rush, all the while climbing quickly up the tech tree. Early
base defenses, especially for the Scrin, leave much to be desired. The key
to warding off the initial rush is with a mobile defense of units. Most times,
building about 20 Disintigrators, 5 or 10 Buzzers, and a few Seekers and Gun
Walkers will be a cheap and effective way to stop the first attack. Keep the
Seekers and Gun Walkers inside of your base, and only use them if the attack
breaks through. Otherwise, use the Disintigrators to piece apart the tank
assault, with the Buzzers around to keep infantry off of their back. A few
Photon Cannons will help take some of the heat off as well, but don't expect
them to last very long against concentrated fire.
After the first attack, you should have your Technology Assembler up and
running, which means you should start building Storm Columns. Also, the
Assembler will allow you to build Devastators, and you should immediatly que up
a few of those as well. Two or three Devastators per Storm Column and Storm
Columns lining the whole outside of your base is a pretty airtight system.
While you are pumping these out, you should also be working on your Signal
Transmitter. With your other production que, build 2 or 3 more Gravity
Stabilizers, 2 popping out Devastators and 1 or 2 popping out PACs will allow
you to increase the size of your force relatively quickly. If you rely on less
production structures than this, you will simply fall behind as the long build
times stack up on each other.
By this point, you should also have a large number of Harvesters doing what
they do best. As I mentioned before, 10 is an average number for a turtler, and
if you want more, than build 1 Extractor for every 3 Harvesters you employ.
This will make sure you don't have giant lines of miners sitting in your base,
and the money will constantly flow in.
Eventually, as the game drags on more and more, the enemy will throw a massive
attack at you. This is where the Scrin really shine. If you have turtled right,
this will be how you know the moment is right to strike. It takes careful
planning, but the Scrin should never let anyone crack their defense if done
right. So you already have Storm Columns with Devastators parked above them.
You should, by the time the huge attack comes, also have a large group of
Devastators and PACs that are not involved in the base defense. These should be
moved to where the attack is hitting the hardest. The PACs should use their Ion
Storm ability slightly in front of your Storm Columns. This will help your
Storm Columns to last longer, as the attacking force will already by greatly
wounded by the time they reach them. Hotkey your attack force of Devastators,
leaving the ones by the Storm Columns out of this group. Use your hotkeyed
group to take out the strongest enemy units. Remember that Devastators have a
large damage radius, so if they clump their forces, fire at the back of the
clump, that way they will hit all of the units in a line. If you do this
correctly, no attack should be able to break through. They will all be smashed
up attempting to pound through dozens of ion storms, all the while being
pummeled by PAC fighters and Devastator plasma discs.
After this attack is done, it is time to rally all of your units and counter
attack. Use your Devastators to peice apart AA defenses from outside thier
range, and then send in your PACs to set up an ion storm in the middle of their
base. Once that is done, then victory is almost guarenteed. Congratulations,
you have successfully turtled.
You might ask why I have congratulated you, but once you give this strategy
a try, you will find that it isn't as easy as it sounds. I will admit, Scrin is
the faction that lends themselves the best to this strategy, but it will still
take practice to fight off good rushers that will take you out before you can
start cranking out Storm Columns and Devastators.
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 Shock Troopers,
Devastators, Planetary Assault Carriers, Annihilator Tripods, and that a
smattering of Seekers, Gun Walkers, Disintigrators, and Buzzers should
accompany any attack. Basically, with the Scrin, you need to pre-empt what your
opponent is going to do, and counter it, while massing up your end game
assault.
===================
4.0 - Specific Strategies
-----------
4.1 - Scrin vs GDI
-----------
- I don't think it needs to be said, but this is going to be a tough match. Not
an impossible match, but a tough one. There a few different routes to take this
battle, and regardless which one you take, make sure you are the one making the
decision and making your opponent react accordingly. A key unit to remember in
this match will be the Disintigrator. They are cheap to produce, and bring down
the units that GDI will almost certainly use against you: Mammoth and Predator
Tanks. Pumping a good amount out as soon as you can, regarless if you feel
comfortable rushing with them or not, will save you a world of hurt. Most GDI
Predator rushes consist of somewhere around 20 tanks. You will need at least
that many Disintigrators in order to repel the attack, with a few Photon
Cannons thrown in for good measure.
- Rushing this enemy might be a wise decision. As soon as you get your Portal
up, start building Disintigrators. While doing this, build a Stasis Chamber and
Nerve Center, and a few more Portals. By this time, you should have a good
number of Disintigrators, and should start building Shock Troopers. When you
have a sizable force, send them at the enemy. The Disintigrators should go
in first, blowing away tanks and serving as fodder if there are any anti-
infantry defenses. Your Shock Troopers should then destroy the enemy power grid
first, then move around to destroy construction facilites. Make sure to be
building reinforcements while you are attacking, since most likely you will
need more than one wave. If you can take out the enemy before they can build a
Mammoth, then the game will be much easier.
- If you don't feel comfortable rushing, then building Disintigrators to defend
against tanks is still necessary. I can't stress this enough, but getting to
the top of the tech tree first is a must in this round. You need to be
producing PACs when GDI starts making Mammoths, and the PAC has an extra
structure that is required in order to build it. This is because PACs take
longer to build than Mammoths, and so if you do not get started first then you
will fall behind in production. Also, you need to have more production
facilites going at a time than your enemy. Most GDI players I have seen will
upkeep about 3 War Factories building tanks, so having at least 3 or more
Gravity Stabilizers is needed.
- GDI anti-air is pretty pathetic. This plays perfectly into your hand, since
you have the advantage in the air anyway. This means they will most likely use
either a) alot of anti-air, or b) tons of anti-air units (namely Pitbulls and
later in the game, Mammoths). Devastators are the key to taking out Pitbulls,
since they will last a pitifully short time against a large group of
Devastators. If they use alot of Firehawks with anti-air missle load out, you
will have a much tougher time, since Devastators cannot target air units. If
this is the case, then it is time to abandon air units. Yes, you heard me,
you should just abandon air units. Sure PACs can target air units, but even if
you take out 2 Firehawks with each PAC, GDI still has spent less money on
units than you. Instead, just focus on building Annihilators and the other
smattering of ground units, accompanied by Stormriders and a small number of
PACs and Devastators for air support. Basically, you want your attack to be on
the ground, with the aircraft just there to help, and be expendable if they
get destroyed.
-Another good strategy against GDI is to constantly annoy their economy. GDI
units cost an arm and a leg to produce, so destroying every Harvester they send
out can seriously put a damper on any GDI players day. Disintigrators do the
trick for this quite nicely, as they can park themselves on Tiberium fields and
not take damage. Send a few out, if you can take out one or two Harvesters in
the early game, it will give you an incredible advantage.
-Last but certainly not least, let GDI attack. "What?!" you say. GDI can pound
through anything, letting them attack would be suicide. While in most cases
this may be true, if you set up your defense how I recommended in the General
Strategies section, GDI will be sending their units into certain death. You
will sit there and watch as even the largest attack force you could imagine is
sent into a flurry of exploding Mammoths and electrocuted corpses. And then,
when the smoke clears, you will be facing an enemy who most of the times has
no defenses, and no units left in their base. You will roll through them like
a hot knife through butter.
4.2 - Scrin Vs. Nod
-----------
- This is a slightly easier battle than with GDI, as your ground units are more
equal and you retain your advantage in the air. The thing that makes a Nod
player so difficult is that they are incredibly versatile. Most times you will
be attacked in one of two ways, either with an enormous horde of Scorpion Tanks
or with an enormous horde of Shadow Teams. In preperation for these two tactics
you should make sure to build a good number of Disintigrators, and one or two
Buzzer Hives near your Con Yard and Power Plants.
- This is a battle that works in your favor if you can stretch out. If you
repel the first Scorpion tank rush, then you should have your Tech Assembler
down and your Warp Spheres should start producing Annihilator Tripods. Air
units, while effective against Nod structures, will be overwhelmed by Nods many
cheap and effective anti-air forces. They have the best AA defense in the game
in the SAM, they have the cheapest air unit in the game, the Venom, and they
have the two ground units that will turn all of your aircraft into a burning
wreck, the Assualt Bike and the Stealth Tank. Basically, if you are going to
use air in this match, you are going to have to protect it.
-Fortunately, in this match Annihilator Tripods will be the strongest unit on
the ground. Use this to your advantage. They can crush any of Nods tanks, so
anything but their grossly underpowered Avatar will be no threat AT ALL to the
Tripod. Their Obelisks will put the hurt down on you pretty bad, but are
expensive and rarely built by human players. You shouldn't have any trouble at
all steamrollering a Nod player.
- Watch your Harvesters. If the Nod player is any good, he will never give you
a moments rest to build up your forces. He will rush right off the bat, and
keep attacks coming at any weak spot you have until he wears you down. The
most commonly exploited weak spot for a Scrin player are thier Harvesters. Keep
a Stormrider circling each Tiberium field, and have a hotkeyed group of a few
Seekers and a few Tripods ready at all times to hunt down Stealth Tanks or
Assault Bikes send to destroy Harvesters. An once of prevention in this case
is much worth the cost, since you do not want to find yourself short on cash
in any match.
-Beyond that, you have an advantage in this map, so make sure you press it and
not let Nod get the upper hand production wise. Remember the General Strategies
and use them on this battle, and be prepared for the suprises that Nod will
undoubtably throw at you.
4.3 - Scrin Vs. Scrin
-----------
-Well, this is a hard battle to say the least. If you decide to play this game
out, it will be a matter of pure skill, since it will all be a matter of who
moves faster to build up PACs and Devastators. Superweapons are also effective
in this match up.
- In my opinion, rushing is the best course of action in this match up. You
won't have to worry about any suprises, since the units that the enemy will use
to counter your rush will at worst be identical to yours. A Seeker Tank,
Disintigrator, Shock Trooper or Explorer rush would all work equally as well.
This will prevent the late game stalemate that will most likely occur as each
of you attempt to pummell each other into submission with the same units.
-Planetary Assault Carriers (PAC's), if you let this game proceed past the
first 10 minutes or so, will eventually become a problem. Unfortunately,
despite the great air units the Scrin have, none are actually that effective
at destroying other air targets. Other than the PAC, or course. These will
become a real problem, especially if they have more PACs than you do. Really,
the only effective anti-air unit the Scrin have is the Seeker Tank. Use some
Buzzers to explore the enemy base; if they are building up masses of PACs, then
building a constant stream of your own PACs on top of a mass of Seeker's will
help tip the balance into your favor. Upgraded Shock Troopers can also deal
decent damage against air targets, but they are killed easily by Devastators,
so building them is less effective in the late game when the enemy attack is
likely to consist of both units.
- Annihilator Tripods are another threat not to forget(I swear that will be the
only ryhme in this guide, but I just couldnt resist in this case). They deal
massive damage, and are good against groups as well as single targets. However,
their main weakness is that they cannot attack air units. Thus, a PAC will take
them out quite nicely. Any air unit, in fact, will destroy a group of these
units unescorted. Unfortunately, if the Scrin player is any good (or has read
this guide) they will know to always ground attack with a mixed group of Scrin