Air Strategy Guide

Understanding the Air Role

Welcome, aspiring air commanders, to Beyond All Reason, a real-time strategy game where control of the skies can determine the outcome of battles. This guide focuses on the Air role, a pivotal position that can provide critical scouting, defense against raids, and devastating attacks. As an air player, you hold one of the most important roles on your team. Without air support, your team is vulnerable to enemy air dominance. Your primary responsibilities include scouting, catching raids, defending against air raids, and killing with air units. Air units are energy-intensive, requiring a robust economy to sustain production. This guide provides a framework to balance resource management with air dominance.

Resource Opening

• Faction Choice: Opt for Core as the strongest air faction due to access to the Shuriken, a T1 stun aircraft effective against raids. Arm offers the T2 Stiletto for late-game raid control, but Core excels early.
• Metal Extractors (Maxes): Begin by queuing 3 Metal Extractors to secure metal income on key deposits.
• Energy Setup: Build 2 Solar Collectors initially to bank energy for the third Metal Extractor, as air units demand high energy costs.
• Bot Lab First: Start with a Bot Lab for flexibility. This allows production of ground units like Grunts or Lazarus for early defense or reclaiming resources (e.g., rocks or trees on maps like Supreme Strait) before transitioning to air.

Initial Builds

• Construction Units: Queue 3 Construction Bots from the Bot Lab. Assign the first to build a Metal Extractor and a Nano Turret (positioned to cover starting Maxes for future T2 upgrades). The second and third bots focus on Wind Turbines at the back of the map, within range of a Construction Turret for build speed.
• Commander Role: Use your Commander to build Wind Turbines continuously, topping off energy reserves. Assist with the Construction Turret if energy is abundant.
• Transition to Air: Reclaim the Bot Lab around 3 minutes if metal stalls (or keep it for additional Grunts/Lazarus if needed) and build an Aircraft Plant. Ensure Energy Storage is in place to support production.

Early Air Production

• Energy Focus: Maintain a high volume of Wind Turbines (aim for a 5:1 ratio with Energy Converters) to support air unit costs. Keep the energy slider high to prevent shutdowns during wind drops.
• First Air Units: Queue 10 Fighters (e.g., Falcons for Core) as an insurance policy against enemy bombing runs or light gunships. This protects your backline from early air threats.
• Delay T2 Yourself: Avoid building your own T2 lab early (3200 metal for Advanced Aircraft Plant). Instead, buy a T2 Constructor Bot (e.g., Hercules) from a teching ally around 7 minutes to upgrade to Advanced Metal Extractors (Amaxes) for increased metal income (2.4 to 9.5 per extractor).

Scaling Economy & Air Unit Roles

• Energy Converters: Build Energy Converters to turn excess energy into metal, crucial for sustaining air production. Monitor wind levels (e.g., 16/16 is ideal) to avoid energy shortages.
• Nano Turrets: Add more Nano Turrets to boost build power, especially when scaling to T2 or handling multiple Amaxes.
• Reclaim for Resources: Use Lazarus units to reclaim map resources or early structures like the Bot Lab if metal is tight, ensuring a smooth transition to air focus.
• T1 Fighters: Start with T1 Fighters (e.g., Arm T1 Fighter is strong pound-for-pound for metal cost) for early air defense and scouting.
• Shurikens (Core): Produce Shurikens, light paralyzer drones, to stop ground raids. Keep them on "Fly" mode (not "Land") for instant response, using fight commands to paralyze enemies without needing to kill them.
• Bombers & T2 Fighters: Build Bombers for offensive runs against enemy backlines, targeting Metal Extractors or production facilities. Transition to T2 Nighthawks, the best fighters in the game, for superior air control and stealth capabilities against enemy defenses like Mercury.

Fighter Wall Setup & Bombing Run Techniques

• Defensive Wall: Create a "Fighter Wall" by setting a patrol route near your base frontline with an Advanced Aircraft Plant. Put Nighthawks (or T1 Fighters if early) on repeat production to form a protective barrier against bombing runs.
• Countering Critical Mass: Beware of enemy fighter walls or concentrated air pushes. If outnumbered, use radar intel to pull your fighters back or flank to target vulnerable Bombers behind their wall, disrupting their critical mass advantage.
• Fight Commands: Always issue "Fight" commands (F key + left-click, shows purple glow) instead of "Move" commands during dogfights to ensure your fighters engage enemies effectively.
• Spread Damage: Avoid overkilling single targets with Bombers. Use the attack command (A key + hold right-click) to drag a line across multiple targets (e.g., 3 Metal Extractors), spreading bombs for wider coverage.
• Target Selection & Sequential Runs: Scout enemy bases with units like Blinks to identify production buildings or high-value targets. Focus bombing runs on less defended areas (e.g., plateaus or caves with limited line of sight) for maximum impact. During a run, target one area, wait for bombs to drop, then shift to the next target. Stack Bombers together for potency rather than spreading them out, ensuring concentrated damage.

Late-Game Air Dominance

• T2 Aircraft Plant: After securing 4+ Amaxes, reclaim the T1 Aircraft Plant and build a T2 Advanced Aircraft Plant (3200 metal) for access to advanced units like Nighthawks or Stiletto (Arm T2 stun aircraft for late-game raid control).
• Combined Attacks: Coordinate air with ground assaults to split enemy defenses. Use Bombers to neutralize static defenses like Light Laser Turrets while ground units push.
• Anti-Air Awareness: If the enemy lacks anti-air (e.g., Obelisks or Mercury), exploit this with relentless bombing runs to cripple their backline, potentially winning the game within 10 minutes.

Essential Tips

• Framework First: Follow the basic build order—start with Bot Lab for flexibility, transition to Aircraft Plant by 3 minutes, and prioritize energy with Wind Turbines (5:1 ratio with Converters).
• Fulfill Four Roles: Focus on scouting (Blinks), catching raids (Shurikens), defending air threats (Fighters), and killing with air (Bombers or gunships).
• Energy is King: Air units are energy-intensive; maintain a surplus with Wind Turbines and Solar Collectors, adapting to map wind conditions.
• Tactical Precision: Use fighter walls for defense, spread bombing damage with drag commands, and counter enemy air with fight commands and flanking.
• Scale Smart: Buy T2 from allies (~7 minutes) for Amaxes before building your own T2 lab (~12 minutes or after 4 Amaxes) to sustain metal for advanced air units.

Strategic Insights

Mastering the air role in Beyond All Reason offers a game-changing advantage, allowing you to scout, defend, and destroy with unmatched versatility. By adhering to this framework—building a robust energy economy with Wind Turbines, establishing early air presence with Fighters and Shurikens, and scaling to devastating T2 units like Nighthawks—you can dominate the skies and secure victory for your team. Practice these tactics, adapt to enemy strategies, and soar to success as an air commander in Beyond All Reason!