Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is an RTS game that requires precise micro-management and fine tuning of your ships. Every little detail is important, as the game is full of deep mechanics that could fit into a whole book.
This beginner’s guide will give you a general sense of what to expect from various types of situations and how to prepare yourself for all the upcoming missions. You will be able to understand the basic rules of engagement and take your own path in the game from there on.
Choose your faction wisely
As of now, there are four factions in the game and there will be more in the future. So, which one do you choose? Many new players are struggling with this question, so here are a few tips on how to make the right choice.
Imperial Navy
This faction suits new players the best, as all of its elements are quite well-balanced. Here are a few things that make Imperial Navy perfect to start the game with:
- It has many really good ships to choose from with decent armor and speed.
- All ships are quite maneuverable, which allows them to quickly dodge torpedoes and other types of missiles.
- You can make Imperial ships even faster by investing points into the Ahead Full ability.
Chaos
This faction is mostly composed of Imperial traitors, so playing as Chaos can be a bit tricky at times. Here are a few main differences you need to be aware of:
- Chaos ships are mostly designed for long-range combat since most of them don’t have a very good armor.
- Due to lack of proper defense mechanisms, Chaos ships are faster than the Imperial boats and have better weaponry.
- Chaos is tightly connected with Imperial Navy, so it has almost the same set of abilities as the Imperial fleet.
Ork Pirates
As the title suggests this faction consists of space pirates that have some very cool-looking ships that are also quite heavy. Here are the main traits of the Ork fleet:
- Ork fleet is extremely well equipped that allows you to adjust each ship to your own particular playstyle.
- All Ork ships carry lots of weapons, but are also very heavy and have low maneuverability.
- Pirates are not the most reliable soldiers, so when your ship is heavily damaged they usually flee it and you can lose your crew.
Eldar Corsairs
This is a unique faction with a whole new ideology of tactics and strategy so it is not recommended for new players. This is what you should know about it:
- Instead of usual armor Eldar ships use holofields that get stronger the faster ship moves.
- Eldar fleet has probably the most dangerous weapon in the entire game – Prow Pulsar, a high-energy laser impulse weapon.
- The proper Eldar fleet management requires a lot of knowledge of the ins and outs of their trademark hit-and-run tactics.
Upgrade your ships properly
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is all about warships that you have to keep in good shape, upgrade and repair them whenever needed. You can read more about ships in this guide.
Below are some of the most important tricks you should know about the management of ships in the game.
Make your ships more resilient
Every ship takes certain damage in combat, which is indicated by the Hull Integrity gauge on your screen.
If the ship’s integrity goes down to 15%, it means that you have to get it out of the battle immediately for a repair. Any damage beyond that point is deadly.
In order to prevent your ships going below that point you need to upgrade your Hull Reinforcement points. This will protect your ships from taking more damage and will make them last longer.
Keep your troops ready
Enemies can attack you in different ways, one of them is known as Assault Action – when they deploy troops to take control over your ship. You can prevent this by setting up your own resistance team against such assaults.
In order to do this you need to upgrade the ship’s Generator Security Team points.
Learn to identify your enemy
Attackers have an ability to conceal their ships and then attack when your convoy passes by. Every ship has scanners on board that constantly scan the radius around the ship for unknown objects. However, concealed ships won’t be detected in this way.
So, take note of the Improved Augur Array ability and invest some of your points into it. It will dramatically increase an ability of your ships to detect any hidden threats.
Don’t underestimate turrets
Turrets play an important role in your ship’s defense mechanism. They not only support other ships in your convoy, but also take out opponent’s torpedoes and constitute your ship’s hull integrity.
So, it would be smart to add extra turrets whenever you consider possible.
What you should know about weapons
The variety of weapons in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is astonishing. The management of weapons requires precision and deliberate testing. One wrong move with your weapon and your whole game can be lost. Here’s what you should know:
Accuracy Rating is very important
Some ships have macro-weapons that can deal long-range damage, but the farther the target is the less accurate the shot will be. That’s why it’s crucial to check the Accuracy Rating before every long-range shot.
However, such weapons like Lance Turrets always have 100% Accuracy Rating, so they will never miss the target no matter how far it is.
Each faction has its own Accuracy Rating stats on weapons. You can find the complete breakdown of Accuracy stats in this spreadsheet.
Weapons and upgrades that ignore armor
Some ships in the game have excellent armor, such as Dauntless of the Imperial Navy, so it’s trickier to damage them. Even powerful Macro Cannons have only 50% chance of dealing damage to this Imperial Cruiser.
What you want in such cases is weapons with Armor Piercing trait, such as Lance Turrets. These types of weapons have the highest chance of breaking through the thickest armor.
Another weapon upgrade called Armor Piercing Ammunition can boost armor piercing effect even further and deal damage on a much longer range.
Torpedoes and their inconsistencies
You can also just use Torpedo Launchers that have a great chance of piercing through armor. However, these weapons are extremely volatile when it comes to dealing damage.
Most experienced players are well aware of the threat of torpedoes, and they put every effort to dodge the missiles. So, if you are an attacker, your mission will get complicated.
It’s quite easy to maneuver the ship off from the torpedo’s trajectory. If the ship is heavy, then usually they just send a group of interceptors and deal with the missiles anyway.
Additional tips and tricks
- Torpedoes should be launched only when you are absolutely sure that you will hit an enemy. If any of your own ships are on the way, the torpedoes might damage them, too.
- Regularly check the overheating gauge. If one of your ships explodes, get all the others away from it as quickly as possible, otherwise it will damage them.
- Avoid stacking a lot of ships in the same spot. Use only small squadrons and keep enough distance between them.
The game has a great system of hints that pop-up every time something happens, so take time and read through all of them – you will learn a lot, which this game requires, if you want to succeed.
What do you think about Battlefleet Gothic: Armada? How would you compare it to other space RTS games? Share your opinions in the comments section.
