<< Back
Cybran Air
Tech 1
Air Scout: Flying Eyes
The Air Scout is one of the most of useful units available to you. It allows you to quickly and easily see a large portion of the terrain below, including enemy units and buildings regardless if they are under a stealth field generator or not. Built a radar? Don't know what those gray dots are? Use an air scout to pass over these areas to find out what your enemy is really up to.
One tactic I commonly see players use is to set aside one air factory that just continually produces scouts, which has a rally point that passes over the enemy base. In addition to be incredibly distracting, this tactic allows you to constantly see what your opponent is building, and be ready when your opponent decides to attack. Building scouts is quick and efficient, costing -0.86 mass and only -42 power.
Interceptor: Prowler
The Interceptor is another popular air unit. With a cost of only -1 mass and -60 power, it is simple to churn them out in large numbers, providing an effective, mobile air defense. Interceptors are good for taking out any air unit - bombers, air transports, scouts, and gunships. Many players usually make dozens of interceptors as a large number of them still provides a decent air defense even at T3. The Interceptor is the most useful unit in defending against the Aeon Mercy.
Attack Bomber: Zeus
The Cybran Attack Bomber uses bomb clusters that blanket a target. This unit is rarely used in multiplayer games, and should be avoided. However, I have seen it have some practical uses in early mass extractor harassment and mass fabricator farm destruction.
Light Air Transport: Skyhook
The Light Air Transport has two practical uses. The first is to drop engineers in appropriate locations to create additional outposts. The light air transport may not carry your ACU. The other use to create what the community has dubbed a ghetto gunship.
In order to create a ghetto gunship, create up to six light assault bots and load them into the transport. Then, use the transport to ferry these units around, patrolling near enemy structures. The bots inside the transport will shoot as if they were on the ground. This tactic is particularly useful if your enemy has no T1 interceptors. Ghetto gunships can withstand a beating from a small number of T1 mobile anti-air, but die relatively quickly to interceptors. When attacking a target, make sure to use the patrol command since it will lower itself to the ground if it stops moving. It's good practice to have at least 3 ghetto gunships when trying to kill an enemy ACU.
Tech 2
Torpedo Bomber: Cormorant
The Torpedo Bomber is used to take out enemy naval units. Much like the other bombers, it is slow and dies quickly to anti-aircraft fire from Cruisers and Interceptors. In fact, torpedo bombers are also easily killed by standard AA guns from destroyers, frigates, and attack boats. If the enemy has taken the sea with a superior number of submarines, using torpedo bombers is one way to fight back.
Bomber: Corsair
The Corsair T2 Bomber is a stronger version of the T1 bomber. It uses a missile launcher that opens fire far from the actual target. This is best for taking out structures such as T2 anti-air flak, allowing it to drop its payload before it is destroyed. T2 bombers are best classified as one-time-use units since it dies easily to interceptors or any other AA. One problem with the Corsair is that its missiles usually miss their intended target. In general, T2 bombers are not commonly used.
Gunship: Renegade
The Cybran Gunship is the best T2 gunship. It has rocket packs that do great splash damage to their targets. Unlike the Aeon and UEF gunships, which can miss their targets, the Renegade can't be dodged. Renegades, however, are easily countered if prepared against. T2 Anti-Air Flak, Interceptors, and T3 SAM Launchers rip them to shreds. Like the other gunships, the renegade has trouble piercing shields, so it's best to use them on open targets.
Air Transport: Dragon Fly
The Cybran T2 air transport is useful for ferrying T2 or T3 units over large distances. The Cybran transport can carry 4 T2 units or 2 siege bots/sCUs. In addition, the T2 transport has anti-aircraft guns as well as a gun that shoots at targets on the ground. The T2 Transport can also transport your ACU, but be cautious since if killed mid-flight, the ACU will be destroyed along with the transport.
Tech 3
Spy Plane: Spook
Spy planes are the next step up from t1 scouts. Although rarely used since multiple T1 scouts are cheaper and can do the job better, the spy plane is fast and can see much of the enemy base before it is shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The Cybran Spook is also able to cloak itself from enemy radar. However, since this is a T3 unit, you opponent most likely will have a T3 omni sensor up, rendering stealth useless.
Air Superiority Fighter: Gemini
The Air Superiority Fighter is the next step up from the T1 interceptor. It is incredibly quick and does a significant amount of damage to enemy aircraft. Air Superiority Fighters can take on a squadron of T1 interceptors that is much larger in numbers. They are the also helpful in defending against flying experimental units such as the Aeon CZAR and the Cybran Soul Ripper.
Strategic Bomber: Revenant
The Strategic Bomber is used to do massive damage to a single target. Since the bombs home in, it is irrelevant whether the unit is stationary or not. Good targets for the strategic bomber include any land experimental, sCUs, and, of course, the enemy ACU. Strategic bombers are very effective against Cybran sCUs with the self-repair upgrade. It takes one strategic bomb to temporarily disable a T3 shield. It takes 2 strategic bombs to kill a Cybran or Aeon ACU and 3 strategic bombs to kill a UEF ACU.
Experimental
Experimental Gunship: Soul Ripper
The Soul Ripper is one of the quicker experimentals being able to fly across terrain. It is incredibly durable and can withstand a harsh beating from multiple SAM Launchers. Its rockets do a large amount of damage, which splashes on adjacent targets. Air superiority fighters and T3 SAM Launchers are the best way to defend against the Soul Ripper. Its best to scout and see it coming so it can be somewhat damaged when it finally reaches the front gates of your base. If you're Aeon, Mercies are the most cost-effective method of obliterating Soul Rippers.