Starship Troopers: Terran Command Federation Units Guide
This guide will discuss the strengths and weaknesses for each unit in Starship Troopers Terran Command. This guide is designed to be comprehensive and useful for Federation units.
Battle Tier 1
Be aware: This guide is for extreme difficulty. If you are patient and have enough time, you can make most units function on lower difficulty levels.
Battle Tier 1 is comprised of your most basic units. Although it is a mixed bag overall, each unit below (except for the tactical officer and snipers) provides a valuable service that is unique or superior to its counterparts.
RIFLETROOPERSRifle Troopers are the backbone of your army for many different missions in Starship Troopers : Terran Command. These troopers can kill Warrior bugs and suppress enemy advances. They also serve as a meat shield to your more destructive forces.
Rifle Troopers shouldn’t be spammed alone, except for early missions. It is important to mix and match Rifle Troopers with Rocket Troopers and MK 2 Troopers in order to combat the many bug types that will be encountered on the battlefield. They are extremely useful for all missions, despite their ineffective sounding abilities. Their ability to absorb damage from close range and slow down advance with their elite shotgun ability and rapid fire rate make them very useful. They are actually quite useful, contrary to popular belief.
Notoutclassed By E-Pulse Troopers. They are more valuable than E-Pulse Troopers because of their greater suppression and range. This makes them much more versatile and useful when combined with other units. E-Pulse troopers don’t have this value. I find their Big Boom elite ability to kill is less useful than any other.
My experience shows that rifle troopers can be used in a 1:1 mix with MK2 Troopers. A radio operator or fleet liaison is also helpful for replenishment. Rifle troopers will slow down enemy advance, making them easy targets for MK 2 Troopers’ grenades. These grenades can prove to be inaccurate. Although a mix of rocket troopers and a tactical officer may add firepower, it is usually not necessary when dealing with large numbers of heavy bugs such as Scorpions or Tankers. It is a versatile unit that is well worth the benefits it provides on the battlefield.
COMBAT ENGINEERSCombat Engineers can be quite anemic in combat situations. However, they can provide effective suppression against warrior / tiger insects so that your more destructive units have more time to get rid of them before they reach range. The flame grenade can be deployed in tight places to make it difficult for bugs to get around or stop you completely on cramped maps. These are great for Trooper Squads.
Combat Engineers can build turrets. Rocket Turrets, Grenade Turrets, and Grenade Turrets can be of limited use. I beat them with brutal difficulty but never used either. HMG turrets have a suppression effect that allows for the destruction of warrior hordes. HMG turrets can be used to protect your forward positions, provided that no heavy bugs are attacking the area.
Because they aren’t useful enough, I only train Combat Engineers temporarily on most missions to build and dismantle turrets. Two exceptions apply. This is due to the fact that there are many underground maps where you can spawn or acquire Combat Engineers. These situations are where you want to place your Engineers at the front so they can slow down advance and use their flamegrenade to great advantage. The blue flame ability, which is very potent in clearing out large numbers of enemies within tight spaces, can be obtained if you are lucky enough to find a veteran engineer. The second elite ability is useless. Engineers can repair Marauders in the final game. This is an extremely valuable utility that we will talk more about when we discuss Marauders.
The Radio Operator is essential for leading large infantry assaults. His ability to summon reinforcements is exceptional and will in many cases earn Vet 3. Although his close air support skills are lacking, his broadcast abilities are great in a pinch. It increases the fire rate for all troopers within a medium radius.
This guy should be attached to your infantry pushes in almost all situations. For maximum effect, keep him behind the front lines and use a brood / bug nest to farm vet 3.
SNIPERSnipers are, to my mind, the most dangerous unit in the game. Their damage output is borderline infuriating and they are only useful against spitter bug, which aren’t particularly dangerous and can be easily dealt with by other forces. Two niche uses exist for them: Their long line of sight is difficult to exploit, and their vet3 sensor flare ability allows for vision on high ground that you cannot see for very long periods of time. Because it is easily destroyed, it is not useful as a distraction tool. Avoid taking a crippling shot. I have found that it does not work on targets that I would like damaged/stunned, and sometimes does nothing.
Unfortunately, these guys are not worth keeping around or training. They are only used when absolutely necessary. Keep them in your backline and use them to light a flare if you have vision problems.
TACTICAL OPERATOR There’s not much to say about tactical officers. Although they can be trained for the whole game, they are very useful in underground missions. These aren’t too bad, and they can be a great investment in your gunline if you have spare supplies. Both Aggressive Tactics (elite capability) and Designate Target (elite ability), are solid in different situations. The former is especially useful in killzone scenarios because it increases the AOE damage where it is targeted. If you have something really beefy, such as a marauder that takes hits in your frontline, Defensive Tactics might be helpful.
The bottom line is that if you have the supply, there’s no reason to not get this guy. It doesn’t matter if you can’t or don’t have the money. You can have him sit behind your troopers, and passively fire stuff, while he uses abilities that are off-cooldown.
Battle Tier 2
Battle Tier 2 is made up of your bread-and butter damage-dealers. These units are extremely good at dealing damage, but they are not strong at close range. They are best kept further back to maximize their potential.
ROCKET TROOPERSRocket troopers are a powerful unit in the Federation’s arsenal. They are your most reliable and dangerous source of armor-piercing, especially useful against Scorpions or Tanker bugs. Their abilities are not only valuable but also very useful. High-Explosive warhead can be used against unarmored and armored bugs in clumps. Canister Warhead can be used against drones and spitters, as well as against swarms or warriors. Firestorm Warhead is similar to engineer’s incendiary bomb. It blocks approaching bugs, but has a higher AOE and wider reach.
Your anti-armor detachments’ core will be formed by Rocket Troopers. These troopers are easy to misuse because they don’t require a clear line-of-sight. There are two downsides to these troopers: First, they fire automatically at the nearest target, so you will need to micro-hit the larger and more dangerous bugs in their back. They are extremely soft. If you aren’t paying attention or bad positioning your Rocket Troopers can be torn apart by circling hopper bug.
Rocket Troopers can be part of almost any attack composition. Rocket Troopers are powerful and versatile. Their armor-piercing abilities make them a great choice for any attacking composition. It is possible to eliminate bugs by placing 3-5 troops in your battle line, supported by MK2 Troopers or Rifle Troopers. These troops can be used against any enemy, but they are most effective against Warriors, Tigers, and Hoppers. You should ensure that they have plenty of crowd control.
TROOPERSMKII Troopers are an efficient unit whose primary purpose it to hunt insects with medium armor. They are particularly effective against Tigers, Scorpion bugs and others with a large number of grenades. Although they may appear to be a direct upgrade for your Rifle Troopers they will require the rifles suppressive effect in order to increase their accuracy. They don’t tend to lead their grenades sufficiently to land hits. Although their ripper grenade abilities are great in a pinch, they will also shred your troops if they get too close to the cone of fire. It is best to use it when your MK II team is in danger of being overwhelmed or involved in melee. If you are facing hopper swarms, their airburst-grenade ability can be a great help.
MK II Troopers must be aware that they have a maximum range within which they can’t use their grenade launchers. Your MK IIs will be destroyed if bugs make it within this range. Mixing these troopers with Rifle Troopers and Rocket Troopers is the best way to use them. This combination is very powerful and can handle almost all threats.
Battle Tier 3
Battle Tier 3 is the lowest tier for what it can offer your army. Each unit introduced to the player has a specific role or is not well-suited for that job. A mixed army will perform better than an army made up of many units.
E–PULSE TROOPERSE–Pulse Troopers excel on normal difficulty. They bring very little to the table on Brutal Difficulty that MK II Troopers and Rifle Troopers or Rocket Troopers don’t already offer. E-Pulse troopers are basically a master of all trades. While they are not very effective against specific types of units, they are also not weak against all types. Their real weakness is in the team environment. The Federation will ask the E-Pulse Officers if they’re doing their part. They always respond no.
Their low range and limited line of sight make them poor team players. They also have situational capabilities that are very useful only up close. Although their default Rifle Overcharge is the best of their abilities, the overheating renders them unable to fight back and limits its effectiveness. Mixed combat formations are dominated by Rifle Troopers, and E-Pulse troopers simply outclass them.
Spamming E-Pulse Troopers is the best option if you have to use them. A Rocket Trooper backupline and an E-Pulse frontline are useful tools that will serve you well, even in Brutal Difficulty. Despite the fact that you may lack mid- and long-range firepower, it is possible to persevere. For elite abilities, I prefer battery flashbang to provide crowd control and close proximity. It’s not worth the effort if you are having fog-of war troubles.
FLEETLIAISONOkay. The Fleet Liaison is not an a
badunit necessarily. It might look good at first glance. It is one supply cheaper than the Radio Operator, has a similar function, and even has airstrike capabilities!
It comes down to this: The Fleet Liaison has only one model. This is a serious weakness. The Liaison cannot “repair” any damage she takes, which means that she can easily become squishy and die in multiple encounters. This is combined with the fact she has a short range so her use of the attack move command can often lead to her charging past the frontline and getting a few shots with her pistol. Her elite abilities are quite poor, with orbital bombardment being more dangerous than airstrike. The Marines discussed this a little further down.
If you wish, you can choose the Radio Operator team over the Fleet Liaison. However, I believe the radio operator team is the better of the two. The support center is more valuable (giving you access engineers as well) and you can get more out of the 2 war support that you might need to build one or the other. You can always build a power plant to reach Battle Tier 4 and then play with E-Pulse Troopers.
Radio Operators and Fleet Liaisons are two possible combinations I haven’t tried. This combination could be fun for anyone who is interested. It would allow you to use the Fleet Liaison’s airstrike capability to greater effect without losing the ability call for reinforcements provided by Radio Operators.
MARINESMarines may be called in through the Fleet Liaison after she has reached Veteran 3. While Marines are fun to use, they aren’t a very good unit. Their trick is to shoot through friendly forces. This allows you to be braindead but does not justify the heavy 5 supply cost. It’s worth it, however, to have a little fun. Pro Tip: If you kill all the drones in the brood nest, then sit down with the Fleet Liaison and shoot the nest for a while. She’ll be able to farm Vet 3 safely.
Battle Tier 4
THE MARAUDERBattle Tier 4: The Marauder Tier. This is a discussion about the Marauder Chasis in general, then I’ll discuss the three variants that you can recruit.
Marauder units are primarily known for their extreme durability. It is by far the most tanky unit you can deploy on the battlefield. Even the most feared marauder can be used to protect your meat from all bugs, except scorpion bugs. The Marauder is also completely immune to plasma bug attacks.
Marauders are equipped with a heavy cross Morita weapon. Although it’s useful, it does little damage and is only good for massed use. It can be used to suppress one target.
All Marauders have the same elite abilities at veteran 3. You can ignore the proximity charges. However, the Mortar Strike is useful if you have multiple marauders. It’s a great way to supplement your mechs with situational long-range strike abilities.
Combat Engineers can repair marauders even while they are in combat. This can reduce downtime and help you get out of sticky situations.
Marauders can also shoot through friendly units and have them shoot through them. They also provide line of sight up to one level above their own elevation. They are extremely versatile and valuable in any formation. Rocket Troopers will protect them from Scorpion bugs and reward you for it.
M-11 FLAMETHROWER The Flamethrower Marauder has been lauded as the best weapon for close-range combat. This is not true. Although its flamethrower can be extremely destructive, it is limited in its ability to fire in short bursts and must be recharged. Its utility is severely limited and it has to rely on its primary attribute of tanking damage.
The Flamethrower Marauder is the weakest of all three. Although it can be used when you have nothing else, I recommend the Flamethrower Marauder. It’s not worth it.
If you would like a much more respectable flamethrower marauder, I would highly recommend editing your weapons.csv file found in Steam\steamapps\common\Starship Troopers – Terran Command\Starship Troopers_Data\StreamingAssets\Data. Excel can be used to open the document and set the M11_Flamethrower delay value to 0.15. This makes the flamethrower work without delay, making them a viable alternative to combat engineer flamethrowers.
M-11 MARUDER (GATLING GUNS) The Gatling Gun Marauder can be effective against nearly all targets. It cannot target Hoppers, Tankers and Scorpion bugs. It can also provide a steady stream suppressive fire that is helpful in any formation. A walker that provides a similar amount suppressive firepower as 1-2 rifle squads. I love to spam these babies with 3-5 rocket troopers, 1-3 combat engineers and other late-game tactics that are effective against all but Hoppers.
Gatling Gun Marauder’s durability and decent damage output make it an excellent tool for powerful armies. You can use it in frontlines, provided you address its weaknesses. It is also very forgiving of mistakes because of its durability.
M-11 MOTOR MARAUDER (HOWITZER The Howitzer Marauder uses a slow-firing armor-piercing howitzer in order to deal with some of the more armored bugs. This variant can deal with both Royal Guard and Scorpion bugs, although it is still ineffective against Tankers. It can still be defeated by two or more, but it trades poorly against Scorpions.
If you plan to only use marauders (for fun), the Howitzer Marauder will be your best option as it provides reliable armor-piercing damage. It is an acceptable addition to any battlegroup. However, Gatling Gun Marauders are better suited for this role. It is a good pick but not the best. It trades rocket troopers’ extreme damage for decent damage and insane durability (Rocket Troopers do the anti-armor function better).
Battle Tier 5
Battle Tier 5 is made up of one unit, the Power Suit Troopers. They can equip heavy machineguns and back-mounted rocket launchers permanently once they reach veteran 3. Power Suit Troopers will be discussed first, followed by each variant.
POWERED SUIT TROOPERSPower Suit Troopers make an extremely powerful trooper squad. They can deal with all types of bugs they encounter on the field using rapid-fire rifles. They can handle most bug types if they are micro-positioned and micro-managed correctly. However, the general version that you recruit before veteran 3 does not have much effect against heavier bugs such as Scorpions and Tankers.
They are not only durable and can do more damage than standard troopers, but they also have a faster pace. These soldiers are great for lightning attacks and can kite enemies to take them down. Power Suit Troopers can take on any task, and they are able to work well both with other units and by themselves. Because of their micro capabilities, they are a unit that can be used by more skilled players.
POWERED SSUIT TROOPERS(SAW)Power Suit Trollers equipped with the Morita MK III “Saw” are extremely adept at dealing damage to all types of bugs without heavy armor. Although this version of the Powered Suit Troopers works slightly slower than the default, it is essentially an upgrade in all other capacities. To combat the Tiger bugs and other warrior hordes, you should equip at least one unit with Power Suit Troopers. You can still use them as the default version.
POWERED SUIT TROOPERS These Power Suit Troopers are equipped with a Twin Rocket pack that is moderately effective against heavier bugs. Although this upgrade does not make them Rocket Troopers in terms damage output, it’s a great addition that can be very useful in almost all situations. This upgrade has one major drawback. It requires that the unit be in line of sight of its rockets and that it is not surrounded by friends. This makes it less than fantastic.
You should use only powered suit troopers if you intend to deal with Scorpions and Tankers. SAW troopers with rocket troopers together would make a better choice in a mixed force, if I’m honest. They are a solid unit but not as effective as rocket troopers.
POWERED SUPIT TROOPERS ENG Finally, Engineer Powered Suit Troopers put on a welding attachment to make them both combat engineers and powered suit troopers. This upgrade is purely for entertainment as it is my least favorite of the three. These units can only be used to babysit Marauders. This is possible if you have enough war support and supply. If you don’t have the funds, consider upgrading to one of the two above.
Effective battlegroups
You will find some very powerful battlegroups that you can use to squash the bugs at the end of this guide. There will be some more fun ones as well, but all the groups are at least decent.
BULLETS GRENADES This was my bread-and-butter formation during the majority of the game’s brutal difficulty.
2-3 Rifle Troopers
2-3 MK II Troopers
1 Radio Operator (Or fleet liaison)
Optional: 2-5 rocket troopers, 1 officer.
My Bullets and Grenades battlegroup has been extremely effective against all types of bugs. The Rifle Troopers keep enemy moving slowly and keep them pinned down, while the MK II Troopers grenade them at a distance. Radio Operators replace battlefield casualties.
This battlegroup can be very micro-intensive and highly dependent on position. Your men will be shredded if the enemy gets close enough if you don’t use rocket troopers. You can get time by using the shotgun capability of your rifle troopers if you are being overran.
FIREWORKS An effective formation that is less demanding and more accommodating to casual or less experienced commanders.
3-5 E Pulse Troopers
3-5 Rocket Troopers
1 Radio Operator (or fleet liaison)
Optionally, 1 Tactical Officer
Fireworks formations are effective against all types of bugs and require less micromanagement. The biggest weakness of the E-Pulse troopers is their short range, which can make it vulnerable to Grenadier and Spitter bugs. The spitters are your biggest weakness, as they are outside of your fire range and rocket troopers can’t do a good job of dealing with them.
A very powerful formation that can also be used in the final missions of the game. It is effective against all types of bugs, except hoppers. This formation is only vulnerable to hoppers. You can send 1-2 combat engineers to sub out for powered suit troopers or rifle troopers. Veteran 3 MK II troopers are equipped with airburst and grenades, which should be able to make quick work of the hoppers.
3-6 M-11 Marauders (Gatling Gun)
5-6 Rocket Troopers
3 Combat Engineers or 3 powered suit troopers equipped with the engineer upgrade
The M-11 Marauders are at the front. They use their gatling guns and shield your rocket troopers to suppress any approaching forces. Since enemies target only those closest to them, they will target your marauders and not your rocket troopers. After clearing the initial hives, I was able create the formation and was able clear the final mission without losing one marauder or trooper. You only need to manage the marauders with friendly units.
ARMORED FIST This formation is very powerful and only consists of power suit trooper veteran. Therefore, some farming is required. It can be used against all types of bugs, but micro is necessary because these units cannot shoot through each other.
2 Powered Suit Troopers
4 Powered Suit Troopers for Rocket
Rocket Troopers are able to focus on big bugs while the SAW Troopers can clear out large numbers of them. You can pull yourself out of any sticky situation thanks to your speed. You should reinforce as necessary. However, having a Fleet Liaison or Radio Operator tag is not advisable since they are unable to keep up with the speed of Powered Suit Troopers.
Conclusion
I am grateful that you took the time to read my guide. Please let me know your thoughts down below, and if there are any suggestions, criticisms, or comments. Do you have a favorite battlegroup? If you have a battlegroup that you love to use, please share it with me.
