The battle in Age of Wonders Planetfall Age of Wonders Planetfall guide, tips
Last update: 26 August 2019
In Age of Wonders: Planetfall, ordering the units to attack is only a first step - the battle has to play out and be won with least amount of losses possible. You can make use of auto-combat, however, this chapter is dedicated to manual combat. Below you'll be acquainted with a course of a typical battle, along with tips that will facilitate it.
Order of actions
In Age of Wonders: Planetfall, units don't have Initiative or Speed points as they did in, for example, the Heroes of Might & Magic series. In here, the defender has the initiative, as the defending army (or armies) begins the encounter and performs the first move.
Performing actions is based on a classic turn-based system, similar to the one encountered in e.g. XCOM series. Only units of one side (attackers or defenders) can move in a given turn, and each unit has one move. The traversed distance depends on the amount of Move Points - the higher the value, the more distance can the unit cover.
However, the amount of move points does not block the unit from performing an attack, using an ability, et cetera. The amount of possible actions depends on the movement bar divided into 3 segments - each unit begins the turn with a full movement bar (3 segments) - movement or activating abilities deplete the bar (the amount of segments decreases) This affects the possibility of performing certain actions.
- Some attacks or special abilities require full movement bar (Full Action) - they empty the whole movement bar, and to activate them, the unit cannot move from a position that it has taken at the beginning.
- Some attacks are classified as Repeating - this means that the unit does not require a full movement bar, you can activate them in any moment, but the movement bar will be depleted if you e.g. fire a few shots in a row.
- A large portion of actions is classified as Single Action - you can activate them at any moment (provided the unit has at least one available segment) and its activation does not complete the unit movement for this turn but uses only a single segment (around 1/3 of the movement bar) This type of actions can be used up to three times during a single turn.
In Age of Wonders: Planetfall, there are also actions that do not cost even a single movement segment - this group contains abilities or attacks that are offered by items or modifications used by the given unit.
Terrain obstacles and flanking
Similarly to the aforementioned XCOM series, in Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the units can utilize terrain obstacles. These allow you to hide the unit behind a wall, rock, or even a larger unit, to receive partial cover. This makes it more difficult for the opponent to hit you. If a unit hides behind a full cover (e.g. behind a high barrier or wall) it loses its ability to attack enemy units found on the other side, but at the same time, the enemy units won't be able to hit them.
However, keep in mind that covers only protect you from one side. This simply means that the unit may be protected from attacks from one side - if an enemy approaches the unit from an unguarded side or back, it will be able to attack the unit as if the cover isn't there. Moreover, if an attacked unit is sideways or has its back turned to the enemy, it will receive 20% of additional damage. Units that are in Guard Mode are immune to flanking.
How to fight to win?
Most of the clashes can easily be made easier by joining the battle with a few additional armies to outnumber the enemy. This, however, is not always applicable, so it is recommended to know what to do and what to avoid in order to win and mitigate losses.
Below we present a few tips that you can use during battles, namely:
- Begin the battle by exploring the battle area. Find opportune locations (a large number of obstacles to be used as cover, narrow pathways obstructing the enemy force, a high ground protecting your marksmen, etc). Knowing the battlefield is a must in any strategy, this also applies to Age of Wonders: Planetfall.
- Use obstacles as cover for your units. This will greatly reduce the chance of taking damage from enemy units. Think twice about sending a unit to an open area - there's a good chance that during the next turn the opponent will just focus on it and destroy it.
- Flank enemy units and destroy terrain obstacles. Even if the enemy places his units behind a good cover, you can still deal damage to them. This can be done by flanking - attacking them from a side or from behind. This will allow you to nullify the cover, and deal 20% of additional damage. If attacking from the flank is not possible, use abilities (grenades, rocket launchers, another area of effect abilities) to destroy the cover and make the enemy vulnerable to further attacks.
- Protect your units from flanking. During a flank attack, aside from depriving you of your cover, you will also receive 20% of additional damage. You can protect your units from flanking by changing their positions before the end of a turn (pointing them in a different direction) or using Guard Mode that makes the unit immune to flanking.
- Do not place your units too close to each other. Many units have special attacks or abilities that deal area of effect damage. If you place your units too close to each other, it may turn out that a single attack will deal damage to a few units at once. 2-3 fields between units is typically a distance that will protect them from the area of effect abilities.
- Plan your attacks beforehand. It all depends on the situation on the battlefield, as well as the situation of the clashing armies. It is always a good idea to get rid of an enemy unit that deals damage from a distance but is vulnerable to attacks. It is also recommended to choose targets based on the situation on the battlefield - if your units are good at ranged combat, but terrible at melee combat, start by eliminating units that fight in melee range.