Units roles, types, and tiers in Age of Wonders Planetfall Age of Wonders Planetfall guide, tips
Last update: 09 August 2019
In Age of Wonders: Plantefall, all available units are assigned to specific roles and types, which determine which special abilities they can access, their behavior in combat, and vulnerabilities. In addition, each of them is assigned to a Tier. In this section, you will learn all the roles and types of units available in the game, as well as what affects their level.
Roles of units
Currently, every unit in the game can be assigned to one out of the five roles. They are:
- Core - this group includes the basic units available for this faction from the beginning, they don't require special buildings nor technologies. These units always belong to Tier I.
- Colonizer - this group includes Colonizer vehicles available for a given faction. They are used to create new colonies. Their only function is colonization - they aren't suitable for fighting and have no special abilities.
- Skirmisher - units belonging to this group specialize in dealing damage. Their main goal is the fastest and most effective elimination of enemy units. If they are equipped with special abilities, they will help these units to damage enemies - they usually don't have support skills. Usually, these are Tier II units.
- Specialist - units from this group specialize in supporting their allies by healing and strengthening them. They can also be a hindrance to the enemies by inflicting negative effects. They are rather effective in battles, but their main role is support - they won't survive a direct fight with units from the category described above. Usually, these are Tier II or III units.
- Elite - the last group includes the most technologically advanced units which, as a rule, are unmatched on a battlefield. They can both deal damage and support allies by weaken enemies or performing both roles at the same time. Usually, these are Tier III or IV units.
Unit types
In addition to roles, each of the units belongs to one of several types, such as:
- Biological - the biggest group in the game. There is nothing special about them.
- Mechanical- mechanical units that are resistant to Psionic Damage but prone to Arc Damage.
- Cyborg - a mix of biological and mechanical units. Units of this type are highly resistant to negative status but can be affected by both mechanical and biological statuses.
- Mineral - silicon-based life forms that are resistant to Arc and Thermal damage and, at the same time, vulnerable to Biochemical Damage. Invulnerable to damage over time effects.
- Plant - plant units, resistant to Arc Damage and sensitive to Thermal Damage.
- Mindless - units devoid of reason. Invulnerable to Psionic Effects and morale changes.
- Ethereal - these units don't have a full physical form. Resistant to Kinetic, Biochemical and Arc damage. Invulnerable to non-psionic effects.
Tiers
The last characteristic that describes the units is their level Tier. A unit's tier can vary between I to IV. As a rule, the higher the tier, the stronger that unit will be. Moreover, high-tier units have a higher resistance to negative status, but their recruiting and maintenance costs are greater.
Note - remember that a unit's tier is predetermined. It can't be increased in any way.