Battlezone: Combat Commander – VSR: Build Orders

A collection of the vet strat community’s favorite and uncommon build orders.

Standard Build Orders

These are the standard build orders for all races in VSR. They are generally applicable with and against all team sizes, races, and maps. All vet strat players should at least be aware of these build orders and strive to understand them.

As with all build orders, you are free to deviate from them as you wish. I have included one common deviation for each build order here.

ISDF Standard

• Upgrade (60)
• 1st Power (30)
• Factory (55)
• Armory (60)
• Bay (50)
• 2nd Power (30)
• Relay / Tech (50 / 80) **

Relay / Tech

These can be built in either order. The ultimate goal of these two buildings is to unlock Blast Tanks. However, be aware that each maintain their own advantages. Building Relay first lets you drop snipers, which is especially important if you’re behind the other team.

Building Tech first is preferable if you have the opportunity because the comfort of it may not come later. In short, the key factor in this decision is whether you are behind (build Relay) or ahead (build Tech).

Chain / Laser Scouts

Armory unlocks Chain, and Bay unlocks Laser. Once unlocked you pretty much have to drop these for your empties. You can go a step further by building modded fulls, such as Laser+Shad+VIR. What really determines which weapons you drop are based on your short term plan as a team.

Blast Tanks

The primary tech goal for ISDF is building Blast Tanks, unlocked at the end of this build order. Blast Tanks are considered the most versatile of all the “tanks” in the game – they have high range Blast, high damage Chain, damage boosting mortars, and a range of useful specials.

Scion Standard

• Upgrade (60)
• Spire (75) **
• Kiln (60)
• Forge (60)
• Dower (50)
• Antenna (60)
• Overseer (80)
• Stronghold (60)

Spire

Spires are a significant investment that may not return their cost, and as a result are sometimes skipped. While they are the strongest “gun tower” in the game, they’re still gun towers. Usually they are built when the opponent team is aggressive. Spires are stronger against bigger teams and on smaller maps, however the primary factor here is who you’re playing against.

Gauss Sentries

Forge and Dower unlock Gauss and Stasis, which you can put on a modded Sentry. They’re the fastest vehicle in the game, easy to hover with, and drop Seeker, but they are effectively limited to dogfighting and controlling the field. They can complement your Plasma Scouts nicely until you reach…

Arc Empties / Warriors

These are the turning point in the current Scion meta. Arc is the most powerful weapon in the game, turning your empties into actual cancer for your opponent. When paired with Blink (requires Stronghold and all other buildings) on Warriors, they become the best ship in the game. Arc has long range and deals higher damage to everything.

Hadean Standard

• Upgrade (60)
• 1st Battery (30)
• Xenomator (55)
• Eyes (60)
• Arsenal (60)
• Mega (80)
• 2nd Battery (30)
• Believers / Repair (60 / 50) **

Believers / Repair

Like Tech/Relay, these can be built in either order. Believers unlocks Fireball, which is considered the default late Xares cannon. Repair unlocks Hedoux (with Dragon), which is considered the default assault vehicle. The key factor here is whether you’re in a dogfight-heavy game or have the opportunity to end (build Repair), or are playing more long-term (build Believers).

Xares Variants

There are three (technically four) Xares variants. As with other Hadean vehicles, the acronyms after the unit names represent their default weapons (e.g. FS is Fireball/Slicer). You can’t mod vehicles as Hadean. Usually you drop weapons (particularly Dragon) for all Xares variants except FS.

Common Elements

Upgrade

You’ll notice that the first building you “build” in all of these build orders is upgrading your base pool. There are two reasons for this: the obvious one is to get scrap faster, and the misunderstood one is to build empties, scavs, and pods easier. Scrap generates from the bottom, so by investing into your Upgrade earlier, you can maximize the early cost of building it because you’ll often be using your “red scrap”.

You should try to build empties and scavs when “in the red”. This is because these ships cost 20 scrap and take 10 seconds to build – the same rate as upgraded pools. This essentially reduces their cost to a matter of time. The same goes for pods.

ISDF Build Orders

For all of these build orders, Upgrades and Powers are omitted.

“Stock Tank”

Game Sizes: Smaller

Opponent Races: All

Map Sizes: Smaller

• Factory (55)
• Relay (50)
• Stock Tank (55)

Purpose: Stock Tanks have a lot of ammo and deal huge damage per second (for the early game), so they can sweep the entire field in one or two moves, or demolish the opponent base in one hit. They are susceptible to hovering and weak in dogfighting.

“Laser + Ass Tank”

Game Sizes: Smaller

Opponent Races: All

Map Sizes: Smaller

• Factory
• Bay
• Laser+TAG+Prox Scout
• Relay
• Plasma Ass Tank

Purpose: If you already have field control and are competent in dogfighting, you can do this to try ending the game quickly. The Ass Tank should go straight to the opponent base. They may have virtually no response to your Ass Tank’s range AS LONG AS you cover it. This falls apart in the event your opponent is able to build something that can counter you (full Scout, Lancer/Warrior, Xares).

“Mort Scout”

Game Sizes: All

Opponent Races: ISDF and Hadean

Map Sizes: All

• Mini+TAG+Prox Scout

Purpose: If you lose field control at the start of the game or need a fast dogfighting boost, you can build a “Mort Scout”. It’s a pretty costly ship at this point, especially if built before upgrade, but can bring you back into the game as a dogfighting ship. It can also be used as a desperate counter to weapons. This strategy can be done against Scion, but I advise against it since Scions already have weak dogfighting reducing the return of this.

“Pulse+Laser Tank”

Game Sizes: All

Opponent Races: Scion

Map Sizes: All

• Factory
• Bay (and optionally Arm)
• Relay
• Pulse+Laser+Mortar+Prox Tank

Purpose: This was once a more standard build order against Scions and remains powerful against them. Given the extensive scrap/time needed to put into this build, ISDF and Hadean opponents may likely have weapons or can build a Xares to counter this. Scions can respond with a couple units as well but are less likely to do so. This Tank is especially strong against Scion Scouts and maintain the ability to kill pools or even their base.

Scion Build Orders

For all of these build orders, Upgrades are omitted.

Quill Warrior

Game Sizes: Smaller

Enemy Races: ISDF and Scion

Map Sizes: All

• Kiln
• Forge
• Dower
• Quill+Gauss+Prox/Seeker+Stasis

Purpose: Quill Warriors pack the strongest punch of all early game units. They are more easily hovered down by Scouts and Sentries, and are high risk of being killed by Pulse Tanks and Xares. Because Xares is immediately available and cheap to build I don’t recommend this against Hadean.

Multi-Lock Lancer

Game Sizes: Bigger

Enemy Races: All, especially Scion

Map Sizes: All

• Kiln
• Antenna
• Multi+Prox+Deflection

Purpose: Multilock Lancers have long range. They are hard countered by VIR but great against all other vehicles. They are more of a support unit for Scouts or Sentries.

Hadean Build Orders

For all of these build orders, Powers and Upgrades are omitted.

• Early Hedoux
• Zeus WRM
• Locust Spam