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The most expensive unit in the game, Carriers provide both support for friendly air units, as well as area denial from enemy air units.

Usage[]

As its name implies, the Carrier is capable of loading and transporting up to any two air units on deck. Air units loaded on the carrier will have their fuel and ammo completely refilled at the start of next turn. If a Stealth is hidden when it lands on a Carrier, it will remain hidden when taking off, allowing for a relatively safe spot for a Stealth to refuel in combat.

As with any unit capable of transporting, if a Carrier is sunk, any aircraft on board are immediately destroyed as well. Extreme care must be taken with Carriers, as losing a loaded Carrier is an extremely expensive loss.

Outside of transporting air units, the Carrier also functions as an indirect combat unit, capable of dealing high damage to enemy air units. The amount of damage a Carrier can do is on par with that of Missiles, but with a much larger range, making it a much higher threat to air units.

Unfortunately, due to its very high cost, Carriers are hard to deploy effectively without hindering your economy significantly, and are thus rarely seen units.

Fighting Against[]

Despite being very powerful against air units, the Carrier's high minimum range can still leave them vulnerable to attack from Bombers, as the Bomber's 7 movement is just enough to allow it to travel from outside the Carrier range to within its minimum range, letting it close the gap without ever putting itself at risk. B-Copters and Stealths cannot do this, but Carriers are much more expensive than B-Copters and cannot attack Stealths when they are hidden, making them generally ineffective as counters.

Carriers are also naturally vulnerable to all land- and sea-based units, particularly indirect combat units. Artillery, Rockets, Subs, and Battleships all deal high damage to Carriers if they can get in range with no fear of retaliation, and even if traded against will still usually come out on top in a value war due to the Carrier's immense cost.

If your opponent builds a Carrier, it is best to immediately capitalize on it and focus on other areas of the map your opponent may be neglecting, as a Carrier is an enormous investment in most situations. Unless it is restricting travel of your air units or is playing a key role in keeping enemy Stealths refueled, Carriers are generally safe targets to ignore.

Due to their cost, however, they may prove effective in giving your CO Power Bar a quick boost if you can damage them somewhat. This is only recommended to do if you can sustain a power from your opponent, however, as damaging enemy Carriers will fill their power bar extremely quickly, and at a faster rate than your own Power Bar.

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