After EA relinquished control of the Command and Conquer franchise, we were in dire need of a successor. Enter Tempest Rising, which stands out as the best option available right now. It captures the essence of the classics while infusing fresh elements to keep the gameplay engaging.
The game doesn’t exactly hold your hand, and it can feel overwhelming when trying to defend your base or keep your units from being annihilated within moments. To get you started and ready to take on the Tempest Dynasty or the GDF, here are some beginner tips for navigating Tempest Rising.
PvP Presents Its Own Challenges
You can invest a lot of time into the Campaign or Skirmish modes, and they serve as useful training tools. However, nothing can compare to the challenges of the online community and the PvP multiplayer mode. It’s an entirely different experience.
A key tip is to work on your speed. Quickness is crucial, especially at the start of a match. Make sure you have your hotkeys set up and frequently check your defenses. The maps are quite compact, each faction demands careful micromanagement, and the rounds are fast-paced. So, think quickly and build even faster.
Keep an Eye on Tempest Fields
They Will Regrow
It may not be obvious, but you can go through credits remarkably fast, especially if your opponent is pressuring you hard. Your Tempest fields can dry up quickly, but abandoning them is a significant misstep.
Tempest fields will regenerate over time after being fully harvested. They grow in three phases—one minute after full harvest, another at four minutes, and the last at around six minutes. They can be harvested for increasing amounts during each phase. Keep an eye on those crops; they’re more resilient than you think.
Remember that Tempest Fields can only be harvested when a large Tempest Pod or a Crevice is present within the area.
Create a Turret Stockpile
Your Quick Fix for Defenses
Turrets are invaluable in Tempest Rising. Both factions feature their heavy hitters, but it’s always a smart move to have a wall of turrets on standby. Aim to always have some turrets built and ready to deploy.
Playing as the GDF allows you to construct multiple turrets in quick succession. This is crucial for building up a rapid defense. Ideally, have turrets on standby for emergencies when your defenses are about to crumble or when you notice a weak point.
Turrets can also be used offensively. For instance, drop a beacon while playing as the GDF, then construct turrets around it. The turrets even occupy their own build space, allowing you to extend your defenses gradually.
Use Power Plants to Overdrive for Short Bursts
Hit That Big Red Button!
If you’re keen on hitting the ground running as the Tempest Dynasty, take advantage of their Power Plants’ Overdrive ability. This not only boosts your power momentarily but also enhances productivity for nearby buildings. You can activate this by selecting their Distribution Mode.
Combine this with a Machine Shop to quickly produce Harvesters or churn out a large army of tanks or vehicles. While using Overdrive does damage to the buildings, you can easily repair them or select a Doctrine that minimizes the damage.
The boost effect can stack twice, so pairing up buildings with at least two Power Plants each is beneficial.
Don’t Forget About Doctrines
Major Enhancements for Your Army
Doctrines are essential in Singleplayer, especially for tackling tougher missions. They also shine in multiplayer. Here, you can purchase them with credits; however, they come with cooldowns and escalating costs as you progress up the unlock tree.
They serve as excellent means to boost your army or improve your initial setup. For instance, the Tempest Dynasty’s Planned Economics Doctrine offers a passive income for every Plan you have, allowing for quick cash flow. The GDF also has Intel boosters that remain active for the duration of the match and can be sold later, so don’t hesitate to experiment as they’re incredibly useful.
Explore the various synergistic Doctrines that can significantly elevate your playstyle and enhance your army’s effectiveness.
Always Capture a Garage
Free Repairing? Yes, Please!
This is more of a multiplayer tip, but as you maneuver your troops, keep an eye out for buildings like the Garage that can be captured by an Engineer or Technician.
The Garage is particularly useful because it repairs all vehicles within a certain range. When you park your tanks nearby, it acts as a free heal for your forces out on the field, extending their durability during battles.
Garages are ideal stopping points, particularly in larger maps, as it can take a while to return your armor to safety. The Tempest Dynasty has a Salvage Van for this, but having the Garage is beneficial if you’re with the GDF or short on a van.
Utilize Hills and Chokepoints
It’s All About Location
The maps in Tempest Rising are well-designed, providing a variety of engaging battles. Initially, you might overlook the importance of positioning, but it’s crucial, especially with high ground advantage.
Units and buildings stationed on elevated terrain can see farther than those below. This is advantageous for artillery units or turret gun lines, giving them superior range against incoming threats. Chokepoints also work well, especially for the Tempest Dynasty. The game’s mechanics allow for splash damage from explosions, which can take out numerous units clustered together. Utilize the terrain to your benefit.
Grouping Isn’t Always the Best Tactic
To Rush, or Not to Rush
In an RTS like Tempest Rising, it’s tempting to send a massive group of units to confront your opponent. However, pathfinding issues often leave units stuck, causing your offensive to be delayed or cut short.
If this frequently happens, try adjusting the Unit Behavior settings in the menu. You can choose between two options—one keeps all units moving at the same speed, while the other allows faster units to advance ahead of the slower ones.
This is especially useful for keeping nimble units like Scouts away from the frontlines, reducing premature losses significantly.
Tanks Are Effective Meat Grinders
Just a Minor Offense
One feature that RTS enthusiasts appreciate is the ability to roll over enemy infantry with tanks. Given the frequently clunky pathfinding, being able to crush units blocking your tanks can be a tactical game-changer.
This method can also swiftly eliminate infantry adept at targeting your tanks. Given that infantry often clump together, running over them can lead to substantial casualties, as any infantry touched by a tank usually goes down.
Keep in mind that this capability applies solely to tanks and heavy vehicles; light or medium vehicles will get stuck and be susceptible to fire.
Understand How to Counter Your Opponents
Every Unit Has a Weakness
In Tempest Rising, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and get your forces decimated. It can appear as though your units are fragile while your enemies are nearly invincible, but you might just be overlooking a crucial detail. Every unit, building, and vehicle has specific counters and resistances.
Resistances vary but apply to different types of damage. You can check the weaknesses of any unit or building by selecting it and reviewing the stats in the description. This is a valuable method to determine which units you should produce to deal with incoming threats or to dismantle an enemy base quickly.
Utilize the Build Queue Tabs
Maximize Your Build Efficiency
Finally, if you’re not utilizing multiple tabs in your build queue, you’re reducing your own effectiveness. Multiple build lines allow you to flood the battlefield with a specific type of unit or to create a diverse fighting force in just a few minutes.
Getting started with these additional tabs is simple: just construct another building of the same type. For vehicles, build an additional Machine Shop or Vehicle Bay; for infantry, construct more Barracks, and do likewise for aircraft. This straightforward tip will ensure a smoother start to your missions or multiplayer encounters.
