Your choice of leaders plays an important role in your overall strategy. While all leaders can be used offensively and defensively, some leaders offer special Powers or unique units that complement specific tactics.
Over the course of a match, the experience you gain from construction, production, research, and combat is converted into Leader Points; use these Points to purchase and upgrade your chosen leader’s available Powers.
Every leader offers a mix of passive Powers and active Powers. Passive Leader Powers grant permanent bonuses as soon as they’re purchased; active Leader Powers (which range from temporary bonuses to direct-damage attacks) can be activated at a time of your choosing. Activating a Leader Power generally requires a significant amount of resources, and it always triggers a lengthy cooldown period. As such, it’s not only important to choose the Leader Powers that best support your strategy—you must choose the right moments to use them.
Assembling an effective army takes careful planning. Each unit in the game brings strengths and weaknesses to the battle—every unit type has both a purpose and a counter. There’s no winning formula. All you can do is produce units that support your preferred strategy, see how your opponent reacts, and make whatever adjustments might give you the advantage the next time your forces meet on the field. That being said, there are a few unit-related basics to keep in mind:
In general, units tend to follow a rock-paper-scissors (RPS) hierarchy, but this assumes that the units involved represent a similar resource investment. A low-cost infantry squad facing an expensive gunship receives bonuses to damage and defense, but that isn’t nearly enough to result in victory. Designated counter-units are designed to overwhelm the very targets that would otherwise place them at a disadvantage, and bonuses from research and veterancy can turn what seems like a certain victory to a crippling loss. Pay attention to each and every firefight—you can discern a lot from the way small-scale encounters unfold.
- Level 3 veterancy increases a unit’s damage output by 35 percent and decreases the damage received by 26 percent. Of course, you’re bound to lose units no matter how well you manage them, but keeping key units alive long enough to gain veterancy can make a big difference over the course of a match.
- Take full advantage of your four available control groups. Whether you favor diverse squadrons or designated specialists, utilizing control groups is the quickest and most convenient way to issue commands to key units.
- The speed at which a group moves is determined by its slowest member. To make up a lot of ground in a hurry, drop your slower units out of the pack and allow them to catch up.
- Each faction offers units and abilities that simply aren’t available to the other. A Multiplayer alliance between a UNSC leader and a Banished leader presents a variety of tactical options.
No matter what type of force you plan to assemble, there are some useful upgrades that have significant effects on your entire army. UNSC leaders can research these upgrades in the Armory; Banished leaders will find them in the War Council.
Global Army Upgrades
| Icon | Name | Description | Tech Level |  Requirements |  Requirements |  Requirements | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Advanced Logistics I | Increases unit build speed by 15%. | 1 | — | — | 500 | 25s |
 |
Advanced Logistics II | Increases unit build speed by 30%.Requires Advanced Logistics I. | 2 | — | — | 700 | 30s |
 |
Advanced Logistics III | Increases unit build speed by 45%.Requires Advanced Logistics II. | 3 | — | — | 900 | 30s |
 |
Reinforcements I | Increases maximum Population by 20. | 2 | — | — | 750 | 30s |
 |
Reinforcements II | Increases maximum Population by an additional 20. Requires Reinforcements I. | 3 | — | — | 1250 | 35s |