Siege: Apocalypse is a unique combination of deck-building, PvP strategy, and military simulation, with battles taking place on authentic maps and featuring real-world weapons, unit types, and battlefield maneuvers.
If that makes it sound daunting, don’t worry. Despite its genre-straddling nature and gritty presentation, Siege: Apocalypse is a surprisingly accessible game that you’ll be able to pick up in no time.
Various members of the Gamezebo team with varying levels of experience in these genres tried out the game for instance – and nobody was left flailing on the battlefield.
So suit up and get ready – this beginner’s guide will take you through the basics and equip you with a few essential tips in the process.
The Basics
The core gameplay loop works like this: before each battle you can equip for different unit types in the Troops menu. These include basic infantry, rocket launchers, flame throwers, tanks, snipers, shotgun troops, and so on.
In addition to your Troops menu there’s a Tactics menu. You can take eight tactical ops into battle, including machine gun nest, firebomb, strafing run, ammo drop, artillery barrage, paratroopers, and howitzer, among others.
Each of these Troops and Tactics is represented by a card with a level, rarity, and a variety of other stats like area damage, vehicle damage, health, spawn count, move speed, etc.
That’s the setup. Now let’s head into battle.
Starting A Battle
Battles take place on a vertically scrolling battlefield, with your base at the bottom and your opponent’s at the top.
During battles you can deploy Troops and Tactics by simply tapping on their cards. Your Troop cards are arrayed across the bottom of the screen in fixed places, and above them sit three random Tactics cards, which are replaced with different Tactics cards whenever you use them.
To deploy cards you need to use Supply, which regenerates over time. It’s basically your energy. Different Troops and Tactics require different amounts of resource, with powerful units like tanks using up five bars and infantry using up one. Likewise, landmines take three while barbed wire takes just one.
That means you need to constantly weigh the benefits of getting weak Troops and Tactics down quickly or powerful ones slowly.
How you start a battle is key, and we found various strategies to be effective depending on what you’re facing. One tactic that can be effective is spamming rocket launcher troops only for example, but another is using your supplies towards riflemen – supporting full infantry advances with Firebomb Tactics.
As every battle unfolds you advance up the screen you’ll occupy buildings along the way, and once you’ve made it all the way to the top victory is yours, after which it’s back to the main menu to claim your rewards.
After each battle, and at various other points, you’ll get chests containing random selections of Troops, Tactics, and currency cards. You use these to upgrade your Troops and Tactics and to craft, improving your chances of winning the next battle.
We found it was best to upgrade every element of our war machine fairly equally, so as not to be caught out by whatever we faced next.
How to Dominate
Every player starts with the same core deck in Siege: Apocalypse, consisting of the same assortment of riflemen, tanks, rocket launcher Troops, and so on.
As touched upon above we found it essential to level them all up rather than concentrating on a particular unit or tactic that has been effective in the early battles. You’re going to encounter every possible condition and opponent over time, so you need to be prepared.
In particular, make sure your light infantry and heavy armor get the same amount of attention. A balanced force is the key to victory, as any weakness (no matter how small) can be severely capitalised on – especially later on in the game.
A good defence is the best offence in Siege: Apocalypse, since the only way to sustain an advance is to occupy and defend strongholds, which in turn increases your tactical options and brings you closer to your enemy’s main base.
That’s why you need a balance of infantry and armor. Your tanks are good at pushing forward, while your infantry are essential for holding defensive positions.
Tactics Cards
The same goes for Tactics cards. Firebombs and artillery bombardments are always fun, but you also need machine gun nests and barbed wire to hold the line.
You’ll come across an enormous variety of tactics and approaches in Siege: Apocalypse – as many as there are players, in fact – but maintaining a balanced deck will stand you in good stead in all situations.
And so will keeping a close eye on your Supply levels. In particular, you should ensure that your Supply never goes over ten, since the excess will go to waste. Keep deploying those Troops and Tactics to get the most out of your resources.
Finally, doing your homework always helps. You should review your units’ stats so that you understand exactly how they can help you in battle.
And don’t forget to select your Ops before heading into combat. These can give you the boost you need in a tight contest.
Click here to download Siege: Apocalypse on Android or iOS to put these tips to the test – let us know how you get on! The game has many official social pages to check out as well -namely Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.