WAR FACTORY GUIDE: Everything you need to know.

Thought you knew everything about War Factories? Think again. Even if you’re a PRO it’s good to have this information in mind. Some people know how valuable these structures are that they rush their infantry at the beginning of the game to destroy the opponent’s first War Factory. If you manage to do this, it’s pretty much game over if he hasn’t killed yours in the process. It’s the single building that can provide a win or a loss for you.

War factories have 1000 hit points and light armor. It cost 2000 credits to make so they can be built at maximum speed when you have 14 Construction Yards. They cost 30 power each to maintain. The technology level must be at 3 so they can be built. Don't forget to repair structures that have been damaged!

Now for some tactics

This is considering you have unlimited ore: Spamming War factories is one of the most overpowered tactics in the game. They are considered to be the most determinant structure of the game, this means that it's usually the player with the most War Factories that wins the game. Why? Because the more you have the faster you can make tanks. Ok, but there's a limit? Yeah there is, that is if you're playing as the Allied forces. They only need 6 war factories and that's it. Soviets need more than 6, they need as many as they can get because Soviet units are slower than Allied units. Mammoth tanks require 12 War Factories to make at maximum speed anyways.

War factories should be kept free in the front so that other units are not being blocked when they come out. You might think that you are making tanks but sometimes because you are somewhere else on the map your tanks get stuck. Check often to unblock them, actually if you're a PRO you are probably using hotkeys anyways. If you're not, then check often.

It's always better to have 2 War Factories instead of one if you're playing on a standard map. 2 War Factories drastically increase Tank production, if your opponent decides to make 2 and you decide to save money by building one, you'll be at a disadvantage.

Likewise, it’s a good idea to reduce your opponent’s War Factories down to 1 so he makes tanks at a very slow speed.

War Factory Predators

A single heavy tank can destroy a War Factory in 22 shots. So 4 Heavy tanks can destroy a War Factory with 6 shots each or 5 tanks with 5 shots each. Tanks don’t suffer attack reductions when they are weakened.

It takes 7 MIGs to destroy a War Factory. Sometimes you might wonder why your planes didn't destroy them. If you click the War Factory in the center when the enemy is making a unit, your MIGs might target the unit inside the War Factory instead. Sometimes the MIGs chase it to the outside of the War Factory so 7 MIGs dropped the payload on a unit outside instead of the Factory itself. To avoid this, try clicking the War Factory by the corners and not in the exact middle.

One Tesla Coil does 30% damage to a War Factory so you need 4 zaps. You can get 4 Tesla Coils for this or use 2 but they will need to attack twice each.

One V2 missile will do 40% damage to a War Factory. This means you need only 3 V2 missiles to clear a Factory.

Lastly, remember these things:

Use the hotkey ‘W’ to bookmark the place where your units are being produced. Make it a habit of using the ‘Primary Building’ often to instead of having to drive your units there. If you’re playing P4 and need to retreat to the back, it’s smarter to send one MCV to the back and create a War Factory there then make MCV using that closer War Factory as the primary one. Sometimes people drive 3 MCVs all the way to the back when they could have just made a War Factory in the back. Just play smart.

If you lose all your Construction Yards, then you won’t be able to build anymore. However, if you make an MCV and gain the ability to build structures again, you may be surprised to see that the War Factory is the first building in the structure slot, don’t get confused! It’s the number one spot for a reason, just don’t forget to have as many as you need at hand, never less. Normally, the War Factory occupies the 8^th slot.

Fake War Factory Tactics

Fake War Factories are good to deceive opponents. They are the most useful however in 1v1s. If you play as the Allied forces then you can make Fake War Factories. It’s better to make around 4 Fake War Factories to really deceive your opponent. After you have rushed him and rendered him useless he will attack with a retaliation. During this it’s best to let your CY go as long as you have power plants placed far away from each other and the mass of War Factories in between. Make 3 real ones and 4 fakes this should tempt him from not attacking them and he will most likely go for your CY or Ore Refinery, defend the refinery with many rocket soldiers!

Fake War Factories cost $50 to make, even one Construction Yard is enough to make them at maximum speed. They consume 2 power and only have 30 hit points (compared to the 1000 of the original one). You can’t repair Fake Factories nor can you capture them, you can kill them with anything in almost one shot, but the time it takes to target that structure is what you want to gain anyways. They are also primarily used for blocking gaps in bases so try to build them in clusters instead of spread out everywhere and place them where they will block the most gaps in your base.