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Cataclismo > Guides > Manja Boy's Guides
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Unit Boosts Guide
By Manja Boy
A quick guide on the different kind of unit boosts in the game, how they work and how to incorporate them into your defense designs. This may benefit beginners most, but has some semi-niche tips for more experienced players.

As the campaign is currently limited, the more advanced uses only apply to custom/endless games.

Credit to:
- Contributors of the official Cataclismo Wiki https://hoodedhorse.com/wiki/Cataclismo/Cataclismo_Official_Wiki
- User Prolbo on Cataclismo Discord for some specialist boost stats and info.
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Created by
Manja Boy
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Category: Gameplay Basics
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
7 Aug, 2024 @ 8:18am
27 Sep, 2024 @ 10:41pm
2,077 Unique Visitors
24 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
BANNER & GRAND BANNER 
MOUNTED BANNER 
SPECIALIST BOOSTS 
MOUNTED SPECIALIST BOOSTS 
TACTICIAN'S NOOK 
PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER 
BLUEPRINTS 
Comments
BANNER & GRAND BANNER
  • The Banner provides 25% (50% for Grand Banner) standard attack damage boost in an 3x3 tile area around itself and works up to 2 tile height above and below itself.
  • Does not apply damage bonus to unit skills (e.g. Bowman Menelaus shot, Lobber's Powder Ball, etc) (may be subject to change).
  • The banner itself occupies a 1x3 tile height area.
  • Early on in the game, when resources and advanced technology are lacking, you can apply some creative thinking to maximise the effect of a single banner.
  • Placing a banner on a 2 tile high block on the floor of your <5m units, leaving a gap in the roof to allow space for the banner to poke through, then building up around it for your >5m units will allow up to 16 tiles of boost effect!

Standard Banner effect area and height range.


Standard Banner providing its boost effect to 2 different height levels.

MOUNTED BANNER
  • Provides a 25% (50% for grand mounted banner) standard attack damage boost in front, behind and on top of the block itself.
  • Boost applies up to 4 tiles BELOW itself and 1 tile ABOVE itself.
  • BONUS – if placed on top of a half arch, the damage boost applies underneath the banner block itself. This means you can place a half arch above a window block and place the mounted banner block on top of the half arch. It will then provide the damage boost to a total of 3 tiles if oriented correctly.
  • BONUS BONUS – you can provide the damage boost up to 5 tiles if you apply the above bonus method. Standing directly on top of the block provides the boost, as well as the tile directly behind it, but also provides the boost to the below 3 squares, though this might be quite a niche use-case (see pic).
  • BONUS BONUS BONUS – but wait, there’s more; you can actually get damage boost for 6 TILES, YES 6 TILES, INSANE. Applying the above bonus method, standing directly on top of the block provides the boost, as well as the tile directly behind and in front of it, but also provides the boost to the below 3 squares, making the mounted banner an attractive, cost-effective alternative as this frees up a lot of real estate for your units.

Mounted Banner providing its boost effect to 6 tiles on 2 different height levels.

Side View

SPECIALIST BOOSTS
    This includes:
  • Fire Arrows & Hell Arrows - Buffs Bowman, Hunter and Partisan standard attacks to
    apply 24/32 (Fire/Hell Arrows) damage over 8 ticks for 4 seconds to enemies hit.
    - Damage over time will not apply to armoured/enamelled Horrors, thus will not do extra damage.
    - Unit skills like Bowman Menelaus shot will not apply the effect (may be subject to change).
    - Effect area is 4x4x2 tile area around itself (up to 1 tile above and below itself).

  • Throwing Poison & Hell Poison - Buffs Lobber and Captor standard attacks to inflict Slowed and Corroding effects on nearby horrors when killed under the effect (i.e. the effect is only active and spread after a horror is killed).
    - Throwing Poison's Corroding effect deals 12 damage over 6 ticks, for 2 damage per tick.
    - Will apply Corroding effect to standard and armoured/enamelled horrors, dealing 1 armour damage over 6 ticks for a total of 6 armour damage.
    - Hell Poison will deal 24 damage over 8 ticks, for 3 damage per tick. Will deal 2 armour damage over 8 ticks for a total of 16 armour/enamel damage, making it extremely effective against Opal Horrors.
    - Debuff effect duration seems to be ~3 seconds (the effect applied prior to horror dying/corroding effect)
    - Will not apply Slowing effect to armoured/enamelled horrors.
    - Unit skills like Lobber's Powder Ball and Captor's Pearl Web will not apply the boost effect (may be subject to change).
    - Effect area is 4x4x2 tile area around itself (up to 1 tile above and below itself).

  • Bomber's Spark & Hell Spark - Buffs Cannoneer and Ballista standard attacks to apply the Spark debuff to Horrors which deals 4/6 (Bomber/Hell Spark) damage to nearby horrors when they are killed with the debuff.
    -Spark explosion will also deal 2/3 armour damage (Bomber/Hell spark).
    -Cannoneers and Ballista (large 4 tile units) only need to be touching 1 tile to receive the boost, thus you can place these units on the edge of the area of effect to maximise space for cost effectiveness.
    - Provides boost in a 16x16x2 tile area around itself (up to 1 tile above and below itself).

  • All Specialist boosts can be upgraded to their improved versions for the cost difference of the base version and upgraded version.
  • All specialist boosts occupy a total area of 2x2x2 tiles (it has 2 tile height and 2x2 tile width and depth area).
  • This allows you to build over them at 3 tiles high.
  • If placed 1 tile below your units in a little hole for itself, this will allow you to place a 3 tile long wooden arch over the specialist boost and place a banner on top of it, freeing up some space for your units to receive both damage and specialist boosts. (note square within a square shows that the tile is receiving multiple boosts).

Fire Arrows boost effect area and height range

Bomber's Spark boost effect area. Having a large unit touching 1 tile of the effect will apply the boost. This can fit up to 4 Cannoneers or Ballista along an edge of the effect.

Placing a specialist boost within a little hole with 3 tile wooden arch placed over the top with banner to overlap boosts and save space.
MOUNTED SPECIALIST BOOSTS
  • The boost effect is identical to their respective standard versions.
  • Provides boost to 1 tile in the direction it is facing up to 1 tile above and below itself. Mounted Bomber's Spark does not have an increased radius.
  • Can place blocks on top of the boost itself, including banners.
  • Has extremely low HP, so should be placed at least 3-4 tiles up if on front wall.
  • The horror Blister's explosion effect is currently 2 tiles high (may be subject to change to 3 tiles high).
  • Currently not cost effective and should only be used early on with low unit count, in niche cases or if you're desperate (may be subject to change with future updates).

Mounted Specialist boost effect range.

TACTICIAN'S NOOK
  • Provides the Quick Thinking effect which provides 20% cooldown reduction of unit skills such as Bowman Menelaus Shot and Lobber Powder Ball, etc. (including Iris' abilities).
  • Boost effect area is 2 tiles to each side and 2x6 tiles directly in front of the Nook in a sort of U-shape. The effect will reach 1 tile above and below itself.
  • The Nook can only be placed on stone blocks and occupies 3 tiles high on its back end and 2 tiles high on its front end in an upside down L-Shape.
  • Units can walk through the front side with the wooden desk, but cannot stand inside it.
  • The Nook will not block line of sight for units.
  • As you cannot build directly on top of it, it will interrupt the height toughness of your walls, thus the Nook is best placed on highest toughness or inner walls (side opposite of horror attacks).
  • Oddly enough, the Nook's HP scales with tile height, from 30 HP up to a whopping maximum 2,400 HP (highest HP building in the game), but unfortunately as it is so high up, it will likely never be attacked directly.
  • You can achieve a range buff directly in front of the Nook by placing window blocks directly underneath the Nook.

Tactician's Nook area affect front view

Tactician's Nook height area affect (1 tile above and below itself)

Applying Range buff with windows underneath the Nook
Range buff with Nook setup side view
PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER
  • Unit Boosts are crucial and using them to their full extent will allow you to find success in the game and push harder difficulties.
  • Combining all the above points allows some creative thinking to setting up your defenses to maximise boosts and unit positioning, especially when you have limited room to work with.

In the example below, working around some awkward terrain positioning to provide all boosts to multiple units (Cannoneer and Partisan).

An example of a basic defense setup.
Overkill setup example
4 Comments
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lord046 10 Apr @ 11:13am 
I tought i knew most about buffing in this game but this guide proved me that i was wrong
Pickle 3 Apr @ 7:28pm 
Incredible guide. Shame I only stumbled upon this after completing the campaign. I'll use it if I decide to push difficulties for sure though!
Potjack 31 Aug, 2024 @ 4:23pm 
This is incredibly helpful. And the links to blueprints!
Chris P. Bacon 9 Aug, 2024 @ 10:39pm 
Found this first on Reddit, love the info (especially the technique of mounting the banner on a stone arch above a window). Super useful!