Act of Aggression/Cartel Structures

Cartel's structures are divided into two tiers: Private Military and Black Ops. Private Military structures do not cost power and generate lower-tier units, while the Black Ops structures unlock the true power of the Cartel. Most Black Ops structures require power.

HQ
The HQ is the structure that works on constructing all the others. It also is able to produce Recon K-MAXes to search for resources and scout enemy positions.

The HQ also generates 30 credits per second, ensuring you will never really run out of resources. It also stores 1500 units of aluminum, rare earth, or a combination of each. Ensure your HQ remains protected, as it is not only expensive but losing it results in losing all the resources stored at it as well.

The Headquarters also can be upgraded with Countermeasure dispensers to protect itself from missiles. This should not be entirely relied upon due to the high cost and value of the Headquarters, but this can help it survive for a short while.

The HQ can build all other structures, and can be built in turn by another Headquarters or a Vehicles Bay.

Refinery
Building refineries is key to extracting resources. It also produces K-MAX drones to ferry the produced resources to the nearest Headquarters, Extension Module, or Rare Earth Extension Module for usage in other buildings.

The refinery automatically extracts from one resource node at a time, regardless of the number of resource nodes within its reach. The only way to improve this gathering rate (short of upgrades) is by the double refinery strategy. Resources extracted by the refinery are unusable until carried back to the drop off point by the K-MAX.

The Refinery extracts at a rate of 14 units per second on a single node, which can be easily identified by having an extractor on it. The extractor itself is indestructible and only shows which of the oil or aluminum nodes the refinery is extracting from. The refinery extracts oil and aluminum at the same rate.

When upgraded with the Rare Earth Exploitation Module, which must be researched for every refinery, the Refinery will extract 6 units of rare earth per second and keep it in its stores.

The Stealth Module upgrade makes the refinery invisible, allowing you to mine in relative peace. Opponents who have scouted early, however, can guess where your refineries are by finding the map's resources and with stealth detection. Additionally, unless upgraded with Optical Camouflage Bricks later on, the K-MAX does not have stealth, so your opponents could also follow it to the refinery.

Barracks
The Barracks' role is to create infantry units. While extremely cheap, infantry are not the most durable of units and are easily killed by anti-infantry vehicles. Their biggest strength are the large numbers they can be deployed in, swarming larger enemy tanks with large volleys of missiles. They are even more dangerous when fortified in buildings.

Cartel Barracks are unique in that with the Force Projection upgrade, they can be built virtually anywhere, and the Medical Subcontractors upgrade gives all of them a generous healing ability. Players who put an Accelerator next to them can then not only produce large quantities of infantry at the back of an enemy's base but also make it invisible. This however is a risky tactic as the Accelerator is expensive and can't conceal itself, not to mention most of Cartel's infantry do not have stealth in the first place.

The Cartel Barracks also doubles as the Cartel's detention center for captured enemies, though this upgrade must be purchased independently. Enemy pilots and wounded infantry can be captured by the Contractor, Punisher, and Vanguard units. Each Barracks can hold five detainees and will produce 4 credits per second for each detainee. The Ransom Network upgrade, purchased per structure, doubles the credit income.

When full, the Barracks can release its prisoners once filled to produce 10 aluminum per second. Unlike its equivalents in other factions, the Barracks cannot exchange its prisoners directly and as such these slots are not freed up. If brought, the Ransom Network upgrade is neither carried over or refunded.

Extension Module
The Extension Module stores aluminum or rare earth for the Cartel. It is relatively cheap and has a surprisingly large build radius around it, allowing other base structures to be expanded outwards. It can also be used to construct other structures that require support to be built, such as Tokamak Generators.

Artillery Turret
The Artillery Turret is a powerful defensive structure that can relentlessly shell vehicles and infantry at range. Though it packs a considerable punch and can easily defeat small raiding parties, the Artillery Turret is weak in close quarters and tends to explode violently when destroyed. It can be tough to destroy early-game, but can be destroyed with impunity by more advanced units.

The Artillery Crew Bonus upgrade is purchased individually for each Artillery Turret, which improves their rate of fire and range.

The Artillery Turret cannot be constructed on its own. Once constructed, however, it operates independently of the parent building and will continue to function without it. The Artillery Turret must be constructed next to one of the following buildings:
 * Extension Module (not the Rare Earth Extension Module)
 * HQ
 * Refinery
 * Repair Center
 * Barracks
 * Vehicles Bay
 * Another Artillery Turret

Vehicles Bay
The Vehicles Bay produces the Cartel's light vehicles, including the durable SuperHind helicopter.

Building one is necessary to construct the Repair Center.

Repair Center
The Repair Center holds most of the Cartel's basic unit upgrades, including the ZAB Napalm Bomb upgrade for SuperHinds, the missile targeting upgrade for the Otomatic, and the Smoke Rockets for the Scorpio. The biggest benefit the Repair Center gives, however, is the ability to construct BREM-80Us, which can repair the Cartel's vehicles in the field.

The Repair Center cannot be built on its own, and must be constructed next to one of the following buildings. However, once built, the Repair Center works independently of its parent structure and will continue to function without it. Structures that the Repair Center may be built next to include:
 * HQ
 * Vehicles Bay
 * Helipad
 * Prototypes Bay

Tokamak Generator
The Tokamak Generator is a powerful electric generator that uses magnets to confine plasma. This generator is very explosive and must be built cautiously; upon destruction it explodes with power slightly less than the American Peacekeeper superweapon.

To complicate matters with regards to the construction of the Tokamak Generator, the structure cannot be built on its own. However, once built, the generator works independently of its parent structure and will continue to function without it. Structures that the Tokamak Generator may be built next to include:
 * HQ
 * Extension Module
 * Rare Earth Extension Module
 * Prototypes Bay
 * Helipad
 * Stealth Lab
 * Skyguard Turret
 * Air Control Center
 * THOR Control Center

Prototypes Bay
The Prototypes Bay constructs the LOSAT, the Spectre, the Vextra, and the Koalitsija. It also provides several upgrades to each unit: Optronic Sensors and the 40mm autocannon for the Spectre, Assault Gun training for the Koalitsija, Reinforced Frame for the Vextra, and Barrage Fire for the LOSAT.

Helipad
The Helipad constructs the Comanche ambush helicopter as well as the Shadowhawk stealth transport. The Side Door Minigun upgrade for the Shadowhawk can also be found here.

Air Control Center
The Air Control Center is responsible for the direction and creation of the Cartel's air force. Unlike other games, aircraft in Act of Aggression are built off-screen. They are instead directed to fly into the battlefield, deliver their ordnance, and then retreat off-map. If they manage to retreat, they can be called upon again.

Aircraft are very expensive and can be easily destroyed by concerted surface fire.

Each Air Control Center can call in three aircraft of any type. Building additional Air Control Centers is necessary to call in more. Destroying the Air Control Center eliminates whatever aircraft are controlled using it.

The Air Control Center can also detect enemy aircraft. The Phased Array Radar upgrade improves this further. Using this ability of the Air Control Center helps the player direct their Su-47 Berkuts to intercept enemy aircraft.

Stealth Lab
The Stealth Lab is the Black Ops equivalent to the Repair Lab, providing several key upgrades. Most give units a few extra abilities, but among the most important of these upgrades is the Optical Camouflage Bricks upgrade. This upgrade puts a vast number of units - including the K-MAX resource transport - under invisibility. One of the most expensive upgrades in the game, this upgrade is worth more than its weight in credits.

The Stealth Lab cannot be built on its own, and must be built next to one of the following structures. While the Stealth Lab must be built next to a structure, once built, the Stealth Lab operates independently of its parent, and can function without it. The Stealth Lab must be built next to one of the following structures:
 * Headquarters
 * Extension Module
 * Rare Earth Extension Module
 * Tokamak Generator

Accelerator
The Accelerator is a small structure that boosts the speed of unit/structure production and upgrades.

The Accelerator can upgrade itself with the Passive Receiver upgrade. Not to be confused with the identically named Spectre upgrade, the Accelerator's Passive Receiver upgrade turns all structures within its influence invisible (this includes Refineries despite them already having stealth upgrades). Accelerators do not stack and cannot conceal themselves, so they work best in pairs when they can cover each other, rendering large groups of structures completely invisible.

As it works by assisting nearby structures with production, the Accelerator cannot be constructed on its own. Once constructed, however, it operates independently of the parent building and will continue to function without it. The Accelerator must be constructed next to one of the following buildings:
 * Barracks
 * Air Control Center
 * Vehicles Bay
 * Prototypes Bay

Underground Stock Market
The Underground Stock Market automatically produces 4 units of rare earth every second. This can quickly add up despite their high power drain, though not many units of the Cartel require rare earth in the first place. The LOSAT is a good exception, and a few Underground Stock Markets can be used to keep producing LOSATs to support an armored push.

Rare Earth Extension Module
Identical in most ways to the default Extension Module, the Rare Earth Extension Module only stores Rare Earth. In general, most players will instead construct the default Extension Module, as it can also store Aluminum.

Railgun Turret
The direct-fire Cartel defensive weapon, the Railgun Turret fires slowly, but packs a considerable punch. Unlike the defensive structures of Chimera and the US Army, the Railgun Turret can engage ground and air targets fresh from the Headquarters.

Unlike Cartel's Skyguard Turret, Chimera's Sentinel Turret and USA's Phalanx, the Railgun Turret is unable to intercept missiles. Having a few Otomatics nearby can help the Railgun Turret survive against a missile onslaught. Its range is somewhat limited for a defensive turret, so it'll often rely on other units and the Artillery Turret to keep them off.

The Railgun Turret can also be upgraded with built-in electricity generator which removes its power consumption.

THOR Control Center
The Thor Control Center is the Cartel's superweapon of choice. It is capable of loading four shots and can fire them anywhere on the map, resulting in a series of blue projectiles raining down on a target. While its area of effect is very small compared to the Omega Blitzer and Peacekeeper, the Thor causes severe damage in a very concentrated radius.

THOR orbital strikes are also relatively cheap, at only. This lets the THOR strike rapidly and cheaply across the map. The THOR projectile also travels quite quickly, allowing very little response to it once it is launched against a target. Furthermore, since it only costs Rare Earth to reload, it is the only superweapon that can be sustained indefinitely without acquiring external resources or exchanging prisoners if enough Underground Stock Markets are built to compensate.

Strangely, the THOR Control Center is the victim of an animation bug. The animation of the control center returning to its standard state does not play when the control center is creating another orbital strike. This can result in the weapon firing sideways.

Skyguard Turret
The Cartel's Skyguard Turret is capable of engaging enemy superweapons with a railgun as well as weapons. Like the American Patriot and the Chimera's Antey, the Skyguard must be reloaded every time it engages an enemy superweapon. The Skyguard is also capable of engaging enemy aircraft and ground units, being decent at the task but its slow fire rate and low range drags it down.

Each Skyguard is capable of receiving a Weapon Tracking Radar upgrade that increases its superweapon interception range.