Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars/Nod Units

Description
The Militant squad is the rifle squad of the Brotherhood. Their weapons and armour are not as good as GDI Riflemen, but they're capable of holding their own under most cases. Although initially weak, they can be upgraded twice; first with a Tiberium injection which toughens them up considerably and renders them immune to Tiberium exposure, then with a Confessor unit as a leader. The Confessor wields a slightly more powerful weapon than normal, but also throws powerful hallucinogenic grenades which incite friendly fire among infantry squads.

While they cannot create foxholes, they can still garrison inside structures like most infantry.

Counter
As with most infantry, they can easily be squished by tanks. Predators can make roadkill out of infantry quite easily due to their near-immunity to small-arms fire and good speed. Any anti-infantry vehicle will work, as will most infantry units once the Confessor has been eliminated.

If garrisoned, then simply use one of the many units capable of clearing enemy garrisons to eliminate them single-handedly.

Description
The Tiberium Infusion and Confessor upgrades carry onto these rocket troopers as well, so these upgrades will benefit them greatly, especially the Confessor which improves their anti-infantry capabilities.

Even without a Confessor, these units should not be taken lightly, especially if you are reliant on tanks. Tanks will have a difficult time shooting them, and if garrisoned, will find themselves be unable to be squished as well.

Rocket militants can also be garrisoned inside structures to protect themselves from being squished. It also provides them a small range bonus, like with any units in a garrison.

Nod lacks a powerful Zone trooper-like anti-tank infantry, so these guys will likely be the core of your anti-armour operations until you manage to get Avatars or another high-tier unit. Still, they take reduced damage from cannon fire, making them useful against most forms of vehicles.

Counter
Any anti-infantry weapon will work; snipers, in particular, will have an easy time eliminating rocket troopers due to their small squad size. In large numbers, they can take down APCs as well as aircraft, so Venoms and APCs are not always the best choice, depending on the circumstance. Regardless, any form of infantry will work.

Description
The Nod response to GDI Engineers, Saboteurs perform four (not three) major functions. Firstly, they can repair any building they enter to full health immediately. Secondly, they can capture enemy structures if they can get close. Thirdly, they can reclaim fallen walker units and turn them against their former owners (or allow you to use them again if they were yours to begin with). Fourthly, they can booby trap buildings.

The fourth and final ability makes Saboteurs quite annoying on maps with a lot of neutral structures. In the event the enemy drives you back, past a key structure like an EMP, the enemy may attempt to capture it rather than destroy it. A booby trap will cause the building to explode; not a bad deal considering the enemy just captured it. If you can't hold it, might as well not let the enemy have it.

Neutral structures are not the only targets for a good booby trap; bridges are even better. When laid on a bridge, they act as pretty much a landmine would; as soon as an enemy unit passes over the bridge, the bridge collapses, taking out the passing unit and blocking the enemy route. If the enemy didn't bring an engineer of their own, they're forced to take the long way around; which can buy you time.

Counter
Being unarmed units, Saboteurs can be countered by any unit.

Description
Shadow Teams are powerful stealthed units that act in many ways similar to a Commando. One feature that distinguishes Shadow Teams from any unit, however, is their ability to fly with their collapsible glider packs. This allows them to strike at odd angles, beyond enemy base defences. Additionally, while in this form, base defences (all except AA guns, that is) cannot target them (though they can see them).

Once inside an enemy's base, they can start to dismantle it with powerful detpacks. While they do not kill in one hit like the Commando's does, they are capable of eliminating minor structures - particularly Cranes and Power Plants - with two of them. This makes them extremely annoying for your enemy, having to constantly rebuild power plants. Time a shadow team bomb on a power plant with an invasion force to take down the enemy's power without an EMP.

They are also powerful anti-infantry units. While their power has been reduced somewhat, they are still extremely lethal against all forms of infantry, including Commandos. While out-ranged by snipers, Shadow Teams fire much quicker and cause more damage in closer ranges. Unlike militants, however, their weapons are confined almost exclusively to the anti-infantry role, as their damage type is Sniper.

Counters
Shadow Teams, while in glider form, can easily be countered with all forms and manners of AA vehicles. APCs, Raider Buggies, and Gun walkers work wonders against them, as they can engage them either in the air or on the ground. On the other hand, they also need a Seeker, Pitbull, or Attack Bike to reveal them first and penetrate their stealth.

While on the ground, they can be countered with a well-placed anti-infantry base defence. The GDI has a bit of an advantage in the anti-shadow team role with their harvesters; they rarely leave the base, cause a lot of damage to infantry, and are nigh immune to Shadow team fire. Once spotted by a base defence or other unit, simply charge your harvesters at them and use their machine guns to take them down. Base defences all around will prevent the Shadow teams from entering the base in the first place.

Description
Suicide infantry armed with powerful explosives, Fanatics intend to go into battle and blow themselves up for the Brotherhood's cause. They are fast and cause a large dose of Cannon damage, making them ideal counters for Predator tanks and for buildings.

The trick, however, is getting them close to their targets. Against a tank rush, however, their usefulness is unparalleled.

Counter
Given the large crowd size, a good crowd control weapon - shredder turrets, for instance - works well. GDI Watchtowers don't work as well, given how it focuses on one Fanatic at a time, increasing the chance of one getting through. A Commando or a Sniper backed with riflemen can work. A trio of snipers alone can in fact cut through Fanatics quite easily.

Description
The Black Hand is the most heavily armoured infantry unit in the game. This means that against pretty much any kind of small arms fire is easily taken care of. Even Watchtowers have a tough time taking them down. They cause considerable amounts of high-explosive damage, making them powerful anti-infantry and anti-structure units. Their infantry nature also protects them from cannon fire, unlike the larger flame tanks. Additionally they are capable of clearing enemy garrisons easily.

A particularly nasty trick one can pull off in Kane's Wrath is combining Black Hand with the Reckoner APCs. Sneaking the Reckoners into the enemy's base, next to the enemy's Construction Yard, then deploying them, will allow the Black Hand inside to eliminate the yard very quickly, whilst being protected by the APC.

They are a solid counter to pretty much all forms of infantry and a few kinds of vehicles.

Counters
Their armour prevents riflemen squads from doing much damage to them, but snipers still kill them in one shot. A trio of snipers will take down most Black Hand charges easily. Garrison them in an APC for some more protection and to add the APC's gun into the mix.

Perhaps the most common counter, however, is to simply crush them with Predator treads or Scorpion dozer blades. The Scrin can use massed Buzzers, the Swarm support power, or a Devastator to take them out in droves.

Description
Commandos of Nod are almost identical to GDI's, only they're female. They also have the added ability to stealth themselves while not moving, allowing them to execute some stealthier tactics than GDI's. Once inside an enemy base, however, the lack of jump jets can prove deadly for the Commando once spotted. Regardless, the Commando is without a doubt a powerful unit, capable of eliminating structures and walkers with a powerful C4 charge. They are also highly effective against enemy infantry, but their usefulness is pretty much limited to just infantry; they should avoid confrontations with vehicles and base defences.

Counter
Due to their sniper type damage, they are best attacked with vehicles. Anything that causes sniper damage on its own, though, can work; snipers can work in large numbers. The Scrin can simply mass buzzers on a Commando quickly to bring it down, or use a Devastator. Nod can employ Shadow Teams, due to their large squad numbers and sniper type damage, but APCs, Raider Buggies, or Gun Walkers are best.

Description
The raider buggy is a powerful unit in its own right, capable of eliminating infantry with ease. It uses a pulse-firing machine gun to eliminate infantry quite quickly, but its slow refire rate prevents it from being effective crowd control. It is best on lone infantry where it can focus its fire.

Against enemy vehicles, the raider buggy can be equipped with EMP coils which temporarily disable everything in a large radius, including itself. The trick is that it requires a lot of micromanagement to use, but it covers a large area and can be devastating if it hits properly. Raiders with EMP Coils can put a stop to a mammoth rush, allowing Obelisks and Scorpions to eliminate the heavier units easily.

Counter
Raiders are fast and light, and do not sport much armour at all. A single predator can make short work of a raider, as can an APC loaded with missile troopers. Raiders can attack air units, but the attack is relatively weak unless upgraded with lasers, so Stormriders can work as well. Just don't get close for them to EMP you.

Attack Bikes

 * Armor deviations: Takes 100% damage from rockets, 75% from guns and HE.

Description
Attack Bikes are swift vehicles intended for recon. The closest thing Nod has to a Pitbull or Seeker, the Seeker outshines the bike in almost every way, but does not have the bike's speed. They remain important in the late game, however, in detecting enemy stealth; particularly useful against another Nod player.

Unlike most vehicles, the Attack Bike cannot run over enemy infantry, making it next to useless in an anti-infantry role.

Counters
Due to its light armour, attack bikes can be countered by any unit.

Description
Scorpion tanks are, role-wise, roughly equivalent to that of GDI's Predator, but it lacks the armour and the firepower the Pred sports. In a fight between a Predator and a Scorpion, the Predator will win every time. The Scorpion, however, is faster and, most importantly, much cheaper than a Predator. In sufficient numbers and with the proper backup, Scorpion tanks can cut through most vehicles and buildings with ease. Power-wise, they are between the Scrin Seeker and the GDI Predator.

Scorpions can be upgraded with two things - the laser capacitors upgrade vastly increases their firepower, and the Dozer Blades upgrade allows them to slice through heavy infantry - Black Hand, Shock Troopers, and Zone Troopers can all be cut down once a Scorpion has its Dozer Blade. It also makes them impervious to a Disintegrator's self-destruct when crushed.

Counter
Larger units aside, Scorpions can easily be countered with missile troopers and any form of air unit. Until they get the Dozer Blades, they can be eliminated by Zone Troopers and Shock Troopers. With proper micromanagement, they can also use their jump jets and teleport abilities respectively to keep the Scorpions on the move and unable to crush them. The most common counter, however, is either missile troopers or larger units.

Description
Flame Tanks have scrapped the ability to burrow in exchange for a lot more firepower. While they remain very vulnerable to cannon fire, they are more than capable of shrugging off small-arms fire as well as, to an extent, missiles. Flame Tanks have the highest cost-to-damage ratio in the game, allowing them to cause heavy damage to anything provided it stays alive long enough. Buildings are a flame tank's favourite target, and a pair of flame tanks, covered by a cloaking field and snuck into an enemy base, can easily dismantle most, if not the entire, enemy base in minutes.

Flame tanks can also clear garrisons. They are best employed against riflemen garrisons.

Counter
While the flame tank can cause considerable damage even to another tank, its short range and fragile nature prevents it from causing considerable damage to any form of anti-armour emplacement. Predators, Scorpions, massed missile troopers, and any form of aerial unit can all easily eliminate a flame tank before it can cause considerable damage.

Description
The Nod Harvester is identical to that of its GDI counterpart - its only function is to gather Tiberium and shuttle it to the Refinery for processing. While GDI Harvesters tend to cause problems by fighting back, Nod Harvesters are equipped with stealth generators that render them invisible to most units.

It can run over enemy infantry if desperate, but it should never be considered a combat vehicle under any circumstance.

Combined with a disruption tower and refinery, Harvesters can often steal a lot of money from neutral or enemy-held fields, making enemies wonder where all the Tiberium went.

Counter
If you can find them, they are easily dealt with. Bring along a stealth detecting unit to find them, then eliminate them with anything you have. Orcas are very good at finding stealthed harvesters by using their pulse scan ability to reveal them, attaching a sensor pod to them, then targeting them with a volley of rockets. The Kane's Wrath specific Ravager unit is specially designed to eliminate harvesters with its Agitate Tiberium ability.

Description
The MCV is the core of any base. Capable of deploying on a moment's notice, the MCV can transform into a fully operational construction yard. It is sometimes prudent to build more than one to replace cranes and for added security in case your first MCV goes down.

Counter
MCVs are unarmed and can be countered by any unit.

Description
Emissaries are cheaper than full-blown MCVs, and can deploy (after several seconds) into Outposts. Outposts provide no construction ability but do allow buildings to be built around them. This makes Emissaries most effective at establishing refineries outside your main base. Unlike Construction Yards, Outposts cannot return to their vehicle state once ordered to deploy.

Counter
Emissaries are unarmed and can be countered by any unit.

Description
The Beam Cannon is a small but devastating vehicle. Essentially a powerful laser mounted on a chassis, this unit is extremely deadly in numbers - what the Beam Cannon lacks in range it makes up for in sheer attacking power. When multiple beam cannons are ordered to fire on a single target, the lasers converge and deal considerably more damage than normal; five beam cannons can easily level most buildings.

Venoms have a powerful mirror that Beam Cannons can use to bounce a laser beam off of and extend its range, but it is not a very common tactic due to the amount of micromanagement required and, oftentimes, the lack of results.

Finally, Beam Cannons can use their weapons to charge up the Obelisk of Light base defence, greatly increasing its attacking power.

In Kane's Wrath, its role of artillery piece is shared with the Spectre.

Counter
Their cannon-type damage allows them to deal with single vehicles almost single-handedly in sufficient numbers, but since they need about three seconds to charge before unleashing the fury, prevents them from ousting Scorpion Tanks as frontline vehicles. They are very much lacking in the armour department, and while they can run over enemy infantry, they are often not fast enough to catch them. Additionally, their cannon-type damage prevents them from causing major damage to infantry squads.

Description
Stealth Tanks are swift, light, and obviously stealthed missile-launching vehicles. Firing a devastating volley of approximately six missiles, they are also very powerful in the anti-air role. Their rockets cause considerable splash damage as well, making them the ideal counter to massed Venoms.

In summary, Stealth Tanks are more than capable of dishing out punishment, but are incapable of receiving it.

They are a viable counter to Mammoth Tanks if positioned behind them, and if there's something in front to draw their fire.

Counter
Since stealth tanks break stealth when they fire anyway, stealth-detecting units will often be blown up once the Stealth Tank is revealed. The trick, therefore, is to strike it before it stealths itself again. They do not have a real counter in the sense a unit can kill them consistently, since infantry can be easily squished due to their fast speed, and they are otherwise invisible and thus cannot be targeted; instead, simply destroying them before they can fire a second volley is the best bet.

Do not deploy air units against the Stealth Tank.

Description
Nod's response to the GDI Mammoth Tank, the Avatar walker is a powerful, if very expensive, unit. Initially equipped with a single large laser, it can be upgraded by sacrificing certain friendly vehicles: sacrificing an attack bike will grant it stealth detecting abilities, a beam cannon will give the Avatar a second laser, a flame tank will give it a flamethrower, and a stealth tank will make it invisible.

The price is just that; the price of all these upgrades is extremely high. Additionally, being a walker, it can be captured by enemy engineers if struck down. If a fully upgraded Avatar is struck down and captured by your opponent, all its upgrades remain. This makes upgrading Avatars a dangerous investment.

As of Patch 1.09, however, the Avatar's standard attack is nothing to sneer at. Three avatar shots can destroy an APC or a Predator Tank, and it can run over said vehicles as well.

Counter
The best counter depends on how upgraded the Avatar in question is. Massed smaller units, like Predators, Scorpions, or Seekers, work well; however, missile troopers or commandos work even better, since they can avoid the cannon damage dealt by the laser. However, if upgraded with a flamethrower, its usual weakness to infantry is eliminated.

If you're playing as a Nod player, stealth units from behind can work, but only if it isn't upgraded with stealth detection from an Attack Bike.

The best counter is air units; Venoms, Orcas, or Stormriders can make mincemeat of Avatars quite easily.

Counters
Venoms are quite powerful; being able to attack both land and air units, coupled with their cheap production cost, makes them difficult targets at best. They give quite a bang for one's buck; about six Venoms can eliminate an APC.

Prior to Kane's Wrath, massed Venoms had very few counters, short of anti-air batteries. Stealth Tanks work well, since their attacks cause splash damage. In Kane's Wrath their missiles, as well as those fired by the SAM Site, can be upgraded. The GDI Slingshot is also a powerful and cost-effective anti-air unit, but is available only in Kane's Wrath.

In Tiberium Wars, the GDI's only real counter to massed Venoms was either Mammoth Tanks, or large groups of AA batteries. Nod had Stealth Tanks and SAM Sites, while the Scrin could use both Gun Walkers and Seekers in conjunction with Plasma Disc Batteries.

Massed Venoms can also be easily eliminated with the neutral structure EMP, as it is the only EMP that can strike air units. Striking an air unit with an EMP destroys it instantly, and given the EMP's area of effect, this makes the EMP a very potent weapon against massed Venoms.

Description
The Nod stealth bomber drops a single but quite powerful bomb that can devastate almost anything on the ground. Although it has almost no air defence (save a single machine gun), the enemy will have an extremely difficult time destroying it due to its stealth ability and it's extremely heavy armour - in a fight between two Vertigos and an AA gun, the Vertigos will win. A concerted anti-air defence is the only way to eliminate these planes.

Although powerful, they are one of the slowest aircraft in the game, minus the Scrin's massive capital ships, and as such require micromanagement in order to keep them on bombing runs. They are also very expensive and as such difficult to replace. They are best to strike an enemy base from one side in order to get his or her attention back to the base.

In Kane's Wrath, they can be upgraded with Disruption Pods which allow them to stealth any unit. The disruption pod also stealths any nearby units, allowing for some deadly attacks like the Redeemer Rage Generator + Disruption Pod combo.

Counter
As mentioned above, the only way to eliminate Vertigos is with a concerted and powerful anti-air defence. Seekers, Pitbulls, and Attack Bikes can all reveal and attack Vertigos early, letting your AA attack them from a longer range. GDI Firehawks can easily eliminate them provided they are illuminated.

All-in-all, it is difficult at best to eliminate Vertigos, but a ground assault on their Air Tower works most of the time without having to build a massive system of anti-air turrets.

Description
The Carryall is slightly slower than the GDI V-35 Ox, but performs the same purpose. Functionally, there is no difference between the two.

The Carryall is summoned by the Nod Call for Transport ability, which will spawn a Carryall to ferry a single unit around the map. If the transport is destroyed while a unit is inside, the units are lost - making protecting your carryalls a priority.

Counter
Carryalls can be countered by any unit capable of striking aircraft.