| Drone Cage | |
|---|---|
 Ranged Unit in Beyond Earth | |
| Required | 3  Supremacy3  Purity1  Firaxite Autonomous Systems
|
| Moves |  2
|
| Base Unit Strength |  22
|
Game info[]
The Drone Cage is a 
Purity - Supremacy hybrid unit consisting of a single human engineer and two remote repair drones that heals itself and allied troops adjacent to it for 10HP at the beginning of a player's upkeep. This makes Drone Cages a far earlier-to-acquire form of healing for the massed troop formations that Supremacy-oriented armies specialize in. They are also useful in continued attacks on aliens with Purity-based armies that suffer from a lack of sustainability. They require 1 Firaxite to be built. Drone Cage healing also affects units of your allies, so you can use them to assist an ally.
Unit Upgrades[]
Tier 1[]
Drone Cages are available early-game - they can be obtained even by rushing Computing and picking up two of the leaf technologies along the way (you will need robotics for the firaxite), which can be useful in many situations. Drone Cages require 1 Firaxite up front which impedes their usefulness, but their Strength is fairly high for the time and they assist cheaper units such as Gunners and Marines greatly through their Aid drones. Be sure to scatter them about an army to ensure your army remains durable and resilient.
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Drone Cage in fortification (left) and their upgrade pose (right)
| Subject | Tier 1 (Drone Cage) |
|---|---|
| Tech Prerequisites | Autonomous Systems |
| Affinity Prerequisites | 3 Purity
|
| Resource Cost | 1 Firaxite
|
| Production Cost | 265  Production
|
| Combat Strength | 22 Combat Strength
|
| Movement | 2 Movement
|
| Passives | Deploy Aid Drones |
- Deploy Aid Drones - Heals adjacent allied units for 10HP at the beginning of your upkeep.
Tier 2[]
Tier 2 Drone Cages come with no extra gadgets, however their perks are still quite useful. You can double the effectiveness of Deploy Aid Drones to 20HP per turn, which dedicates them into Combat Medics, or you can double them as frontline attackers with bonus mobility or ranged defense. While their resource cost is the same as a CNDR which is arguably better as a defensive unit, the Drone Cage has plenty of utility that allows it to strive well into the late game.
| Subject | Tier 2 (True Drone Cage) | Tier 2 (Master Drone Cage) | Tier 2 (Prime Drone Cage) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Prerequisites | Autonomous Systems | Autonomous Systems | Autonomous Systems |
| Affinity Prerequisites | 10 Purity
|
8 Purity
|
4 Purity
10 |
| Resource Cost | 1 Firaxite
|
1 Firaxite
|
1 Firaxite
|
| Production Cost | 395 Production
|
395 Production
|
395 Production
|
| Combat Strength | 60 Combat Strength
|
60 Combat Strength
|
60 Combat Strength
|
| Movement | 2 Movement
|
2 Movement
|
2 Movement
|
| Perk Choice A | Double effectiveness of utility actions | Double effectiveness of utility actions | Double effectiveness of utility actions |
| Perk Choice B | 1 MovementMovement
|
50% Combat Strength when defending against ranged
|
30% Combat Strength when next to friendly unit
|
| Passives | Deploy Aid Drones | Deploy Aid Drones | Deploy Aid Drones |
- Deploy Aid Drones - Heals adjacent allied units for 10HP at the beginning of your upkeep
Civilopedia entry
The Drone Cage is a lone trooper accompanied by remote-controlled, multi-purpose machines capable of both combat and first-aid. The machinist operating the drones is also equipped with genetic modifications and neural enhancements, making them uniquely capable of maintaining control and understanding of all of the placement and actions of themselves and the drones all at once.
This understanding of the robots as an extension of themselves, and delicate understanding of their structure and function allows the drone cage to be an incredibly effective combat participant.
The armor of the Drone Cage operator is made of a highly durable silicon-based polymer, and every inch of the suit is covered in sensors, communicators, and computerized systems. Altogether, this is an immensely versatile unit.