Missile Rover (CivBE)

Missile Rover
Siege Unit in Beyond Earth
Required	Computing
Moves	2
Base Unit Strength	3
Base Ranged Strength	12
Base Range	2

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Game info[]

Ranged siege cavalry. Requires Computing technology.

The Missile Rover and its upgrades form the artillery of Beyond Earth. Its armament consists of long-range missiles capable of reaching the lower stratosphere, which makes it the first unit that can attack nearby satellites in orbit. However, unlike the Ranger, the Missile Rover's weapons need some time to deploy, so after moving the unit will spend one MP to set up before being able to attack. The 'artillery' of Beyond Earth is a lot more flexible than previous games, such as Civilization V that essentially only makes them useful for siege - missile rovers can be used to deal with enemies and receive specific bonuses for this!

At higher tiers, the Missile Rover can become highly effective against Cities (thus its role as a Siege weapon). What's more, at Tier 4 it acquires the ability to levitate over terrain! It is considered a cavalry unit as it is a more powerful version of the Ranger, the infantry counterpart, but does not benefit from terrain bonuses, much like melee cavalry, the Combat Rovers.

Unit Upgrades[]

Tier 1 and 2 (Non-Affinity)[]

Missile rovers and Artillery take inspiration from modern Missile rovers on Old Earth. Their primary weapons are front-mounted battery cannons and SAM launchers and take on a Space-Age design. The perk that Artillery can choose greatly affects how you may use these Rovers - they can be used as proper Artillery and anti-air turrets, or they can be used as powerful but frail ranged cavalry.

Artillery-tier1and2-be — Missile Rover (left) and Artillery (right)

Subject	Tier 1 (Missile Rover)	Tier 2 (Artillery)
Tech Prerequisites	Computing	Computing
Affinity Prerequisites	No requirement	4 of any Affinity
Resource Cost	No requirement	No requirement
Production Cost	120 Production	210 Production
Combat Strength	3 Strength 12 Ranged Strength	5 Strength 20 Ranged Strength
Movement	2	2
Range	2	2
Perk Choice A	--	+20% Strength when attacking Cities
Perk Choice B	--	+20% Strength when against land units
Passives	Can shoot down orbital units	10% when attacking Cities Can shoot down orbital units

Tier 3 (Primary Affinity)[]

Tier 3 Missile Rovers take on the appearance and strategy of their sponsor's primary affinity. They grow to become more powerful in sieging cities, but some such as the Educator receive bonuses in terms of unit destruction. Both the Centaur and Punisher can activate additional mobility, should they need it. All the Tier 3 Missile Rovers gain large head-mounted cannons or batteries that further express their Affinity's design.

Artillery-tier3-be — Centaur (left), Punisher (middle) and Educator (right)

Subject	Tier 3 (Centaur)	Tier 3 (Punisher)	Tier 3 (Educator)
Tech Prerequisites	Computing	Computing	Computing
Affinity Prerequisites	9 Harmony	9 Purity	9 Supremacy
Resource Cost	No requirement	No requirement	No requirement
Production Cost	310 Production	310 Production	310 Production
Combat Strength	8 Strength 30 Ranged Strength	8 Strength 30 Ranged Strength	8 Strength 30 Ranged Strength
Movement	2	2	2
Range	2	2	2
Perk Choice A	+1Movement	+1Movement	+30% Strength when attacking wounded
Perk Choice B	+40% Strength when defending against ranged	+20% Strength when attacking	+20% Strength when next to friendly unit
Passives	30% when attacking Cities Can shoot down orbital units	30% when attacking Cities Can shoot down orbital units	30% when attacking Cities Can shoot down orbital units

Tier 4 (Final Primary affinity)[]

Tier 4 Missile Rovers are the pinnacle of city capture as well as precision cavalry. The Affinities diverge their Rovers significantly from each other and each has a very unique set of statistics. Harmony rovers have increased range, Purity rovers have increased damage and Supremacy rovers can become rapid-fire ranged cavalry. Your Affinity is very important here - choosing the wrong affinity for your own strategy can cause you to be unable to use Tier 4 Missile Rovers effectively. It is also useful to know that Tier 4 Missile Rovers are amphibious units as they can Hover over most terrain, including sea, so they can be used to siege aquatic cities.

Artillery-tier4-be — Minotaur (left), Devastator (middle) and Ambassador (right)

Subject	Tier 4 (Minotaur)	Tier 4 (Devastator)	Tier 4 (Ambassador)
Tech Prerequisites	Computing	Computing	Computing
Affinity Prerequisites	14 Harmony	14 Purity	14 Supremacy
Resource Cost	No requirement	No requirement	No requirement
Production Cost	420 Production	420 Production	420 Production
Combat Strength	14 Strength 44 Ranged Strength	14 Strength 52 Ranged Strength	14 Strength 30 Ranged Strength
Movement	2	2	2
Range	3	2	2
Perk Choice A	50% chance to scatter enemy unit to another tile	Can attack over terrain obstacles	Can attack over terrain obstacles
Perk Choice B	No setup required to fire	+1if unit has not moved	No setup required to fire
Passives	50% when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1 Can shoot down orbital units	50% when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1 Can shoot down orbital units	50% when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1, Blitz, can move after attacking Can shoot down orbital units

Blitz: Can attack twice in one turn, each attack costing 1.
Hover: Can travel over most terrain obstacles, including sea

Game fiction[]

The Missile Rovers were originally included in the colonist ships as Multipurpose support units, designed for heavy lifting and construction work. However, soon after arriving, the colonists perceived that they might need something more.... aggressive, in order to survive in the hostile landscape. Engineers quickly found ways to outfit these MSUs with rocket launching platforms, thus effectively converting them into artillery units. They proved priceless when dealing with hostile aliens, such as the dreaded Siege Worms, from afar.

Later these makeshift rocket launchers were upgraded with sophisticated guiding systems, allowing rockets to reach the lower stratosphere and shoot down satellites, if needed. Further upgrades were developed when the Missile Rovers proved effective on the field and eventually we got something which combines a powerful mobile missile launcher with an artillery piece - a ranged support unit of great value.

Civilopedia entry

What we now call Missile Rovers were originally “Space Exploration Vehicles” developed by NASA. These SEVs were included in the initial payload of most colonial missions. However, upon reaching alien worlds, the colonists found they were more in need of offensive capabilities than exploratory tools.

Redubbing them “Missile Rover – Vehicular,” the MRVs were retrofitted to deal with indigenous wildlife. As they were designed by different colonies for various reasons, no two Missile Rovers were alike. However, they often included mounted automatic weapons for close defense and at least one ranged weapon, such as a Coilgun, for the purpose of dealing indirect damage. These original Siege Engines were very successful in suppressing alien nests, dispatching Siege Worms, and even the occasional military clash with an opposing colony.

As MRV use became more popular, their design became more mainstream. Soon, the colonies were producing original MRVs, often improving upon the shortcomings of their retrofitted predecessors. Even now, they are undergoing a new evolution, as many MRVs now come equipped with mounts allowing for tools such as cranes, backhoes, or dozer blades. Unsurprisingly, these modified SEVs are proving equally useful in combat as in civilian construction.