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

Back arrow (CivBE) Back to the list of units

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 Production 210 Production Production
Combat Strength Strength Combat Strength

12 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Strength Combat Strength

20 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement
Range 2Range Range 2Range Range
Perk Choice A -- +20% Strength Combat Strength when attacking Cities
Perk Choice B -- +20% Strength Combat 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 siegeing 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 Harmony 9 Purity Purity 9 Supremacy Supremacy
Resource Cost No requirement No requirement No requirement
Production Cost 310 Production Production 310 Production Production 310 Production Production
Combat Strength 8 Strength Combat Strength

30 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Strength Combat Strength

30 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Strength Combat Strength

30 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement
Range 2Range Range 2Range Range 2Range Range
Perk Choice A +1Movement Movement +1Movement Movement +30% Strength Combat Strength when attacking wounded
Perk Choice B +40% Strength Combat Strength when defending against ranged +20% Strength Combat Strength when attacking +20% Strength Combat 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 Harmony rovers have increased range, Purity Purity rovers have increased damage and Supremacy 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 Harmony 14 Purity Purity 14 Supremacy Supremacy
Resource Cost No requirement No requirement No requirement
Production Cost 420 Production Production 420 Production Production 420 Production Production
Combat Strength 14 Strength Combat Strength

44 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

14 Strength Combat Strength

52 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

14 Strength Combat Strength

30 Ranged Strength Ranged Strength

Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement 2Movement Movement
Range 3Range Range 2Range Range 2Range Range
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 +1Range Range if unit has not moved No setup required to fire
Passives 50% Strength when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1Movement Movement
Can shoot down orbital units
50% Strength when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1Movement Movement
Can shoot down orbital units
50% Strength when attacking Cities, Hover, all terrain costs 1Movement Movement, Blitz, can move after attacking
Can shoot down orbital units
  • Blitz: Can attack twice in one turn, each attack costing 1Movement Movement.
  • 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.

Gallery[]

Advertisement