| Submarine | |
|---|---|
 Submarine Unit in Beyond Earth | |
| Required |  Chemistry
|
| Moves |  2
|
| Base Unit Strength |  12
|
| Base Ranged Strength |  14
|
| Base Range |  2
|
Game info[]
- Stealth naval unit. Requires Chemistry technology.
The Submarine is a unit added to Beyond Earth in the game's expansion Rising Tide. Meant for naval raiding, harassing, and ambushing, submarines are slow relative to Patrol Boats and Gunboats and rely on their stealth and range to pick off vulnerable targets.
With the submarine comes the introduction of the concepts of stealth units in Beyond Earth gameplay, namely that they are invisible until attacking or unless adjacent to an enemy unit or city.
By comparing combat and ranged strengths of Submarines to Patrol Boats and Gunboats, the Submarine has a middle-ground Combat Strength - higher than both the Gunboat and Patrol Boat - but has a lower Ranged Strength than Gunboats. They are also much slower than both ships, but have Invisibility. This makes then difficult to deal with by Patrol Boats, as well as being difficult to target with Gunboats due to the one-tile visibility. It is usually best to deal with Submarines then with other Submarines, or in the late game, Levitating Cavalry and Nanohives due to their poor Movement and thus high susceptibility to ZOC.
Unit Upgrades[]
Tier 1 & Tier 2 (Non Affinity)[]
Early submarines are quite lackluster as they lack the mobility of a ranged naval unit or the durability of a melee naval unit. Their only advantage to other naval units is their signature innate ability, Invisibility, which allows them to be not visible or targetable by enemy or alien units unless the submarine is within a tile (or two with certain promotions) from the enemy's unit. This, coupled with their rather high Melee strength in low tiers make them difficult to deal with early-game. Ranged units who attempt to attack it can be assaulted as they are forced to move next to the submarine, and melee units are also forced to deal with the submarine's matching Strength, so they are not easy to kill. Tidehunters, the Tier 2 equivalent, receive more situational bonuses which allow Submarines to silently dispatch of powerful units without being damaged much in the process.
Submarine (left) and Tidehunter (right)
| Subject | Tier 1 (Submarine) | Tier 2 (Tidehunter) |
|---|---|---|
| Tech Prerequisites | Computing | Computing |
| Affinity Prerequisites | No requirement | 3 of any Affinity |
| Resource Cost | No requirement | No requirement |
| Production Cost | 120  Production
|
200 Production
|
| Combat Strength | 12 Strength
|
20 Strength
|
| Movement | 2
|
2
|
| Range | 2
|
2
|
| Perk Choice A | -- | +20% Strength when attacking into Coast
|
| Perk Choice B | -- | +20% Strength when attacking into Ocean
|
| Passives | Invisibility | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) |
Tier 3 (Primary Affinity)[]
Submarines are interesting for all three primary affinities as none of them have a particular focus on stealth. Their bonuses are similar to that of ranged naval units - however, the most interesting prospect is that their perks are quite powerful for only Tier 3 perks. This is probably to deal with their still suffering 3Movement and poor Ranged Strength in comparison to their Gunboat counterparts.
Lurker (left), Undertaker (middle) and Whisper (right)
| Subject | Tier 3 (Lurker) | Tier 3 (Undertaker) | Tier 3 (Whisper) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Prerequisites | Computing | Computing | Computing |
| Affinity Prerequisites | 8  Harmony
|
8  Purity
|
8  Supremacy
|
| Resource Cost | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement |
| Production Cost | 290 Production
|
290 Production
|
290 Production
|
| Combat Strength | 28 Strength
|
28 Strength
|
28 Strength
|
| Movement | 3
|
3
|
3
|
| Range | 2
|
2
|
2
|
| Perk Choice A | +1Movement
|
+30% Strength when attacking cities
|
+15% Strength when next to a friendly unit
|
| Perk Choice B | +15HP heal in friendly territory | +10% Strength per unused Movement
|
+30% Strength when defending
|
| Passives | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) |
Tier 4 (Primary affinity)[]
Tier 4 Submarines appear when a sponsor has established themselves in the path of a specific Affinity. Due to the lack of hybrid affinity Submarine units, it could be that stealth warfare is the result of fierce affinity differences - that victory must be achieved in any way possible, even if it involves quiet tactics. While the Strength growth of Submarines is subpar to that of Gunboats and Patrol boats at this time, the Tier 4 perks are substantial and far better than that of the Patrol Boats and Gunboats. Submarines thus remain effective throughout the entire game - Leviathans can be powerful scouts or invisible combat medics while Shrouds can be powerful Submarine Hunters (particularly if paired with improved stealth detection Patrol Boats) or a potent tool for finishing off weakened units that could sabotage your Vindicator/Tacjet run.
Leviathan (left), Eradicator (middle) and Shroud (right)
| Subject | Tier 4 (Leviathan) | Tier 4 (Eradicator) | Tier 4 (Shroud) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Prerequisites | Computing | Computing | Computing |
| Affinity Prerequisites | 13 Harmony
|
13 Purity
|
13 Supremacy
|
| Resource Cost | No requirement | No requirement | No requirement |
| Production Cost | 400 Production
|
400 Production
|
400 Production
|
| Combat Strength | 42 Strength
|
42 Strength
|
42 Strength
|
| Movement | 3
|
3
|
3
|
| Range | 2
|
2
|
2
|
| Perk Choice A | +2 Sight | +1 Range
|
+20% Strength when attacking wounded units
|
| Perk Choice B | +10HP heal for adjacent units every turn | +20% Strength in friendly orbital coverage
|
+40% Strength against Submarines
|
| Passives | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) | Invisibility, +1 Sight (to 3) |
Civilopedia entry
Traditionally, military submarines were designed to stealthfully ambush large surface ships, such as trade vessels or aircraft carriers, but also acted as effective recon units.
On this new world, submarines have reprised the role they had on Earth. After overcoming the initial hurdle and adjusting the submarine's design to compliment the different water density, gravity, and composition, we were able to integrate these units back into our naval fleet.
While these units may be effective against aliens if attacked, their primary role is hunting and assaulting heavy surface ships.
Trivia[]
- The Highest attack a submarine can have is from an Undertaker-Shroud with perks +20% from coast, +10% per unused Movement (30% from 3MP) and +40% against submarines. The total Ranged attack would equal 48*(1.9) = 91.2 Ranged Strength. This is roughly the same as a Gunboat and is far more situational, but it is important to remember that Submarines can escape much easier than a Gunboat can from a powerful attack.
Images[]
