Missile Vehicle Squad Guide (Pre-Season 1)
Missile Vehicles in Pre-Season
Missile Vehicle squads are the third priority for most players in pre-season. Build Tanks first (they dominate early), then consider Aircraft (the mid-late meta), and then Missiles as a counter-pick or third squad.
Missiles have a specific and important job: they hard-counter Aircraft squads. On servers where Aircraft becomes dominant, a strong Missile squad can shut down the meta entirely.
When to Build Missiles
Consider building a Missile squad when:
- Your Tank squad is fully built with gold gear
- You have a functional Aircraft squad (or your alliance has enough Aircraft players)
- Your server's meta is shifting heavily toward Aircraft
- You want a counter-pick for Alliance Wars and SvS
- You have acquired Tesla (the key Missile DPS hero)
Do not build Missiles first. They lose to Tanks (the early meta) and require coordination with teammates to be effective.
The Squad: Formation Layout
- Tesla in the back row deals massive energy damage with Lightning Chain stacking — he defines the Missile squad.
- Fiona adds devastating physical AoE from the back row. Her Radiation DoT stacks give you sustained damage that shreds tanky targets, and having both her and Tesla means enemies cannot stack one type of defence.
- Adam holds the front line while the damage dealers work. Without him, your fragile back row gets destroyed.
- McGregor provides a second front-row body to split damage with Adam. His targeted damage still contributes from the front row, and keeping Adam alive longer protects the fragile back row.
- Swift rounds out the composition with utility and support buffs that enhance the squad's overall performance.
- All 5 are Missile type = 20% HP, Attack, and Defence bonus from mono-type squad.
Why Each Hero Is In Their Position
Understanding Left, Centre, and Right Positions
The front row has two slots (Left and Right) and the back row has three slots (Left, Centre, Right). Missile squads are the most fragile squad type, so horizontal positioning is especially important:
- Front Row Left (Adam) — the only true tank in the squad. Adam anchors the left side and draws the bulk of incoming damage, directly shielding Tesla behind him. This is critical because Missile squads collapse if their carry dies early.
- Front Row Right (McGregor) — McGregor provides a second front-row body to split damage with Adam. Without a second body in front, Adam absorbs all hits alone and falls too fast. McGregor's targeted damage still contributes from the front row while keeping the back-row DPS heroes protected.
- Back Row Left (Tesla) — directly behind Adam, the primary tank. Tesla is the squad's energy damage carry. Placing him behind your tankiest hero gives him the best chance of surviving long enough to deliver his devastating Lightning Chain damage.
- Back Row Centre (Fiona) — the centre back-row slot is covered by both front-row heroes, making it the most protected back-row position. Fiona's Radiation DoT needs time to stack, so she benefits from the extra coverage to reach maximum damage.
- Back Row Right (Swift) — behind McGregor. Swift's support buffs work from any position, but placing him on the right side means if that flank takes hits, losing Swift's buffs is less devastating than losing Tesla or Fiona's damage.
Front Row: Adam (Missile Tank)
Adam is the Missile squad's dedicated tank. Missile squads are inherently fragile — the back row is full of high-damage, low-durability heroes. Adam's job is to absorb as much damage as possible so Tesla and Fiona can deal their damage. Without a front-line presence, the entire squad collapses.
Why not in the back row? Adam has low damage output. His entire kit is defensive. Putting him in the back row would waste a damage slot and leave no one to absorb incoming hits.
Front Row: McGregor (Secondary DPS / Off-Tank)
McGregor provides a second front-row body to split incoming damage with Adam. The front row needs two heroes — if Adam is alone, he absorbs all hits and falls too fast. McGregor's targeted damage still contributes from the front row, and his presence keeps the high-value back-row damage dealers protected.
Why not in the back row? McGregor is B-Tier with lower damage output than both Tesla and Fiona. Fiona's S-Tier AoE damage and Radiation DoT scaling are far too valuable to waste in the front row. McGregor's targeted damage works adequately from the front, and the squad benefits more from having Fiona's sustained physical damage in the protected back row.
Back Row: Tesla (Main DPS)
Tesla is the squad-defining energy damage dealer. His Lightning Chain stacking and damage multipliers are what make Missile squads dangerous. He must be in the back row because he is extremely fragile — if Tesla dies early, the squad loses its energy damage carry.
Why not in the front row? Tesla would die almost immediately. His stats are entirely offensive. The squad exists to keep Tesla and Fiona alive long enough to unleash their damage.
Back Row: Fiona (AoE DPS)
Fiona provides devastating physical AoE damage from the back row. Her Radiation DoT mechanic stacks up to 10 times with a full Missile squad, dealing massive sustained damage over 20 seconds. She complements Tesla perfectly — Tesla handles energy damage while Fiona covers physical damage, meaning enemies cannot stack one type of defence to survive.
Why paired with Tesla? Two S-Tier damage dealers in the back row covering both damage types makes the squad lethal against any defence strategy. Fiona's sustained Radiation damage combined with Tesla's burst energy damage gives the squad both burst and sustained killing power. Her Exclusive Weapon in Season 5 transforms her into the strongest Missile carry in the game.
Back Row: Swift (Support)
Swift provides utility buffs that enhance the squad's performance. He is in the back row because his value comes from buffing the squad, not from absorbing damage. Keeping him alive means his buffs remain active for longer.
Why not in the front row? Swift is not tanky enough to survive front-row damage, and his buffs work from any position. The back row keeps him alive so his support contributions last the full fight.
Hero Investment Order
1. Tesla (First Priority)
Your main damage dealer. Tesla's damage output defines the squad.
- Max his level and skills first
- He gets the first gold gear piece (his Gun)
- Push toward 4 stars for Super Sensory passive
- Tactics skills first
2. Fiona (Second Priority)
S-Tier AoE DPS with Radiation DoT that devastates tanky targets. Co-carry alongside Tesla.
- Level alongside Tesla — she is your physical damage carry
- Gets a Gun after Tesla has his
- Focus on ATK Tactics cards — Radiation damage scales directly off ATK
- Her Exclusive Weapon in Season 5 makes her the strongest Missile carry
3. McGregor (Third Priority)
Secondary DPS providing targeted damage from the front row.
- Level after Fiona
- Focus on damage skills
- Gets gear after both DPS carries
4. Swift (Fourth Priority)
Utility and support.
- Level to functional
- Focus on support skills
5. Adam (Fifth Priority)
Your front-line tank for the Missile squad.
- Level enough to survive
- Focus on defensive skills
- Gets defensive gear (Radar, Armor)
Gold Gear Craft Order
Only start crafting Missile gold gear after your Tank squad is established and ideally after your Aircraft squad is underway.
Hero Skills Reference
Each hero has three skills: Auto Attack (basic attack, fires automatically), Tactics (tactical ability), and Passive (always-on bonuses).
Skills Upgrade Priority
For the Missile squad, upgrade hero skills in this order. Each hero has three skill types: Auto Attack (basic attack), Tactics (tactical ability), and Passive (always-on bonuses). Additionally, Tactics Cards boost stats and give the most bang for your investment.
Skill Upgrade Tips
- Tactics cards are the highest priority for every hero — they provide the strongest stat bonuses per level
- Get Tesla and Fiona to Level 40 on Tactics and Active before pushing anyone else past Level 30
- Level 30 is the efficient breakpoint — pushing from 30 to 40 costs significantly more resources for smaller relative gains
- Do not spread skill books randomly. Focus one hero at a time
Gear Levelling
- All pieces to Level 10 first
- Tesla's Gun to Level 40
- Fiona's Gun to Level 40
- Adam's Radar to Level 40
- Then other pieces to Level 40
Combat Triangle
The Counter-Pick Role
Missile squads are not meant to fight everything. They are a specialist tool:
- Deploy against Aircraft-heavy opponents
- Avoid Tank-heavy opponents
- In Alliance Wars, coordinate with your Tank players — they handle enemy Missiles while you handle enemy Aircraft
This is rock-paper-scissors. Your alliance needs all three types to cover every matchup.
Playing Missiles in Alliance Content
PvP
Missile squads are high-risk, high-reward in PvP:
- Against Aircraft opponents, you have a massive advantage
- Against Tank opponents, you will struggle
- Scout before attacking — type matchup matters more for Missiles than any other class
Rallies
Missile squads contribute strong burst damage to rallies:
- Tesla's energy burst and Fiona's Radiation DoT are devastating together
- Your combined burst and sustained damage can eliminate key enemy heroes quickly
- But your squads are fragile — if the rally's front line falls, you are in trouble
Alliance Wars
In alliance wars, Missile players are the Aircraft hunters:
- Target enemy Aircraft squads specifically
- Avoid enemy Tank squads
- Coordinate with alliance members who run Tanks — they cover your weakness, you cover theirs
Future: Missile Buffs in Later Seasons
Missiles get significantly stronger in later seasons:
- Season 5 introduces Venom's UR Promotion and more Exclusive Weapons for Missile heroes
- Fiona's Exclusive Weapon makes Missiles much more competitive
- The gap between Missiles and Aircraft closes over time
If you invest in Missiles now, they will only get stronger as your server progresses through seasons.
Related Guides
- Tank Squad Guide — build this first; Tanks are your weakness in the combat triangle
- Aircraft Squad Guide — the squad type you counter
- Hero Guide — hero investment priorities and star upgrades
- Gear Guide — gold gear craft order and upgrade path
- Alliance Squad Coordination — coordinating squad types across your alliance
- M5-A Railgun Promotion Guide — how to reach 4.5M CP and claim the M5-A during Light of Hope