Minke

Minke is a Serpulo naval tier-2 combat unit that combines long-range artillery shells with anti-air gunfire to control both ground and aerial threats. It appears as a follow-up to the Risso in naval lines and is intended to support offensive ships by softening defenses and denying air support. Minke trades mobility and single-target focus for potent area damage and layered weapon types, making it effective at damaging structures and clustered units from beyond most turret ranges.

Minke carries two weapon systems firing in tandem. Its anti-air guns fire bursts of standard bullets with an inaccuracy of 8°, a firing pattern of 2×3 shots per second, and relatively low single-hit damage; these bullets cannot hit ground targets and are dedicated to engaging air units. Its artillery cannons fire shells that travel over blocks, dealing 40 area damage in a roughly 2.8-tile radius, with 0.8 knockback; the artillery fires at 2×1 shots per second and cannot hit air targets. The artillery’s ability to travel over blocks lets Minke target fragile structures such as conveyors even when obstacles stand between it and the target.

Minke’s stats changed through updates: it was introduced in Version 6.0, had its item capacity increased from 40 to 50 and its range slightly reduced in early 7.0 builds, speed normalized to 6.75 tiles/s, and weapon adjustments in Build 130.1 improved artillery area damage and anti-air gun fire rate/inaccuracy. It has among the highest health of Serpulo tier-2 units at 600 HP.

Use Minke as a stand-off support platform that can cripple infrastructure and punish clustered defenders while its anti-air guns contest enemy flyers. Practical considerations and tactics:

• Destroy Minkes early with fast, high-DPS units such as Hail and Ripple before their artillery can punish your lines; their area damage threatens conveyors and repair infrastructure.
• Force Projectors effectively absorb incoming area damage from Minke shells and bullets without overheating if no additional units contribute fire.
• Air units are vulnerable to Minke’s anti-air guns; keep repair Polies at range while they heal naval forces.
• Pair Minke with healing support (for example, Retusa-class support units) or nearby repair points when operating near enemy turrets; the Ripple still outranges Minke, so keep healers available.
• Use Minke to safely damage turrets like Cyclone, Meltdown, or groups such as Swarmer from beyond their effective ranges, relying on area damage to bypass concentrated targets.
• Because artillery shells fly over blocks, Minke can target fragile conveyor networks and base layouts that rely on coverage by obstacles.

Minke’s name references the Minke whale, and it remains notable for being the only unit whose bullets cannot hit ground targets while also carrying an artillery weapon that ignores block obstructions.