unit-merui

Merui is a legged combat unit introduced in build 136 that functions as a light artillery tank specialized at firing ground-only, arcing projectiles which can travel over intervening blocks. It occupies a niche between fast skirmishers and heavier armored vehicles: its shots deal area damage and ignore obstacles on the ground, allowing it to strike turrets, ammo stores and clustered targets behind walls, but the unit itself is fragile and relatively slow, so positioning and support are important.

Its main weapon fires at 0.95 shots/sec (63 ticks reload) and launches projectiles that cannot hit air units. Each projectile deals 30 area damage in a radius roughly equivalent to 2.3 tiles and applies 0.8 knockback; the projectile travels at about 22.5 tiles/sec, has a lifetime of ~0.76 seconds (46 ticks) and an effective range around 17.25 tiles. The shot passes over intervening blocks and structures, which makes Merui particularly effective at severing turret ammo lines and hitting protected defenses, but exposes the unit itself since its shells will travel over the battlefield rather than arc directly into close targets.

Because Merui is built by a fabricator that requires tungsten, it is an expensive tech choice but pairs well with heavier or more numerous frontline units. Practical usage and tactics include:

• Use Merui behind meatier tanks (for example Stell-class units) so your front line soaks hits while Merui fire over them to disable turrets and ammo stores. Their unblockable projectiles make them good at knocking out defended installations.
• Spread or form a concave line when approaching Merui swarms to minimize splash damage; smaller groups can be kited because the projectile speed and travel time allow dodging.
• Breach-class units loaded with dense ammo can counter Merui if they prevent shots from simply passing over allied blocks; tungsten rounds in Breaches increase chances of scoring hits on Merui hiding behind other units.
• Merui cannot hit flying units or air-bombing targets; some players exploit this by using airborne or air-targeting weapons to avoid return fire.
• In niche scenarios on maps like Erekir, Merui (and its tree) are among the few normal units that carry item capacity and can be used as ad-hoc wireless transport, though practical automation is limited on that map due to absent logic/interactions.

Balance history notes that Merui debuted in build 136 and received a minor nerf in build 149 where the main weapon firing rate was reduced from 1.0 to 0.95/sec (reload increased from 60 to 63 ticks).

The unit’s name follows the beetle-themed nomenclature of its family (named after Meru phyllisae), reflecting its design as a legged, amphibious-capable chassis; it can traverse shallow liquid tiles when its body does not sit over the pool, allowing it to accompany other legged units in certain terrain.