unit-minke

Minke is a Serpulo naval tier-2 combat unit introduced in Version 6.0. It is a large, slow-moving warship designed to deal both concentrated and area damage: it mounts twin anti-air guns that fire high-rate bullets and twin artillery cannons that lob shells which travel over blocks and explode with significant splash. Minke appears in naval combat roles where ranged bombardment and anti-air defense are both needed; its armament and durability (among the highest for Serpulo T2 units) let it harass structures and enemy repair craft from beyond many turrets' effective ranges.

Its weapons behave differently: the anti-air guns fire rapid, inaccurate bullets (two barrels with an increased firing frequency after later updates) that cannot strike ground targets, making them especially dangerous to air units but useless for hitting static ground enemies. The artillery cannons fire slower shells with much tighter accuracy and a large area-of-effect explosion; those shells travel over blocks, allowing Minke to damage or destroy fragile infrastructure such as Conveyors even when obstacles block line-of-sight.

Play patterns and tactical notes:

• Use Minke to soften or destroy exposed structures from a distance; the artillery’s splash and pass-over-block trajectory are effective against Conveyors, Repair Points in shallow water, and lightly armored defense lines.
• The anti-air guns make Minke a natural counter to enemy aircraft and repair flyers trying to support frontline ships, but remember those bullets cannot hit ground-only targets.
• Minke should be supported by healing units such as Retusa (or by naval repair support), since some enemy naval units (like Ripple) can outrange its artillery; pairing Minke with Repair Points or dedicated healers keeps it effective in prolonged engagements.
• When facing Minkes, early focus fire with fast strike units (Hail, Ripple) is recommended to prevent them from unloading volleys; shields such as Force Projector can absorb much of the splash damage because most incoming shots are area damage and a strong shield will not overheat unless multiple attackers combine.
• Avoid relying solely on fragile air units to take Minke down: the anti-air guns inflict heavy damage on flyers, so air assaults should be kept at range or supported by heavy repair.
• Because its artillery shells ignore blocks, Minke can be used to bypass choke defenses that rely on blocking pathing rather than covering with splash-resistant turrets.

Notable numbers and changes from updates:

• Item capacity was increased from 40 to 50.
• Movement speed normalized to 6.75 tiles/s in later builds.
• Anti-air guns fire in a 2x configuration at 3 shots/sec per barrel after tuning, with an 8° inaccuracy.
• Artillery fires in a 2x configuration at 1 shot/sec, with large area damage (40) and an expanded radius (around 2.8 tiles after adjustments) plus a modest knockback.
• The unit’s range has been adjusted across updates (one change reduced range from 32 to 30 blocks).
• Earlier abilities that granted allied Overclocked status were removed.

Trivia: Minke is named after the minke whale and, among Serpulo T2 units, shares one of the highest health pools (600). It is currently unique in having bullets that cannot hit ground targets.