unit-risso

Risso is a tier-1 naval combat unit that appears on watery maps in Mindustry. It combines two complementary weapon systems—a dual rapid-fire bullet mount and a volley-launching missile mount—allowing it to engage both single targets and groups at short to medium ranges. Risso is intended for use where water mobility matters: it excels at attacking coastal defenses, escorting amphibious assaults, or defending shorelines and friendly naval approaches.

The unit carries an internal item capacity that was increased in later updates (from 30 to 40), and its movement and firing parameters have seen several adjustments across versions: its speed was standardized to tiles/second, missile and bullet fire rates have been tuned down from earlier builds, and its effective range has been altered slightly over time. Risso also has unusually high base HP for a T1 unit (noted at 280 in sources), making it relatively tanky compared to other tier-1 choices.

In combat the Risso fires two weapon types concurrently. The bullet mount fires two barrels at a rapid combined rate (reported as 2x 2.3 shots/sec) dealing around 9 damage per bullet volley, suitable for close-in sustained damage. The missile mount launches homing missiles at about 2.4 shots/sec; each missile deals 12 direct damage plus 10 area damage in roughly a 3.1-tile radius and provides much of the Risso’s anti-group punch. Neither weapon has piercing, so damage is distributed rather than cutting through armor.

Practical notes and tactics:

• Use Rissos where water grants mobility or when the enemy core is reachable from the coast; they perform poorly on fully landlocked maps but are potent when naval lanes exist.
• Their combined DPS is very high for a tier-1 unit, making them excellent for quickly overwhelming undefended or lightly defended coastal bases. They can also substitute for turrets when defending shorelines.
• Because their weapons lack piercing, they struggle more against dense swarms of small units or heavily armored columns; pairing with splash-capable defenses (e.g., Ripple turrets) or supporting units that provide piercing is advisable.
• Defenders facing Rissos should consider walling off coasts and deploying close-range rapid-fire turrets (Arc is mentioned as effective) to intercept them before they can bring missile volleys to bear; long-range Ripple turrets can destroy Rissos from safety if placed with unobstructed line-of-sight.
• Item logistics: the increased item capacity improves sustained operations, but Rissos still require resupply for prolonged assaults or defensive patrols.
• Historically, the unit’s stats and limits (such as command limits and ranges) have been adjusted through several updates; some reports note slightly different fire rates and ranges depending on the game version, so consult current patch notes for exact live values.