Avert

Avert is a light air combat unit that appears from the Intersect tech tree. It functions as a cheap, fast-firing skirmisher used for scouting, harassment, and intercepting incoming threats rather than as a durable front-line combatant. Its role complements other early air units by filling gaps where short-range, mobile pressure is useful; it cannot survive sustained turret fire or high-area/piercing defenses but is effective when used in numbers and with proper micro.

The Avert's primary weapon fires at a high rate and does not rotate; each shot deals 25.5 damage against units with buildings taking a reduced multiplier of -40%. Each projectile has an effective range of about 11.25 tiles, a lifetime of 0.3 seconds, and travels at 37.5 tiles/sec. The weapon fires at approximately 1.71 shots/sec (0.58 sec reload / 35 ticks). Each main shot spawns two frag projectiles on impact; each frag deals 15 damage (with a -50% building damage multiplier). The combination of main damage and frags gives the Avert respectable burst output for its cost, but its short range and frag behavior shape how it is used in combat.

Use Averts for scouting and light harassment rather than slugging matches with base defenses. They excel at:

• Getting in close to isolated or lightly defended blocks to disable high-value targets (power/economy) if micro-managed to focus a single block and ignore surrounding turrets.
• Intercepting or distracting missile-based threats and air-limited units when paired with other counters; their firing rate helps against fast incoming ordnance.
• Swarming and trading economically: they are cheap enough to be fielded in groups to overwhelm single-target threats.

Avoid committing Averts into fights against area- or piercing-damage turrets (Sublimate on any ammo, high-efficiency Afflicts, or Disperse), since those weapons quickly kill them. Ground armies with strong anti-air or long-range defenses outclass them; on maps like Erekir most turrets outrange the Avert, making static defenses or emergency Breach/Defend responses sufficient. Against ground units, Averts struggle in many matchups because certain ground compositions (for example, Locus + Cleroi-style counters) mitigate their projectiles and leave them noncompetitive.

Practical micro and counters:

• Order groups to move as close as possible to the intended target block before issuing attack commands to minimize wasted range and ensure focus fire on the structure rather than nearby turrets.
• Use Averts to harass the backline of a base to disable economy and support turrets; disabling Disperses along the backline can let heavier attackers exploit the breach.
• Keep Averts away from high-area turrets and piercing weapons; rely on mobile counters (Eludes, Stells) or late-game turrets (Sublimate, Afflict) to defeat Avert raids.
• Combine with other air or ground units for reconnaissance and baiting; their frag output can help intercept Quell/Disrupt missiles but they are not reliable solo anti-ground units.

Avert was added in Build 136 and has received incremental tuning: range was increased in Build 147, rotation speed adjusted in Build 149, and a building damage multiplier plus frag projectiles were introduced in a later build.