unit-quell

Quell is a tier-4 ground unit exclusive to the Erekir environment. It evolves from Elude and is built from beryllium components; it fills a unique niche as a cheap, long-range missile platform that fires physical projectiles which subsequently spawn missile units on despawn or on impact. Quell cannot attack air units and its missiles also cannot hit air, so its role is strictly ground-focused. It is notable for having one of the longest attack ranges among mobile units and for producing autonomous missile units that function as mobile projectiles and damage sources.

Quell’s primary attack is a two-barrel missile launcher that fires high-range projectiles at a moderate rate. Each fired projectile deals about 52 damage and cannot target air; when the projectile fragments it spawns a missile unit (listed at roughly 52.5 damage) which itself releases a frag projectile on death that deals significant area damage (~110 area damage). The spawned missile has modest health (about 45), a speed around 32.25 tiles/s, and is treated as a unit for interaction purposes (for example, it can absorb enemy projectiles). Historically Quell’s range and other stats have changed across builds — its range was reduced to around 44–45 blocks in later updates and its health was adjusted to 6000 with light armor.

Because the spawned missiles count as units, they serve multiple tactical functions beyond raw damage. Missiles will absorb incoming enemy projectiles, protecting Quell and other nearby ground forces by acting as living shields and by suppressing enemy structure repairs when striking repair blocks. This makes Quell especially effective for long-range bombardment of enemy bases: its missiles can soak fire and wreck repair systems while your ground forces (or a dropped Tecta) move in. The initial physical projectile behaves differently from the missile unit — it persists until its lifetime ends or it hits a block/unit, then spawns the missile closer to its target which increases the chance to connect.

Quell also offers utility outside direct combat. It can pick up blocks and units that Core Units cannot, allowing it to airlift many ground T1–T3 units as well as Eludes and Tectas over cliffs and walls. This capability can be used to load units onto payload systems for bulk upgrading or recycling after deployment.

Counterplay and deployment notes:

• Because Quell cannot hit air, air escorts such as Obviates or Averts are hard counters; a mass of air units can sweep Quells with little risk. On defense, provide air denial (Disperse turrets, Obviates/Averts) to stop Quells from shelling ground targets.
• Single lone Quells are vulnerable: their own missiles draw turret fire and can cause friendly fire on them, so they often need support or multi-angle attacks to be effective. Against fast-firing turrets like Disperse, missiles can be destroyed before reaching targets; attacking from multiple directions or using the Core Unit to pick up a block and bait turret focus can help missiles get through.
• In campaign encounters (e.g., Karst and Origin), Quells often appear in small groups and may advance rather than exploit full range; static Disperse lines are generally sufficient to neutralize them if positioned well.
• Keep at least one Quell near your base for utility roles (airlifting, moving payloads, or serving as a quick pick-up unit), but separate it from combat if you want to preserve that utility.

Quell occupies a specialized spot in the unit roster: inexpensive for a tier-4, strong at long-range ground suppression, and valuable for its missile-as-unit interactions and payload handling. Its limitations versus air and vulnerability to fast-firing point defenses mean it is most effective when used with supporting units and tactics that exploit its shielding missiles and long reach.