unit-vanquish

Vanquish is a late-game heavy tank unit that appears on maps such as Crossroads and Karst. It belongs to the tank line and combines very high bulk and armor with relatively low mobility, designed to absorb enormous punishment while delivering heavy single-target and area damage. Its core armament is a large piercing cannon that fires slow, long-lived projectiles which split into fragments, supplemented by smaller side guns; additionally it deals continuous crushing damage to blocks it moves over, making it a threat to player walls and structures.

The primary cannon fires at 0.85 rounds/sec, dealing 142.5 base damage with a sizeable area-of-effect (about 2.5 tiles) and 2× pierce, and produces five frag bullets on impact (each frag deals 35 damage with ~1.2 tile splash). The main shell has an effective range of about 18 tiles (lifetime 0.3 s, speed 60 tiles/sec) and the frags extend the practical range to roughly 31 tiles. Two pairs of smaller guns fire with low per-shot damage (about 18.75 each) and slower projectiles, adding to sustained output. The unit also inflicts continuous crush damage of 6.5 per tick (780/sec), which deals increased damage to walls (×5) and ignores block armor; crush damage extends slightly beyond its hitbox and can instantly destroy power nodes on contact.

Vanquish is notably sturdy: high health and 20 armor reduce the effectiveness of rapid-fire low-damage attackers (tier 1–2 units), and it was later given immunity to Burning and Melting. It is less affected by terrain slowdown and liquid drag than many units; drown time in water was adjusted to scale with hit size so it survives longer in liquids. There are reports that Vanquish can destroy power nodes instantly on contact, and its crush damage now displays in databases after updates.

Practical notes and strategies:

• Treat Vanquish as a damage sponge and a mobile demolition tool: its crush damage targets blocks and will bypass armor, so prevent it from reaching your walls. The tank also prevents towers from rebuilding directly beneath it while moving over them, increasing its destructive potential.
• Chokepoints that limit how many tanks can pass through make it far easier to handle groups. Use high-damage, slower-firing defenses (for example Lustres, Smites) to shred a Vanquish quickly; cooling weapons with water (e.g., cooling a Smite) increases their fire rate and is especially effective against groups of Vanquishes.
• Diffuse-class turrets (high knockback) and multiple water-cooled turrets can keep a Vanquish pushed away from walls; three knockback turrets with water cooling are often sufficient to prevent it from crushing a double layer of large walls.
• Avoid relying on rapid-fire, low-damage units against a Vanquish: its high armor nullifies most of their damage and its main cannon can heavily punish clustered light units. Instead, use high-damage single-hit units (Anthicus, Afflict, Titan) or surround tactics where many missiles soak shots.
• Offensive use: the Vanquish has the typical tank trade-offs—cheap for its durability but slow—so it pairs well with high-damage backline units. Use the Ram stance in command mode to maximize crush damage and force it to drive through structures rather than pathfinding around obstacles.
• Miscellaneous: Vanquish shares a four-gun visual/property similarity with Scepter. Some versions of the unit (Precept Vanquish, Conquer, Atrax) are listed among the few units immune to Burning and Melting.