Vela

The Vela is a flying support assault unit that projects a massive continuous laser beam capable of dealing heavy sustained damage, setting targets on fire, and repairing friendly structures and units. It appears as a commandable unit and is unique among ground-capable units for carrying built-in repair weapons; it complements wallbreakers and high-damage allies by both melting defenses and sustaining allied forces. Vela combines long, piercing laser fire with two dedicated repair points that actively mend nearby allies and structures.

Vela’s primary weapon is a ContinuousLaserBulletType beam with a long reach and high sustained damage. The beam fires at 0.38 shots/sec, lasts for 2.66 seconds per shot, and deals 420 damage per second (equivalently 35 damage per tick at 12 ticks/sec). The laser pierces armor in a beam line up to 22.5 tiles in length, inflicts Incendiary (sets fires), and applies a self Slow to the Vela while charging or firing. The beam also repairs friendly targets at 1% repair on the damage bullet, while two repair-point weapons each provide 84 repair units/sec (listed as 2×84/s) with a shorter 15 tile repair range. Vela’s weaponry and repair together make it a potent hybrid: it can shred defenses from range while simultaneously restoring allied units and key blocks.

Vela’s stats have evolved through several builds: it has high health (recent builds list health around 8200), notable armor (around 9), and mobility with a speed near 3.3 tiles/sec. It includes a large item capacity (historically 90–100) and a 3×3 size in later builds. Early command limits were removed, and command-mode options such as Rebuild and Assist Player were added to improve utility.

Practical use and strategy:

• Use Vela to penetrate and melt Plastic/Plastanium walls; the beam’s piercing and incendiary properties allow it to clear long lines of blocks, then repair allied break-in units so they can exploit breaches. When attacking with command control, alternate move orders between two positions to swing the beam and cover more targets.
• Vela’s built-in repair points make it the strongest source of non-naval unit-to-unit repair; it is especially valuable supporting wallbreakers like the Reign. Healing throughput scales with the number of Velas: for example, 3 Velas (504 repair/sec) can outheal a Foreshadow firing at 405 DPS on a single target; 4 Velas (672 repair/sec) can outheal a Spectre on thorium at moderate armor values.
• In defensive compositions, Velas can heal each other and meatshields (Oct, Corvus) and clear small swarms without requiring surge-alloy turrets. The 300% build speed (present in later builds) accelerates repair and reconstruction of large structures such as the Tetrative Reconstructor.
• Vela is vulnerable to very high single-target damage and status effects from Arkyids and Toxopids; avoid one-on-one engagements with such units. High-damage turrets with Blast Compound or freezing combinations (e.g., Ripple + Pooled Cryofluid Waves) can quickly destroy Velas. Protect Velas from direct focused fire and from units that clip repair targets.
• Against bases with laser insulation or heavy Plastanium coverage, prioritize disabling insulated blocks and use Velas’ repair to sustain your wallbreakers. When using Vela offensively against defenses that include Plastanium Walls, place more durable walls in front to soak initial hits and allow Plastanium to be the last line that the laser pierces into.

Notes and miscellany:

• Vela is named after the constellation Vela (Latin: sails); its name also aligns with the Spanish word for “candle,” reflecting its melting laser theme. It is one of the few units immune to Burning and is the only ground unit able to heal others via repair points. Vela has undergone numerous stat adjustments since its introduction, receiving many balance changes to its health, damage, range, speed, armor, build speed, and abilities.