Enemy commanders control the sector. Destroy all enemy command bunkers while keeping your own alive.

• Quick controls: use Nearby, Foot, Armor or Air to select troops. Double-tap a unit to select visible units of its type. Turn on + Select to combine selections. Groups saves three battlegroups. Orders has formations, Attack, Hold, Retreat and More. Swipe the Build and Units cards sideways; on PC use drag, wheel or arrow keys.
• Ore economy: each 450-credit refinery includes one harvester when online and below army capacity. Collectors carry 220 ore, unload in turn and seek fresh fields. Low power doubles unloading time. Credits +/s shows actual deliveries averaged over 30 seconds. Generators supply 100 power.
• Fight the Blot: your HQ automatically keeps a small square clear. Build an Ink Scrubber (100 credits) directly on black ground inside your build zone to reclaim a 9 × 9 tile square. It needs no generator or research. Build Ink Barriers (25 credits) on ink, then drag to form connected lines with automatic corners. Close every gap to stop spreading ink. Defend scrubbers and barriers: destroyed sections let the Blot return. Scrubbers clear land; troops and turrets fight Blot creatures.
• Build only inside dashed command zones. Up to three expansion outposts extend your territory; losing an outpost removes its extension. Existing buildings remain usable. Walls cannot extend territory. Harvesters mine finite ore piles and deliver cargo to refineries; generators power defenses. Select a harvester, then tap ore to assign it. Select Ink Barrier and drag to build a perimeter.
• Train infantry, rockets, and engineers, then build a factory for scouts, tanks, and faction specialties. Engineers repair nearby allies. Build an airfield for fighters and bombers; flak crawlers counter aircraft.
• Select with a brief hold, then drag a box. Quick drags pan. On desktop, left-drag selects; right-drag pans.
• Command by tapping ground to move or enemies to focus fire. Attack move fights along a route; Hold stops units. Pinch to zoom; tap the minimap to navigate.
• Faction buildings: Legion repair forges heal nearby allies and produce heavy armor. Circuit uplinks boost nearby reload speed and produce raiders and EMP drones. Ash foundries improve cargo value and produce mortar crews and rocket batteries. Support bonuses require power.
• Terrain: rivers can only be crossed at bridges. City blocks and trees block ground units; aircraft fly over them. To demolish a city building, select troops, choose Attack move (F on PC), then select the building. Blasts also cause damage. Damaged buildings burn with black fire; collapsed blocks become passable rubble. Hospitals and warehouses stop providing services when destroyed. Roads are buildable; bridges stay clear of construction. Units find routes around obstacles; tapping impassable terrain moves to nearby clear ground. Rivers, bridges and districts appear on the minimap.
• Specialists: medics heal infantry, snipers counter infantry, gunships attack ground targets. Legion Aegis tanks shield allies; Circuit saboteurs demolish buildings; Ash Inferno crawlers leave damaging scorched ground.
• Tactics: claim supply drops with ground combat troops for credits and repairs. Three kills earn veteran rank, seven earn elite; each rank adds 15% damage. Overdrive boosts selected combat units for eight seconds, with a 45-second cooldown.
• Audio: music starts after your first tap. Use ♪ to mute or set separate volume levels in Game settings.
• Research: open Tech tree for five linked upgrade branches. Each node shows its cost, prerequisites, effect and research progress. Faction doctrines improve your specialist abilities; airframes strengthen aircraft; ore processing increases delivered income.
• Superweapon: research rockets, build a strategic silo, keep it powered, then use its charged strike button to target the map. Timers show your charge, the next enemy weapon and incoming impacts. Tap the enemy countdown to locate it. Low power and EMP pause charging; Accelerated capacitor speeds it up.
• Disrupt enemy refineries, power, and factories. Commanders train troops, defend their bases, retreat, and construct new buildings and defenses with limited funds. Change map size, enemies, difficulty, and economy in Skirmish options on the title screen.