Iron Harvest Factions: The ultimate unit guide

In the guide to the Iron Harvest factions you will learn:

• What the strengths and weaknesses of the factions are
• Which units and mechs are available
• Which buildings and defenses you can build

In the real-time strategy hit Iron Harvest for PC and soon Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you'll fight with the three factions Rusviet, Polonia and Saxony for victory on the steampunk battlefields of the early twentieth century. To keep you informed about the differences between the factions, we'll tell you about infantry, mechs, heroes and buildings. You'll also learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the factions.

What do I need to know about armor classes?

Basically, there are four armor classes for Iron Harvest faction units: Unarmored, Light Armor, Medium Armor, and Heavy Armor.

Each unit has different damage values against each armor class. This creates a toned-down rock-paper-scissors principle, similar to that of genre representatives like StarCraft 2 (). Mechs, in addition to armor, have physical weak points that enemies can target for more damage.

What types of units are there?

The Iron Harvest factions share certain unit types, although the individual units can still differ from each other. All factions have infantrymen, mechs, and heroes, though there are shared units as well as faction-specific units. Heroes can be both mechs and infantrymen.

The factions also share building types when it comes to buildings. There are training buildings, defense buildings, and support buildings. There are also resource extraction facilities. On the battlefield, there are neutral positions and war machines that can be taken by all factions equally and are of high tactical importance.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Iron Harvest factions?

• Polonia: Polonia's troops are generally not as resilient as those of the other two Iron Harvest factions. On the other hand, they are fast and have high ranges. In addition, the cost of buildings is somewhat lower, which in turn speeds up army building.
• Rusviet: The strength of the Rusviets also results in their weakness. They are strong in close combat with infantry as well as mechs and can also flank enemies well. It becomes problematic for them when the enemy can keep them at a distance. Most of the time, Rusviets play the most aggressively because of this.

• Saxonssaxon troops are the best choice when it comes to entrenching and holding lines or points. Their slow mechs have a lot of health points, strong armor and cover the powerful guns of their own attack line. Their poor mobility makes them vulnerable to fast troop movements.

How do I level my soldiers and mechs in Iron Harvest?

Normal units and heroes level up automatically over time. Productive units level up faster through kills, repairing units and buildings, or other actions. Infantrymen and mechs level twice. Heroes have four levels. Each level increases the damage and life of the respective unit.

Some units unlock additional abilities. If a unit dies and is revived in the base, it loses its abilities. Resurrection in the field maintains the level achieved.

Split units: The infantry units of all factions

The split units are infantrymen that all factions can train or use. They are the base of any army and should not be underestimated.

Are there units that are reserved for specific factions?

The standard units can be used by all Iron Harvest factions. However, each faction has units that they can only obtain through weapon drops or the reserve.

• Polonia: Flamethrowers and Medics

While the Saxons cannot train flamethrowers, they do receive them when they swap weapons or recruit from the reserve.

• Rusviet: machine gunner and medic
• Saxons: MG gunner and flamethrower

Polonia faction: all units

Polonia infantry

The rifleman is the standard infantry of Polonia. Its advantages are low cost, long range and good damage.

Polonia-Mechs

The PZM-9 "Straznik is most efficient infantry killer in Iron Harvest. The efficiency comes with a price: it is vulnerable to anti-mech weapons and all other mechs.

Polonia heroes

Anna Kos is a sniper who brings her own tank in the form of a bear. She can take out smaller infantry units on her own this way.

Polonia building

The cannon outpost has poor damage values against infantry, but is a reliable destroyer of mechs.

Saxon faction: all units

Saxon infantry

The stormtroopers are especially good in fights against other weak infantrymen at medium range. They have the highest suppression scores among them.

Saxon mechs

The SKS-156 "Wotan" is specialized in hunting other mechs. It is probably the strongest mech of the Saxons and has enormous fire range.

Saxon heroes

Gunter von Duisburg can be used as a hero of the Saxons against infantry and mechs. His strengths are reconnaissance and support.

Saxon building

The strongest bunker of the Saxons is strong against light and medium mechs, but relatively weak against infantry.

Rusviet faction: all units

Rusviet infantry

The SHM-60 "Groza" are technically superior infantrymen for infiltration and quick retreat. In addition, the unit can self-replenish.

Rusviet mechs

The SHM-69 "Serp" is the beserker among its peers. It often takes a lot of damage when hunting other mechs, but is the nemesis especially for slow and heavy mechs.

Rusviet heroes

Olga Romanova is a shadow who uses explosions to sabotage enemy lines. Her tiger helps her escape and against infantry.

Unlike the other two factions, the Rusviets have only one heroine.

Rusviet building

More guides for Iron Harvest:

• Iron Harvest: 9 tips & tricks you should know!

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