If you know your units, you’ll be aware that some are ‘soft’ counters and some are ‘hard’ ones. This means certain units will deliver more damage to another type of unit, and are build for a specific task. For example, Wolverine is an anti air unit, and a hard counter to anything that flies, but a soft counter to anything else.

Units: With the Turtle strategy you want to be focusing your force around hard counters to what your opponents making. The first thing you want to do when Turtling (after you’ve established you won’t be rushed), you want to be scouting your opponent to see what units he is going to go for. If you haven’t been rushed, they are most likely going to be turtling themselves,  or ‘Booming’. Either way you will have time to get yourself together.

If your opponent is ‘Booming’ they’ll be going for their super units most likely, although scouting them will certify this. All super units have a hard counter, so make sure you get these fully upgraded and ready. If your playing UNSC upgrade your Spartans too.

Digging in: So your production and research is under way, now you have to decide what and where your going to defend. Most maps have obvious ‘choke’ points where your opponent is forced to go if they want to attack, if your facing vehicles or infantry, these are good places to place your forces. If they have aircraft, they’ll most likely attack the most important thing; your base.

Save for a rainy day: Turtling is a good strategy to get mega points, personally my top 5 games have been from Turtling. But there does come a time when the game has to come to a close, for time’s sake and because there is actually a points cap on this game; so there’s no point in going on forever.

Make sure while your defense is doing it’s job, your upgrading every unit available. Even if your Anders, upgrade your Marines. You will need a force to ‘finish’ the game, and this could consist on any unit. Hard counters are good for defending what your opponent is making, but if they change their unit production to counter you you’re in trouble.

Finish the fight: Finishing is one of the hardest things when Turtling, as it’s likely your at a stalemate with your opponent. Playing 1v1 is even harder, you have to either do a gradual push and take your time with attacking them, gradually taking one base at a time and weakening his economy and production capabilities; or you can ‘steamroll’ him by attacking non stop unit the games done.

If your playing in teams it’s slightly easier, as one of you can focus on continuing to defend while the other launches the attack, being gradually reinforced by the other player(s).

Turtling can be quite a slow pace of game, with matches lasting for 1, 2 or even 3 hours.

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As Cutter, your ODST can be more than a menace on this level. Each middle base on the map is on high ground, but just over the edge sits the 3 sniper towers defending the opponents teleporter node. Put an ODST in one of those sniper towers and you’ve got instant drop access to the back of one of one of your opponents main bases.

(via Halo Wars maps)

My favourite strategy with Cutter and Fort Deen is to go for Turtle. Getting the energy walls up quick is a must, so any potential Hog rushes are stalled. If they do come through the teleporter it’ll still slow them down. While my teams locked in our relatively secure barrier-tprotected cocoon, its time to roll out the ‘hard counters’. I normally build only a maximum of 30 population, mostly split between Cobras, 1 Elephant and Wolverines (eg. 7 Cobras, 6 Wolverines and the Elephant). This means when when i research ‘reenforcments’ and ODST, i have up to 10 spare population drop all my ODST if things go a bit pear-shaped.

I normally lock my Cobras down in the middle valley (read here how to lock them down properly), then spread my wolverines along my ‘line of death’, so if a Cyro is dropped i have a few unfrozen to deal some damage. I place my Cobras just out of range of any potential vehicles which might approach the barrier, so their long range holds the advantage over attackers.

My Elephant is normally placed nearby, so if i have to deal with infantry or a leader, i can quickly get out some Flamers mixed with dropped ODST. It’s important to always try and keep that room in your population to drop ODST or build flamers, as good players will always adapt and send in marines to break down the medium armoured Cobras and Wolverines.

When i want to push for the win, i go for the ODST drop on the rear base while my team mates move in to start working on the other bases. This then gives me freedom to take the energy wall down, move my Cobras up and lock them down near one of the 2 bases which are placed either side of the valley entrance. They can then start working at the base but also cut off reinforcements which might be heading to combat my teammates on the other side of the map. As i lose the odd unit i replace with ODST.

(via Halo Wars maps)

Read the Developer’s strategy on Fort Deen here.

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