The Enclave Tactics & Overview v5.0

 

One look at the Enclave's cards will tell you immediately that their main tactic is the fortress: building synergy between models close by like so many stones until it's a towering proposition to fight them. Now, other factions have fortressing as a possibility as well; the Minutemen minifaction is a prime example, and the existence of Aura-based Leader upgrade cards also make it a possibility for anyone to build a fortress of sorts. 

However, the Enclave exists mainly as a fortress faction, and they pay a premium for it. Your basic Enclave Soldier is barely better than a BoS Knight and costs 33 Caps more nekkid. Paladins are better than Hellfire Soldiers and are much cheaper. Enclave Trainees only have 4 in their combat stat and barely cost less than Aspirants... er, Knight Patrols/Blades.

So in using the Enclave you should leverage that synergy into an Enclave Fortress. The most sensible method is to consciously build multiple small fireteams around multiples of the right buff-granting models; by using this method if the mission requires multiple zones to be controlled you're not trying to decide which models go where on the fly, and if the mission does reward a single solid fortress you're less vulnerable to the classic fortress weakness...

The bad thing about fortressing is that if the key pieces are removed the whole thing falls apart. This is helped somewhat by the power armor requirement of the best fortress buffs, but on the other hand it means the models are more expensive and thus more likely to be singled out if you don't spend your Caps wisely. 

In my opinion, these are the Fortress models you should use as the base.

1) Tesla. They're your close combat wall, and provide the most valuable bonuses - particularly allowing engaged models to be shot at without randomizing.

2) Hellfire. He's your heavy weapons guy, and he allows guns to be used as close combat weapons; considering the paltry selection of CQC weapons in the High Tech list this is great.

3) Warrant Officer. She's your objective runner and can also let your PA models use Expertise with AP.

After this, you should add an Eltee to let your models use AP on Moves (repositioning is awesome!) or a Soldier for a Yellow die and ignoring cover at Short Range - particularly valuable if your Hellfire totes a Gatling Laser.

Do note that rejecting the fortress in favor of the Enclave's robots can also do some work. It could be quite possible to hide a couple of Science Specialists behind an Assaultron or Sentry Bot (possibly Clunky to make them cheaper) without having the same one-note of going full Robot faction.

And there's always the Big Chungus of Horrigan... but more on him later.

COMMON

ASSAULTRON (320 Caps)
These are still scary robot bitches, true - and for that many Caps, rightfully so! If you want to read more about their stats and other information, can I recommend my Robot Tactics & Overview?

Specifically for an Enclave robot-centric force these will carve up your enemies, especially with some Eyebot buddies to get them charging around cover - activate both the Eyebot and the Assaultron at once with the Assaultron's Fast and you can get the proper positioning in one go. 

But in a fortress-centric build? No. Leave them at home; you can afford two Hellfires or Teslas for the cost of one of these, and those have more Health and Armor with more activations. 

DEATHCLAW (250 Caps)
Deathclaws are good at one thing: controlling a zone with their Unnerving aura. With Barge and their solid speed, they can easily get to where you need them to influence, and if you engage important objective runner models your opponent will have a hard time.

That said, they're expensive, and they're more bark than bite. With a depressing 45% to hit they actually won't reliably kill things - and even if you add a Domestication Unit, it's only 55%, not good odds. If you're gonna go non-fortress, stick with the Assaultron or Sentry Bot in this price point. 

ENCLAVE SOLDIER (95 Caps) 

These guys are not the top tier for the Fortress tactic. Not BAD, just not first picks. First, the good: With a great PER 7 governing their Rifles, Pistols, and Hacking, they have a solid chance of hitting what they shoot at, especially with a Tesla Soldier nearby. 

The problem here is that the synergy they add is a Yellow die and ignoring cover at Short range. I'm notoriously disdainful of Yellow dice, ranking them the lowest of all three die types - the enemy HAS to roll under their armor and you HAVE to roll an AP result to add damage, versus a black die that just... adds damage! It's not that the Yellow die is bad, no added die is bad, but it's the most situational and least good of all three dice. As for ignoring cover, it's a great ability... but Laser Rifles are horribly expensive and Plasma Rifles have a teeny Short range, meaning it's difficult to take good advantage of. The best combination is as mentioned earlier Hellfires toting Gatling Lasers, as they have a large 12" Short range and Cover does bad things to the GL's damage.

On equipping them, they should always just have the basic Enclave Armor (more on Hellfire later), and while they want Laser Rifles for the same 12" Short range, they usually can't afford them. A solid compromise is Laser Pistols with their 10" range.

ENCLAVE TRAINEE (36 Caps)
Yes, you can put them in Power Armor. But it's not  a good idea. Having 4 in their combat stats gives them a measly 40% chance of hitting, which a green die can raise to 45ish%; they also lack access to most good melee weapons thanks to being locked into the High Tech Items.

The Enclave has no room for cannon fodder canonically (get it?); keep these guys in the barracks until they're grown up enough to wear real power armor of their own. 

EYEBOT (40 Caps)

Eyebots are little friends who basically give an extra source of LOS to charging models in their Presence. Helpful in built-up areas, especially for close combat types who want to charge around corners. As extremely cheap models to fill out your activations and help positioning, these are solid choices for all three prospective builds. 

HELLFIRE SOLDIER (108 Caps)

Hellfires are one of your two proper core models for the Enclave fortress. Not only do they have a solid statline and Battle Cry, but their two aura abilities are great. Adding a Black can rarely go wrong, and Close Quarters means that you don't need to buy melee weapons for your models (though Teslas still do work with them.)

 

Now it's time to discuss the two armor choices: Enclave or Hellfire. If Hellfires and Teslas weren't so expensive, I'd say to consider Hellfire the 'default' choice; for +8 Caps you lose the AGI penalty, gain Resistant to Fire, and have 3 Energy Armor even when it's broken. But they're so expensive that you may not be able to AFFORD the Hellfires and still maintain a solid base of models, particularly in 500 Cap games. Oddly, despite the name, you should probably skimp on giving actual Hellfire Soldiers Hellfire PA; the Telsas will make better use of the increased durability and not losing AGI. 

For weapons, it's a choice between the Heavy Incinerator and the Gatling Laser. Honestly, I like the Gatling Laser a little bit better; it allows you to protect the Teslas without the chance of wounding them when they (inevitably) get charged in close combat.

LIEUTENANT (62 Caps) 

Your El-Tees are good filler models; able to take advantage of the Power Armor buffs while providing their own. Ignoring Battle Cry in its Black Aura will make Super Mutants very sad, and the ability to ignore one debuff or use AP for movement is solid. They also have the second-best Search skill, and the best Search for models that can use the Enclave fortress. I personally think the Warrant Officer is more useful than the El-Tee, though; but more on that in that entry.

Because they have that massive Aura, you don't need to get them anywhere near the action; I'd put Laser Pistols on them over Plasma and use them as a rear line behind the Teslas and the Hellfires. Yes, you could put them in Power Armor as well, but because they don't need it to benefit from the auras I'd say put it as a low priority.

SCIENCE SPECIALIST (46 Caps)

First the good: They have rock-solid INT 8 backing up their Search and Hacking skill, with Lockpick as well (admittedly off their LUC 4), and a crazy high 4 Rad Armor. They also give Int bonuses to nearby models, and have Genius so they're never locked out of computers. Also, they're 16 Caps cheaper than the Eltee and unlike the Enclave Trainee actually OFFER something to the battle.

 

Where I think they come into their own is when you pick the Big Chungus Horrigan or a couple of Sentry Bots/Assaultrons; you're gonna be scrimping for points and will want some cheap activations capable of doing jobs other than killing things. But elsewhere? less than the El-Tee and lose out on any effective combat ability or use and help the Enclave fortress.

 

SENTRY BOT (253 Caps)
Sentry Bots are awesome, especially at that massive drop in points. More on that in the Robot section, however, though it should be noted that Clunky drops their price to 202 Caps and it's their Missile Launcher that's important.

As pant-wettingly terrifying as Assaultrons are, if you're building up an Enclave robot force it's probably best to start with a Sentry as the core model, and go from there. In games over 500 Caps, having both as a core is a definite option and will make some nightmares come true. 

 

TESLA SOLDIER (101 Caps)

These guys. They are your wall of steel and lightning, and should always be the first thing you pick in an Enclave fortress. Mindful alone makes them amazing, and bonus Green dice are also not to be sneered at.

The reason that Mindful is so good is simple: You can't rely on your plan going right. If enough models or strong enough models charge into close combat, you'll want to be able to concentrate your fire from all the Fortress models on that, and every shot that scatters into a friendly, even if it deals no damage, is a wasted Action. Mindful eliminates that without needing a Perk.

 

Plainly, with an AGI 7 backing up their Melee skill and free Tesla Coils, you'll want to give them close combat weapons - Power Fists are their best option, and they'll be stacking 3 Blacks + 1 Green for some reliable hitting power at (relatively) cheap. Because Tesla Coils can inflict Friendly Fire, you'll want to be careful about placing them adjacent to any friendlies. 

 

As I said in the Hellfire Soldier entry, these are (ironically) the ones you want to give the Hellfire PA to. Not losing AGI is important, and the added END will keep them safer from the big uglies charging in.

WARRANT OFFICER (71 Caps)
Warrants are the best possible non-character objective runner in the Enclave - and quite possibly the whole damned game - with having INT 6 + Green for all three Expertises, along with AGI 6 powering their Melee skill and 3 Physical armor protecting their squishy guts.Their Black Aura giving friendly Expertise checks a Green die, Battle Cry immunity, and Expertise as an option for AP is just gravy on top. All that for five Caps cheaper than the El-Tee! However, they're 9 Caps more than an El-Tee, paying a hefty price for this utility. 

 

What makes them good objective runners is that often the best way to deal with enemy objective runners (enslaved techs and so on) is to engage them in melee combat. But Warrants are actually none too shabby at CQC, especially if they're enhanced by other Enclave models! With a Green charge range, they could actually do both jobs - charge opposing objective runners and then grab the objectives themselves. 

 

Equipping them is easy - a Power Fist to take advantage of their strong melee. A Plasma Pistol is their cheapest ranged option, but they really aren't great at shooting even with a couple of Greens. Giving them Enclave Power Armor is a tradeoff - they lose AGI for their melee, but they DO go up to STR 7 for yet another Black. Are they good enough for Hellfire to avoid losing AGI? I think so, but it's a budget thing - if you have to choose between putting a WO in PA or potentially buying another Soldier/Tesla/Hellfire, buy another model. 

 

UNIQUES

ARCADE GANNON

Arcade is a sidegrade to the Science Specialist; while he's missing the INT buff and has lower Search, he's slightly tougher, can use Power Armor (but does NOT have Enclave Training so no aura buffs!), and heals actual Wounds off a model within 6". He also increases the healing ability of Limited Use Items, which is quite good. Now, if only there were a large, beefy model that couldn't heal itself who'd love to have him as a teammate...

 

Yes, I'm suggesting Big Chungus Horrigan and Arcade Gannon team up - I'm very much getting TF2 Medic buffing a Heavy vibes here. His ability to objective run and not needing to spend actions to heal Horrigan matches nicely with your low model count, and since you're sticking close he can carry a healing item for Horrigan to use... and the one I'm looking at is the Wave 5 Gecko Kebab. Healing 2 in two consecutive turns turns into 4 over those two turns if Arcade is nearby, though you may want to supply Arcade with some 3/3/1 Armor if you do so.

 

COLONEL AUTUMN (103 Caps) 

An interesting model in a lot of ways. A solid 7 END behind 3/3/1 Armor is pretty durable, and as a gunman he's quite nasty with PER 8 and his personalized 10mm with Crits enabled. He can also run objectives in a pinch with decent INT 6 governing Search and Hacking, but the real jewel is that Black aura granting a 1/6 chance of AP for ANY model. Resistant to Stun is meh, but actions are the fuel of the game and 1/6 is going to come up fairly often, and might well make having an El-Tee as an escort near mandatory - free movement is always great. 

Of note is that he does NOT automatically come with his pistol; however, he CAN hop into Power Armor and even wear the cheaper Enclave Armor to both benefit from the Fortress and add to it. Strangely, he's actually less expensive than the Hellfire Soldier!

For the robots, he also sounds appealing, but the problem is that you're probably buying the Sentry and Assaultron and are strapped for points - the more models that you have which can generate AP from his ability, the better off you'll be. 

 

ED-E
ED-E is a straight upgrade to the Eyebot and you should use it in every list. With an excellent PER 8 covering Search and Pistols, an absolutely baller unique gun in its Tesla Cannon, and a reduction to the PER penalty for finding Stealthed models, it is absolutely worth all 67 of its Caps - doubly so if your local meta has a lot of those Stealth models like Coursers or Nightkin.

FRANK HORRIGAN (180/190/80 Caps)
Look, anyone who's looked at Fallout Wasteland Warfare online has heard of Frank Horrigan. But is the hype train fully justified?

 

...Kinda.

With his DBZ-esque "this isn't my final form!" transformations, it's difficult to judge him fairly. Notably, you can pick and choose which forms you want to buy in Battle Mode now, which will usually be 1+2 (to maximize his overall power), but at 370 Caps he's still the most expensive model in the game by far. Buying just one... probably isn't worth it, to be honest.

 

If you take him, you'll want to support him with an Eyebot so he can charge around corners or a Science Specialist to do any objectives, since Horrigan is quite killy on his own. If you're playing 1k Caps, you have more flexibility in the Not-Horrigan space, but you still don't have much to play with. 

 

His first form LOOKS the most resilient with that 6/6/x Armor - just remember that no matter how high an Armor score he has, he has no Strong Armor, so whatever he rolls on the die is what he gets. Overwhelm him with attacks and he'll go down. Lucky doesn't matter too much, as he has low LUC, and if the player using him is smart will be saving those for defense to mitigate more damage. Criticals, on the other hand, are always terrifying, and more so when they're coming from the Horrigan weapons. He also has a massive Unnerving Black aura, which will keep your opponent from shooting your squishy supporters and cripple their attempts to objective run. 

His second form is quite killy, with two free Critical tokens, and while it downgrades his armor to 4/4/x, he also ups END to 6. Honestly, though, I'm not sure why he'd want to use Impair - yes, it can prevent him from being shot, but killing an enemy model could accomplish the same thing and with 3 Energy damage from each of his gunshots not much could live through a barrage of that either. This form is still worthwhile, so spending Caps on it is good.

In his third form, he's actually at his least terrifying. Losing Criticals and dropping his once-terrifying PER 8 for Melee and Shooting to AGI 3 Melee and PER 5 Rifles, along with a measly END 4 behind... well, still very sturdy 3/3/x Armor. Unpredictable gives a 58% of an AP, probably spent on a Charge, but he's also lost a healthy portion of his movement. I say leave this form at home - it's about as useful as Super Saiyan 1.5. 

VERSION CHANGES

v5.0 - Added Wave 5 models to the list.

v4.1 - Revised the opener to be more fair to the basic Enclave Soldier, as well as its entry. Tesla, Science Specialist, and Warrant Officer all saw changes. Biggest change was to Horrigan, as I did not realize that you could pick and choose what forms he has.