The Orbital Layer in Civilization: Beyond Earth offers a unique strategic dimension, allowing you to deploy specialized units and modules that provide crucial support to your ground forces and cities. Mastering the Orbital Layer is vital for both offensive and defensive operations, as well as for accelerating your technological and economic growth.
Orbital Unit Roles
Orbital units are deployed from your capital and orbit the planet, offering a range of capabilities. These include:
- Reconnaissance Drones: These units provide vision over unexplored territories, revealing alien nests, resources, and enemy positions without risking ground units.
- Orbital Bombardment Platforms: Capable of striking enemy units and structures from orbit, these are invaluable for softening up defenses before a ground assault or for eliminating dangerous alien threats from a safe distance.
- Supply Pods: These can deliver resources or even new civilian units directly to your cities or forward operating bases, bypassing traditional supply lines and accelerating construction.
- Terraforming Drones: Essential for clearing Miasma and preparing hostile terrain for settlement and expansion.
Orbital Layer Strategy
The effectiveness of your Orbital Layer depends on careful planning and resource allocation. Consider the following:
- Early Game Vision: Deploying a Reconnaissance Drone early can sificantly speed up exploration and help you identify prime settlement locations and potential threats.
- Siege Support: When attacking fortified enemy cities or alien nests, an Orbital Bombardment Platform can drastically reduce the defensive strength of your target, making your ground assault much more successful.
- Logistical Support: In the mid to late game, using Supply Pods to deliver critical components or even new Workers can help you rapidly expand your infrastructure and overcome logistical bottlenecks.
- Miasma Control: If you are colonizing a planet with extensive Miasma coverage, investing in Terraforming Drones is a high priority to make the territory habitable and safe for your units.
The Orbital Layer is a powerful tool that, when used in conjunction with your ground forces, can provide a decisive advantage. Prioritize research that unlocks advanced orbital modules and units that best suit your chosen Sponsor and Affinity path.