When compared to the Surakari, the Heragul have more armor, slightly less speed, and are usually not as maneuverable. If the Surakari player can exploit either of the last two disadvantages, your fleet will face a difficult challenge.
Therefore, positioning your warships is very important to your combat success. Do not let any warship get in a position where the enemy units can exploit their isolation. On your turn, move support ships, like Seeking Missile Destroyers, first or if you have to move main combat ships first, move the slower warships in your squadron so that the faster ships that move later can still engage enemies that target the warships that moved first.
Since positioning is also important to Surakari tactics, work to disrupt this positioning. Swarm missiles on vulnerable targets, quickly destroy defensive ships like Anti-Missile Frigates, and use the Sabre Heavy Bombers to deny ideal firing positions to the enemy player.
The Heragul Hammerhead Frigate can be used in both a support role and if used in greater numbers, an attack role. This warship is probably the most general use warship in the game.
Exchanging offensive capability for long range anti-fighter defense, the Anti-Aircraft Frigate works excellent as a shield craft for larger and more important warships. As its name implies, it can also help to offset advantages in enemy fighter strength.
The Tiger Shark strips out all the support capability of the Prime Frigate and replaces it with a Fire Torpedo. With its faster speed, better firepower, and heavier armor, it will quickly become a higher priority target. Often, the Tiger Shark can excel at leading squadrons of shield equipped Prime Frigates.
These two classes of warships are the main strike ships of the Heragul fleet. The Battle Cruiser is only a larger version of the Destroyer. The main tactic with these ships is to keep them alive as long as possible so they can keep delivering heavy damage throughout the game. A combination of careful positioning and shield equipped ships is a great way to prolong the life of these high value targets.
Only surpassed by the Colayth Guard Dryden Heavy Destroyer in missile capability, this cheap warship can lay down swarms of missiles from the safety of the back lines. Also, its heavy armor and equal speed to the prime destroyer can make it an excellent shield for prime configuration Destroyers and Battle Cruisers.
The most unique unit in the Heragul fleet, the Sabre Heavy Bomber can drop the devastating Thermal Bomb in the path of the enemy warships. While the enemy warships can smash through the Thermal Bombs and take the damage, this will quickly make the Sabre Heavy Bomber worth much more than the five points you spend on it. The only other option is for the enemy commander to alter their attack plan to avoid the damage. Being classified as missiles, the Thermal Bombs have one critical weakness – Anti Missile Weapons.
The Attack Cruiser is the bomber of the Heragul military. Being escorted into close range by Hunter fighters, Attack Cruisers can deliver critical hits with ease using their Armor Piercing weapon. The only tactics with this unit is to keep Hunters in contact with them and attack the enemy from the rear whenever possible.
The main line fighter of the Heragul Empire, the Hunter is easily a match for the Surakari Interceptor. It even has one trick that the Surakari fighter does not have: the ability to re-roll attacks that miss. This re-roll capability of the Hunter has the bonus of improving the odds of shooting down enemy missiles. Since the Heragul lack anti-missile weapons, Hunters being used in a defensive role can act as a way of defending against the more powerful Surakari and Colayth Guard Missiles.
I would agree that the Tiger Shark is a beautiful machine, but why must efficiency be measured in how quickly we can kill each other?
