Teller

## Unit in the game:

The Teller is a Human tactical thermo-nuclear craft.

## Gameplay

The Teller's sole function is to release it's Nuclear Missile before engaging into a long cooldown, as it consumes most of it's Power storage, and thus it's purpose for both an opener to siege a heavily fortified base and/or force a 'move-or-die' situation for enemy players. As such, coupled with the primary composition of enemy war fleets, it is both the most dangerous, but also the most fragile of Federation units in the game, as it cannot defend itself and has a small hull amount, barely more than an Orca.

Tellers are introduced to the player in the campaign in *Operation Gaugamela* and made available for construction in *Blackout*, both in Chapter 01 - Hostile Visitors.

## Unit Strategy

Tellers are deployed as a late-game unit, given they require the Fleet HQ to allow construction at a Merchantport, and start at minimum power, so they cannot be used instantly. For this sole reason, the Fast Charging upgrade at the Deep Space Lab is critical to Teller users, as it considerably diminishes the waiting time between Nuclear Missile launches.

The Nuclear missile itself deals damage to a large area and considerable damage which can vaporize fighter groups and small vessels, almost deplete the heavy shields of units such as the Rector, Corsair and Plasma Raid or reduce to about half the hull count of units such as the Devastator, Avenger, Overseer, Invader and Eclipse. Units with a very high hull or shield count, such as expansionist vessels, can survive one or two Nuclear Missiles.

The Nuclear missile's projectile is of a slower speed, giving time for opponent units to clear the blast site. The Nuclear Missile can also hit **friendly** units, however, so caution is highly advised at where the Nuclear Missiles are launched, particularly if there are friendly units such as fighters amidst the blast site.

One noticeable thing to consider, however, is that despite such level of danger, the Teller is stil a non-combatant unit and thus cannot defend itself. Hence, the Teller should have an escort or a safe position to be kept on after the Nuclear Missile is launched. In addition, the Teller has a high Tachyon cost, losing only to the Avenger, which increases the need for caution as to not let the investment become a waste.

## Counter-measures

Because they are a non-combatant unit, Tellers are vulnerable to about all units, but the highest success lies on how quickly they can be put down before they have a chance to launch Nuclear Missiles. For this, Hailstorms, Invaders, Avengers or Flagships with a clear line of site and Lancets, Crows, Impalers and Predators in Assault Mode are optimal for this task. Ruptors/Elasmoruptors can also rapidly close ranks, if allowed, to neutralize Tellers.

Martyrprobes, while effective, do not destroy Tellers in one shot as the Martyrprobe's suicide attack deals only a maximum of 120 damage - the Teller has 150 hull. Arsons, while their attacks are linear and can traverse past blocking units or obstacles, take both time to deploy and cannot survive a Nuclear Missile if the Teller is fully charged to do so, as an Arson only has 180 hull.

A common strategy used against Tellers from Federation computer opponents are groups of inexpensive units, especially fighters such as the Spear, Guard or Hurricane, to draw the Teller's attention and force it to launch a Nuclear Missile at them, as these units are either sacrificed or can run away faster if they have speed-related upgrades.

Tellers are also vulnerable to spells, such as the Joseon's Magnetic Field and EMP Burst abilities. The Black Hole generated by Theocrats also can destroy Tellers, although the area of effect is considerably smaller and does require precision. Thorun Breakers with Recall can teleport Tellers into a controlled area that can be quickly destroyed with 4-5 Raiders. Due to their high value, Tellers are also the preferred targets for Sylon Assimilators.

Because of their high-tech restriction along with Avengers, the Fleet HQ is often targeted to delay further Teller production, along with Merchantports.

## Racial Counter Relations

###  Federation

**Soft** - St. George, Kutuzov, Dresda, Avenger (II)
**Hard** - Engineer Shuttle, Icarus, Hurricane, Orca, Crow, Pasteur, Joseon, Barricade Sat, Hailstorm, KEIKO Sentry
###  Sylon

**Soft** - Repair Station, Installator, Eclipse, Shade, Plasma Raid
**Hard** - Labor, Hauler, Spear, Twinblade, Mask, Arson, Assimilator, Pillbox, Gloom, Absorber, Aegis, Caldron
###  Athrael

**Soft** - Polaron Sphere, Gathering, Invader, Mothership, Flanker, Rector, Shield Generator
**Hard** - Drone, Warpglider, Explorer, Lancet, Martyrprobe, Revenger, Theocrat, Clairvoyant, Harbinger
###  Thorun

**Soft** - Zoner, Corsair, Devastator, Flagship, Ion Cannon, Grinder, Guard Station
**Hard** - Extractor, Welder, Predator, Predator (assault mode), Marauder, Breaker, Raider, Vanguard, Havoc
###  Zhogarn

**Soft** - Argus, Ruptor, Elasmoruptor, Overseer, Charybdis, Agaric
**Hard** - Spawn, Worker, Guard, Ventator, Mite, Decay, Impaler, Mind, Rictus, Alpha, Fonia