The Seraphim have a unique mixture of unit types that seem to combine the military philosophies of some of the other factions. Like the UEF, the Seraphim have higher armor ratings (the second-highest on average) when comparing their units to their counterparts in other factions. The Seraphim also share the Cybran's proclivity for high ROF and moderate-to-low DPS when it comes to some of their weaponry (most notably the Seraphim T2 Assault Bot known as the Ilshavoh and the Seraphim T2 Point Defense). As a result, they combine strong defenses with accurate & consistent firepower, making for a formidable faction.
The Seraphim are most notable for their units versatility. Although they have fewer unit types in comparison to the other factions, their units are more capable of taking on a variety of tasks. Examples include the Seraphim T1 Combat Scout, which is a combination of the T1 land scout and T1 light assault bot; the Seraphim T3 Battleship, a combination of the battleship and T3 strategic missile submarine; and the Seraphim T3 Siege Tank, which is a rough mix between the T3 armored assault bot and T3 heavy/siege bot.
Conversely, some of the Seraphim units need complementary units to support and cover weaknesses, much like the Aeon faction. A notable example is using Seraphim T2 Cruisers to support Seraphim T2 Destroyers due to the destroyers' lack of anti-air abilities. The Seraphim T3 Strategic Bomber also lacks anti-air defenses, much like the Aeon version.
Their experimentals are also quite formidable. The Seraphim Experimental Assault Bot can handle both ground and air units with relative ease, and upon death unleashes the Seraphim Unidentified Residual Energy Signature that is uncontrollable but can wreck anything as a final send off, and the Seraphim Experimental Missile Launcher is considered a game ender. The Seraphim Experimental Bomber is expensive and time-consuming to construct, but is extremely effective and fast for an experimental unit. (It is perhaps due to their effectiveness that the Seraphim experimentals are fewer in number when compared to the other factions. Discounting the Seraphim Unidentified Residual Energy Signature)
The Seraphim Armored Command Unit has perhaps the most combat potential of any of the factions' ACU's. Although it lacks the sheer offensive ability of the Cybran Armored Command Unit, the Seraphim ACU can be upgraded to do 400 DPS (or even 800 DPS) with speed enhancements and area of effect damage. The addition of enhanced nano-repair packs means that the Seraphim Armored Command Unit can potentially have more than 56000 HP (with sufficient veterancy), and with the enhanced healing rate, the Seraphim ACU can act as an experimental unit. Early game-expansion and defense can be made easier with an upgraded Seraphim ACU to deal with waves of T1 units, and particularly skilled or daring Seraphim commanders can use the upgraded ACU to assassinate the enemy ACU directly.
On the ground, the Seraphim carry the advantage with their Seraphim T2 Assault Bot, which combines strong defense with very consistent firepower - a must when handling large numbers of T1 units/structures. Using a Seraphim T3 Mobile Shield Generator to provide defense increases the survivability of the ground forces even moreso than the inferior T2 mobile shield generator used by the Aeon and the UEF. The effectiveness of the assault bots extend even into the T3 levels, and smart Seraphim commanders will make liberal use of them throughout the battle. As the saying goes, "A Seraphim player without Ilshavohs is a Seraphim player who is probably losing."
The Seraphim's lack of effective T3 gunships means that a Seraphim commander will need to rely on large numbers of Seraphim T2 Gunships with air escorts, or stick with Seraphim T3 Strategic Bombers with air escorts as well. In addition, the Seraphim anti-air weapons lack any sort of tracking abilities, making the Seraphim ill-suited for using anything but air-superiority fighters and T2 mobile anti-air vessels for taking out air units.
In terms of naval combat, the Seraphim can effectively secure naval supremacy with a combination of Seraphim T3 Submarine Hunters and Seraphim T2 Cruisers. The Seraphim T2 Destroyer can act as a support unit for the cruisers and also submerge if necessary, further adding to the Seraphim's naval potency. While the Seraphim vessels do not have as high of DPS as the Aeon, their ROF generally rivals if not surpasses that of the Cybrans. In addition, the versatility of their naval vessels means that a diverse naval fleet is not necessary to secure naval supremacy.
It is important that the Seraphim combat scout, the Selen, completely changes how a Seraphim player should go about with rush attacks. They are effective at fast harassment at the very start of the game, but are largely ineffective at direct combat and lose to T1 light assault bots.
Effective strategies[]
Seraphim tend to have the best T3 push. If you combine even a few siege tanks with one or two mobile shields you will usually win. This works even better if they are supported by sniper bots.
Ythota's are poor on defense due to their lighting storm spawning upon death; however, it is often beneficial, if not necessary, to walk a Ythota into another base. Sacrificing an experimental may not seem the best strategy, but the resulting lightning storm will cause significant impact to an enemy's base. Even if there is an experimental in your base, it is often a viable strategy to base trade. As a side note, a Ythota cannot defeat a Galactic Colossus or a well-microed Monkey Lord one on one, contributing to the theme of doing as much damage as possible.
Weaknesses[]
The Seraphim have no obvious weaknesses, with their land and naval units being excellent and their air units being adequate. On the contrary, they lack a clearly defined general strategy that most players utilize making them exciting to watch for SvS dogfights, but not as useful playing the game out in the long term.
From the air, the Seraphim have limited air-to-ground capabilities with only one type of gunship (T2 Gunship). They also lack any sort of unique air unit that has the potential to be a game changer (Aeon Guided Missile) or standout as a valuable utility (UEF T3 Air Transport). Their Experimental Bomber makes up for this slightly as it is a very effective bomber, but its arrival to the battlefield early on is hindered from a high resource cost. Overall, the Seraphim have capable air units with solid stats, but nothing that provides an edge that every other faction has in the air game.
Attacking the enemy from the ground is more in line with Seraphim strengths, but it also has some faults. While the Ilshavoh-Othuum combo, along with a Ythotha or two, is a fearsome onslaught, there are limited Seraphim fire support units to help soften the enemy—such as a Fatboy or Megalith equivalent. To help alleviate this issue, it is best to augment a land assault group with multiple T3 Mobile Shield Generators to soak up as much incoming fire as possible.
Seraphim commanders need to be especially aware of using Ythothas to fight the UEF. Deploying Ythothas as a strike force to defeat a Fatboy/Percival combo typically ends in a losing battle, with the cumulative firepower of the UEF combo causing tremendous long-range damage before the Ythothas can begin to make any significant impact. Coupled with the lightning storm caused upon death, this increases Seraphim losses in this scenario even further.
