Special Operatives

An Overview

Special Operatives are unique Units that you can hire and improve, with Skills that will give boosts to your Base and army. The benefits they provide are different from those of Strategic Units, which improve the statistics of only a certain number of Units.

The Bonuses provided by an Operative are calculated on top of other Unit-enhancing bonuses, so an upgraded Operative can provide a huge boost to your army.

Your Special Operatives are skilled in the art of survival and will not die in battle. However, Operatives can be unmasked in battle, which renders them inactive for a certain period of time. Any Operative you hire will remain in your roster permanently unless you decide to discharge them.

Operatives can be used for a new PvE engagement - defusing Flashpoints. They can also be sent alongside supporting Units to regular PvP and PvE battles, or stationed at your Base to improve its Defense and economy.

Operative Parameters

The power of your Special Operative and the effectiveness of their Bonuses depends on the following parameters:

1. Tier (1 to 5). Operatives are rated according to their Tier. Tier 5 Operatives are the most common, while Tier 1 Operatives are extremely rare. Tier 1 Operatives are far superior to Tier 2 Operatives who are superior to Tier 3 Operatives and so on.

2. Rank (1 to 6 Stars). In general, the higher the Rank of an Operative, the more powerful their bonuses will be. However, Operatives at the lower Levels of a higher Rank are slightly weaker than those at the highest Level of the previous Rank, although they can be improved dramatically.

3. Level. Ranks are split into Levels. To increase your Operative's Level, you will need to earn XP. Higher Level Operatives are stronger than lower Level ones, but the maximum Level an Operative can reach is limited by their Rank. This works as follows:

Rank I (★): Max Level of Special Operative: 15

Rank II (★★): Max Level of Special Operative: 20

Rank III (★★★): Max Level of Special Operative: 25

Rank IV (★★★★): Max Level of Special Operative: 30

Rank V (★★★★★): Max Level of Special Operative: 30 (if Promoted: 35)

Rank VI (★★★★★★): Max Level of Special Operative: 30 (if Promoted: 40)

After their Rank is increased, your Operative's Level is reset. You must once again bring them up to the highest available Level in order to upgrade to the next Rank.

Naturally, a Level 15 Special Operative with a Rank of 6 (six stars) will be much stronger than a Level 15 Operative with a Rank of 1 (one star). Please note that the above logic does not apply to battles at Flashpoints.

When engaging the Flashpoint, only the Level of your Operative is important. A Level 15, Tier 3 Operative with a Rank of 6 will be just as effective as a Level 15, Tier 5 Operative with a Rank of 1.

4. Skill Level (0 to 5 per Skill). Upgrading Skills using Training Modules will increase the power of a Special Operative’s Bonuses. Most Operatives have a set of 4 Skills that affect one of the 4 Unit types (exceptions are Recon Specialization Operatives and Resource Specialization Operatives).

While you can decide which Operative to apply the Training Module to, the Operative Skill that will be upgraded is decided at random.

5. Promotion Level (0 to 5). This is represented by a number in the bottom right corner of your Operative’s portrait. When promoted, the Operative’s Rank Stars turn purple. There are five Promotion Levels, and each one boosts all the Skills of your Operative. An Operative with a Rank of 5 or 6 can only reach their highest Level after Promotion.

Operative Specializations

There are 14 Operative Specializations. The Operative you should use depends on their Specialization and the action you wish to take. For example, if you're attacking a Mining Complex, a "Mining Complex Offense" Specialization Operative would be the logical choice.

Only Operatives that boost Resource Production, Recon, and Base Defense can be stationed at the Base through the "Base" tab of the Operatives interface.

New Currency - Blue Diamonds

Blue Diamonds are a new Premium Resource. You can use them to acquire Hiring Bonds, XP Boost Tech, and more. You can get Blue Diamonds at the Bank and by upgrading Operatives to the maximum Level. There are also a variety of in-game events that offer Blue Diamonds as a Reward.

Getting New Operatives

Once you've reached Level 40, you'll receive a series of operations. Once you've completed these operations, you'll receive your first Special Operatives.

You can also get new Operatives by signing Hiring Bonds. Hiring Bonds are used to hire a random Operative from a specified Tier. There are 3 types of Hiring Bonds:

• Regular Hiring Bonds allow you to hire a random Tier 5, Tier 4, or Tier 3 Special Operative. 
  
• Advanced Hiring Bonds allow you to hire a random Tier 4, Tier 3, or Tier 2 Special Operative. 
  
• Elite Hiring Bonds allow you to hire a random Tier 1 or Tier 2 Special Operative. 
  

The Special Operative you hire will have a Rank between 1 and 3:

• Rank 1 (one star) - will likely be hired. 
  
• Rank 2 (two stars) - will occasionally be hired. 
  
• Rank 3 (three stars) - will rarely be hired. 
  

Operatives of Rank 4 or higher cannot be hired using Hiring Bonds. They can only be obtained by increasing the level of your existing Special Operatives and ranking them up.

How to obtain Hiring Bonds:

• By engaging Flashpoints 
  
• By reaching the top of the Special Operative XP ranking 
  
• By acquiring them with Emeralds 
  
• By purchasing a Pack found in the Operative tab of the Bank 
  

Upgrading Operatives

You will need Special Operative XP to level up your Operatives. Special Operatives can earn XP by engaging Flashpoints. You can also discharge unwanted Operatives to provide XP to a selected Operative.

Engaging at Flashpoints

Your Operatives use Energy to engage Flashpoints. Each Flashpoint mission requires 10 Energy. The maximum amount you can have is 100 Energy. It takes five hours for your Energy to fully restore from 0. You can also use Blue Diamonds to energize instantly. Diamonds do wonders for motivation!

There are 20 Flashpoint Levels. In most cases, you will maximize your rewards (Operative XP, Hiring Bonds, and Energy) if you defuse the Flashpoints in a single attempt.

Each Flashpoint has a certain number of Forces. In turn, each of your Operatives has their own Flashpoint Attack Power statistic. If the Operative's Attack Power is greater than the number of Forces at the Flashpoint, the Operative will defuse the Flashpoint.

By doing this, you will earn Special Operative XP as well as any additional Reward that drops at random. This is why it is a good idea to pay close attention to the remaining forces at Flashpoints and the Attack Power of your Operative.

As mentioned previously, only the Level of your Operative is important while engaging Flashpoints. All Operatives of the same Level have the same Attack Power, regardless of their Rank or Tier.

When considering what Flashpoint Level will be suitable for your Operative, follow this rule of thumb:

Suitable Flashpoint Level = Operative Level divided by 2 (round up if necessary)

This means:

Level 1 Operatives should engage Level 1 Flashpoints

Level 2 Operatives should engage Level 1 Flashpoints

Level 3 Operatives should engage Level 2 Flashpoints

Level 4 Operatives should engage Level 2 Flashpoints

Level 5 Operatives should engage Level 3 Flashpoints

And so on.

You will earn lesser Special Operative XP if you cannot defuse the Flashpoint in one try.

For example:

If your Level 1 Operative successfully engages a Level 1 Flashpoint (and defuses it), you will receive 789 Operative XP.

If your Level 1 Operative unsuccessfully engages a Level 20 Flashpoint, you will receive only 263 Operative XP. Additionally, you will not receive a Reward for defusing the Flashpoint.

Sending a high-Level Operative to engage a low-Level Flashpoint will be similarly unprofitable, as the little XP you receive won’t be worth the Energy you spend.

Get the most out of the final strike

Send low-Level Operatives to deliver the coup de grâce to a weakened Flashpoint. If your Operative’s Level is significantly less than the Level of the Flashpoint, the final strike will earn you a huge amount of Operative XP.

The ideal scenario would see your Level 1 Operative defuse a Level 20 Flashpoint.

Example:

Your Level 1 Special Operative delivers the final strike to a Level 20 Flashpoint. Your Operative then gets 9,223 Operative XP and becomes a Level 10 Operative - just like that.

You can engineer these situations reasonably easily. Simply calculate the difference between your high-Level Operative’s Attack Power and the Forces left in a Level 20 Flashpoint so as not to defuse it in one go. Draw it out and then replace your high-Level Operative with the lowest Level one you have.

For example:

You use a Level 38 Operative (Attack Power 28,953) to engage a Level 20 Flashpoint (HP 31,948)

Once the Forces at the Flashpoint are down to 2995, bring in a Level 15 Operative (Attack Power 2,508)

Once the Flashpoint has 487 Forces left, deliver the coup de grâce with a Level 1 Operative so that Operative gets upgraded to Level 10.

You can use this method to level up your weaker Operatives faster.

Upgrading Operatives by discharging unwanted Operatives

By discharging Special Operatives, you can funnel more training to the Operatives you have. It’s the fastest way to upgrade Operatives. While discharging, you will have to expend some Resources (5,000 of more of each Resource) as a severance package.

We recommend that you discharge unneeded Tier 5 or 4 Operatives in order to upgrade the Operatives you need. Operatives will disappear from your roster after being discharged, so be sure you don’t need them before giving them the axe.

Upgrading Your Special Operative’s Rank

You can only upgrade your Operative to a higher Rank once they have reached the maximum Level for their current Rank. When the maximum Level for a Rank is reached, you will need to increase your Operative's Rank to continue progressing.

To increase a Special Operative's Rank, you must discharge other Special Operatives. The number of Operatives you need to discharge is equal to your Operative's current Rank. The discharged Operatives must be of the same Rank as the Operative you wish to upgrade, but can be of any Level or Tier.

For example:

To upgrade an Operative from Rank 1 to Rank 2, you need to discharge one Rank 1 Operative.

To upgrade an Operative from Rank 2 to Rank 3, you need to discharge two Rank 2 Operatives.

To upgrade an Operative from Rank 3 to Rank 4, you need to discharge three Rank 3 Operatives.

And so on.

Upon increasing the Rank, your Special Operative's Level is reset. You must gain enough XP to reach the maximum Level for the new Rank before you are allowed to upgrade again.

If you don’t have enough Operatives of the corresponding Rank to discharge, you will need to increase the Rank of those Operatives you plan to discharge. It’s a good idea to keep low ranking Operatives around so you can discharge them when needed to increase your higher-level Operative’s Rank.

Upgrading Special Operative Skills

Each Special Operative has specific Skills related to their Specialization. You can improve these Skills, but you cannot swap them for different Skills. You can upgrade each Operative's Skills to a maximum of Level 5.

In order to do so, you must use Training Modules matching the Operative's Tier (e.g. Tier 3 Module for Tier 3 Special Operatives). Each Module will upgrade one Special Operative Skill by one Level. To upgrade all the Operative’s Skills to the maximum level, you will need 20 Training Modules.

Promotion

Promoting your Operatives allows them to reach their full potential. There are 5 Promotion Levels, and each one boosts all the Skills of your Operative. To promote an Operative, you will need to discharge another one that has the same Tier and Specialization. The discharged Operative will disappear.

Example: You have an Operative with ‘Base Defense’ Specialization. Their Rank is 4, their Level is 30, and their Tier is 3. To promote this Operative, you will need another Tier 3 Operative with ‘Base Defense’ Specialization. Their Level and Rank does not matter.

Operative Branches

All Operatives belong to a Branch - Air Commandos, Navy SEALs, or Delta Force. Each Branch performs better against a certain other Branch. Navy SEALs counter Delta Force Operatives, Delta Force counters Air Commandos, and Air Commandos counter Navy SEALs.

If you send Operatives of different Branches to a location, a Core Branch will be selected to represent your forces.

For battles at your Base, you can select which Branch you wish to be your Core Branch. At other locations, the Core Branch will be the one represented by the most Special Operatives.

If your Core Branch counters the enemy's Core Branch, your Special Operative Skills will receive a 25% bonus. For example, if the Operative’s Skill power equals 10% and their Branch has an advantage, the total Skill power will be increased to 12.5%.

Activating Operatives

You can station Special Operatives at your Base to strengthen Base Defense, Recon, or to improve Resource Production. Operatives with the following Specializations can be stationed at your Base: Base Defense, Recon, and Resources.

You can only Rank up, Level up, Promote, or upgrade the Skills of Operatives at your Base. If the Operative is travelling to another location or is placed somewhere on the Map (e.g. Mining Complex or Combine HQ), you will need to return that Operative to your Base before you can perform any of the above actions.

There may be many Operatives in any given battle, but your army can only be represented by one Core Branch in each.

When 1 or more Operatives are activated at the Base, you can choose a Core Branch. If you do not choose a Core Branch, relieve the Operative with the Core Branch, or the Operative gets unmasked, the army defending your Base will have no Core Branch.

If your Base is successfully attacked, the Operatives you have stationed at the time will be unmasked. This is why you should not leave your Base undefended.

PvP Battles

When deploying your Units on Offensive or Defensive missions, you can send Operatives whose specialization fits the mission. This will boost the army's combat statistics.

Up to 3 Operatives can be stationed at your Base as Reinforcements. However, the Operative with the most developed Skills will be the only one to affect the combat statistics of the Units alongside them.

An exception is when one of the Operatives is specialized in Base Defense and another is specialized in Recon. Both Operatives will provide Bonuses in this case (the Base Defense Operative will boost Defensive Units, and the Recon Operative will enhance Recon Units).

Using Operatives during Occupation

You can use Operatives to assist you during Occupation. The Operative will give Bonuses to the other Units sent alongside them, and if the Occupation is successful, they will be stationed in the Base.

Please note that the Operative won’t provide Bonuses to the Units defending the occupied Base. For this, you will need to send an Operative with Base Defense or Recon Specialization.

You can send up to 3 Operatives as Reinforcements to an occupied Base. The Core Branch will be the Branch that most of the Special Operatives at the occupied Base belong to.

Unmasked Operatives

If a Special Operative is defeated in battle, they will be unmasked. Operatives are specially trained for Flashpoints so they cannot be unmasked there.

Unmasking renders them inactive for a certain period of time. They cannot be used or upgraded while unmasked.

If your Operative is unmasked, you can rehabilitate them using Blue Diamonds or simply wait until the timer runs out to reintroduce them with a new cover. You can also use Rehabilitation Boosts to speed it up.

A Rank 1 Operative will take 1 day to rehabilitate, a Rank 2 Operative will take 2 days, and so on up to a Rank 6 Operative, who will remain unmasked for 6 days.

Thoughts?

If you still have questions or suggestions about Special Operatives, leave a comment in this thread.