Take training
There are three tutorials in Halo Wars 2. The first focuses on basic unit movement and teaches you some useful keyboard shortcuts. If you've played RTS before, you probably won't learn anything new, but it's worth the ten or so minutes to complete it to get your Blitz card pack and experience points.
If this is your first RTS, this tutorial is a must, as you will gain an understanding of concepts such as control groups, waypoints, and more.
The next tutorial will tell you about control over the base, and show you how to build buildings, organize the recruitment of units and other useful things. It is not advisable to skip this tutorial, as Halo Wars 2 has some differences compared to the same StarCraft 2 or Command & Conquer.
The third and last one focuses on Blitz mode, and like the previous two, it will give you a free card pack and some XP.
First of all, build a supply unit and a power generator
First of all, you must create a supply block (or a harvester for the Exiled) before doing anything else. Every single unit, ability, and building requires a certain amount of consumables, so make sure you get the supplies as soon as possible.
The next building you must build is a Power Generator (or Power Extractor for the Exiled). Some units and buildings require a power supply.
Supply and Power are the only resources in Halo Wars 2.
Scout territory with mobile units like Jackrabbit and Chopper
They are fast, lightly armored scouting units. No matter how ready you are, you should send one of them to research, as everything around will be hidden in the fog of war. Send scouts every couple of minutes to keep abreast of enemy plans and capture strategic points.
Capture Forerunner buildings, supplies, and power boxes
Any standard infantry unit can capture the Forerunner race's power sources, but be careful - you must kill the Guardians first. Once captured, the sources will provide a decent flow of power as long as they are yours, more importantly in the mid to late game.
Also, you can find blue and yellow boxes, batteries in the form of cylinders, lying around in some parts of the map. As you may have guessed, blue boxes provide supplies, and yellow boxes provide energy.
Finally, there are many buildings on each map that allow you to place a garrison inside. Garrisons at distant outposts will help you quickly spot the enemy.
The main infantry is created in the Firebase, not in the Barracks
The main infantry units in Halo Wars 2 (grunts and grunts) are created using the Firebase, not in the Barracks as in most RTS.
Develop quickly and build other bases
Once you've placed your first barracks, make sure your expansion expands to other bases as well. All maps have empty areas where you can build new bases (square icons on the minimap). They vary in size, and the smallest one allows you to attach just one building - not counting the mini-base itself.
All you have to do is send out a small reconnaissance squad and then take a seat.
Keep track of your base levels
Each base has its own level, but the general army level can be seen on the lower right side, to the left of the minimap. This level affects the types of buildings you can create. Keep in mind that you still need to level each base separately in order to get more room for buildings.
The upgrades you buy are universal
Any upgrade you buy in any of your production buildings, such as barracks, garage, and airfield, applies to the entire army. This applies to single upgrades, such as improving armor and adding abilities, as well as base levels, which provide passive bonuses, such as additional health and so on.
Even if you lose all buildings of the same type (for example, all barracks), your upgrades will not go anywhere.
With this in mind, you should only upgrade the factory levels.
Power is your path to cutting edge technology
If there are no particular problems in the supplies in the middle and at the end of the game, then the energy reserves may begin to be insufficient. This is because modern units require a chunk of power to produce.
Some units you won't even be able to hire until you reach a certain power level.
When you feel you have enough army to defend, focus on expanding your energy source by building new generators or upgrading existing ones.
In short: deal with supplies early in the game and energy late in the game.
You will be more comfortable playing using keyboard shortcuts
This is a PC-only tip and may seem obvious, but worth mentioning. Hotkeys open up a world of possibilities for you, so don't play Halo Wars 2 with just your mouse.
Don't get us wrong, this is not StarCraft! You will not need to memorize 20 keys and even a combo of them. Basically, you need to create several control groups and learn how to quickly switch back to where the fight started.
The tutorial will help you with several of them, but you will have to study the rest on your own in the settings menu.
Understand the Leader's Powers and how best to spend points
Pressing F will open the commander's wheel, where you can spend your points on any of the available options. The skills you'll see in this wheel differ depending on which of the six heroes you play.
Before the game begins, you must decide which hero you want to play based on his style and unique skills.
Hero abilities can be passive or active, which can help your troops and destroy the enemy. All of them replenish over time, and require supplies and energy, but at the same time they can become a decisive factor in the next battle.
