While the global launch of Avatar: Pandora Rising is getting closer every day, and I am personally betting on it being in the next 30-60 days, I thought it was time to write about how to get off to a good start in the game. While our Beginner’s Quick Guide to APR was published back in October 2019, about a month after I started in the game testing, I have reviewed the content and it remains relevant to those reading this article today. But today I want to advise on Na’vi Commanders and Troops to help ensure you use your valuable resources well in the early going with APR.
Na’vi Commanders
While we list all of the Na’vi Commanders here on the site and are working to ensure their kits and talents are updated and accurate, let’s break it down as to who you need to focus on building up in early gameplay. The absolute best Na’vi Commanders in Avatar Pandora Rising are the harder to obtain/upgrade commanders – Ukawla, Zumkana, Eytukan, Mo’at and of course Jake. Neytiri will be awesome when introduced to the game of course, but expect to shell out some cash to add her to your lineup.
The commanders you need to focus on early are Nan’ti, Tur’itan, Alira, Entok, Vineya, Ralun, Omleki, Lunapey, Tsu’tey and Ru’ke. Of this group, the flexibility and value of Nan’ti and Tur’itan cannot be overstated. If I had it all to do over again I would likely ignore many of the commanders on the list above and instead focus more on these two given their usefulness throughout the game. Both lack strong defensive stats, but both are like a good Swiss Army knife that is always nice to have around.
When it comes to Warriors, base defense will likely be handled by Vineya early, but replace her when you can with Swin’ara or Tsu’mong. Personally I like Tsu’mong but his availability for beginners may be limited. Your selection of Stalkers is large – Akwey, Alar’at, Ikeyni, Saeyla, Tsentey makeup the Stalkers who are designed to attack resource locations. Meanwhile, Pillagers attack player bases and include Maratu, Syura’ewan, Tioang and Tsu’tey. These two categories seem a bit muddied by too many options, so I suggest picking 1-2 from both tags and ignore the rest, unless you are PTP and have a fat wallet. Note that Tsu’tey, at the time of this writing, kind of stinks in APR. I expect that will change in time, but I will try to update this if so.
Finally you have you specialty Warriors, most notable of all is Jake. Earning Jake shards is a pain in the butt, so align yourself with a good alliance and use everything you can early in the Honor Shop (after you win a Sacred Site location) on Jake shards to power him up. Given how hard the talent kits/marks are to acquire you need to make sure you do not waste these resources on commander you do not care about or need, again, unless you have a very fat wallet.
Na’vi Troops
When looking at the many Na’vi troops, the Troops that synergies best with the game’s best Na’vi Commander, Jake, are the troops to focus resources on. The Champion, Direhorse and Ikran Assault are atop this list, but when given the chance to gain Warbeest or Blastbulb shards jump on that right away. Be sure to level up your aerial defense troops like the Forest Banshee, Stingbat Swarm, Banshee Flight as well as the Archers and Fire Throwers, as the RDA utilizes several air attack troops. The Puffball Tree, Paradise Needler and Hellswarm can also help in this area and I feel the the Hellswarm is highly underrated in the game.
Ground troops are obviously valuable as well, but while you may see Viperwolves overwhelming opponents at times in the game, the three variations of Viperwolves are a bit underwhelming in my opinion. The Guardian is an easily-obtained unit that acts as a tank of sorts and can take some hits, but the Champion is easily the best ground unit to invest into.
While the game continues to evolve and we all have our own personal preferences, I am always open to hearing what others have to say. If you want to chime in, or heck, if you want to join our writing staff, hit me up on Twitter @GamingFansDFN to discuss.
