Understand Vauban
Useful when…
- Deploy Tesla Nervos to attach to enemies and arc Electricity damage to nearby targets.
- Use Tether-Flechette to gather and immobilize enemies, or hold Minelayer to create a movement and weapon-damage pad.
- Use Photon Strike against clustered targets, especially enemies with Overguard.
What do Vauban’s abilities do?
Tesla Nervos deploys a roller drone that attaches to enemies and sends bursts of arcing Electricity damage to nearby targets. Minelayer’s Tether-Flechette orb immobilizes and draws in enemies while launching nails in all directions. Holding Minelayer instead launches a Vector-Overdrive pad that accelerates allies and enemies alike in its direction, while increasing ally Movement Speed and Weapon Damage. Photon Strike drops a beacon that calls a laser artillery strike; it deals double damage to enemies with Overguard. Bastille creates a containment field that captures and suspends enemies, strips their armor and grants armor to Vauban and allies inside. Holding Bastille collapses all Bastilles into a single damaging vortex. The passive increases damage against incapacitated enemies, but its numeric multiplier is unresolved.
When is Vauban useful?
Use Vauban when controlling enemy placement and creating damage opportunities matter. Tether-Flechette gathers enemies into a zone; Bastille suspends targets and reduces armor; Photon Strike provides targeted artillery and has a stated bonus against Overguard. The held Minelayer mode has both an ally benefit and a drawback: it can speed foes as well as allies. Keep the two Minelayer inputs distinct because the regular Tether-Flechette effect and the held Vector-Overdrive pad serve different purposes.
Investment and comparisons
Vauban has Naramon and Madurai mod polarities plus a Naramon aura polarity. Vauban Prime has 270 Health, 270 Shields and 210 Armor compared with Vauban’s 270 Health, 180 Shields and 160 Armor, and it has an additional Vazarin polarity. The supplied ability descriptions are the same. Mag is described as using magnetic force for crowd control and defense stripping, while Gara is described as offering ally survivability and damage; those descriptions do not establish Vauban’s deployable mines or Bastille behavior.
Limitations and common mistakes
Vector-Overdrive accelerates enemies as well as allies, so placement can benefit opposing units. Bastille’s armor grant applies to Vauban and allies within its field, while its enemy capture and stripping are tied to the field. Photon Strike’s doubled damage is specifically stated for Overguard targets. Do not invent a numerical value for the incapacitated-enemy passive, or assume it applies to enemies who are not incapacitated.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The held Minelayer pad speeds enemies as well as allies.
- Vauban’s control depends on placing and using abilities in the appropriate mode.
- The passive’s damage multiplier is unresolved.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the held Minelayer mode without accounting for its acceleration of enemies.
- Assuming Photon Strike’s doubled damage applies to targets without Overguard.
- Expecting Bastille’s armor grant to benefit allies outside its field.