Ranking specialists
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 4:26 am
Whilst I’ve only played 12 games of Subterfuge my opinions of the relative strengths of Specialists has settled pretty quickly and I felt that ranking them and getting some feedback would be a fun exercise.
In the right circumstances every Specialist can be brilliant but some are only useful in specific circumstances whilst others are useful to have no matter how the game is panning out or which strategy you’re using. Before anyone points it out I know I have a strong bias towards Specs that increase mobility but I’m happy with that, I think speed is the most valuable thing in the game.
1. Admiral – There isn’t a game I don’t want at least one Admiral, it is so important to be able to manoeuvre quickly around the map and being slower than your enemy is a death sentence.
2. Smuggler – How many times have you launched a triumphant attack only to see a smuggler appear at the last second to scupper your plans. A huge force multiplier.
3. Engineer – Literally the most powerful combat Spec in the game. Yes you have to win the fight before it does anything but you shouldn’t really engaging in fights with a Spec you’re not guaranteed to win anyway.
4. Queen – If you sit back and hide your Queen you’re missing out on so much utility. A Queen on the frontline with one or more hires waiting to go can paralyse your opponents.
5. Navigator – Navigators are arguable the most flexible Spec in the game, there are so many trick plays you can pull with them and they allow you to correct mistakes. In a perfect world you’d have at least one admiral and one Nav.
6. Helmsman – Simple Spec that can give you a huge tactical advantage, well worth the hire.
7. Thief – For a one hire the thief is ridiculously powerful. It has one weakness (it can’t be used on defence) but if you’re smart that can be overcome by pairing it with other Specs (a pirate or navigator for example).
8. Intelligence Officer – I find it really hard to hire an Int Officer as they don’t really do anything but I never regret it when I do. They make attacks safer and defence easier and they’re always a solid choice).
9. Foreman – Basically it gives you another mine and can be upgraded into the brilliant engineer, what’s not to love.
10. Tycoon – On paper Tycoon’s are excellent, having a higher driller production count than your rivals is certainly useful but I rarely find myself truly limited by driller production. To me sacrificing a Smuggler to get a tycoon is a big risk.
11. King – To me the most overrated Spec in the game. It’s outclassed by an Engineer and the one-cost Thief and the loss of shields is far more limiting than you realise.
12. Tinkerer – Tinkerers are undoubtably useful but there are significant draw backs to them as well. To be efficient they need good max shields which normally means they sit with your Queen and that can mean your Queen’s position is fixed. Add in their shield drain and you’re really making your Queen vulnerable. However, hitting your driller cap can be worse so they’re not a bad choice.
13. Sentry – A really rounded Spec, great on defence and can be used to consolidate gains. Only upgrade it if you absolutely have to though, a War Hero isn't worth the upgrade cost.
14. Princess – The vision boost is useful but its biggest benefit is it releases your Queen to go into full attack mode.
15. Minister of Energy – My experience is that super high driller caps are less useful than you’d imagine and it limits your production. Only get if your driller cap is severely limiting you.
16. Pirate – The ultimate trick play Spec, difficult to use to its full potential but if you get it right they are game changing.
17. Inspector – In the early/mid game there are some brilliant plays you can pull off with an inspector but it gets weaker as the game goes on and shields are less of a deterrent.
18. Double Agent – If you can kill a huge fleet and capture three specs then the DA is brilliant. You don’t often get that perfect opportunity though so its primary use is as a deterrent.
19. Assassin – Assassins are scary, no one wants to lose their valuable Specs, but I’d rather capture enemy specs than kill them.
20. Security Chief – The ultimate turtling Spec. If you want to protect a big lead or warn others off attacking you then there’s a lot of power in a Security Chief but it’s a too passive to be really useful.
21. Hypnotist – Situational, if the opportunity arises to use it then it’s brilliant but a waste of space if you never get a chance.
22. General – Generals are a big investment for a fairly average payoff. In the right circumstances they can good but this wouldn’t normally be a primary pick.
23. Saboteur – Great for point defence and can completely shut up shop if paired with a pirate for recovery. It’s too one dimensional to be anything other than a reactionary pick though.
24. War Hero – A War Hero has decent stats but for a two-cost Spec it’s very underwhelming. It’s biggest use is it’s threat, a Sentry that ‘could’ be upgraded to a War Hero deters both large and small subs alike.
25. Revered Elder – Another Spec that needs to be used in the right circumstances to get the most benefit. It does make a good bodyguard for a queen though.
26. Lieutenant – It gives some utility, especially in the early game but it’s outclassed by a lot of other one-cost hires and its upgrade is underwhelming.
27. Martyr – The scariest Spec in the game but in reality it’s so hard to use effectively. Only get if you have a good use for it.
28. Diplomat – If you hire a diplomat the chances are you’ve made a horrible mistake somewhere, try and avoid needing one.
29. Infiltrator – The only situation it’s of use in is attacking outposts, it has no flexibility. An infiltrator can give you an advantage in the early game but after that it’s really weak.
In the right circumstances every Specialist can be brilliant but some are only useful in specific circumstances whilst others are useful to have no matter how the game is panning out or which strategy you’re using. Before anyone points it out I know I have a strong bias towards Specs that increase mobility but I’m happy with that, I think speed is the most valuable thing in the game.
1. Admiral – There isn’t a game I don’t want at least one Admiral, it is so important to be able to manoeuvre quickly around the map and being slower than your enemy is a death sentence.
2. Smuggler – How many times have you launched a triumphant attack only to see a smuggler appear at the last second to scupper your plans. A huge force multiplier.
3. Engineer – Literally the most powerful combat Spec in the game. Yes you have to win the fight before it does anything but you shouldn’t really engaging in fights with a Spec you’re not guaranteed to win anyway.
4. Queen – If you sit back and hide your Queen you’re missing out on so much utility. A Queen on the frontline with one or more hires waiting to go can paralyse your opponents.
5. Navigator – Navigators are arguable the most flexible Spec in the game, there are so many trick plays you can pull with them and they allow you to correct mistakes. In a perfect world you’d have at least one admiral and one Nav.
6. Helmsman – Simple Spec that can give you a huge tactical advantage, well worth the hire.
7. Thief – For a one hire the thief is ridiculously powerful. It has one weakness (it can’t be used on defence) but if you’re smart that can be overcome by pairing it with other Specs (a pirate or navigator for example).
8. Intelligence Officer – I find it really hard to hire an Int Officer as they don’t really do anything but I never regret it when I do. They make attacks safer and defence easier and they’re always a solid choice).
9. Foreman – Basically it gives you another mine and can be upgraded into the brilliant engineer, what’s not to love.
10. Tycoon – On paper Tycoon’s are excellent, having a higher driller production count than your rivals is certainly useful but I rarely find myself truly limited by driller production. To me sacrificing a Smuggler to get a tycoon is a big risk.
11. King – To me the most overrated Spec in the game. It’s outclassed by an Engineer and the one-cost Thief and the loss of shields is far more limiting than you realise.
12. Tinkerer – Tinkerers are undoubtably useful but there are significant draw backs to them as well. To be efficient they need good max shields which normally means they sit with your Queen and that can mean your Queen’s position is fixed. Add in their shield drain and you’re really making your Queen vulnerable. However, hitting your driller cap can be worse so they’re not a bad choice.
13. Sentry – A really rounded Spec, great on defence and can be used to consolidate gains. Only upgrade it if you absolutely have to though, a War Hero isn't worth the upgrade cost.
14. Princess – The vision boost is useful but its biggest benefit is it releases your Queen to go into full attack mode.
15. Minister of Energy – My experience is that super high driller caps are less useful than you’d imagine and it limits your production. Only get if your driller cap is severely limiting you.
16. Pirate – The ultimate trick play Spec, difficult to use to its full potential but if you get it right they are game changing.
17. Inspector – In the early/mid game there are some brilliant plays you can pull off with an inspector but it gets weaker as the game goes on and shields are less of a deterrent.
18. Double Agent – If you can kill a huge fleet and capture three specs then the DA is brilliant. You don’t often get that perfect opportunity though so its primary use is as a deterrent.
19. Assassin – Assassins are scary, no one wants to lose their valuable Specs, but I’d rather capture enemy specs than kill them.
20. Security Chief – The ultimate turtling Spec. If you want to protect a big lead or warn others off attacking you then there’s a lot of power in a Security Chief but it’s a too passive to be really useful.
21. Hypnotist – Situational, if the opportunity arises to use it then it’s brilliant but a waste of space if you never get a chance.
22. General – Generals are a big investment for a fairly average payoff. In the right circumstances they can good but this wouldn’t normally be a primary pick.
23. Saboteur – Great for point defence and can completely shut up shop if paired with a pirate for recovery. It’s too one dimensional to be anything other than a reactionary pick though.
24. War Hero – A War Hero has decent stats but for a two-cost Spec it’s very underwhelming. It’s biggest use is it’s threat, a Sentry that ‘could’ be upgraded to a War Hero deters both large and small subs alike.
25. Revered Elder – Another Spec that needs to be used in the right circumstances to get the most benefit. It does make a good bodyguard for a queen though.
26. Lieutenant – It gives some utility, especially in the early game but it’s outclassed by a lot of other one-cost hires and its upgrade is underwhelming.
27. Martyr – The scariest Spec in the game but in reality it’s so hard to use effectively. Only get if you have a good use for it.
28. Diplomat – If you hire a diplomat the chances are you’ve made a horrible mistake somewhere, try and avoid needing one.
29. Infiltrator – The only situation it’s of use in is attacking outposts, it has no flexibility. An infiltrator can give you an advantage in the early game but after that it’s really weak.