Mole

The Engineers for Hire (also known as *moles*) are one of the game's two proxy units (the other being mines), meaning they can be built outside of your territory. This, coupled with their relatively high health and ability to deal extra damage to structures makes them effective both as tanks and base siege units. Being a proxy unit, moles do not build from a warren and build as a single unit, unlike other Tier 1 units.

"Engineers for Hire"
Despite their name, the Engineers appear to be far better at knocking things over rather than building them up.
Details
1.4.0.1 Unverified
Animal	Mole
Tier	Tier 1 unit
Defense	14 HP
Attack DPS	3
Attack Delay	0.25 sec
Attack Cooldown	0.75 sec
Range	1 tile(s)
Warren Cost	60 Food
Unit Cost	60 Food
Build Time	10 sec
Supply	3 Unit(s) per Warren
Trait(s)	Freedom Spoon and Proxy

Strategy

Strategy is largely dependent on your own unit composition, your opponent's unit composition, as well as map layout and other factors. Please take these suggestions with a grain of salt.

Moles can be used for early pushes, as a front-line tank, to quickly take out structures, or as quick reinforcement. However, they are expensive compared to other Tier-1 units and are melee, making them pricey losses if killed and vulnerable to aerial assaults.

Playing with moles

As mentioned, there are three aspects of moles to be used to your advantage. Utilizing their high health pool, moles can be used as front-line tanks, soaking up damage for the units behind them while the rest of your army is free to attack the enemy. Alternatively, you can use the mole's bonus damage against structures to attempt to quickly take out warrens, structures, or lone windmills. Finally, moles' ability to proxy allows you to summon them in the heat of battle for quick reinforcements or launch a sudden assault to an unsuspecting enemy base.

Playing against moles

The biggest disadvantages with moles is that they are expensive and melee. As such, falcons are ideal to take them out without much retaliation. In a battle where they are the front-line it may be more be effective to ignore them entirely and focus fire other units, as moles only have as much damage as lizards. Ignoring moles and going after their lizards or squirrels will more quickly reduce your opponent's overall DPS than trying to kill the moles. If you're getting rushed, knowing is half the battle. The sooner you can detect someone trying to rush you with moles the better you can prepare for it. Often the best thing you can do is to build a machine gun nest or your own moles as soon as you can to deter the push and to focus fire one mole down at a time with your pigs by holding down the rally button.

Gallery

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Changelog

• Pre-Alpha 25:
  • Are now 25 DEF, up from 24
• Pre-Alpha 24:
  • Are now 24 DEF, up from 20
• Pre-Alpha 23:
  • Now 3 ATK / 20 HP instead of 2 ATK / 30 HP
• Pre-Alpha 22:
  • Now does 2x damage on structures (again)
  • Damage now 2 (was 3)
• Pre-Alpha 21:
  • Damage now 3 (was 2)
  • No longer deal twice as much damage to structures
  • Can now be sold
• Pre-Alpha 11:
  • This patch changed the “damage per 5 seconds” system to a “damage per second” system.Therefore, damage values have to be divided by 5 before they are comparable.
• Pre-Alpha 8:
  • Damage now 10 (was 15)
  • Hitpoints now 30 (was 35)
• Pre-Alpha 7:
  • Hitpoints now 35 (was 30)
• Pre-Alpha 6:
  • Now Tier 1
  • Is now being summoned
  • Damage now 15 (was 40)
• Pre-Alpha 5:
  • Is now stealth
  • Damage now 40
  • Hitpoints now 30
• Pre-Alpha 4:
  • Production can no longer be cancelled
  • Cooldown now 2.5s (was 1s)
• Pre-Alpha 3:
  • Now melee, pistol was removed
  • Hitpoints now 25 (was 45)
• Pre-Alpha 1:
  • Hitpoints now 25 (was 20)