Best Factions in Iron Harvest Ranked Tier List

Iron Harvest is an excellent RTS game of intense action. Four factions battle it out in an alternate history Great War, where mechs have now joined the struggle. But out of all four factions, which is the greatest? Which is the easiest one to play, to secure victory? Every faction is formidable, and every faction has unique edges and playstyles, however not all are easy to utilize, and there is one faction that, if played properly, is unstoppable. Here are the factions in Iron Harvest, ranked.

Best Factions in Iron Harvest Ranked Tier List

4th – Rusviet

The Rusviet forces are ferocious, powerful, infantry-melting, and bulky. So, why are they so low on the tier list?

The Rusviets, whilst powerful, are easily overcome by exploiting their weakness. They are mostly a short-range faction, with their infantry, the Vanguards, wielding shotguns and a few of their mechs only effective in close quarters. Sure, this makes them powerful for pushing with, but those fighting the Rusviets know to exploit this through the superior range and layered defenses.

The Rusviets will reward the players who know exactly how to use them, however, through unconventional tactics. But their difficulty and counter ability make the Rusviets the worst faction to play as.

3rd – Usonia

This may be controversial, but Usonia has a great edge over the other factions that could really change tides in an instant for unprepared players.

Usonia’s mech arsenal boils down to airborne units or walking guns. You may think that every mech is a walking gun in Iron Harvest, but Usonia makes each mech a whole damn loadout.

The infantry, the Volunteers, aren’t the best, but they strike a balance in a strange grey area between the other three infantry types, so can hold their own just fine. To get an edge over other factions, Usonia players need to capitalize on their air superiority that can protect two separate points by hovering over the obstacles that make them a world apart for the infantry.

However, they are fragile, and if a player pumps out effective anti-air units and mechs, then Usonia will have to take a more conventional approach or adapt their strategy, at which point their opponent will already have them on the ropes.

2nd – Polania

In Iron Harvest, if you want speed, you want Polania. A quick faction that is well-suited to hit-and-run maneuvers, there is hardly a situation they can’t adapt to.

Their infantry, the Riflemen, have the longest range out of any other faction, which makes them well-suited to shoot down retreating enemies and chipping them off before they even get in range. Their mechs are also, as a whole, very well-rounded and contain the fastest mech in the game. You’ll want to strike a balance between infantry and mech, however, as most of Polania’s mechs aren’t cut out for prolonged combat without an engineer on standby.

With the speed, the artillery and the infantry-slaying mechs, any threat can be met and held off as reinforcement arrive. Being able to quickly expand also allows resources to flow to you quicker as you disrupt your enemy. However, you must also be simultaneously preparing for the late game to destroy your opponents, otherwise, they will soon overpower you.

Related: How to increase army size in Iron Harvest

1st – Saxony

Power. Strength. Big explosions. Everything you need to be the greatest.

Saxony is the most powerful faction due to the sheer firepower their mechs can produce, and how many of their mechs are able to burn through enemy mechs and infantry without a worry. Their infantry, the Stormtroopers, have a great fire rate that makes them vicious to fight against, allowing them to dominate early game.

Saxony, naturally, has a weakness. Unlike the other factions, your progress will be slower as everything is more expensive that your opponents. Whilst you go out and claim resources, you must be preparing a mech army at home base that will allow you to stomp forwards and slowly dominate the map.

Your mechs, if left alone, won’t fare well, as they can easily be flanked and destroyed due to their slow mobility and moderate fragility. Saxony is extremely powerful, but only with the right support to prevent flanking. They bring turtling to a whole new level. No faction will be getting past your defenses.

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