Warcraft Rumble has a lot of information thrown in your face upfront, and it doesn’t take a lot of time to explain it. Here’s how the cycle trait works, and how you can use it to your advantage to win games.
Cycling is an important part of the game for many loadouts
It took me roughly halfway through the campaign (about sigil level 50) to realize the importance of cycle minis, and I wish I had picked up on their efficacy sooner. Here’s the full breakdown of the cycle trait, as noted by the game (you have to tap the little “i” symbol to get there):
“2 cost or less for more mini plays”
Okay thanks, game! We know the unit costs two or less because it says so on their unit sheet, but why does it matter? Let’s break it down.
Cycling units are cheap ways to get bigger and better units back into the fray, or quickly answer a problem with a relatively low amount of gold overhead. The Defias Bandits (pictured above) are one of the best units in the entire game, as they can handle checkpoint/zone capturing, grab chests, and even take out enemy units (especially miners), all for a 1 gold cost.
You can use this to your advantage to cycle through units to quickly get back to a desired unit. One of the most useful cases is sending a S.A.F.E. Pilot (the gnome mini that crashes into the ground) down to take out a large squad, pumping out cheap cycle units, then using the S.A.F.E. Pilot again in quick succession as a potential panic button.
Cycle minis can also slot nicely into some leader armies for level bonuses
Additionally, some leaders also have “cycle” upgrade slots unique to that character. As a reminder (since again, the game does not explain this), leaders have fixed upgrade slots for the top three sections of your loadout, and customizable slots for the bottom. Bronze adds one level, silver adds two, gold adds three, and platinum (debuting as a Molton Core raid reward post-launch) adds four.
Take Hogger for example. One of his fixed top slots is the cycle slot. Hogger, as a leader, is predicated on constantly getting him out so he gets stronger and stronger on each spawn. So it makes sense that the development team would want to lean into that and provide bonuses for cycle minis in Hogger’s army. Keep those bonus levels in mind when you’re taking on some late-game challenges.
