In game[]
Vital statistics[]
 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Weak aerial unit, armed with a suicide attack. Very slow and poorly armoured, but with very good LOS, perhaps rivalling an enemy .
| |||||||
| Prereq: | Build time | HP | LOS | Attack | Attack speed | Movement speed | ||
|
6.9s (100t) |
145 | 13 | 20 | 3.3s (50t) |
27 | ||
| Cost | Created from | Armour | Weapon range | Specialty | ||||
| Base | Ramp | Pop | ||||||
 : 80; : 80
|
: 2: 2
|
1 | 
|
2 | 1–12 |
| ||
  Austria France Portugal
| ||||||||
Overall strategy[]
The first aerial unit in Rise of the Moderns, the Balloon is a weak and slow low-flying unit that is used primarily for reconnaissance duty, although it is also capable of a suicide attack that can cause devastating damage aircraft, minimal damage versus buildings and almost none versus other units. Equally, it takes a very long time to build and so isn't necessarily an ideal unit for offensive work, but as a support unit, it can be vital. Balloons have extensive LOS and the ability to spot hidden units, so if deployed over static positions, they can be quite powerful, especially for aiding your artillery which often have issues with diminished LOS. Each Balloon built has an initial LOS similar to that of a heavy warship, which can be increased with Science research.
If you are facing an enemy armed with Balloons, note that Balloons can't be brought down by any non-modern units, bar buildings and Rocket Artillery Squads. All told, chasing the enemy's Balloons down isn't a viable idea, although there is always the chance that they may be upgraded later on to more dangerous Zeppelins. All told you are better off ignoring the enemy's Balloons, and instead concentrate on ageing up to access Biplanes, which can safely shoot Balloons down from a distance. Getting into a Balloon war with your opponent just isn't worth it unless you have plenty of resources and time to spare, owing to their plodding pace moving across the sky.
Notes[]
Balloons change appearance at least once, retaining their spheriod shape at the beginning, and then changing to a more modern "blimp"-like appearance in the Mechanisation Era..
Unit icons[]
