Eclipse

The Eclipse is a tier-5 aerial combat unit introduced as a rework of the Reaper, a previously unobtainable boss that appeared in the Nuclear Production Complex. It functions as a heavy attack flyer that combines two piercing lasers with a barrage of flak-style projectiles. The unit is unique among Serpulo air units (aside from Gamma) for having range that can outrange the Scatter. The Eclipse aggressively targets reactors by AI design and is intended to break fortified production and power infrastructure rather than merely assault surface defenses.

The Eclipse carries two large laser mounts that fire piercing beams and two twin artillery-style flak batteries that produce area damage and apply the Blasted status to affected units. Across recent updates its base combat parameters settled at roughly: health around 22000, movement speed about 4.05 tiles/sec, laser damage about 115 per shot with a sustained firing pattern, and flak area damage on the order of 65 with significant area of effect (roughly 3.1 tiles). Its effective attack range is approximately 28 tiles. It also has a built-in item capacity for transport and a removed command limit (it is no longer capped by a fleet command constraint).

In practice the Eclipse excels at targeted destruction of high-value grid components. Its piercing lasers will ignore most armor stacks and can snipe exposed conveyors, power nodes, and conduits even through outer defenses. The flak barrage complements the lasers by shredding nearby support units and smaller escorts while applying Blasted, which increases the damage those units take from follow-up attacks.

• Defending against an Eclipse requires layered solutions. High-durability walls such as Thorium or Surge Walls will absorb non-laser impacts and buy time, but lasers can still bypass many defenses unless Plastanium walls or other direct block-absorbing layers are used. Place defensive coverage around reactors and other high-priority targets because the Eclipse preferentially attacks them; unpowered reactor decoys can be used to lure its focus.
• Endgame turrets and long-range snipers (notably Foreshadow) are particularly effective at chipping away its large health pool before it reaches critical assets. Cooling, Mender support, Overdrive Domes, and alloyed ammo (Surge Alloy for Swarmers/Cyclones) increase turret longevity and damage output against flying solo attackers.
• Offensive use of Eclipse units benefits from their mobility and ability to fly over walls and artillery debuffs. They can be used to bypass ground denial and strike deep into a base. However, they are vulnerable to long-range precision weapons that can snipe them before flak or escorts reach safety. Lasers on the Eclipse have no pierce limit on air targets and provide useful crowd control against swarms.
• Combining the Eclipse’s flak Blasted application with Cryofluid Tsunami or other area-damage combos increases its effective damage without the need for upkeep of Blast Compound. Keep support units spread out to avoid catastrophic flak losses.

Historically, the unit began life as the Reaper and was renamed Eclipse in a later update; throughout version updates it received several significant buffs and tuning changes (health and speed increases, laser and flak damage adjustments, range tweaks, and AI changes). The Eclipse remains a high-threat aerial unit best countered by long-range heavy turrets and defensive preparations focused on protecting reactors and logistic infrastructure.