- Main article: Barracks
The Barracks is a unit production structure of the Cartel.
Gameplay[]
Barracks condense the roles undertaken by its other counterparts. It produces all of Cartel's infantry, can hold prisoners, heals friendly forces, can be placed anywhere and is their only source of aluminum.
What offered by the Cartel's Barracks are pretty sophisticated but alluring. They do not drain power on their own, instead requiring additional purchases. This isn't any better than its equivalents, but it's always great to pick up the Prison Module on the way for some early income if POWs are produced, especially since it's required to produce their best anti-armor unit, the Shershen. As Punisher is not the most efficient healing unit and takes up a slot still, the Barracks can, with Force Projection, be used instead to support units occupying a Bank in conjunction with Artillery turret to take out enemy infantry and light vehicles, or even pull off ambushes. This strategy is much more practical than it seems, as the Skycrane can be upgraded with stealth and being an aerial unit, it gets to bypass more threats. Healing comes in handy when defending the base itself, too. Being a fragile production building, it also forms an exceptional synergy with the Accelerator, taking full benefit of the production speed boost and the optical camouflage. Their aluminum-generating upgrade is likewise useful, being Cartel's own equivalent of producing more without mining resource deposits, and Ransom Network, whch doubles its credit income, can compensate for the loss of one source each. It's also notable the Barracks counts as a prison/hospital equivalent for the purposes of recovering pilots from destroyed vehicles, so those who are stranded out in the open may be able to just walk up to it if no enemies are in the way.
The amazing potential of this structure still has its limits, starting with its low capacity. It only holds five prisoners, as opposed to other factions' equivalents, which can hold 10 or 15, forcing you to build many more unnecessarily just for the sake of generating income. The net cost of a prison upgrade can possibly exceed that of building an equivalent which quickly adds up over time, and so producing that many early is usually detrimental. Barracks also do not hold the front well without infantry, as Artillery Turrets cannot target air and both buildings are pretty fragile, not to mention the Cartel gets the short end of the stick on structure healing, even with the rapid replacement potential. You will also need to decide if you need to convert your income, as Ransom Network, the income upgrade, does not carry over when it starts to produce aluminum. It remains a phenomenal building, but needs its own tactics.
Produces[]
Units[]
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Contractor Basic infantry unit. Costs
 150. |
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Viper Anti-armor infantry unit. Costs
200. |
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Grinch Anti-aircraft infantry unit.
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Punisher Heavy combat medic. Costs
500. Requires Black Ops. |
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Shershen Anti-armor team. Costs
600. Requires Prison Module. |
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Vanguard Elite stealth infantry unit.
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Upgrades[]
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Prison Module The Barracks can hold 5 POWs. Costs
750 and  750. Purchased individually. |
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Tandem Charges Double Vipers' damage.
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Twin Launcher Shershens burst-fire two missiles. Costs
1000 and 750. Requires Barracks & Prison Module. |
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Ransom Network Doubles the Barracks'
generation. |
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Aluminum Module The Barracks generates 10 per second, and no longer produces .Requires Barracks with a full Prison Module. Purchased individually.
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Upgrades[]
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Medical subcontractors Costs
1500. Researched at HQ. Barracks now heal all nearby friendly infantry that are either on foot or inside a building. |
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Force projection Costs
1000 and 500. Requires Vehicles Bay. Researched at HQ. Removes the deployment restriction of the Barracks, allowing it to be placed anywhere. |
See also[]
 Cartel Operation Eclipse Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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