Welcome to this advanced Homeworld 3 guide, proudly sponsored by Gearbox! Whether you’re diving into the campaign or tackling War Games mode, these 14 expert tips will help you improve your strategy, optimize your fleet, and dominate every mission.

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1. The Mothership Smother Tactic

Your mothership isn’t just a base—it’s a mobile powerhouse. During many campaign missions, you can quickly progress by moving your mothership toward objectives while surrounding it with your fleet in Delta or Circle Formation.

• Why it works: The mothership is fast and durable, capable of soaking up damage while your fleet supports with concentrated fire. It also minimizes micromanagement.

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2. Mastering Formations

Formations can greatly enhance your unit coordination, but they’re situational.

• Best Formations:
  • Claw: Great for nimble skirmishers; spreads units while maintaining firepower.
  • Circle: Ideal for heavy frigates; concentrates fire against large targets.
• When to Break Formation: In scattered engagements, breaking formation allows units to independently target enemies more efficiently.

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3. Use Flanking to Maximize Damage

Attacks from the side or rear deal 20–30% more damage than frontal assaults.

• Always look for flank opportunities to take down capital ships faster and reduce enemy retaliation.

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4. Exploit Environmental Cover

Use map features to your advantage:

• Asteroids & wreckage: Conceal your fleet before engaging.
• Tunnels: Great for surprise flanks or tactical retreats.

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5. Torpedo Frigate Behavior

Torpedo frigates fire from max range, which can result in awkward positioning.

• Let them operate from a distance and use tougher units as a frontline screen.

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6. Mothership Broadside Maneuver

Your mothership can be a massive offensive tool:

• Rotate to broadside enemies, using multiple turrets at once.
• Use cover to hide your mothership and set up deadly ambushes.

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7. Hammer and Anvil Strategy

Distract with fast units (the hammer) while heavier ships (the anvil) flank and crush enemies.

• Execution:
  • Use interceptors to engage or bait the enemy.
  • Follow up with a flanking force of frigates or destroyers.

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8. Maximize Support Ships

Build as many support frigates as possible.

• They repair your entire fleet—including themselves—resulting in a highly sustainable and resilient force.

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9. Streamline Resource Collection

Assign all collectors to a control group for quick access.

• Hit H to auto-assign them to nearby resources and reduce micromanagement.

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10. Overbuild Your Fleet

Exceeding the unit cap queues up reinforcements automatically.

• Benefits:
  • Keeps a steady flow of replacements.
  • Ensures combat efficiency during prolonged fights.

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11. Use the Mothership’s Speed

Your mothership is surprisingly fast—faster than many escort ships.

• Use this mobility to reach objectives quickly but don’t overextend without your fleet.

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12. Recycle Units for Emergency Credits

Short on resources? Decommission unneeded ships:

• How: Select the unit, hold Alt, then right-click to recycle.
• Useful for emergency research or rebuilding your fleet.

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13. Prioritize Ship Unlocks in Research

Unlocking new ships is more impactful than early-game abilities.

• Abilities are situational and add micro.
• New ships drastically improve your tactical options.

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14. Nested Control Groups

Homeworld 3 allows flexible control group setups:

• Create a main group (e.g., Ctrl+1) for your full fleet.
• Assign sub-groups (e.g., interceptors on Ctrl+2, frigates on Ctrl+3) for better control.

Need a reset? Press Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen to clear all assignments.

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Final Thoughts

These 14 advanced strategies will elevate your performance in Homeworld 3, whether you’re deep in the campaign or testing your mettle in War Games. Refine your tactics, manage your formations wisely, and command with confidence.