Beyond All Reason

What Is Beyond All Reason?

Beyond All Reason (BAR) is a free, open-source sci-fi real-time strategy game built on the Recoil Engine, a fork of SpringRTS. Think Total Annihilation meets Supreme Commander — every projectile, explosion, and terrain deformation is simulated in real time.

Three factions:

• Armada — Speed and stealth. Fast bots, cloaking, hit-and-run. Best for beginners.
• Cortex — Brute force. Heavy armor, raw firepower, frontal assault.
• Legion — Experimental faction with multi-functional units. More complex.

Battles range from 1v1 up to 8v8 (community events have hit 110 players). The Commander is your king — lose it and you lose.

PCMag called it "the best RTS release in years." Rock Paper Shotgun ranked it #20 in their all-time favorite strategy games. Download free at beyondallreason.info.

Jump to: Settings · Beginner's Guide & Tutorial · Build Orders · Economy · Controls · Tips & Tricks · Map Drawing · Air Combat · Chevrons · System Requirements · Single Player · FAQ

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Essential Settings (Before You Play)

Open the settings menu before your first match and toggle these on:

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How to Play Beyond All Reason — Beginner's Guide & Tutorial

The core loop is simple: establish a stable metal-and-energy economy, use that income to keep factories producing, expand toward new resource points, and pressure the enemy without exposing your Commander. The opening below turns that loop into a practical first-match plan.

Pre-Match: Commander Placement

Once you load into a map, the match doesn't start immediately. Use this time wisely.

1. Pick your faction. Armada for learning, Cortex once you understand the flow, Legion after you've mastered the basics.

2. Choose your spawn — look for metal clusters. Left-click on the green part of the map where you see 3-4 closely packed metal deposits (small white circles with a number inside). That number shows the income a metal extractor will generate on that spot.

3. Plan your build queue before the match starts. Hold Shift and left-click buildings in the menu, then left-click the ground to place them inside your Commander's build range (the green circle around it). If you make a mistake, left-click a new building on top of the old one to replace it.

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Beyond All Reason Strategy Guide: Build Orders & Openings

BAR has no universal build order. Your opening depends entirely on wind conditions.

Wind Map (wind speed > 0)

1. Metal extractor × 2 (on the best nearby spots)
2. Wind turbines × 3 (inside Commander's build range)
3. More metal extractors (expand outward)

Check the wind info card:

• Top number = minimum wind speed
• Bottom number = maximum wind speed
• Low maximum wind? Add 1-2 solar collectors to your opening build as backup

No-Wind Map (wind icon crossed out)

Wind turbines are disabled. You must build solar collectors instead:

1. Metal extractor × 3 (even if they're close together)
2. Solar collectors × 2-3

With no wind, building 3 metal extractors upfront is fine — they drain your energy reserve, but solar collectors don't require energy to build, so you won't stall.

General Rule

The lower the maximum wind speed, the more solar collectors you need in your starting build. Always check the wind before committing.

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Understanding the Streaming Economy

BAR uses a streaming economy — resources aren't spent in batches. They trickle from your stockpile as you use them.

The resource bars at the top of the screen show five numbers:

When the bright red number > middle red number → you're draining your stockpile. That's a warning sign — build more production.

Energy stalling is worse than metal stalling. When you run out of energy, all construction and unit production slows to a crawl. Keep energy positive at all costs.

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First Production: Bot Lab

Once your economy is stable, build a Bot Lab (easier for beginners than Vehicle Lab — fewer units, more focused roles).

You can queue units before the lab finishes building. Click the lab in your build queue, open its menu, and start ordering.

Recommended opening lineup:

1. Constructor bot × 1 (can build things your Commander can't)
2. Scout bot (Tick) × 5 — fast, wide line of sight, tiny gun
3. Constructor bot × 3
4. Pawn infantry × 10 — more firepower and HP than scouts

Commander assist: After the lab finishes, select your Commander and right-click on the lab. His build power speeds up unit production. Warning: this drains extra energy — monitor your stockpile.

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Expanding Energy Production

Wind turbines are your main energy source on most maps. Mass-place them efficiently:

• Shift + left-click drag → draw a line of turbines
• Alt + hold → double or triple lines at once
• Z → add spacing between turbines (prevents chain explosions)

Combine them: Shift + Alt + left-click drag + Z for a spaced double line.

The gap spacing persists in future matches, so set it once and forget it.

Solar collectors produce constant energy regardless of wind but cost metal. Use them on no-wind maps or when wind suddenly drops.

Emergency adjustment: If wind drops and you're stalling, Spacebar + left-click a solar collector to bump it to the front of the build queue.

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Build Power as a Third Resource

Build power is effectively a third resource. More build power = faster construction = faster army.

Sources of build power:

• Commander — strongest builder, but risky to expose
• Constructor bots — produce from your lab, assist construction
• Construction turrets — 200 build power in range, can finish projects without a builder present (but can't start them)

Tip: Let your first constructor bots build a construction turret near your base. It passively speeds up all nearby construction and repair.

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Energy Converters

When you have excess energy but can't expand to new metal spots, build Energy Converters. They convert 70 energy → 1 metal at Tech 1.

The white box on your energy bar shows the converter cutoff point:

• Move right → more energy goes to converters (more metal)
• Move left → limit converter draw (protect other buildings from stalling)

Toggle the Energy Converter Usage option (settings → Interface) to see how efficiently your converters are running.

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Controls

BAR uses familiar RTS controls, but its queueing and area-command shortcuts are especially important:

• Right-click to move, attack, assist, or interact with a target
• Shift + click to queue commands and building placements
• Mouse wheel to zoom from the tactical map to individual units
• Ctrl + number to create a control group
• Alt + number to create a group that automatically receives matching new units
• Shift + drag while placing structures to create efficient building lines
• Spacebar + click to prioritize an urgent item in a build queue

Unit Groups

Ctrl + 1-9 to create a control group. Alt + number to create a group AND auto-assign all future units of the same type to it.

This is critical for mid-game management — your frontline, your artillery, your scouts all need dedicated groups.

The Factory Dock (right side of screen) shows what's currently producing in each lab. Click it to queue orders remotely without returning to base.

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Tips and Tricks

Economy Tips

• Keep energy income positive. An energy stall slows nearly everything you do — production, construction, repair. Build energy before you need it, not after.
• Scout early and often. A single scout can reveal the enemy's expansion plan faster than 10 minutes of guessing. Scout information lets you match (or counter) their economy decisions.
• Spend resources continuously. A full stockpile usually means unused momentum. If both metal and energy bars are full, you're building too slowly — add more factories or construction turrets.
• Add build power only when your economy can support it. Every construction turret and builder bot drains resources faster. If you add build power before your income scales up, you'll stall.
• Metal extractors are your first priority. Every game. Expand to new metal spots before building more army. An army that can't be reinforced loses to one that can.

Combat & Micro Tips

• Use control groups from the opening minutes. Ctrl+1 for scouts, Ctrl+2 for main army, Ctrl+3 for constructors. Sorting a large army later is ten times harder.
• Pull damaged units back. A unit with 10% HP does the same damage as one with 100% HP — but it dies to a stiff breeze. Rotate wounded units to the back line and let them repair.
• Attack-move (A + left click) instead of right-clicking. Units set to attack-move will engage anything in their path instead of blindly walking past enemies. This single habit prevents most "why didn't my army shoot?" situations.
• Target enemy constructors and Commander first in raids. Killing a constructor sets their economy back more than killing 20 pawns. If you see their Commander exposed, ping it for your team immediately.
• Radar is your second scout. Build a radar tower near contested metal spots. It reveals enemy movements through fog of war, giving you 10-15 seconds of warning before an attack hits.

Army Composition Tips

• Don't build only one unit type. A pure pawn army dies to a handful of rocket bots. A pure rocket army dies to scouts. Mix unit roles — front line, support, anti-air — in every attack group.
• Raiders (fast, cheap units) win early game. Send 5-10 fast units to harass enemy metal extractors while you build your main force. Even if they die, the economic damage they deal is worth the cost.
• Artillery wins stalemates. If neither side can push into the other's defenses, build 3-5 artillery units and shell their static defenses from outside their range. Forcing them to come to you is always better than charging into turrets.
• Anti-air is not optional. Even if the enemy hasn't built air yet, one AA unit in each control group prevents being caught off-guard by a surprise bomber run.

Team Play Tips

• Communicate your plan. Ping where you're expanding, call out enemy scout positions, and announce when you're attacking. A coordinated push from two players simultaneously breaks defenses that would stop either alone.
• Share resources with struggling teammates. If your ally is stalling and you have excess metal, send them a constructor or donate resources (click their name in the resource panel). A teammate who falls behind becomes a backdoor for the enemy.
• Watch the minimap more than the main screen. The minimap shows the entire battlefield. Glance at it every 5-10 seconds — you'll spot raids, undefended expansions, and attack opportunities earlier than tunnel-vision players.

Settings & Quality of Life Tips

• Rebind the idle constructor key to something you can hit instinctively (Tab, tilde, or a mouse button). Jumping to idle builders instantly is one of the highest-impact habits you can build.
• Disable screen shake in settings → Camera. BAR's explosions are cinematic, but screen shake throws off your micro during fights. Turn it off and you'll land more commands accurately.
• Use the spacebar priority queue for emergency units. If an enemy bomber is heading toward your base, Spacebar + click an AA turret to bump it to the front of every constructor's queue simultaneously.

Beyond the Basics

This guide covers the most critical first 10 minutes. Master these before moving on:

1. ✅ Economy never stalls
2. ✅ Build queue planned during pre-match
3. ✅ Energy production scales with your army
4. ✅ Constructor turrets deployed early
5. ✅ Unit groups set up from minute 1

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How to Draw on the Map — Team Strategy & Coordination Tool

BAR includes a built-in drawing tool that lets you sketch directly on the map and minimap during matches. It's the fastest way to coordinate attack plans, mark enemy positions, and communicate strategy without typing.

How to use the drawing tool:

• Hold the backtick key (`) and left-click drag to draw freehand lines on the map. Release to finish the line.
• Draw on the main map for detailed tactical plans (flanking routes, defensive lines, artillery targets).
• Draw on the minimap for quick, broad-strokes communication — circle an area to mark an enemy expansion, or draw arrows showing your team's planned attack direction.
• Hold the backtick key (`) and right-click to erase your drawings.

When to draw:

Tips for effective map drawing:

• Keep it simple. A circle and an arrow communicate more in one second than a paragraph of text. Don't overdraw — one clear line is worth ten scribbles.
• Color-code by purpose. If multiple players draw, agree on a convention: red for enemy positions, green for allied plans, yellow for resource spots.
• Draw during downtime. When you're waiting for production or traveling across the map, sketch the next phase of the plan so your team is aligned before the fight starts.
• Clear old drawings. Right-click drag while holding backtick to erase previous marks when they become irrelevant. Cluttered drawings cause confusion, not coordination.

Drawing tool settings:

Access drawing-related options in Settings → Interface → Page 2:

• Drawing opacity — Lower it if drawings block too much map visibility
• Drawing color — Change default line color per player
• Auto-erase timer — Set drawings to fade after a configurable time (10s, 30s, 1 min) so old plans don't linger

The drawing tool is especially important in team games (4v4 and larger), where typing "attack the base to the north with the green Commander at coordinates 342, 567" isn't practical. A quick circle on the minimap does the same thing instantly — and in BAR, seconds of coordination can decide the match.

Air Combat Guide — When and How to Build Air Units

This air guide covers everything you need to know about BAR's aerial warfare: when to build air units, which aircraft each faction brings to the fight, and how to set up effective anti-air defense.

Air power is a completely different economy layer — aircraft require energy (not metal) to build and operate. This makes air gameplay distinct from ground warfare.

When to build air:

• Scout first. A single air scout can reveal the enemy's expansion faster than 10 ground scouts. Build one early if you suspect the opponent is hiding a second base.
• Counter specific threats. If the enemy is massing artillery or building a forward base, a few bombers can disrupt their setup before your ground army arrives.
• Don't rush air superiority. New players often build air labs too early, draining energy that should fund ground economy. Get your ground economy stable first, then add air.

Key air units by faction:

Anti-air basics:

• Jammers (Armada) or AA turrets (Cortex) are your first line of defense. Place them near resource clusters.
• Fighters intercept incoming bombers. Keep a patrol route over your economy.
• Don't overbuild AA. Two AA turrets cover the same area as four — test your coverage using the range circle before placing extras.
• Mobile AA (AA bots/vehicles) protect advancing armies. Build 2-3 per attack group.

Air player tip: If you're playing an air-heavy strategy, build energy storage and additional wind/solar before the air lab finishes. Air production stalls are the #1 reason air players lose before their first bombing run.

How to Get Chevrons — Unit Experience & Rank System

Units in BAR gain experience as they survive combat and destroy enemies. Experience is displayed as chevrons (rank insignia) above the unit — the more chevrons, the higher the rank.

How chevrons work:

Why chevrons matter: A veteran unit (2 chevrons) is roughly twice as effective in combat as a fresh recruit. Losing a high-chevron unit is a bigger strategic loss than losing its metal cost — protect your experienced units by pulling them back from dangerous engagements.

How to gain chevrons efficiently:

• Let scouts survive. A scout that survives 3-4 skirmishes earns chevrons and becomes faster and more dangerous. Don't suicide-scout unless you absolutely need vision.
• Feed kills to your Commander. The Commander gains chevrons from destroying enemies. A veteran Commander builds faster and fights harder — keep it alive and let it finish off wounded enemies.
• Rotate front-line units. If a unit has 1-2 chevrons, pull it back from the front line and let fresh units take over. The veteran survives for the next push.
• Watch for chevron indicators. When selecting units, look for the small rank icon below the health bar. Units with visible chevrons should be prioritized for retreat.

Pro tip: Queue a retreat waypoint behind your lines for units that survive a fight. Ctrl + right-click sets a move order that pulls damaged units back automatically.

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Beyond All Reason System Requirements & Installation

The full Beyond All Reason install takes about 6–10 GB of storage. Before diving in, make sure your system can handle BAR's large-scale battles — the game simulates every projectile and explosion in real time, so system requirements vary significantly with battle size. An 8v8 match demands considerably more CPU and RAM than a 1v1.

Minimum Requirements

These specs will get you playable framerates on smaller maps with low unit counts:

Recommended Requirements

For smooth 60+ FPS in 8v8 games with maximum unit counts:

How BAR Scales With Your Hardware

Key insight: BAR is CPU-bound in large battles. The GPU matters less than a fast processor with good single-thread performance. If you're building or upgrading for BAR, prioritize CPU clock speed and cache over GPU tier.

Laptop & Integrated Graphics

• Dedicated GPU laptops (GTX 1650 or better): Run at medium settings on smaller maps. Reduce unit detail and particle effects in the settings menu.
• Integrated graphics (Intel UHD / AMD Vega): Not recommended. BAR may launch but will struggle below 20 FPS even on the smallest maps.
• Power settings: Make sure your laptop is plugged in and set to high-performance mode. BAR is heavy enough that battery-saving profiles will throttle performance noticeably.

Storage Breakdown

The launcher manages all downloads, so you don't need to manually track what's installed.

How to Check Your System Compatibility

Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Performance tab to check CPU, RAM, and GPU. For detailed GPU info, run dxdiag from the Start menu.

Linux: Use these commands in the terminal:

# CPU info
lscpu | grep "Model name"

# RAM
free -h

# GPU
lspci | grep -E "VGA|3D"

# Disk space
df -h / | tail -1

If your system meets the minimum requirements listed above, you should be able to play. If it falls short, try reducing the resolution and disabling shadows in the settings menu before your first match.

How to Install

Windows: Download the installer from beyondallreason.info/download and run it. The launcher handles updates automatically.

Linux: Use the AppImage (universal) or your distribution's package:

# AppImage (works on any distro)
wget https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/releases/latest/download/Beyond-All-Reason-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x Beyond-All-Reason-x86_64.AppImage
./Beyond-All-Reason-x86_64.AppImage

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:beyond-all-reason/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install beyond-all-reason

The launcher will download the game engine and assets on first launch. This takes about 10-15 minutes on a standard connection. Subsequent updates are incremental and much faster.

Installation Troubleshooting

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Best Mods & Game Modes

BAR's open-source nature means a thriving modding scene. These mods are worth trying once you've mastered the basics:

Recommended Mods

Finding & Installing Mods

1. Launch BAR and click Play → Missions & Mods in the main menu
2. Browse the in-game mod repository
3. Click Install on any mod — it downloads and activates automatically
4. Filter by category: Game Mods, Maps, AI Skirmish, or Widgets

Mods are stored separately from the base game, so uninstalling one never breaks your installation.

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Multiplayer Tips & Community

BAR's multiplayer is where the game truly shines. Here's how to get started without getting crushed.

Finding Games

The in-game lobby shows active matches with player counts and map names. Look for:

• "Noob friendly" or "New players welcome" in the game title
• 1v1 or 2v2 (easier to learn than 8v8 chaos)
• Moat or Red vs Red maps (simple, symmetrical layouts)

Beginner-Friendly Multiplayer Tips

• Watch the first 3 minutes of replays from top players on your map. Copy their opening build exactly — it's the fastest way to learn.
• Communicate. BAR has built-in team chat. Call out enemy scout positions and your planned expansion.
• Focus on economy first, army second. A new player's #1 mistake is building army before the economy can support it.
• Don't quit early. Even if you lose your Commander, teammates can rebuild you. Stick around.

Where to Find Help

The BAR community is one of the most welcoming in competitive RTS. Ask questions freely — experienced players are surprisingly happy to help new blood.

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Beyond All Reason Single Player — AI Skirmish & Solo Guide

BAR isn't just a multiplayer game. The built-in skirmish mode against AI bots is a full-featured single-player experience — and for many players, it's where they spend most of their time.

Starting a Skirmish Match

1. From the main menu, click Play → Skirmish
2. Pick a map. Start with Moat (simple, mirrored layout) or Red vs Red (symmetrical, predictable)
3. Click Add AI to add bot opponents. You can set different difficulty levels per bot
4. Choose your faction and spawn position
5. Click Start

AI Difficulty Levels

Progression tip: Don't jump from Easy to Brutal. Beat Medium consistently before touching Hard. The difficulty gap between Hard and Brutal is wide — Brutal cheats with extra resources, so beating it requires tight execution, not just a good plan.

Best Maps for Solo Practice

What to Practice in Skirmish Mode

• Build orders. Set the AI to Easy and just run your opening 20 times. Track your timing — how fast can you get your first Bot Lab up?
• Economy scaling. Crank the AI to Hard and focus purely on expanding to every metal spot while defending. Can you hold 3 bases without stalling energy?
• Air openers. Try a full air build against Medium AI. Fail fast, learn the energy requirements, then try again.
• Navy play. Water maps demand a completely different economy rhythm. Practice on Tezier5 with a Medium bot to learn the naval tech tree.
• Late-game transitions. Set up a 1v1 on Titan Duel, tech to T2, and practice juggling multiple production lines.

Community AI Mods

The base game AI is solid, but community mods crank it up:

Install these from Play → Missions & Mods in the main menu. They appear as selectable AI opponents in the Skirmish lobby after installation.

Skirmish vs Multiplayer: When to Switch

You're ready for multiplayer when:

• Your build order lands a Bot Lab before the 3-minute mark (Easy AI)
• You can beat Medium AI without losing a single metal extractor to raids
• Your energy bar never hits zero for more than 5 seconds in the first 10 minutes
• You've watched at least two replays of your map from top players and copied their opening

Start with 1v1 lobbies labeled "noob friendly" before joining team games. The jump from AI to human opponents is bigger than any difficulty setting — humans will feint, fake, and exploit gaps the AI never finds.

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FAQ

Is Beyond All Reason really free?

Yes. BAR is free and open source, with downloads available from the official website for Windows and Linux.

How big is the Beyond All Reason download?

The total install is about 6–10 GB: roughly 1 GB for the game engine, 3 GB for core assets (textures, models, sounds), and the rest for maps and community mods. The launcher downloads incrementally — the base game is ready to play after the first 4 GB.

Which faction is best for a beginner?

Armada is the easiest starting point because its mobile units and straightforward roles make early mistakes more forgiving.

Is there a single-player mode?

Yes. BAR includes a full-featured AI skirmish mode with four difficulty levels (Easy through Brutal), a map picker, and community-made AI mods. See the Single Player — AI Skirmish & Solo Guide section above for a complete walkthrough.

Should I build bots or vehicles first?

Bots are a strong beginner choice. Their smaller, clearer roster makes it easier to learn economy, scouting, and unit control before adding more specialized vehicle play.

Why does my base suddenly build so slowly?

The most common cause is an energy stall. Check whether your energy spending is higher than your income, pause nonessential construction, and add wind or solar generation immediately.