M29 Weasel Recon Vehicle

The M29 Weasel Recon Vehicle is a USF light vehicle unit. In skirmishes, it is only available exclusively as a call-in unit with the Special Operations Battlegroup. It can either be deployed on its own via the call-in ability of the same unit name, or it can be deployed via the M29 Weasel with M1 Pack Howitzer call-in ability where it arrives towing an .

The Weasel is an ultra light reconnaissance vehicle that essentially serves as an alternative unit to the (aka the Jeep). For a higher cost, the Weasel is slightly more durable with higher health and armour values, but has a significant trade-off of slower speed and acceleration comparatively. Likewise, it is also a detector unit and thus can reveal camouflaged units at a larger range of 25 instead of 12.5 for most units.

By default the Weasel is unarmed, but unlike most vehicles it is capable of capturing territory. It can also transport a single infantry squad, can tow various heavy weapons, and has Support Veterancy. In addition, the Weasel comes with the ability to drop the .30 Cal HMG and the M1 Mortar for a Munitions cost. When either weapon drop is used, said weapon will spawn abandoned at the target location, and can then be crewed by normal means (typically by another infantry squad). This unit also has passive Self-Repair, allowing it to repair itself when stationary and out of combat.

This unit can be upgraded with a forward facing machine gun for a Munitions cost, granting it a weapon effective against infantry. Once upgraded the Weasel's damage per second (DPS) against infantry is the highest amongst equivalent recon vehicles in the game, meaning it will generally outdamage the Jeep, UKF , and DAK against infantry. However once upgraded the Weasel loses the ability to transport troops. Arming it makes it an effective early game unit with substantial combat strength, though like all recon vehicles its fragility makes it scale poorly as more threats are deployed.

At veterancy level 1 this unit can choose between two passive abilities: Signal Layer and Medical Station. Signal Layer allows any nodes captured by the Weasel to generate an extra +3 Munitions or Fuel income (Manpower is unaffected) permanently until that territory is neutralized once again. Medical Station allows the Weasel to slowly heal nearby friendly infantry units when it is stationary and out of combat.

Overall, the Weasel is an interesting alternative to the USF Jeep, offering unique utility at the expense of being a specific Battlegroup exclusive. Thanks to being able to capture by default, USF players can decide if they want to deploy one immediately at 0 CP cost to unlock, allowing one to use the Weasel in the early game effectively. It is typically common to upgrade it as soon as possible to give it a useful weapon to maximize its early game potential. It is highly independent as it can passively self-repair without relying on long cooldowns or an early , allowing one to fight with it frequently. It can scale well with its utility as if Munitions are available, it can drop weapons which enables the USF player to even skip producing HMG or Mortar squads regularly. Alternatively the dropped weapons can be picked up by a teammate. At veteran level 1 it can double down on capture duties for more resources, or be able to provide healing. This passive heal in particular is quite slow and thus is not a replacement for building a dedicated healing method, but nevertheless can be very useful.

As a downside, it is noticeably slower than the Jeep, especially in regards to acceleration and rotation rate. Thus careful micromanagement will be needed as it cannot pull out of bad situations or chase as effectively in comparison. As with any light vehicle it is vulnerable to all kinds of weapons, so good micromanagement is a necessity overall. Unlike other recon vehicles, it does not have larger sight range.

As with all early game recon vehicles, it can be a powerful combat vehicle initially but as time passes, its low health and vulnerability makes it less useful in combat situations. As such, it 'scales' with its utility over time instead, through its unique abilities and still acting as a scout unit with enhanced detection range.