This is a beginner's guide for Professor Anders in Halo Wars 2. Anders is one of the more favorite leaders in Halo Wars 2, and this guide will explain why.

Strengths (Pros)

Cheap Upgrades: Professor Anders has some really cheap upgrades thanks to her R&D leader powers, which reduce research cost and research time.

Sentinels: Anders' main strength is her Sentinels. Whether it's the Protector Sentinel (a buildable unit), Arc Defense (an active leader power), or abilities like Sentinel Synergy and Sentinel Beacon that add Sentinels to your siege units.

Retriever Sentinel: Anders gets a really cool ultimate ability - the Retriever Sentinel. This is essentially an addition to the Condor super unit, not a replacement.

Great Siege: Anders excels at siege gameplay thanks to the Sentinel Beacon. When you have Kodiaks and Siege Turrets, they spawn friendly Sentinels similar to those from the Arc Defense active leader power.

Douglas Spartan: The Spartan Douglas from the Armory is fantastic for Anders. With the Tech 2 upgrade, he gets a rocket launcher with great splash damage.

Weaknesses (Cons)

No Nukes: Anders doesn't have devastating abilities like Eradication, Inferno, Rain of Fire, or even a Beam - abilities that can quickly annihilate an army. The Sentinel Network is good but won't eradicate an entire army quickly.

Forces Opponents Into Air: If you go Siege with Sentinel Beacon, opponents will often be forced into air units to counter your Sentinels, similar to when facing Pavium with Mega Turrets.

No Unit Drops: Unlike Cutter (ODST drops), Forge (Kodiak drop), or Banished leaders (Spirit Assault), Anders doesn't have unit drops outside of the ultimate Retriever Sentinel. The rest of her abilities are passive or active leader powers.

Build Order

The typical opener is pad-pad, gen-gen (supply pads then generators). On maps with lots of power nodes like Bedrock, build some Marines to get aggressive with nodes early.

For your 5th building slot, you have options. An Armory allows you to build Douglas early.

Leader Point Progression

First Point - R&D I: This passive power reduces research cost and time for all infantry, vehicle, aircraft, and hero upgrades. It also gives your turrets shields. Example: Grenade Throw drops from 400 to 340 power.

Second Point - Options vary by strategy:

• Protector Sentinel: Unlocks Sentinels buildable from your main base. These become insane once you get Sentinel Synergy (shields, increased health and damage), but that requires Tech 3 and two leader point investments.
• R&D II: Double up on cost reduction. Grenade Throw becomes 289, Hijack becomes 216.

Tech 2 Strategy: The best play for Anders is going into siege. Consider Arc Defense for defensive situations, Combat Tech Marines (rocket launchers for anti-air), and Wolverines for air coverage.

Third/Fourth Points: Sentinel Beacon (makes Kodiaks and Siege Turrets spawn Sentinels), Arc Defense for additional Sentinel spawning, and Sentinel Synergy to upgrade all Sentinel abilities.

Later Points: Sentinel Network spawns Sentinels that sweep across the map providing vision. Turret Drop or Restoration Drones for utility.

Key Tips

1. Use Nightingales: Build an Airpad for Nightingales to heal your units and protect your siege. Use the Y ability to cloak your siege units.
2. Don't Over-Commit to Siege: While siege is Anders' strength, you need to balance your army.
3. Stats Note: When playing Anders, you'll often show a lot of "units lost" because each Sentinel from Sentinel Beacon counts toward your opponent's "units destroyed" stat.
4. Vehicle Upgrades Are Cheap: With R&D, vehicle upgrade 1 costs only 361 power - take advantage of this.
5. Economy Tip: If going mass Kodiak, supplies will be your bottleneck more than power since you're saving money on unit upgrades thanks to R&D. Consider building three generators instead of four.

Siege Setup

On maps like Bedrock, siege maps work excellently for Anders:

• Control power nodes for line of sight
• Place Kodiaks on ramps for additional siege range
• Build Siege Turrets on turret slots
• Your siege turrets will have shields thanks to R&D

Unit Composition

Early Game: Marines with Combat Tech upgrade (rockets for anti-air)

Mid Game: Kodiaks, Wolverines, Nightingales

Late Game: Mass siege with Sentinel Beacon active, Protector Sentinels if fully upgraded

Two Main Paths

1. Mass Siege: R&D → Arc Defense → Sentinel Beacon → Sentinel Synergy
2. Mass Protector Sentinels: R&D → Protector Sentinel → Sentinel Synergy (requires Tech 3)

Remember: More active leader powers are generally better than fewer. The Retriever Sentinel costs 2000/2000 (same as Condor) but can supplement your army composition.

Final Notes

Anders offers a lot of variation with strategies, heroes, leader power combinations, and playstyles. Try strategies that work for your play style and make sure your leader power picks complement your overall game plan.