Ashes of the Singularity II PHC Guide: Quanta & Commanders

Start a PHC match by queueing an expensive Nexus tech immediately — quanta spent on research is saved even if you remove the tech from the queue later, so you can bank points early and switch to cheaper techs as their sections unlock. That single habit, plus understanding the two quanta pools and building your armies around commanders, is the core of playing the Post-Human Coalition well. Everything below comes from the developer's faction reveals on Steam and from first-hand playtest footage, and reflects the September multiplayer playtest rather than the retail game, which launches November 10, 2026.

How PHC research works

The most obvious change in Ashes of the Singularity II is that PHC tech research is no longer a tree but a single-queue "buffet" of tech cards. Each card shows its cost in quanta. Clicking a card places it in the research queue at the bottom of the research UI; the small arrow pushes it down the queue and the red X removes it.

• The Nexus tech section is unlocked from the start of a match.
• Building your first recruitment building, the factory, unlocks the infrastructure section.
• Building a quantum relay unlocks the Quantum relay section.

This ordering trips players up. The Quantum relay section holds the cheapest tech available, but it unlocks last, because you first need an elerite mine before you can construct a quantum relay building — which boosts quanta generation in its region. Meanwhile your headquarters already produces quanta income, but the first tech costs 5,000 quanta, which takes a very long time at the starting income rate.

The two quanta colors — and why your upgrades stall

Quanta has two icons, blue and orange, and this confuses nearly every new PHC player. Orange quanta is favor quanta, which is stockpiled and is the one shown in the top resource UI section. This stockpiled favor quanta is used for two entirely separate actions from tech research:

• Commander unit upgrades
• Orbitals

Both draw from the same stockpiled pool. This is why you may wait forever to add extra drones to your commander while never noticing that repeated orbital use has been draining the same resource. Watch your orbital spending if commander upgrades seem out of reach.

Commanders: the heart of the faction

The PHC fields about half a dozen commander types, and the faction is designed so armies are led by commanders. When you open the unit recruitment window, you first click a new commander and only then pick the units recruited into that commander's army.

The default Commander — the starting command-and-control unit — has two important early-game bonuses on top of huge health (2,500) and good weapon damage (98.6):

• A bonus to the capture rate of regions
• A bonus to construction of new buildings in owned regions

Players report this makes microing the commander worthwhile in an otherwise macro-focused RTS: position it so it starts engaging neutral enemies in the next region while still standing in the last captured one, so new buildings construct faster while its damage still helps take the next region. The developer's showcase also notes the commander greatly increases production speed of all PHC forces manufactured in its region, enabling rapid forward fire bases, and that a losing commander cannot be replaced.

Two more chassis unlock with advanced research, per the developer's showcase: the Acolyte, a versatile support walker recruited from the armory that dramatically boosts its army's firepower, and the Sovereign, a heavily armed frontline fighter recruited from the Omega Arsenal.

1. Form an extra army without a commander

   PHC's commander-led design can leave you stuck with one army and one path of conquest if you lack the elerite for a second commander. Players found the workaround: select a few regular units, hold Control and press a number key such as 2, and you have a new PHC army without a commander that can conquer more regions. Remember to send new units back to your commander's original army to replace them.

2. Save stockpiled quanta for a Sovereign vanguard build

   Buy all of the Sovereign's upgrades when you stockpile favor quanta to turn it into a deadly vanguard version with much-needed speed and even more firepower. Its back-mounted turrets engage air units and region constructors while its main guns pummel ground targets, buildings included.

3. Use the Hyperion to strike the backline

   The Hyperion, last in the build menu for good reason, is the fan-favorite commander. It flies past terrain impassable to other commanders to strike enemy HQ buildings or back regions. Its upgrades include automated attack drones that occupy some turret slots, bonus damage for its main beam gun, and a repair function that restores HP on the move. Pair it with orbitals that spawn ground units — the Maverick drop, or Hermes squads via the Recon instigation orbital — to capture those regions.

Units and how to combine them

The PHC doctrine, per the developer's reveal, is armor, repair, and brute force — heavily armored units with repair capabilities and an emphasis on defense. Its walker-based roster is high-tech and expensive, focusing on quality over quantity, which makes it vulnerable to being swamped by cheap enemy infantry and tanks. The PHC fields no infantry at all, so cheap units fill the swarm-and-soak role:

For air, the PHC has Talos gunships, the Fury air superiority fighter, the Hades bomber, and the Pan scout drone. Players recommend splitting them into individual armies: endanger an enemy's HQ with gunships and bombers while defending your own airspace with fighters.

One tested orbital example from the playtest: the Maverick drop orbital (Quantum relay tech section) drops a single Maverick mech specialized as an anti-light counter. In one recorded fight it took 80 seconds — boosted 100% damage for the first 30 seconds by the Weapons Overload orbital — to destroy two squads of Leopard IV tanks that cost far less and produce three times faster.

Next steps

• Compare playstyles on the faction overview page before committing to PHC in ranked matches.
• Read the UEF guide to understand the army-swarm opponent you will most often face as PHC.
• See the Substrate guide for the third faction's endgame threats.

FAQ

What is the best Ashes of the Singularity II PHC guide opening strategy?

Queue an expensive Nexus tech from the very start of the match. Research progress is saved even if you remove the tech from the queue, so early quanta income is never wasted, and you can pivot to cheaper techs once the factory and quantum relay unlock their sections.

Why can I never afford my commander upgrade?

Commander upgrades and orbitals both spend from the same stockpiled favor quanta pool. Repeated orbital use drains the resource you were saving for the upgrade, which players flagged to the developers as a UI issue during the playtest.

Where do I recruit the Hyperion and the Nemesis?

The Hyperion aerial dreadnaught is recruited from the Sky Factory; the Nemesis long-range tank killer is recruited from the Forge. Both are listed with their stats in the developer's official faction reveal on Steam.

Can the PHC expand without a commander?

Yes. Although the faction is designed around commander-led armies, players found that selecting regular units and pressing Ctrl plus a number key creates a commanderless army that can conquer regions while you save elerite for a second commander.

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Checked 2026-11-05 against the official Steam store page, the official PHC faction reveal on Steam News, and first-hand playtest videos (PHC playtest guide, PHC showcase). Unit-by-unit balance, exact damage values beyond those published, and retail-version changes remain unconfirmed until the November 10, 2026 launch and post-release testing.