These items provide passive bonuses/unlocks for the entire match
Passive Buffs also apply to mind-controlled units
Gensis Core
Author rating:
Provides 1hp/s Life Regeneration to all units, per level (Max of 5hp/s)
Regeneration only occurs outside of combat (6sec Delay)
Outside of Combat = Not taking damage
Seems to not count "combat" as attacking, only taking damage
Regeneration Bonus does not apply to Structures
Regeneration Bonus does not apply to Shields
Gensis Core has very limited utility until upgraded to at least level 3
Assume 20-30 seconds between fights when deciding its utility
Very useful in practice... at level 3+
Can permit Build Order reorienting
Lvl5 Upgrade can be hard to justify purchasing
Regeneration cummulates with other effects; Including healing by Griffins and Weavers
Synergies
Aster:
Aster's Veterancy System benefits from the survivability added by Gensis Core
Aster's lack of Bio Healing results in great utility from utilizing Gensis Core
Can permit delaying Griffins and focusing on other Flux expenses; Good Value
Vynthra:
Vynthra features the best sustainability and regen abilities of any Commander
To recap, she has: Infusion Regeneration Buff, Infusion Life-steal, Nourishment Pods, Weavers, Vynthra's Channel and the Tree of Life
As such she benefits the least from Gensis Core
Galavax
Galavax suffers from the worst sustainability and healing of any Commander
While many builds rely on Sacrificing Units, keeping the very expensive back-line is still a necessity in all builds
As such, he benefits the most from Gensis Core
Do note regeneration will not prevent you from losing Tank or Dreadnought modules
Mercs
Gensis Core works very well with all Merc Factions
Marrans benefit the least from item as they rely heavily on shields
Arandi in particular greatly benefit due their high-cost, low-hp units
Valkaru Archeoalloys
Author rating:
Provides +1 Armor to all Non-Biological Units, per level (Max of 5 Armor)
Non-Biological = Any Unit that doesn't have the Biological Tag
Does not buff Structures; Does buff Harvesters
Makes a massive difference when facing T1 and T2 units
Buff applies to Mind-Controlled Units
Utility is highly dependent on Commander and Merc choices
Synergies
Aster
Aster features the most mechanical units, many of which end up on the front-line
As such, he massively benefits from this item
Vynthra
Vynthra has 0 Mechanical Units
The item can only provide benefits to Mercenary units used by Vynthra
Certain niche combos can be made, but overall utility is low
Galavax
Galavax features only 2 Mechanical units, the Terror Tank & the Dreadnought
These very costly units do benefit from the item, increasing their longevity
Turret HP does not seem to benefit from Armor
Additionally, 66% of the Dreadnought's HP comes from Shields
You are better off utilizing Terror Tank shields and meat-walls than relying on this item
Mercs
Valkaru Archeoalloys has limited Merc Synergy due to Faction Gimmicks
The Free Corsairs benefit the most from the item as they have 2 Mechanical units, both of which tend to end up on the front-line
Valkaru benefit as they have 2 Mechanical units, one of which is a tank
Arandi also feature 2/4 Mechanical units, however these serve as back-line support
Marrans feature 3/4 Mechanical units, however 50%+ of their HP is Shields, which do not benefit from Armor
Cha'Kru and Endari benefit the least with 0 Mechanical units each
Enigmatic Capacitor
Author rating:
Provides +5% Cooldown Reduction to all unit abilities, per level (Max of +25%)
Does not affect Energy Regeneration or ABES Abilities
Affects Heroes and Harvester Abilities
Utility depends on build composition and Micro abilities
Does not affect structures
Synergies
Aster
Aster features the most cooldown-based abilities out of all the Commanders
Commandos, Predators, Titans, Griffins and Ironwings benefit from the item
Aster himself has 3 cooldown-based abilities that greatly benefit from the item
The item does not benefit Strider-based builds, beyond buffing Aster himself
Very high utility, recommended
Vynthra
Affects Vynthra herself, Harbinger, Mandragora and Lasher abilities
Vynthra only has one ability that benefits from the item
However, a 25% cooldown reduction to said ability can greatly increase the rate at which Faction Power is gained
The Frenzy ability that all of Vynthra's units have is also affected
Utility depends on build composition and Micro abilities
Galavax
Galavax himself is the only actual unit that benefits from the item
All of his units utilize Energy-based abilities instead
Dark Disciple Frenzy also benefits from the item but it is restricted by Energy, not cooldown
The Emperor's Cleave ability benefits from the item; However its utility depends more on Souls
The item can greatly boost the Hero's power, permitting spamming Lighting Blast without cooldown
Mercs
Valkaru benefit the most from item, with 2/4 Units utilizing cooldown-based abilities
Endari have 2/4 units benefiting from the item; the Drakes (Scorch the Land) and the Devourers (Devour)
Corsairs have 1/4 units benefiting from the item; Raiders (Thieve)
Cha'Kru Temple of the Stars have 1/3 units benefiting from the item; Hat'uns (Rift)
Arandi have 1/4 units benefiting from the item; Ethermancer (Mind Control
All other Merc units do not benefit from the item; Overall low utility
Elderbastion Shell
Author rating:
Provides +15% HP to all buildings, per level (Max of +75% HP)
Increases the durability of buildings under construction
Significant boost for Static Defense
Do note that the item has low utility for 90% of Structures
Healing a Structure is generally a better way to prolong its lifespan that a HP buff
Synergies
Aster
Aster only has T3 healing, as such his buildings can benefit more
However, Aster has the worst static defense in the game
Not worth using
Vynthra
Vynthra features very powerful static defense
However, between Nourishment Pods, Biomass Damage Reduction and Cultivator DPS, the Item has lower utility
Galavax
Galavax's Obelisks and Monolith can greatly benefit from Elderbastion Shell
However, his ability to spam Obelisks reduces the utility of preventing losing them
There is very little utility in utilizing Elderbastion Shell if you do not go for a Top-Bar centered build
Merc
The only Merc structures are the Outposts themselves; No utility
That includes the mobile outposts of the Arandi and Marran factions
Renewal Matrix
Author rating:
Increases Harvester & Hero Respawn Speed by 200%, per level (Max of 1000%)
Basically offers instant respawns at max level
Lowest utility out of all the items
Has a single niche synergy with the Mutator Fiery Death
If your hero dies often enough that you want to use this item, keep him behind tanky units
If you want this for your Harvesters, remember that you can command them like other units
You can tell a Harvester to hold position whenever needed
Synergies
Aster
Aster himself has good survivability and can escape fights if needed
Due to utilizing only 1 Harvester per Crystal, losing one is a bigger setback
Vynthra
Vynthra has the best Hero survivability; Low utility
She does utilize 2 Harvesters per Crystals, however Grell harvesters are the most durable due to the Biomass Damage Reduction effect
Galavax
As the Commander with the largest Harvester Cap (3 per Crystal) he benefits the most from the item
Still not using a slot for it
Mercs
No benefits