What Factions and Unit Types Are Available in Beyond All Reason?

Beyond All Reason (BAR) has two main playable factions — Armada and Cortex — plus a third named Legion that appears in the site's unit navigation. Across the game there are 400 unique units organized into over 10 unit classes, including bots, vehicles, aircraft, ships, hovercraft, factories, defenses, and buildings. Experimental units sit above the standard classes as all-terrain, high-impact options. This breakdown is for players deciding which faction to learn first or planning what to build in a match.

The Factions

Armada and Cortex mirror each other in structure: both have the same eight unit categories, so the choice between them is about unit identity and playstyle rather than missing whole categories. The site also provides Counters pages for Armada and Cortex, which is the practical place to look when you want to know what answers what within a faction.

Legion appears in the same navigation as the two main factions but is presented as its own unit entry rather than a full mirrored roster. Treat it as a distinct option to check on the site rather than assuming it plays like a third symmetric faction.

Unit Classes

The game describes over 10 different unit classes, and the site's navigation names these directly:

• Bots — the core land combat class
• Vehicles — heavier land units
• Aircraft — air units
• Ships — naval units
• Hovercraft — units that move across land and water
• Factories — production structures that build your army
• Defenses — static defensive structures
• Buildings — economy and support structures

On top of these, Experimental units are called out as all-terrain units that don't fit neatly into a single class. They're the high-cost, high-impact tier you work toward rather than open with.

Special and Non-Standard Units

Beyond the two factions, the site lists additional unit groups:

• Legion — a separate unit set in the navigation
• Alien Raptors — a distinct unit group
• Scavengers — a distinct unit group

These are worth checking individually on the site, since they aren't described as standard Armada/Cortex roster entries.

How to Use This When Choosing

• Pick Armada or Cortex first. Both give you the full spread of bots, vehicles, aircraft, ships, hovercraft, factories, defenses, and buildings, so neither locks you out of a playstyle.
• Use the Counters pages. Each faction has its own Counters reference — that's the fastest way to learn what beats what before you commit to a build order.
• Plan around terrain. The game states that map shape determines which strategies and units are effective, and that radar can't penetrate mountains. Hovercraft and Experimental units matter more on maps where land routes are blocked.
• Don't over-invest early in Experimental units. They're powerful but sit above the standard classes in cost and role; the standard classes are what carry the early and mid game.

If you want the full per-unit detail rather than the class overview, the site's Units and Compare Units sections are the place to go — that's where the 400-unit roster is broken down individually.