Calliope is the high-agility, rapid-fire hero in the They Are Billions campaign. Unlike her counterpart Caelus, she relies on kiting, high attack speed, and movement to survive tactical missions. A successful Calliope build focuses on overcoming her natural weaknesses—low damage and short range—to ensure she can handle elite threats like Harpies and Spitters. Core Stats & Playstyle Weapon: "The Devil’s Sisters" (dual pistols).
Strengths: Exceptional movement speed and the highest base attack speed in the game.
Weaknesses: Low health, low base damage per shot, and shorter range than Caelus.
Primary Tactic: Kiting. Calliope can clear maps without taking damage by moving between shots, though this requires high player input. Recommended Skill Build Priority
Because you only earn a limited number of hero points (one per scouting mission), you must prioritize stats that prevent enemies from ever reaching you. 1. Damage (The "Harpy Threshold")
Damage is Calliope’s most critical upgrade. Harpies are her greatest threat because they can outrun her and kill her quickly.
The Goal: Invest in at least three damage perks (+30%, +40%, and +50%) to reach approximately 33 damage per shot.
Why: This allows her to kill a Harpy in exactly four shots. Without these, she requires far more hits, increasing the chance of being jumped. 2. Attack Range
Calliope's base range is short, forcing her to get dangerously close to hordes. Priority: Grab at least one +1 Range perk early.
Why: Increased range allows her to engage Harpies and Executives from a safer distance, providing more time to transition into kiting. 3. Attack Speed & Reload Speed
Calliope already fires fast, but further boosts make her a "glass cannon" that can melt groups before they close in. They Are Billions Campaign Guide 500% - Steam Community
Calliope's They Are Billions campaign build prioritizes damage, attack speed, and range upgrades to transform her into a high-DPS "machine gun" capable of effective kiting. The strategy focuses on achieving damage thresholds to kill Harpies in four shots, leveraging high mobility to navigate tactical missions, and utilizing grenades for crowd control. For a detailed breakdown of Calliope's build, visit the They Are Billions Wiki Steam Community
Is calliope just superior :: They Are Billions General Discussions
In the They Are Billions campaign, is the "glass cannon" hero choice—characterized by her high speed and rapid-fire dual pistols, "The Devil’s Sisters," but balanced by low health and short range. Calliope Build Strategy
To optimize Calliope, veterans from the Steam Community and Reddit recommend a build focused on extreme offense to kill threats before they reach her.
Primary Priority: Damage & Range: Since she is squishy, increasing her damage and range allows her to "one-shot" faster enemies and pick off specials like Harpies and Spitters from a safer distance.
Attack Speed: Scaling her attack speed turns her into a bullet hose. For example, three speed perks can nearly triple her fire rate compared to her base stats. Utility & Survival:
Movement Speed: Essential for "kiting" (hitting and running) larger groups or faster zombies. they are billions calliope build
Health/Armor: Generally considered secondary. If forced to choose, Life/Health is mathematically more efficient than Armor for her limited pool.
Animation Cancelling: Experienced players often use manual "animation cancelling" to increase her effective fire rate, though high-tier speed perks eventually make this less necessary. Lore and Story Role
Background: Calliope is a top agent for the New Empire, working alongside her counterpart Caelus.
Objective: Her primary narrative role is as a scout and recovery specialist. She is tasked with entering derelict bunkers and abandoned fortresses—like the Last Bunker—to retrieve ancient artifacts and lost technologies needed to rebuild humanity.
Playstyle Narrative: Unlike the base-building RTS missions, Calliope's tactical missions are solo stealth-action crawls where she must scavenge for grenades, medkits, and Empire/Research points while avoiding being swarmed. Campaign Mission Dynamics
Here’s a solid, concise guide for a Calliope build in They Are Billions (Survival mode, max difficulty-friendly):
Calliope Build – “The Crit Commander”
Core Focus: High burst damage, early wave clear, and economy snowball via critical hits.
Tech Priority (First 10 days):
Calliope’s Major Pick (Level 2+):
Secondary Mutations (per run):
Build Order:
Final Wave Setup:
Pro tip: Don’t take “Frenzy” (increased attack speed but reduced range) on her – Snipers lose their range advantage and die to Spitters. Stick to crit/damage buffs only.
Want me to adapt this for Campaign mode (with specific tech tree choices) or for The Forgotten DLC map modifiers?
In the They Are Billions campaign, Calliope serves as the high-speed, high-micro alternative to the tanky Caelus. While her base damage is low, a specialized build focuses on overcoming her weaknesses—specifically her short range and low health—to transform her into an elite kiting machine capable of soloing tactical missions. Calliope Core Build Strategy
Since Calliope only gains 9 perk points across the entire campaign, every selection must be deliberate. The most effective build focuses on Damage, Range, and Attack Speed to ensure she can eliminate high-threat targets like Harpies before they close the distance. Recommended Perk Priority Calliope is the high-agility, rapid-fire hero in the
Damage (Aim Perks): Prioritize +30%, +40%, and +50% damage upgrades. This is critical for hitting damage "breakpoints." For instance, reaching 33 damage allows her to kill Harpies in exactly 4 shots rather than 5 or 6.
Range (Improved Vision): Investing in Improved Vision III provides +1 Attack Range. For Calliope, this extra tile is often the difference between a successful kite and taking a lethal hit from a Harpy.
Attack & Reload Speed (Dexterity/Quick Reflexes): Calliope already has high speed, but Quick Reflexes II (+40% Loading Speed) is highly recommended. At high loading speeds, Calliope no longer needs heavy manual animation canceling, making her much smoother to control during intense hordes.
Survivability (Strength/Protection): Only invest here if you find yourself struggling with mistakes. Strength II (+30% Life) is generally more efficient than armor perks for surviving the occasional Harpy strike. Tactical Gameplay & Kiting
Calliope’s primary strength is her movement speed, which allows her to "run and gun".
They Are Billions , is the "Ranger-style" hero designed for speed and tactical kiting. Unlike her counterpart Caelus, who relies on high health and area-of-effect (AoE) damage, Calliope uses dual pistols—The Devil's Sisters—to prioritize rapid fire and high mobility. Calliope Strategy & Build Guide
Building Calliope effectively requires balancing her naturally low damage with enough range and attack speed to prevent enemies from closing the gap. 1. Core Priorities: The "Glass Cannon" Approach
The most effective way to play Calliope is to maximize her ability to kill threats before they can reach her.
Attack Range: This is her most critical stat. Increasing her range allows her to "aggro" and kill special infected like Harpies from a safe distance.
Attack Damage: Necessary for hitting "break points." For instance, reaching 33 damage allows her to kill a Harpy in exactly four shots.
Attack Speed & Reload Speed: While movement speed is naturally high, increasing her fire rate is essential for clearing hordes without being swarmed. 2. Specialized Perk Selection
Calliope's perk tree is unique, focusing on noise reduction and rapid fire.
Building Calliope in They Are Billions: A Comprehensive Guide
In the popular real-time strategy game They Are Billions, Calliope is a crucial defensive structure that can make or break your colony's survival. As one of the most powerful artillery units in the game, Calliope provides unparalleled protection against the hordes of infected humans and other threats that seek to destroy your settlement. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of building Calliope and provide you with valuable tips and strategies to maximize its effectiveness.
Prerequisites for Building Calliope
Before you can start building Calliope, you need to meet certain prerequisites. Firstly, you need to have a sufficient amount of resources, including gold, steel, and oil. The exact resource costs may vary depending on the game's balance and your current level of technology.
Secondly, you need to have a Workshop, which is a fundamental building that allows you to research and construct more advanced structures and units. Make sure you have a steady supply of raw materials and a skilled workforce to construct and maintain your buildings. Calliope Build – “The Crit Commander” Core Focus:
Lastly, you need to research the Calliope technology in the Research Tree. This will unlock the blueprint for building Calliope and allow you to start constructing it.
Building Calliope
Once you've met the prerequisites, you can start building Calliope. To do this, follow these steps:
Optimizing Calliope's Placement
The placement of Calliope is critical to its effectiveness. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Upgrading and Maintaining Calliope
Once you've built Calliope, it's essential to upgrade and maintain it regularly. Here are some tips:
Tips and Strategies
Here are some additional tips and strategies to get the most out of Calliope:
By following these tips and strategies, you can build and maintain an effective Calliope defense that will protect your colony from even the most formidable threats. Happy building!
In the steampunk apocalypse of They Are Billions, selecting and building your hero is a critical strategic decision for the campaign. While Caelus offers brute force, Calliope provides high-speed, high-precision gameplay that excels in tactical missions—provided you build her correctly. Calliope: The Speedster Archetype
Calliope is designed as a high-mobility "glass cannon". Her primary weapon, The Devil’s Sisters (dual pistols), features rapid fire and fast reload times but initially lacks the punch needed to handle elite infected.
Base Stats: 60 Hit Points, 3.2 Movement Speed, 4.5 Attack Range, and 15 Attack Damage.
Key Advantage: Superior kiting ability. Her high movement speed allows her to "run and gun," whittling down hordes while staying out of reach. The Optimal "Kill-Speed" Build
In They Are Billions, the best defense is often a high-powered offense. For Calliope, the most effective build focuses on Damage, Range, and Attack Speed. They Are Billions Campaign Guide 500% - Steam Community
A Thanatos costs 4 Stone. A Calliope costs 5 Stone. The difference is upkeep. Calliopes cost less gold per tick. If you are struggling with stone, research Excavation (Stone Quarry output) before you start mass-producing them.
Spitters prioritize high-damage units. If your Calliopes are dying, you didn't build a wall in front of them. You need a sacrificial wall 2 tiles in front of your Calliope line. Spitters will target the wall. Your Calliopes kill the Spitters. If you have no wall, they die.
Calliope has distinct "necks" where the land bridges narrow.