- GroundInFlames drone tutorial in one line: deploy a drone outpost, add two FPV crews, stock 500 big ammo, and automate strikes in under five seconds
- Auto-targeting: draw a parameter zone with Ctrl+G over your main fighting area
- Ammo logic: frag drones shred infantry, HEAT drones crack vehicles
- Lean garrison: send the truck and spare crew back so manpower drops to 1
- Logistics: every drone costs 100 big ammo, and crews need food on sessions past 60 minutes
Why a Drone Outpost Wins the Front Line
This GroundInFlames drone tutorial focuses on the fastest defensive build in the game: a drone outpost that turns a contested point into an automated kill zone. Once it is stocked and its parameter is drawn, the garrison spots targets and launches the correct drone type on its own, letting you fight elsewhere while the front defends itself.
Automated Defense
- Launches on spotted enemies
- No manual piloting
- Works while you fight elsewhere
Anti-Armor Response
- HEAT drones target vehicles
- Punishes tank pushes
- Buys time for your infantry
Cheap to Garrison
- Only 1 manpower after dismissal
- Two FPV crews do the work
- Scales with supply deliveries
Video Highlights:
- Full outpost loadout in under five seconds
- Which crew and cargo slots to fill first
- Relay mast placement inside supply crate range
- Drawing the attack parameter with Ctrl+G
- Big ammo and food planning for long sessions
The same drone outpost walkthrough is available on YouTube if you prefer to follow along visually.
Set the outpost up in the north sector when the terrain lets it sit directly on a capture point. Expect that position to be directed by both infantry and tanks, which is exactly what the frag and HEAT drone mix is built to answer.
GroundInFlames Drone Tutorial: Setup Walkthrough
Follow these steps in order and the outpost comes online the moment your troops arrive. Every hotkey below matches the standard build flow.
Load the Outpost
Pick up the drone outpost and fill it with two FPV crews. These crews produce and launch every drone, so avoid deploying with an empty crew slot.
Stock the Cargo
Fill the first slot with 500 big ammo. Press Shift to switch to the second cargo slot and fill that too; the spare stock covers attrition before your first resupply run.
Commit the Position
Place the outpost in the north on a capture point. The spot will draw pressure from infantry and tanks, so the mixed frag and HEAT loadout matters here.
Dismiss the Truck and Spare Crew
Once the troops arrive, press F, then N, then B to send the truck back to base. The two extra soldiers are dead weight, so return them as well and bring the garrison back to 1 manpower.
Build the Relay Mast and Draw the Zone
Press L or open the build menu, select the relay mast, and right-click to place it inside supply crate range. Then hold Ctrl+G, find the area where most fights happen, and right-click to lock the parameter.
A relay mast placed outside the supply crate range quietly breaks the entire setup. Confirm the placement circle overlaps the crate before you commit.
Full control reference:
| Input | When to Use | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Shift | Loading cargo | Switches to the second stock slot |
| F → N → B | After troops arrive | Sends the truck back to base |
| L | Building phase | Opens the build menu shortcut |
| Right click | Build and parameter tools | Confirms relay mast and zone placement |
| Ctrl+G | After the mast is up | Opens the targeting parameter zone |
Frag vs HEAT: How Auto-Targeting Picks Drones
The parameter is what makes the outpost intelligent. Once the zone is drawn, any enemy spotted inside it triggers a launch, and the garrison selects the correct warhead automatically. Against infantry it sends frag drones; against vehicles it sends HEAT drones. No manual target selection is needed.
| Drone Type | Auto Target | Ammo Cost | Best Against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frag drone | Infantry | 100 big ammo | Foot units inside the zone |
| HEAT drone | Vehicles | 100 big ammo | Tanks and armor pushes |
Two habits get the most from the system. First, draw the parameter over the lane where fights actually happen, not where you hope they will; a zone covering empty ground burns drones on nothing. Second, keep the zone tight enough that launches concentrate on real threats instead of trickling across a wide front.
You can adjust the parameter later, but every redraw costs a few seconds of uptime. Get the first zone right during setup and refine it only when the front line shifts.
Supply, Food, and Long-Session Planning
Every drone produced burns 100 big ammo, so a 500-unit crate funds five launches before it runs dry. When the outpost runs out of supplies it simply stops producing, which is why a scheduled big ammo delivery matters more than any combat tweak.
Food is the quieter failure point. The FPV crews have to eat, and sessions usually run longer than 60 minutes, so plan food deliveries the same way you plan ammo. Setting the outpost up within the first few minutes of a session prevents problems later, because early placement gives your logistics loop time to catch up before demand spikes.
| Resource | Target Amount | Purpose | Failure Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| FPV crews | 2 | Produce and launch drones | Outpost sits idle |
| Big ammo | 500 at setup, restock often | 100 per drone produced | Production halts |
| Food | Ongoing | Feeds crews past 60 minutes | Crews stop working |
| Manpower | 1 after dismissal | Lean garrison footprint | Wasted soldiers at the front |
Outpost Readiness Checklist:
- Two FPV crews loaded before deployment
- 500 big ammo stocked across both cargo slots
- Relay mast inside supply crate range
- Parameter zone drawn over the main fighting area
- Truck and spare crew sent back to base
- Big ammo and food resupply planned for sessions over 60 minutes
Players who lose drone outposts rarely lose them to enemy fire first. They lose them to empty crates. A single big ammo run every few minutes keeps the launch cycle alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rebuild the outpost step by step from the walkthrough above. Most broken setups trace back to a relay mast outside supply range or a missing parameter zone.
Q: How fast can a drone outpost be deployed in GroundInFlames?
A practiced setup takes under five seconds of active input: load two FPV crews, fill 500 big ammo across both cargo slots, place the outpost, dismiss the truck, build the relay mast, and draw the parameter zone.
Q: How much big ammo does each drone cost?
Every drone produced by the outpost costs 100 big ammo, whether it is a frag variant aimed at infantry or a HEAT variant aimed at vehicles. A full 500-unit crate funds five launches before resupply.
Q: Where should the relay mast go?
Inside the range of the supply crate. The mast links the garrison to its stock, so a mast placed outside that range stops drone production even when the crate is full.
Q: Do I need to pick frag or HEAT drones manually?
No. Once the parameter zone is set with Ctrl+G, the outpost automatically launches frag drones against infantry and HEAT drones against vehicles based on what your forces spot inside the zone.
Q: Why did my outpost stop launching drones?
Check supplies first. Running out of big ammo halts production at 100 per drone, and hungry crews stop working on long sessions. Schedule big ammo and food runs, especially past the 60-minute mark.