This guide contains light campaign progression spoilers, including mission names, unit introductions, and Iris’s defeat rules.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
The verified roster consists of Iris, the campaign’s named special unit, and seven trainable human units: Bowman, Lobber, Captor, Cannoneer, Ballista, Hunter, and Partisan. Iris is playable in city-building and expedition missions, but not tower defense missions. The basic units arrive through campaign missions, while later units become available through Prosperity levels and their associated military buildings. Survival mode uses a separate point-based unlock system, so a unit available in the campaign may not be available immediately in a new Survival run.
Roster overview
Who can you control?
Cataclismo does not use a large roster of interchangeable named heroes. The main named character is Lady Iris, who acts as a special combat unit and the central playable figure in the campaign. The rest of the human roster consists of trainable military units recruited from buildings.
All listed human units fight at range, but they differ in height preference, speed, damage pattern, area coverage, and battlefield utility. Veteran units gain increased attack damage and a shorter attack cooldown after earning enough experience. Each unit also has a building upgrade and a Book of Insight skill.
The Old Kingdom DLC introduces a broader strategic framework in which you recruit troops and spend knowledge points on technologies, abilities, units, and buildings. The official information confirms those systems but does not establish a separate named-hero list, so Iris remains the only named playable character confirmed here.
- Named special character: Iris.
- Trainable units: Bowman, Lobber, Captor, Cannoneer, Ballista, Hunter, and Partisan.
- All trainable units require military capacity, and their maintenance uses Oxygen.
- Veterans receive a combat improvement after gaining enough experience.
| Character or unit | Primary role | Best use | First verified campaign introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iris | Special mobile fighter and ability user | Exploration, emergency defense, and campaign objectives | The Sola Gate, Chapter 2 |
| Bowman | Long-range basic damage | Reliable early defense from elevated positions | The Sola Gate, Chapter 2 |
| Lobber | Area damage | Groups of nearby Horrors and low-height firing positions | The Sola Gate, Chapter 2 |
| Captor | Slow and control | Reducing enemy speed before they reach a wall | A Fearful Frontier, Chapter 4 |
| Cannoneer | Heavy area damage | Dense waves and clustered targets | Mistfuel Firepower, Chapter 6 |
| Ballista | Long-line damage | Straight approaches and lanes with several targets | The Defense of Hogar, Chapter 10 |
| Hunter | Fast, high-range precision damage | Priority targets and distant enemies | Downpour, Chapter 8 |
| Partisan | Heavy specialist damage | Removing armor or exploiting height-based bonuses | Into the Depths, Chapter 12 |
The game’s official unit page treats Iris separately from trainable units. Therefore, “character roster” is best understood as Iris plus the military unit roster, rather than as a conventional hero-selection screen.
Named character
How Iris works
Iris is the campaign’s special playable character. She gains active and passive abilities through the Book of Insight, allowing her to develop into a combat, support, or defensive specialist depending on the skills you purchase. Her appearance also changes as the story progresses.
She is playable during city-building and expedition missions. In city-building missions, Iris can be resurrected at the Citadel after being defeated, at a cost of 100 Oxygen. The resurrection time depends on difficulty: it is immediate on Story and Easy, then takes 15 seconds on Normal, 45 seconds on Hard, and 120 seconds on Extreme.
Expedition missions are less forgiving. If Iris dies during an expedition, the mission fails. Tower defense missions do not allow Iris to be played, so you should not plan a campaign strategy around her presence in those stages.
The Book of Insight is the main source of Iris upgrades between campaign missions. Skills include direct attack improvements, area abilities, health increases, and effects that protect or repair buildings. Mutually exclusive skill choices mean you should decide whether Iris is filling a damage, control, or support role before spending Knowledge Points.
- Keep Iris near the force she is supporting, but avoid exposing her before enemy routes are understood.
- Use her mobility in expeditions, where exploration and survival matter more than holding a fixed firing line.
- Treat Iris as mission-critical in expeditions because defeat ends the mission.
- Use the Book of Insight to complement your unit composition instead of duplicating it.
Unlock path
When each unit becomes available
Campaign unlocks are tied to both mission progression and settlement development. The first military building is the Barracks, which produces Bowman, Lobber, and Captor. The Bomber’s Workshop adds Cannoneer and Ballista, while Elite’s Quarters adds Hunter and Partisan.
The campaign’s mission table identifies when several units are introduced. Bowman and Lobber appear in Chapter 2, Captor in Chapter 4, Cannoneer in Chapter 6, Hunter in Chapter 8, Ballista in Chapter 10, and Partisan in Chapter 12. These introductions are practical milestones, but access can also depend on the appropriate building and settlement progression.
Prosperity is the main campaign and Skirmish progression system. Reaching Prosperity II unlocks Captor, Prosperity III unlocks Cannoneer, and Prosperity IV unlocks Ballista, Hunter, and Partisan. Building requirements still matter, so reaching a Prosperity level does not mean the unit is instantly trained without constructing its recruitment building.
- Prosperity I: Barracks units are available, including Bowman and Lobber.
- Prosperity II: Captor becomes available through the Barracks.
- Prosperity III: Cannoneer becomes available through the Bomber’s Workshop.
- Prosperity IV: Ballista, Hunter, and Partisan become available through the Bomber’s Workshop or Elite’s Quarters.
- Military Capacity starts at 10 and increases through Citadel progression.
A campaign mission can introduce a unit while limiting the number of units, pieces, or resources available. Expedition and tower defense missions are especially restrictive, so the unit roster shown in a mission may not match the full roster available in a city-building settlement.
Role guide
Which units should you build?
For a dependable early defense, start with Bowmen on high platforms and Lobbers where their area attacks can cover a chokepoint. Captors are valuable when the problem is not damage but timing: their attacks slow Horrors, giving walls, traps, and other ranged units more time to work.
Cannoneers are the main answer to dense groups because their attacks deal heavy area damage. Ballistas are more specialized, but their long line attack is excellent when the enemy approaches through a narrow, predictable lane. Hunters trade durability for very high range and strong single-target damage, making them useful against priority threats that must be removed before they reach the fortress.
Partisans are slower and expensive, but their attacks are designed for tougher targets and interact with enemy armor and height. Their low-height attacks remove Enamel, while high-height attacks deal more damage. Positioning matters more for Partisans than simply placing them at the highest available point.
There is no universally best unit. A strong defense usually combines control from Captors, area damage from Lobbers or Cannoneers, precision damage from Hunters or Bowmen, and a specialist answer such as Ballistas or Partisans for the map’s approach lanes.
- Use Bowmen for flexible, low-cost damage.
- Use Lobbers against grouped enemies and low-height approaches.
- Use Captors when slowing enemies will prevent a breach.
- Use Cannoneers for concentrated waves.
- Use Ballistas on long, unobstructed lanes.
- Use Hunters against distant or high-priority targets.
- Use Partisans against armored targets and for height-based damage options.
Mode differences
Campaign, Skirmish, and Survival unlocks
Campaign and Skirmish use Prosperity to unlock additional units, buildings, pieces, and upgrades. This makes settlement growth part of the military plan: expanding Prosperity improves both your economy and the tools available to defend the citadel.
Survival mode works differently. It always uses Medium difficulty, begins with only basic units, buildings, and pieces, and asks you to spend points on further unlocks. Main objectives grant progression levels for advanced unlocks, while Hogar requests and completed waves provide additional points.
Because Survival has its own progression, do not assume that reaching a unit in the campaign automatically adds it to every new Survival map. Check the Survival unlock menu before committing to a strategy, especially if you are planning around advanced units or increased Military Capacity.
- Campaign and Skirmish: grow Prosperity and build the required recruitment structures.
- Survival: complete objectives, requests, and waves to earn points.
- Survival begins with a restricted roster rather than the full campaign roster.
- The Old Kingdom uses a separate strategic campaign structure and knowledge-based progression.
FAQ
Common questions
How many named playable characters are in Cataclismo?
Iris is the only named playable character confirmed by the official unit and campaign references reviewed for this guide. The rest of the playable human roster consists of trainable units identified by role names rather than individual character names.
Is Iris a hero or a normal unit?
Iris is a special playable unit, not a standard trainable soldier. She uses the Book of Insight for active and passive skills, follows different defeat rules, and is unavailable in tower defense missions.
What is the first unit unlocked after Bowman and Lobber?
Captor is the next campaign unit listed in the progression. It is introduced in Chapter 4, A Fearful Frontier, and becomes available through the Barracks at Prosperity II.
Which unit is best for slowing Horrors?
Captor is the dedicated slowing unit. Its attacks reduce Horror movement speed, making it useful at chokepoints and near walls where delaying a wave increases the time available for other defenses.
Can Iris die permanently?
No permanent death is stated in the official references reviewed. In city-building missions, she can be resurrected at the Citadel for 100 Oxygen. In expeditions, her death fails the mission, while tower defense missions do not allow her to participate.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Cataclismo Wiki: Units
- OfficialOfficial Cataclismo Wiki: Campaign
- OfficialOfficial Cataclismo Wiki: Prosperity
- OfficialOfficial Cataclismo Wiki: Book of Insight
- OfficialOfficial Cataclismo Wiki: Survival Mode
- OfficialCataclismo official Steam store page
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement: The Old Kingdom DLC release