Unleashing the Speedster: The Ultimate Calliope Build for They Are Billions
If you’re tired of the slow, plodding gameplay of Caelus and want to blaze through tactical missions,
is your go-to hero. While she lacks Caelus’s raw area-of-effect damage, her unmatched speed and rapid-fire pistols make her the queen of kiting.
To turn Calliope from a fragile scout into a late-game powerhouse, you need to lean into her strengths: mobility and fire rate. Here is the definitive build for Calliope in 2026. The "Glass Cannon" Priority Path They Are Billions
, the best defense is simply not getting hit. For Calliope, this means prioritizing
so she can pick off threats—especially Harpies—before they ever reach her. Attack Damage (+50%):
This is non-negotiable. Reaching high damage tiers allows you to one-shot standard infected and significantly reduces the shots needed for Executives. Attack Range (+1):
Calliope’s base range is short (4.5). Boosting this to 5.5 or higher is critical for engaging Spitters and Harpies safely. Attack Speed (+20% to +65%):
Investing in all three attack speed nodes can make her fire nearly three times faster than her base rate, allowing her to shred through runners without needing to kite back constantly. Movement Speed:
While she is already fast, one or two speed perks make her untouchable for everything except Harpies, allowing you to "speed-run" through dense map sections. Survival vs. Armor
If you find yourself forced to choose between health and armor on the skill tree, always choose Strength IV (+50% Life):
Because Calliope has a low base HP pool (60 HP), flat health increases provide a much more reliable buffer than armor percentages. Armor (+15%):
Only take these as "bridge" nodes to reach more powerful offensive perks. Pro Tip: The Animation Cancel To maximize Calliope’s DPS, utilize animation cancelling they are billions calliope build better
. By right-clicking an enemy manually just as she fires, you can skip the "loading" part of her animation, effectively doubling your fire rate in the early game before you have full perks. Summary of Best Upgrades Upgrade Type +50% Attack Damage Improved Vision III +1 Attack Range & View Dexterity III Major Attack Speed boost Strength IV +50% Life for survivability
Building Calliope this way transforms her into a "hit-and-run" specialist capable of clearing tactical missions in record time. Just remember: keep moving, keep shooting, and never let them corner you. Ready to test your new build? Head over to the They Are Billions Steam Community to share your mission clear times!
Which hero missions are giving you the most trouble with Calliope?
In the They Are Billions campaign, is the high-mobility, fast-firing alternative to the slower, tankier Caelus. To make her truly effective—especially against dangerous late-game enemies like Harpies—you must prioritize specific stats that offset her naturally low damage. Core Upgrade Priority
Because Calliope depends on kiting (running and gunning), her "best" build focuses on reaching damage and range milestones that prevent enemies from ever touching her.
Attack Damage (Highest Priority): Calliope’s base damage is low. You need at least 33 damage to kill Harpies in 4 shots, which is a critical threshold for surviving late-game tactical missions.
Attack Range: This is essential for kiting. A range of 6+ cells allows you to aggro and potentially kill fast-moving infected before they close the distance.
Movement Speed: While she is already fast, one or two speed upgrades allow her to outrun "Runners" more comfortably, making pixel-hunting for loot much safer.
Loading/Attack Speed: These are secondary. While they help with target switching, many players find that animation cancelling (spamming attack and move) provides more benefit than the actual perks. Essential Strategy & Tactics
The final wave (Day 80/100) is where Calliope transforms from a support hero into the Avatar of Victory. The final swarm consists of 10,000+ units that crash against your walls like water. Standard defenses fail because Executors cannot kill them fast enough to prevent wall breaches.
The Calliope is not the loudest hero, nor the flashiest. But for players who want to build better, she offers something invaluable: time. She turns frantic last-second defenses into controlled, methodical kills. Master her rhythm, and you’ll hear the infected’s dying wail as just another note in your symphony of survival.
Build order summary: Farm → Cottage → Wood Workshop → Stone Workshop → Calliope’s AoE stun upgrade → Ballistas → Thanatos → Victory. Unleashing the Speedster: The Ultimate Calliope Build for
Play her like a conductor, not a cannon. Your colony will thank you.
In the post-apocalyptic strategy game They Are Billions is the fast, dual-pistol-wielding hero specialized in hit-and-run tactics. Building her effectively requires leaning into her agility while mitigating her fragile nature. Strategic Priorities for Calliope
To optimize Calliope, you must prioritize her ability to clear rooms before enemies can close the distance. Her lower health pool compared to Caelus makes "deadly speed" her best defense. Attack Speed is King
: Calliope’s primary strength is her high fire rate. Investing in attack speed early allows her to "stutter-step" (moving between shots) more effectively, keeping her out of reach of slow-moving infected. The Mobility Edge
: She already has superior movement speed. Enhancing this further is not just for convenience; it allows you to kite high-threat enemies like Harpies and Executives around obstacles indefinitely. Range Over Armor
: Because Calliope is easily "two-shotted" by Harpies, increasing her attack range is vital. Killing a threat before it reaches her is always safer than trying to "tank" the hit with armor. The Life vs. Armor Debate : Mathematical analysis of her perk tree suggests that
is consistently better than Armor for Calliope. If you must take a defensive node to reach a damage perk, choose HP to avoid being burst down by sudden spikes in damage. Steam Community Essential Perk Pathing
When leveling Calliope through the campaign, focus on these specific upgrades to maximize her "glass cannon" potential: Damage Nodes
: Absolute priority. Her low base damage per shot means every point of flat damage significantly reduces the number of bullets required per kill. Grenade Utility
: Grenades are her "panic button." They do not damage Calliope herself, so a common pro-tip is to throw a grenade at your own feet as a Harpy lunges toward you. Vision & Range
: These allow you to clear "fog of war" in tactical missions safely, preventing you from being cornered in tight corridors. Steam Community Tactics for Survival Stutter-Stepping
: Never stand still. Shoot, move back, and shoot again. This maximizes the distance between her and the horde. Supporting Structures
: Use her speed to pull small groups of infected away from larger swarms. The Harpy Counter
: Harpies are her greatest threat. If you cannot kill them at range, use a medkit immediately after the first hit or pre-fire a grenade in their path.
If you'd like to dive deeper into her specific mission strategies, I can help you with: tactical mission order for early points. A comparison of her vs. for high-difficulty runs. Detailed walkthroughs for missions like The Foundry The Last Bunker
Hero and Perk test results :: They Are Billions General Discussions
effectively in the They Are Billions campaign, prioritize Attack Damage Attack Range
to compensate for her low base power. While she is naturally fast and excels at kiting, her biggest threat is getting "one-shotted" or overwhelmed by fast enemies like Harpies. Core Build Strategy
The most effective build focuses on transforming her from a mobile kiter into a lethal "glass cannon" that can kill threats before they reach her. Primary Priority: Attack Damage & Range Invest heavily in
upgrades (Aim I–IV) to increase her 15 base damage. This is essential for reducing the number of shots required to kill Harpies and Runners. Attack Range
(Improved Vision I–III) so you can engage Special Infected from a safer distance, buying more time for kiting. Secondary Priority: Speed & Reloading Attack Speed
(Dexterity): Calliope already has high attack speed (5.0 base), but further upgrades make her even more efficient at clearing small hordes. Reload Speed
(Quick Reflexes): Vital for "run-and-gun" kiting, as it reduces the delay between movement and firing. Survivability: The "One-Mistake" Buffer one point in Armor and one in HP
(Strength/Protection). This is often enough to let her survive 1–2 hits from a Harpy, preventing an instant mission failure. Tactical Combat Tips
Guide :: Hero/Tactical Missions - Empire and Research points