Flares are a great way to direct your troops during battle, as otherwise they will just attack the nearest target. Use them to send your troops straight for the enemy HQ, for example, or use a few in succession to steer them around any potentially dangerous defenses. You should also use them to order units to attack buildings and get into defensive blind-spots.
First Shot: 2 Energy
Second Shot: 3 Energy
Third Shot: 4 Energy
Fourth Shot: 5 Energy
The Flare allows you to bring some order to the chaos of the battlefield, instructing your units on where to go and what to attack. By using multiple flares, you can send your army in an arc, out of the range of defensive turrets and then back round behind the enemy base. This works a surprising number of times, as most players simply expect a frontal beach assault, not for units to creep round the back of their lines.
If things are going wrong in the battle, you should also remember that you can use Flares to remove your troops from danger. Sometimes it is hard to know what they will attack first, and if you lose a unit you were really relying on in a battle, it may be worth pulling them back and trying a different tactic with your Flares.
Duration: 6 seconds
Research Cost: None
Armory Level Required: None
Research Time: None
Duration: 8 seconds
Research Cost: 63,000
Armory Level Required: 3
Research Time: 2 hours
Duration: 11 seconds
Research Cost: 105,000
Armory Level Required: 5
Research Time: 9 hours
Duration: 15 seconds
Research Cost: 350,000
Armory Level Required: 9
Research Time: 19 hours
Duration: 20 seconds
Research Cost: 1,080,000
Armory Level Required: 12
Research Time: 1 day 6 hours
Duration: 25 seconds
Research Cost: 2,600,000
Armory Level Required: 15
Research Time: 1 day 17 hours
Duration: 30 seconds
Research Cost: 4,200,000
Armory Level Required: 18
Research Time: 2 days