Build speed is not about the hammer tier as much as about where the hammer lands.
| Technique | Effect |
|---|---|
| Yellow-X hits | ≈ 10% progress per hit instead of 1–2%, 7 XP instead of 1, $6 instead of $1 |
| Marker lock | stand at maximum hammer range; the X stops wandering |
| 25% rule | the X respawns at each 25% threshold; if it is unreachable, land body hits until it moves |
| Animation cancel | release the button on impact, press again; close to double the strike rate |
| Multiple builders | hits add up; every builder gets their own XP and the completion bonus |
| Placer / finisher | one Large hammer places, everyone else finishes; nobody waits for the Support 8 player |
Two things that slow you down: unfinished base pieces (nothing snaps onto a piece below 100%, so a second wall layer waits for the first) and the anti-air emplacements, which barely progress on body hits. Talon and CIWS need two builders on the marker and a finished platform or deck underneath.
The build-speed guide has the full crew workflow. Exact strike counts per structure and hammer are not documented anywhere; measuring them is on the in-game verification list.
module-ring-11module-ciws-platformbuild-faster-yellow-xlarge-hammer-support-8
Sources: steam-skivin · steam-cheekbuster · allthings-cluster · yt-rockit14-60s · fobplans-research