MENACE Supply Cost Guide — How It Works & How to Save
I spent two evenings last February staring at a Steam discussion thread where a player named lurker-beta-version was trying to calculate Darby's supply cost by hand. Their math: 40 + 7 × 9 = 103. The game showed 183. An 80-supply gap they couldn't explain.
I had the same confusion. So I dug into the official wiki, cross-referenced four worked examples, and traced every number back to its source. The formula isn't complicated once you see it written out — the game just never shows you the breakdown. Here it is.
The Complete Supply Cost Formula
This is the current formula, verified against the official MENACE wiki (wiki.hoodedhorse.com/MENACE/Supply_Cost, updated June 30, 2026) and cross-checked with in-game values from Patch 0.7.0+:
Infantry Squad:
Total Supply = Leader Base Cost
+ (Squaddie Count × Tax per Squaddie)
+ (Weapon Cost × Entity Count × (1 - Weapon Discount))
+ (Armor Cost × Entity Count × (1 - Armor Discount))
+ Special Weapon Cost
+ Sum of Accessory Costs
- Squad-Wide Discount
Vehicle:
Total Supply = Pilot Base Cost + Chassis Cost + Weapon Costs + Accessory Costs - Vehicle Discount
Every term here comes from a specific game system. Let me walk through each.
Leader Base Cost
This is straightforward. The official wiki table:
| Star | Squad Leader | Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| 1★ | 0 | 10 |
| 2★ | 10 | 30 |
| 3★ | 30 | 70 |
Note: the wiki's Supply Cost page header shows 2★ SL = 20, but both the Characters page (updated July 12, 2026) and the page's own worked examples show 10. The Characters page is the more recently updated source, so I'm using 10. If you notice a discrepancy in-game, let me know — EA values shift.
Squaddie Tax
This is what lurker-beta-version was missing. Each squaddie adds a flat tax on top of equipment costs:
| Star | Tax per Squaddie | 8-Man Squad Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1★ | 6 | 48 |
| 2★ | 13 | 104 |
| 3★ | 22 | 176 |
This tax is on top of equipment costs. It's why a 1★ leader with 8 squaddies and no gear still costs 48 supply. It's also why reducing squad size saves more supply than you'd expect — you're cutting both the equipment entity count AND the squaddie tax.
Entity Count — The Tricky Part
"Entity count" is how many people carry a piece of equipment:
- Squad weapons: If you have NO special weapon equipped, entity count = squaddie count + 1 (the SL carries the squad weapon too). If you HAVE a special weapon, entity count = squaddie count only (the SL carries the special instead).
- Armor: Always squaddie count + 1. Everyone wears armor, including the SL.
- Special weapons: Entity count = 1. Only the SL carries it. Squad size doesn't matter.
- Accessories: Entity count = 1 (flat). Accessories don't scale.
This special weapon exception matters. On an 8-man squad with a 13-supply rifle, equipping a special weapon saves you 13 supply on the squad weapon (the SL stops carrying it). Small optimization, but across multiple squads it adds up.
Discount Sources — Every One I've Found
Squad-wide discounts (apply to total after all other calculations):
- Jean Sy — Economics 101: -15% on everything. Leader cost, squaddie tax, weapons, armor, accessories. The entire squad supply total gets multiplied by 0.85.
Armor discounts (apply to armor cost before squad-wide discount):
- Jacques Vamplew — Flamboyant: -30% on armor supply cost.
Weapon discounts (apply to squad weapon cost):
- Edwin Pike / Sachin Singh — This Is My Rifle: -50% on squad weapon supply cost. This only affects squad weapons, not special weapons.
Vehicle discounts:
- AI Logistics OCI module: -15% per stack (max 4 stacks = -60%) on all vehicle costs.
- Garry Boganwright — Juryrigged: Vehicle-related discount (exact values being verified).
Worked Examples (With Real Numbers)
Example 1: Basic Pike Rifle Squad
Setup: Pike (2★), 8 squaddies, BR6A1 HaMER rifles, Marine Infantry Body Armor, Magazine Pouches.
Leader Base: 10
Squaddie Tax: 8 × 13 = 104
Weapon (HaMER): 20 × 9 × 0.5 = 90 ← This Is My Rifle (-50%)
Armor (Marine): 15 × 9 = 135
Accessory (Pouch): 5
─────────────────────────
Total: 344
Without This Is My Rifle, the weapon line would be 180 instead of 90. That single perk saves 90 supply — enough to upgrade everyone's armor or add a second accessory.
Example 2: Darby Stealth Squad
Setup: Darby (3★), 8 squaddies, MP3A9 SOF rifles, Jaegar Fatigues, M320 SSW special weapon, REND Ammo, Night Vision Goggles.
Leader Base: 30
Squaddie Tax: 8 × 22 = 176
Weapon (MP3A9): 13 × 8 = 104 ← special weapon → entity count = squaddies only
Armor (Jaegar): 5 × 9 = 45
Special (M320): 40
Accessories (REND+NVG): 20 + 15 = 35
──────────────────────────────────────
Total: 430
The wiki's older example (Patch 0.7.0) shows 382 for this exact setup — the difference is entirely in the squaddie tax rate, which was lower in that patch. Current values produce 430.
Example 3: Jean Sy Budget Squad
Setup: Jean Sy (1★), 6 squaddies, Standard Carbines, Soft Armor, no accessories.
Subtotal before discount:
Leader Base: 0
Squaddie Tax: 6 × 6 = 36
Weapon (Carbine): 7 × 7 = 49 ← no special weapon → entity count = 7
Armor (Soft): 5 × 7 = 35
Accessories: 0
─────────────────────────
Subtotal: 120
Economics 101 (-15%): 120 × 0.85 = 102
Jean's discount only saved 18 supply here because the base costs are already low. The discount gets more valuable as equipment costs increase — on a 400-supply squad, Jean saves 60. On an 800-supply squad, 120.
How to Cut Supply Costs by 30-50%
After running hundreds of combinations through a calculator, here are the patterns that consistently work:
1. Downsize Before Downgrading
Reducing squad size from 8 to 6 saves more supply than swapping from Tier 3 to Tier 2 armor on an 8-man squad. The squaddie tax + equipment entity count compound. A 2★ SL saves 26 in squaddie tax + ~34 in equipment costs = 60 supply saved for dropping 2 squaddies.
2. Stack Discounts on the Same Squad
Putting Jean Sy and Vamplew in the same squad would be ideal — but they're both squad leaders. Instead, use Jean as a standalone support leader and put your expensive equipment on other squads. Jean's discount applies to her own squad only. Keep her lean and use the saved supply elsewhere.
3. Special Weapons on Small Squads
An RPG2 (40 supply) on a 2-man squad costs the same as on an 8-man squad. But the 8-man squad is paying 176 in squaddie tax vs 26 for the 2-man. Put your special weapons on small squads. Put your squad weapons (which scale with count) on large squads.
4. RMC Fatigues Are Genuinely Good
Zero supply cost. Basic protection (10 armor, 25 durability). For any squad that shouldn't be taking direct fire — support, recon, artillery — the free armor is the correct choice. Don't pay supply for protection you don't need.
5. Accessories Are Cheaper on Small Squads
A 5-supply Magazine Pouch costs the same regardless of squad size, but represents 2.5% of a 200-supply squad vs 0.7% of a 700-supply squad. Load accessories onto your cheapest squads where the relative impact is smaller.
I built a free Supply Cost Calculator that runs all these calculations in real time. Pick a leader, choose equipment, adjust squad size, and the full breakdown appears instantly — including which discounts are active and how much each one saves. The formulas come directly from the official wiki's worked examples and have been tested against in-game values. If you find a discrepancy, the tool shows exactly how each number was calculated so you can verify it yourself.
The Soft Cap and Why It Matters
Once your campaign supply reaches around 1,500-2,000 per mission, increases slow dramatically. You can't out-grind the supply cap. At that point, efficiency matters more than growth.
This is where Jean Sy, Vamplew, and budget builds become essential. A 15% discount at 2,000 supply cap effectively gives you 300 extra supply to work with — more than an entire additional budget squad.
What I Still Haven't Verified
The wiki notes that OCI effects stack multiplicatively (2 AI Logistics = -30% vehicle cost, not -32.25%). I've confirmed this for 1-2 stacks but haven't tested 3-4. The Promotion Tax and Demotion mechanics have their own supply implications that change with each rank. And the "bugged" Auto Supplies OCI (only applying to base supply at campaign start) might get patched.
EA games shift. Check the wiki's last-updated timestamp before trusting any specific number. The formula structure is stable — the constants might change.
Supply formula source: MENACE Official Wiki (updated 2026-06-30). All worked examples verified against current table values. Cross-referenced with the Characters page (updated 2026-07-12).