FFA: Countering the Orkan Spectre with the Stuka Spectre

DISCLAIMER: This article is not saying that a Stuka Spectre is a superior setup to other Spectre setups across all situations and modes. It is merely intended to give an alternative to those who are frustrated facing Spectre whales. Special thanks to krebby and inspirace for enquiring about this build and asking for more info on it, hence the inspiration for this article.
 


Youâ??re under levelled. Youâ??re not as experienced. Maybe youâ??re just sick and tired of running the same setup that every single other ?illegitimate child? in Top Tier is running. On top of all that, the matchmaker hates you. There are many reasons why running a Spectre doesnâ??t always get you ahead and most of them have to do with your competition.  

The majority of your fellow Spectre counterparts have spent money to acquire the bot, which usually means they have also spent the resources to accelerate their levels to Mk2. If youâ??re anything like me, you might not mind spending the odd dollar or two to finish off the last components on a new bot, but youâ??ll be damned if Pixonic is gonna compel you to pony up to immediately max it out with Mk2 weapons, just so you can get any use out of it. And so you end up having to use your new bot with lower level gear than your competitors, which means unless you find a way to use it smarter than your opposition, itâ??s unlikely youâ??re gonna get to experience much joy in using your new toy. And if thereâ??s one enemy setup that kills joy more than any other, itâ??s getting slaughtered by an MK2 Orkan Spectre.

Since Free For All mode has been continued indefinitely for the foreseeable future, itâ??s time I share with you guys my secret weapon - the Spectre with Vortex and Orkans, or Stuka Spectre.

Wanna talk about niche builds that no one else uses? Iâ??ve been running it ever since I got my Spectre 2 weeks ago and I am still the ONLY one I have ever seen running it in iOS Champion League. The main advantage of this is you donâ??t have to worry about some Mk2 whale running the same setup and beating you purely because their levels are higher than yours. So thatâ??s a big tick in the box there. All my bots are only lvl 9 and my weapons are lvl 12 mk1, so I am consistently outmatched in terms of equipment levels. However this has become something of a signature for my War Robots career now, so I embrace it and level other equipment to 9/12 to give myself some variety instead of enhancing to Mk2. Besides, there are few things more satisfying than sticking it to a bully only for them to realise afterwards they lost to a player with inferior levels to their own.

If you are looking for something that does maximum raw damage (be the bully), then stop reading because this build will only disappoint you. But if you want something that, with some conscientious practise, can kill ANY Mk2 Orkan Spectre in those 1 on 1 encounters so common in the FFA endgame, then read on. It may not end up being the build for you, but I guarantee you if you practise this setup it will improve your piloting skills and force you learn how to do damage and get kills without being a bully, but by being a superior tactician. It doesnâ??t matter if you are in Champion League with a level 9 Spectre and no Mk2 weapons, this build will kill almost any maxed out whale Spectre if you use it correctly.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it is good and it is true, but it isnâ??t easy. Youâ??ll need to practise every tip written here (and shown in the video) to make it work for you, but like I said, thatâ??s where there the becoming a better pilot thing comes in. You will fail a lot at first. Persist and persevere and you will not only survive an onslaught from an Mk2 whatever Spectre, you will find yourself hunting them.


The Basic Strategy

In a nutshell, you need to get your opponent to use their descend ability before you do. This is the key to winning any battle against both enemy Spectres and Inquisitors, which seem to occupy on average around 50% of the bot choices in any FFA endgame. This is where your Vortex and a good cover spot come into play. You need to keep an obstacle/hill between you and your enemy and try to shoot the Vortex as soon as your opponent comes into range. If youâ??re on an open/long map then I recommend running away and maintaining a distance above 300m until they panic and use their descend. In a closed/short map you can also use the option of running around an obstacle. You will need to practise getting a hard lock on your targets and bending your Vortex around corners for this one.

Outside of getting cleaned up by a 3rd player (which admittedly is the most common cause of death), in both cases above you have only two possible results if you play it right: either you will kill them with the damage from the vortex, or they will panic and use their descend first. Do NOT always use descend straight away. The longer you can wait before using your own descend, the more time you will have to finish off your opponent with Orkans before your own descend wears off. This often means waiting until their intimidating stream of Orkans has all but reached you, then you should use your descend left or right (perpendicular) of your target in order to avoid as many orkans as possible, while still landing in a close enough position to optimise your counterattack. The video below on Powerplant gives a good example of a typical FFA endgame in iOS Champion League.

At the moment Iâ??m running the Spectre with the 2 Vortex on top and the Orkans on the lower arms. This helps the Vortex clear obstacles and not â??catchâ?? on ramps that may obstruct their trajectory. Itâ??s also possible to put the Vortex on one side and the Orkans on the other. This may give an advantage in hitting your target with all your Orkans when their descend ability is still active, but I have had most success unloading my orkans when the ability wears off and they all hit the target. Without having tried the asymmetrical setup, I give my preliminary preference for the symmetrical one, but this may just be a matter of playstyle.

Some Difficulties

Do not drop the Stuka Spectre as your first bot. You may get out of trouble early with your descend, but the fact the Vortex need time to lock on and the orkans might not be enough to drain a full health bot means that you will most likely waste your first bot. I usually drop it second or third, and then use it in the endgame when many other players are using their Orkan Spectres. In my opinion you are better off wasting a less powerful setup than running the Stuka Spectre first. 

Sometimes you will find yourself in an endgame with predominantly Haechis and Bulgasaris. If this is the case then the Stuka Spectre is sometimes not the best tool for the job. If youâ??re already in your Spectre, you can still do very well with it if you can target the ones with half their health.  The full health ones are particularly difficult to take down, but you can wear down both the Ancile of the Haechi and the HP pool of the Bulgasari with a few Vortex shots from cover before finally using your Descend to unload the Orkans. Consider shooting the initial Vortex in single shots to force them to waste their dash abilities and get a clean shot with at least one of your Vortex. 

Shocktrains and Scourge can also be difficult on long/open maps. Find a cover spot and remain patient. Anytime you have an enemy hunting you down, it usually favours the Stuka Spectre, since you donâ??t need line of sight to do damage or force them to waste their abilities. If not, you shouldnâ??t have to wait too long before they get distracted by another opponent, which should be your moment to advance to the next cover point on the way to your targetâ??s location. Patience pays dividends in a Stuka Spectre. If you are really stalemated, you can also consider using your descend to at least  advance the cat and mouse game to the next chapter.



Some General FFA Tips 

1. Choose the right time to drop your first bot. The bots are not dropped randomly, they are dropped in a semi circle chain. This means itâ??s most advantageous to be at the edge of the chain so that your first bot doesnâ??t get sandwiched by two whales right out of the gate. You can be at the edge of the chain by dropping your first bot either first or last. Many others will tell you itâ??s often best to wait 20 seconds after the match has begun to ensure youâ??re the last person to drop their bot, but I happen to think that dropping it first can be even better as you can get ahead right away and sandwich the player that is 2nd in the chain. If you are unlucky and you try for 1st, but get 2nd in the chain, donâ??t panic. Just realise that your best chance of survival is attacking the player who dropped first and even using a powerful setup (perhaps  one with descend) to turn them around so that they themselves end up between you and the person who dropped 3rd in the chain. Lastly, if youâ??re waiting too long and only 3 players have dropped, I usually just go ahead and drop my bot then. As long as you can see that the bots are already engaged in a duel, it should give you enough time to get oriented and decide your best course of action. Keep your eyes above to see when the next player drops and make sure youâ??re aware where they are, what setup they have and whether theyâ??re coming for you. 

2. Avoid sandwiches. Once you get settled in your setup, try to target an enemy from a position that allows you to occupy a corner of the map. It is not sound strategy to go to the centre of a map, only to have a couple players die from their respective duels then respawning in fresh bots that take you down in quick order. Try to occupy a corner of the map so you can always see what is coming at you and will limit players respawning behind  you and sandwiching you. 

3. Have two setups prepared for the endgame, one for long/open maps and one for short/closed maps. As evidenced in the video, many games in FFA are won or lost in the endgame once the 2 least successful players have been knocked out. It might be necessary to favour upgrades for your two best setups for the FFA endgame. The Stuka Spectre is fantastic for smaller maps, but can be equally good for long maps when most of your competition are running Orkans. There are moments however where you are much better served with a Scourge setup, be it on a Bulgasari, Inquisitor, Spectre, or even an Haechi. Having two setups that are durable enough to compete in the FFA endgame gives you more options to assess the situation and choose the best tool for the job. 




So there you have it, my now-not-so-secret weapon and tactics for FFA. Check out the gameplay in the vid below and share your thoughts.

Happy hunting

DV