The Item management in this game could use a bit of streamlining. After knowing where everything is, it's just a few redundancies that make the navigation a little counter intuitive. This is going to cover each item in minor detail, and should serve as a starting point.
The
Inventory tab displays all of the items in the game. It can be sorted to show what you have unlocked(Available), the energy limits on bots, the energy costs on weapons, and by what is currently in your active hangar.
Main purpose of this screen is just going to be keeping track of all of your items Ranks and Levels. This is also the easiest place to buy new gear, and make sure you're buying the version that you actually want, as most weapons have three different versions that cost different amounts of energy.
When arming your bots, tapping on a hangar slot will bring up the slot's current setup(if any)
This shows a simplified version of your Set-ups current stats. Rank, Health, Energy Used/Energy Limit, Weapon, Weapon rank, and weapon cycle damage.
The categories on the left are self explainatory.
You can actually completely remove a bot from a slot in your hangar. Changing your hangar strength doesn't affect the opponents you fight, BUT, since TDM and Beacon Rush tend to require two different styles of play, you can always strip your hangar to empty and build it exactly how you want it. The menus here will show you every item you've unlocked thus far. You can buy items you don't own yet from these menus.
Every Item has the potential for 6
Ranks (Stars), with seven lesser upgrades between ranks.
Upgrades cost Credits and Blueprints.
Rank ups cost A-Coins.
As ranks get higher, so do the prices. However, your average tournament winnings will also progress in a way that keeps the process fairly uniform until Rank 5.
Rank 4, Level 7, is the equivalent of old-School War Robots's LV 9/12 point. It's where your bots are strong enough to compete with the top, but the end of the journey is likely to take the same time it took to get to that point. Outside of the two starter bots, every bot in the game fills a niche in the end game. The two starter bots, Lancer and Paragon, are unique in their own right, but their stats are middle of the road in their weight classes, and their abilities are a vanilla utility(Jump/Rush respectively) instead of a specialized tool like the other bots.
While leveling, unless you feel the need urge to drop some cash into this game for a flash sale, the general rule of thumb is: If the item you want is above the average rank of your current hangar, put a bookmark on it, because the costs of higher ranking items is on a curve with what you can average from a week or two of Tournament grinding. The prices seem outlandish for items that start at rank 4 and higher because it's literally buying a weapon upgraded to 3/4ths or higher of it's maximum level. The Tournament and Cheese Forever guide will cover good tournament practices to get the most out of it, and the earning curve will be a lot easier to see from it.
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Gear Breakdown: Blueprints drop randomly, but are weighted towards the starting rank of the item they drop for. Item rarity is determined by starting rank. The lower the starting rank, the more often blueprints for that class of item drop. Items that start off at lower ranks tend to need more blueprints than items that start at raised ranks. Upgrade prices per category are static with their starting Rank, so what you need to upgrade any grey item, is the same you'll need for other gray items at that level/rank, but is different than what a green or blue item would need at the same rank/level.
Rank 1: Common
Rank 2:
UncommonRank 3:
RareRank 4:
ExoticRank 5:
PrototypeBots:There are only 12 Bots in the game. Outside of Lancer and Paragon, they are all specialized and have strengths and weaknesses that range from soft counters, to being completely shut down if the situation arises.
Bots come in Light, Medium, and Heavy based on their weapon capacity. Bots only carry 2 weapons, but weapons come in various energy costs, and scale proportionately with said cost. A 6 cost weapon will do 1.5x the damage of it's 4 cost counterpart, etc.
The sixth rank unlocks a second copy of that bot, and yes, the duplicate is the same level and rank as the one you already own.
Weapon capacity by Rank: Light/ Medium/ HeavyR1: 4/ 6/ 8
R2: 6/ 8/ 12
R3: 8/ 12/ 16
R4: 10/ 16/ 20
R5: 12/ 18/ 24
Weight class(Starting Rank)Light :
Lancer(1),
MD(2),
Shadow(3),
Cheetah(4)
Medium:
Juggernaut(1),
Killshot(2),
Ares(3),
Zephyr(4),
Brickhouse(5)
Heavy:
Paragon(1),
Panther(2),
Guardian(3)
Bots also have
roles that give you a general idea of how they should be played:
Scout: Bacon runners, nuisances, pick assassins, and spotters. There is fog of war in this game. Enemies aren't marked on the minimap, or able to be targeted unless someone has a direct line of sight on the enemy. Head to head confrontations usually end badly.
Killshot:
The highest damage output as the only medium class scout. It's special ability is a charge that can cover large distances, and deals massive damage to bots it hits. Early game Killshot can make due with RPGs. Mid/end game Killshot is at home with Javelins, Missile Racks, Pulse cannons, and carbines.
Shadow:
The stealth bot. It has very little health, but the best ground speed in the game, and an ability that allows it to take beacons and backstab bots no other bots would have the chance at. Plasma Cannons, Pulse cannons, or Javelins throughout the mid-game. Javelins or Missile Racks at end game.
Lancer: Has bettter health than the other two, and it can jump. That's about as far as it goes. It's the second tutorial bot. Come back to it later for the memes.
Support: Auxiliary to medium firepower, these bots have abilities that alter the field and give your opponent a bad time when trying to break your push or post.
MD: Javelins are really the only things you'd want to put on this thing. It's special ability heals itself and allies, but it won't self heal if taking damage. Using this bot means staying up a tanks arse, and lobbing missiles at whatever you can while keeping the fatbois tip-top. Healing Scouts and attackers is also advised where possible. Nobody on the enemy team likes seeing a Killshot they chased away by getting it down to a sliver of health, come back around the corner at full health, nor do people appreciate a revitalized sniper when they've been trying to kill it for half of the match.
Cheetah: This bot's ability are mines. Ambushing and punishing flankers are what it lives for. Not as mobile as the scouts, and still light on overall firepower. Another case of Javelin or missile rack. The enemy can't see the mines until they go off, the ability has a short reload, and stores up to 3 mines at a time.
Zephyr: This bot has an EMP ability that stops all bots within it's immediate radius from doing anything. It has decent speed and firepower, but is very fragile. This bot is one of the last things unlocked in the game. It performs as such. Missile racks, Long arms, Carbines, or Stasis beam/Thermal Lance. If you get someone with this bot, expect every guided missile and sniper shell from the enemy team to be addressed specifically to you.
Tank: Same thing it is in every game. Bots made to be a general pain in the butt to take down with medium firepower, abusable shields, or just a Brickhouse of HP that makes your opponents have to move around you.
Juggernaut: Second highest base health in the game. The shield only protects Juggernaut. The cooldown timer for the shield doesn't start until the shield is completely depleted, but, all damage taken simultaneously when the shield gets taken down gets absorbed. Overkilling the shield will not transfer the extra damage to the bot. Juggernaut is worth taking into end game. Rockets at base Rank, Plasma cannons at ranks 2 and 3. Any end game weapon combos that will fit on it tend to do well.
Ares: Ares has slightly better ground speed, and slightly lower base health than Juggernaut, but it's shield functions differently. Ares projects a wall in front of it that will cover allies behind it as well. It has more health than Juggernauts shield, but, it's useless against getting flanked or attacked from above. The shield has a time limit before it despawns, regardless of health. Its the better tank for pushing forward, but Juggernaut holds ground better.
Brickhouse is one of the last items you unlock in the game. It's slow, and has no special ability, but it's got so much health that it takes half of the enemy team to kill it with any efficiency.
Attacker: Guns on legs. Snipers, Rocket salvos, and the best damage outputs in the game. They're not as tough as fatties, but line of sight means the difference between getting from point A to point B, and looking at the respawn timer.
Paragon is in this category for weapon mounts. It can dash, it has less health than Guardian, and more health than Panther, with no protection. Like the Lancer, it's lack of a specialty makes replacing it a priority. If you do insist on running it passed rank 3, Range(Thermal Lance/Stasis, Snipers) or ambush weapons (Missile Racks, Javelins) are it's best bet. Every setup it can carry does better on it's counterparts.
Panther has one of the best abilities in the game. It can create a fence that lasts for 10 seconds. You and allies can shoot through it, enemies can't. Enemies that touch the fence are afflicted with the Stasis status effect, which slows their move speed and turn speed to a crawl. This bot can do well with whatever weapons you can throw on it as long as it's fence is being used properly. Snipers are a popular choice, because it can peep sniper lanes indiscriminately when using it's ability.
Guardian is the slowest of the attackers, but it's specific role it to get over any bot that relies on abilities. It can carry all of the heaviest weapons, meaning it can perform at a variety of ranges. it's ability flashes an arc around 30M in front of guardian that immediately forces the enemy mechs weapons and abilities into a full reload/cooldown, cancels tank shields, stops Killshot mid-charge and deletes Panther walls. Pulse cannons can make it serviceable, mid game, and it has access to all of the late game heavy hitters. It's not a bot I would rush to get, because the options for arming it early game are generally better on other bots and don't mesh well with it's low mobility and ability. Guardian is however, the most reliable way to clear our a wall of Juggernauts.
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Weapons:
Damage note: Shooting enemies in the flanks does a small percentage of additional damage, while shooting them in the back deals double damage.
Weapons come in various energy costs. Passed the first couple of weeks, unless you're really committed to running light bots, you're going to ignore 2 and 4 cost weapons for the most part.
If you do intend to run light bots for an extended period of time, the best 4 cost weapons are Plasma Cannon, Pulse Cannon, and Javelin rack. Most of the weapons you're going to spend quality time with are 6 cost and above. When weapons are named, the number after it is it's energy cost. I'll be using the same naming convention.
Weapons gain unique bonuses when ranking up, on top of their damage ceiling being increased per rank:
Weapons:Rank Bonus: Energy Slots
Autocannon: Magazine Size: 2, 4
They're bad, minimize resources spent on them.
Shotgun: Range: 2, 4
Also terrible. Their starting max range is 30m. Nothing fast enough to get that close wants to, and nothing that wants to get that close will ever be able to close the gap.
RPG: Projectile speed: 2, 4, 6
Killshot and Juggernaut have 8 Energy at rank 2. RPG 4's are old reliable for them at this stage. RPG4s should never be upgraded past rank 2.
RPG 6 is going to be your bread and butter for awhile. Feel free to bring it up to Rank 3, Level 7 unless you bought Missile Racks that can go on the bot carrrying RPG6
Thermal Lance: Overheat rate: 2, 4, 6
Don't touch the 2 and 4 cost version.
Fires a steady beam that gradually restores ammo, and applies overheat.
The 6 cost version can be leveled and ranked until end game. Overheat is one of the two debuffs in the game. It causes the afflicted bot to take 50% more damage from all sources, and multiple bots applying the overheat debuff, stack, so two players causing overheat makes the enemy take a whopping 2x damage.
Plasma Cannon: Score bonus: 2, 4, 6
The 2 cost version is a waste of A-Coins. The 4 cost version is Solid for Rank 2 Juggernaut, and out-of-the-box Shadow.
They have the same Cycle time as RPGs, firing longer, and reloading quicker, while doing noticeably more damage per cycle.
They don't have the range option Rockets do though, as they're slow projectiles used best at close range.
The 6 Cost versions are Credits, and these weapons are work horses on Rank 2 Paragon/Panther, and Rank 3+ Juggernaut/Ares.
Ranking these up beyond rank 3 is a choice. Their special feature for ranking up is an additional post match score modifier in TDM, which can really help with grinding.
Javelin Rack: Critical hit chance 4, 6
The 4 cost version is only if you're considering running light bots. Light bots need to be rank 3 to wield two. Shadow and MD are the primary platforms you'll be using them on.
The 6 cost version is end game viable. Killshot or Paragon make good platforms for it mid game, Killshot can take them to end game.
Long Arm: Overheat Chance: 8,10
Sniper Cannons. the 8 cost version is the only one of the two worth it, as you only get one of the 10 cost until it's upgraded to the max rank.
They hit hard, and you will learn to absolutely hate this weapon if the AI is feeling particularly mean. It has no bullet magnetism, so the center of your crosshair actually needs to be on a bot for these bullets to hit. They have a chance to apply overheat per shell, which increases with rank ups. Panther is the best platform overall for these.
Pulse Cannon: Accuracy: 4, 6, 8
4 is only useful for light bots.
6 is serviceable on medium bots
8 cost is great on high rank medium bots, and turns early game attackers into lawnmowers. Just don't try to hose down a tank with these.
Missile Rack: Blast radius: 6, 8
Volley-Fire Rockets. Do a lot of damage, fast, but take a full ten seconds to reload.
Very expensive Credit wise because they start at Rank 4. Remember, if it's higher than your average current rank, it's going to feel unobtainable if you set your grind towards it. If you choose to buy it on a pop up sale, no one will fault you for it.
Stasis Beam: Stasis Rate: 12, 16
Same firing mechanics as Thermal Lance, but it applies the OTHER status effect. Stasis slows enemies walk and turn speed to a crawl. The 12 cost version is the more desirable one, even though the 16 cost version costs credits instead of A-Coins. Stasis 12 and Thermal Lance 6 are a common end-game load out for medium mechs. Marks anything in line of sight up to 130m for death, if it doesn't outright kill them on it's own.
Carbine: N/A: 8, 10, 12
Tied for the most expensive items in the game. They all start at rank 5. No frills, just constant flat damage on a short reload timer. Better earned than bought.
Railgun: NA: 16
Tied for most expensive item in the game. Items that start at rank 5 are the last things you're going to get around to obtaining, and are the last handful of items on that LOOOOONG experience track I mentioned in the main thread. Like a troll at the peak of a mountain, this weapon works the same way, and at the same distances as Long arms, gradually regenerates it's Magazine of 3, and does over half of a maxed bot's average health worth of damage out of the box. Being 16 cost is another reason the long arm 8 can be taken to end game. Heavy bots have a max of 24 energy, so this paired with an appropriately leveled Long Arm has a high chance of knocking down anything that's not a maxed tank.
I'm not going to talk about
Rocket Mortars. Just know the person that killed you with them multiple times, is likely a bot, and Tea Parties are frowned upon.
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Beginner's Advice:I left this for last, because this game is a marathon, not a sprint. Everything comes with time. By EXP calculations, even if you got the most exp you possibly could every day, it's still going to take months to unlock everything. This only makes sense after all of that.
Right out of the gate: You're going to have Rank 1 Lancer, Rank 1 Paragon, and if you did your first daily missions, rank 1 Juggernaut.
Lancer: RPG2 x2
Paragon: RPG 4 x2
Juggernaut: Autocannon 2, Autocannon 4.
Feel free to level these up as you wet your feet. Just don't commit to a Rank up yet.
V
Replace Paragon with
Panther(275 A-coins), who starts at
Rank 2(12 Energy). Throw Thermal Lance 6 or RPG 6 on Panther for the time being.
Juggernaut Rank 2 is the priority for rank up so it has 8 energy and can actually fight properly. Replace the auto cannons with RPG 4s,
or Plasma cannon 4 if you intend to run Shadow later.While leveling Panther and Juggernaut through rank 2, plan on setting credits aside to buy Killshot. It's very easy to get it in the first couple of days with the upcoming Tournament guide.
V
Replace Lancer with
Killshot.
All of your Bots are now Rank 2, and all of the bots can be upgraded at the closest convenience because they are all end-game viable.
While you're waiting for Blueprints and leveling them up, Pick up
Plasma Cannon 6(might take a few days to unlock it, but so will getting this far). Panther can do well with these because it can trap bots with it's wall.
When
Killshot reaches rank 3, it can get RPG6 unless you want to shell out the premium currency for Javelin 6.
When
Panther reaches Rank 3, it can wield double snipers(16 energy). As the best counter-sniper, it's heavily recommended that you get used to dealing with AimBot AI's.
When
Juggernaut reaches Rank 3, it can inherit the Plasma Cannons that Panther was holding.
This three bot hangar is as solid as you're going to get within the first week or two of playing the game. From there, you can start thinking about the next mech you'd like to add to your hangar:
MD for keeping the dumb AI from being completely useless, and extra staying power on a quicker unit.
Shadow for stealing everyone's bacon, and being as absolutely insufferable as you can possibly be at enemy flanks.
Ares for another tank that's better at opening a match due to better ground speed.
Or do you really just hate Juggernauts and want a
Guardian?
At that point, it's all up to what you want to do.
