Post by Redfiend on Oct 16, 2020 5:49:53 GMT -5
Alright, so here is the rundown on all of the bots in the game from a purely functional standpoint. What they do well, what they're bad at, and how they measure up to their counterparts. Everyone has their favorites, and things feel different for different people even though they're both using the same thing.
Weapons and upgrade tips will be separate threads, because this was already getting too long to be reasonable.
But first, the basics:
Every item has a Rank from 1 star to 6 stars. Early game items are cheap, but they also start at lower ranks than more expensive items. The price points of every item in game factor in their current Rank, as items starting at a higher rank need less upgrades to hit the level cap.
For Mechs, Rank determines the mech's weapon capacity based on their Weight Class.
Rank: Light/ Medium/ Heavy
1: 4/ 6/ 8
2: 6/ 8 / 12
3: 8/ 12/ 16
4: 10/ 16/ 20
5: 12/ 18/ 24
Bringing any mech to Rank 6 will grant a second copy of that bot. All exact duplicates of an item level up simultaneously, so your second copy will already be at Rank 6, and both copies will level up regardless of which copy is selected when purchasing an upgrade.
Rank ups cost A-Coins. Between every rank there are 7 lesser levels that have to be progressed to before upgrading to the next rank.
Intermediate levels require Blueprints, which drop from the daily calendar, and all crates. Item's starting rank determines the rarity in which their blueprints drop from all sources.
Gray: Rank 1: Common
Green: Rank 2: Uncommon
Blue: Rank 3: Rare
Purple: Rank 4: Exotic
Gold: Rank 5: Prototype
A full upgrade cost, weapon damage, mech health/ ability statistics can be found
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FpctV0O5DIWeR8JJRICDL65LO-AvLoSxICZxAdJSQpc/htmlview#
The Mechs:
Unlike most other mech games, Light, Medium, and heavy are only tertiary classifications that denote the mech's total energy limit, as stated above. The main categorization of mechs falls into four categories:
Scout: Lancer, Shadow, Killshot
Agile and fragile, the purpose of a scout is to capture objectives, spot enemies, and perform flanking maneuvers. There is a fog of war in this game, the only time an enemy is marked on the minimap, or the HUD, is when they're in line of sight of at least one ally. If line of sight is broken, enemies will disappear from radar and the head's up display.
Support: MD, Cheetah, Zephyr
These mechs have unique abilities that directly modify the battlefield in one way or another. They're high priority targets, and because of such, can get overpowered easily if they stray too far from allies.
Tank: Juggernaut, Ares, Brickhouse
Fat bodied and slow, these are the brawlers. Most mechs have a hard time toppling them in a 1v1 confrontation, so they're better avoided in direct confrontations unless you're packing.
Attacker: Paragon, Panther, Guardian
Guns on legs. Each one performs differently, and brings a different utility to the table, but they're the main damage dealers, and can take down pretty much any other mech in 1v1s. They're prone to getting flanked and being overwhelmed because of their mediocre armor, so be wary of over extending.
Lancer: Rec. Wep.: Javelins
Lancer has the best HP values of the Scout mechs. It's currently the only mech in the game with the ability to jump. This gives Lancer a unique advantage on almost every map when played correctly. Many will regard this mech as mediocre, but it's mainly because the established community has almost uniformly discarded every mech that isn't easy to play. It's the second bot you get in the game, so it has to be upgraded far more than the other mechs in it's weight class. However, other mechs are prorated for their established ranks over Lancer, and all perform differently in comparison to what they can and can't do. Javelin racks are made for the Lancer, it's ability to navigate vertically allows it to hit shots from places that can make even the strongest mechs cry.
Shadow: Rec. Wep: Shotguns, RPGs, Pulse Cannons
Somewhere between War Robots's Stalker and Pursuer, Shadow is the stealth mech of this game. Like Cheetah, it has the lowest health values in the game, but it's speed and stealth more than make up for what it lacks in sheer armor. Shadow is tied with Killshot for the fastest ground speed in the game. When in stealth, Shadow gains a noticeable speed increase that makes it pretty much impossible to catch dead to rights. Don't get caught dead to rights when out of stealth, you'll evaporate, quickly. Shotguns are made for this mech. It doesn't care about the limited range, and you'll often be in situations where you'll be face to face with an enemy. Unload while in stealth, then flee. Javelins work well, but part of a Shadow's job is killing enemy Shadows, which can prove difficult with the weapon. Missile Racks can function on it well, but the controlled fire and projectile speed of RPGs will probably be more desirable on a bot made for dancing. Be as insufferable as humanly possible. Take flanks, and unguarded territory.
Killshot: Rec. Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks, Rocket Mortars
Killshot is one of the most unique bots in the game. It has a melee dash that rockets Killshot in the direction it's looking for 40 meters. Anything it hits will stop the dash, bots hit by the dash will take massive damage. While tied with Shadow for ground speed, Killshot has some drift on it's movement. Killshot is a medium scout, and can carry heavier weapons than the other two, which is why they are often overlooked. It's health is between Lancer and Shadow, making it a glass cannon. With the dash, Killshot lives up to it's name, being able to deliver damage relative to the Attacker class bots in a short period of time. I'll say it again though, It's a glass cannon. The drift on it's movement means it can't strafe as accurately as Shadow or Lancer, and it's low HP means that failing to kill whatever it engaged will lead to a death. Being engaged by more than one enemy mech, or getting caught out in the open by snipers, also leads to a swift death. Killshot is one of the best platforms for Javelin 6 early and mid game, as the other two scouts can only equip the 4 cost version until rank 4, and cannot equip a matching pair of the 6 cost version until rank 5. Once Killshot gets beyond 12 energy, one of the Javelins can be replaced with a Rocket Mortar. Doing so would greatly improve the mid-long range potential of the loadout, but sacrifices some damage when targets get too close. The dash can cover this weakness if played well. Missile Racks deliver the highest damage burst in the game for the amount of time they take to actually unload. Pairing them with Killshot's dash can take out pretty much any mech that isn't a Tank in a single Bang-Zip-Splat. Killshot can also get away with Carbines and Pulse rifles. Most enemies will try to stay out of it's dash range, and these weapons allow Killshot to deal constant damage and pressure the enemies back.
MD: Rec Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks
MD is the only bot in game that can heal. It's ability regenerates about a third of it's own max health, and about two thirds of it's max health value to allies over 10 seconds. Often overlooked for damage dealing options, MD has above average speed, and the same HP table as Lancer and Paragon, making it the chunkiest of the support bots. It's healing ability can be interrupted while it's taking fire, so burst and/or indirect weapons like Javelins and Missile racks are it's best loadout. MD is best used in coordinated play, but can still be used in randoms to decent effect if you stay glued to the backside of something bigger than it is. If played properly, it can be one of the hardest mechs for the enemy to kill in the game.
Cheetah: Rec Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks
Cheetah is a bit of an oddball. It's ground speed is the same as MD, and it shares the same health tables as Shadow, making it extremely fragile. It's ability consists of mines that can be dropped up to 3 at a time. It's role is more a reactive one, stopping enemy flanks and locking down choke points. The mine damage is nothing to scoff at. It does, unfortunately, lack in the ability to participate in the wider battlefield, which makes it's asking price a bit much. It's on the lower side of priorities unless you really like the support role, and/or camping choke points or tight spaces in TDM.
Zephyr: Rec Wep: Missile Racks, Carbines, Long Arms, Stasis Beam + Thermal Lance
Unlike Cheetah, Zephyr can be considered a high priority purchase once unlocked. It's ability is an EMP burst with a 30 meter radius around Zephyr. Bots caught in the blast are completely incapacitated for five seconds. Reload and ability timers on frozen mechs do not stop though, so failing to kill or get away from what was caught before they're unfrozen can mean certain death. Zephyr shares the same health table as Killshot and Panther. It's average ground speed means faster bots will have no issue chasing it down while it's ability is on cooldown. It's ability gives it the ability to run pretty much any weapon combination it can carry with relative impunity. Guided missiles, Mortars, and Sniper shells all have this little guys name on it though, so don't get too brazen with it and it won't let you down.
Juggernaut: Rec Wep: RPGs, Pulse Cannons, Thermal Lance(+Stasis Beam), Carbines
Juggernaut is hands down the best brawling bot currently in the game. It's got the second highest health in the game, and it's shield adds even more to that health pool. It's slower than Ares, and it's shield only protects itself. The shield protects Juggernaut at all ranges from every direction. It's biggest drawback is that the shield can only be regenerated after being completely knocked out, and it's a walking target. This is one of the bots every player will learn to hate, but only those that stick with it through the long and arduous task of upgrading it will learn to love. Juggernaut is the prime candidate for wielding damage over time weapons and bullet hoses. It can be overwhelmed when faced with multiple mechs, but single mechs outside of attackers will be hard pressed to fight it alone.
Ares: Rec Wep: RPGs, Missile Racks, Carbines, Long Arms
Ares performs a bit differently than Juggernaut. It's shield is heartier, but deploys as a wall in front of it instead of attached to itself. Unlike Juggernaut's shield, Ares's shield can cover allies behind it and next to it, and weapons that cause status effects will not afflict them on Ares so long as they hit the shield. It has a slightly better ground speed than Juggernaut, making it the ideal brawler for tactical strikes and support. Weapons with long cooldowns perform better on the Ares than the Juggernaut, as Ares will often have to make more use of cover to supplement it's lower HP and longer shield cooldown. It also makes a great counter-sniper at higher levels, between it's shield and superior health pool, it can pick off other, non shielded snipers with ease. It's shield can be flanked though, and Javelins and Mortars can hit it from above as well, so thoughtful positioning is a must.
Brickhouse is currently lacking, and has an update in the works that will give it a new ability. More will be said about it when that update goes live.
Paragon: Rec Wep: Missile Racks, Long Arms(+Railgun), Carbines, Javelins(+Rocket Mortars)
Paragon is the first bot everyone gets in this game, but far from the worst. If nothing else, Paragon is the definition of Average. It has the same health table as Lancer and MD, which may not sound impressive, but is still better than the health tables of every bot outside of Guardian and the Tanks. It has dead average foot speed, but it's ability is a sprint that increases it's speed to be comparable to Lancer's foot speed for a short duration. If your goal is to get your firepower where you want it, as fast as possible, Paragon can, and will do that. Like most unshielded mechs, it performs better with indirect and/or burst fire weapons. Carbines are the exception, because despite being sustained fire weapons, Paragon can wield the heavier versions of them with ease, making it a DPS monster that only Panther and Guardian can match.
Panther: Rec Wep: RPGs, Missile Racks, Long Arms(+Railgun), Carbines, Stasis beam(+Thermal Lance)
Panther is another bot that will stick with you throughout the entire game. It has a slightly faster foot speed than Paragon, and it's ability is possibly the best protection there is in the game. Panther can deploy an energy fence in front of it around 40 meters long. Enemy fire cannot penetrate this fence, meaning anything on one side is completely safe from anything on the other unless the projectiles are coming from above. Enemies that touch the fence are afflicted with the Stasis status effect, which slows their move and turn speed to a crawl. This gives Panther unparalleled flexibility on the battlefield. It has the same health tables as Zephyr and Killshot though, so it is fairly squishy if caught without protection. This mech is the main reason Paragon is quickly overlooked by most players.
Guardian: Rec Wep: Missile Racks/ Carbines(Either + Railgun), Rocket Mortars
Guardian is the slowest of the attackers, but it's the only non-tank with a unique health table that places it between Paragon/Lancer/MD and the Tanks. It's ability fires a wave that reaches 30 meters at a wide angle in front of it, which destroys Panther Fences, destroys Cheetah's mines, stops Killshots mid-dash, strips tanks shields, as well as puts the ability and all of the weapons on bots caught in it on their cooldown cycle. It functions similarly to Zephyr in terms of it's ability's utility, doing everything Zephyr's ability doesn't. This, on top of Guardian's high weapon capacity, makes it the king of the counter-pick. It can chew through pretty much every mech in the game but the Brickhouse, especially the mechs that rely on their ability for most of their effective durability. It's biggest weaknesses are it's sluggish foot speed, lacking protection against indirect fire and/or long range fire.
Weapons and upgrade tips will be separate threads, because this was already getting too long to be reasonable.
But first, the basics:
Every item has a Rank from 1 star to 6 stars. Early game items are cheap, but they also start at lower ranks than more expensive items. The price points of every item in game factor in their current Rank, as items starting at a higher rank need less upgrades to hit the level cap.
For Mechs, Rank determines the mech's weapon capacity based on their Weight Class.
Rank: Light/ Medium/ Heavy
1: 4/ 6/ 8
2: 6/ 8 / 12
3: 8/ 12/ 16
4: 10/ 16/ 20
5: 12/ 18/ 24
Bringing any mech to Rank 6 will grant a second copy of that bot. All exact duplicates of an item level up simultaneously, so your second copy will already be at Rank 6, and both copies will level up regardless of which copy is selected when purchasing an upgrade.
Rank ups cost A-Coins. Between every rank there are 7 lesser levels that have to be progressed to before upgrading to the next rank.
Intermediate levels require Blueprints, which drop from the daily calendar, and all crates. Item's starting rank determines the rarity in which their blueprints drop from all sources.
Gray: Rank 1: Common
Green: Rank 2: Uncommon
Blue: Rank 3: Rare
Purple: Rank 4: Exotic
Gold: Rank 5: Prototype
A full upgrade cost, weapon damage, mech health/ ability statistics can be found
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FpctV0O5DIWeR8JJRICDL65LO-AvLoSxICZxAdJSQpc/htmlview#
The Mechs:
Unlike most other mech games, Light, Medium, and heavy are only tertiary classifications that denote the mech's total energy limit, as stated above. The main categorization of mechs falls into four categories:
Scout: Lancer, Shadow, Killshot
Agile and fragile, the purpose of a scout is to capture objectives, spot enemies, and perform flanking maneuvers. There is a fog of war in this game, the only time an enemy is marked on the minimap, or the HUD, is when they're in line of sight of at least one ally. If line of sight is broken, enemies will disappear from radar and the head's up display.
Support: MD, Cheetah, Zephyr
These mechs have unique abilities that directly modify the battlefield in one way or another. They're high priority targets, and because of such, can get overpowered easily if they stray too far from allies.
Tank: Juggernaut, Ares, Brickhouse
Fat bodied and slow, these are the brawlers. Most mechs have a hard time toppling them in a 1v1 confrontation, so they're better avoided in direct confrontations unless you're packing.
Attacker: Paragon, Panther, Guardian
Guns on legs. Each one performs differently, and brings a different utility to the table, but they're the main damage dealers, and can take down pretty much any other mech in 1v1s. They're prone to getting flanked and being overwhelmed because of their mediocre armor, so be wary of over extending.
Lancer: Rec. Wep.: Javelins
Lancer has the best HP values of the Scout mechs. It's currently the only mech in the game with the ability to jump. This gives Lancer a unique advantage on almost every map when played correctly. Many will regard this mech as mediocre, but it's mainly because the established community has almost uniformly discarded every mech that isn't easy to play. It's the second bot you get in the game, so it has to be upgraded far more than the other mechs in it's weight class. However, other mechs are prorated for their established ranks over Lancer, and all perform differently in comparison to what they can and can't do. Javelin racks are made for the Lancer, it's ability to navigate vertically allows it to hit shots from places that can make even the strongest mechs cry.
Shadow: Rec. Wep: Shotguns, RPGs, Pulse Cannons
Somewhere between War Robots's Stalker and Pursuer, Shadow is the stealth mech of this game. Like Cheetah, it has the lowest health values in the game, but it's speed and stealth more than make up for what it lacks in sheer armor. Shadow is tied with Killshot for the fastest ground speed in the game. When in stealth, Shadow gains a noticeable speed increase that makes it pretty much impossible to catch dead to rights. Don't get caught dead to rights when out of stealth, you'll evaporate, quickly. Shotguns are made for this mech. It doesn't care about the limited range, and you'll often be in situations where you'll be face to face with an enemy. Unload while in stealth, then flee. Javelins work well, but part of a Shadow's job is killing enemy Shadows, which can prove difficult with the weapon. Missile Racks can function on it well, but the controlled fire and projectile speed of RPGs will probably be more desirable on a bot made for dancing. Be as insufferable as humanly possible. Take flanks, and unguarded territory.
Killshot: Rec. Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks, Rocket Mortars
Killshot is one of the most unique bots in the game. It has a melee dash that rockets Killshot in the direction it's looking for 40 meters. Anything it hits will stop the dash, bots hit by the dash will take massive damage. While tied with Shadow for ground speed, Killshot has some drift on it's movement. Killshot is a medium scout, and can carry heavier weapons than the other two, which is why they are often overlooked. It's health is between Lancer and Shadow, making it a glass cannon. With the dash, Killshot lives up to it's name, being able to deliver damage relative to the Attacker class bots in a short period of time. I'll say it again though, It's a glass cannon. The drift on it's movement means it can't strafe as accurately as Shadow or Lancer, and it's low HP means that failing to kill whatever it engaged will lead to a death. Being engaged by more than one enemy mech, or getting caught out in the open by snipers, also leads to a swift death. Killshot is one of the best platforms for Javelin 6 early and mid game, as the other two scouts can only equip the 4 cost version until rank 4, and cannot equip a matching pair of the 6 cost version until rank 5. Once Killshot gets beyond 12 energy, one of the Javelins can be replaced with a Rocket Mortar. Doing so would greatly improve the mid-long range potential of the loadout, but sacrifices some damage when targets get too close. The dash can cover this weakness if played well. Missile Racks deliver the highest damage burst in the game for the amount of time they take to actually unload. Pairing them with Killshot's dash can take out pretty much any mech that isn't a Tank in a single Bang-Zip-Splat. Killshot can also get away with Carbines and Pulse rifles. Most enemies will try to stay out of it's dash range, and these weapons allow Killshot to deal constant damage and pressure the enemies back.
MD: Rec Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks
MD is the only bot in game that can heal. It's ability regenerates about a third of it's own max health, and about two thirds of it's max health value to allies over 10 seconds. Often overlooked for damage dealing options, MD has above average speed, and the same HP table as Lancer and Paragon, making it the chunkiest of the support bots. It's healing ability can be interrupted while it's taking fire, so burst and/or indirect weapons like Javelins and Missile racks are it's best loadout. MD is best used in coordinated play, but can still be used in randoms to decent effect if you stay glued to the backside of something bigger than it is. If played properly, it can be one of the hardest mechs for the enemy to kill in the game.
Cheetah: Rec Wep: Javelins, Missile Racks
Cheetah is a bit of an oddball. It's ground speed is the same as MD, and it shares the same health tables as Shadow, making it extremely fragile. It's ability consists of mines that can be dropped up to 3 at a time. It's role is more a reactive one, stopping enemy flanks and locking down choke points. The mine damage is nothing to scoff at. It does, unfortunately, lack in the ability to participate in the wider battlefield, which makes it's asking price a bit much. It's on the lower side of priorities unless you really like the support role, and/or camping choke points or tight spaces in TDM.
Zephyr: Rec Wep: Missile Racks, Carbines, Long Arms, Stasis Beam + Thermal Lance
Unlike Cheetah, Zephyr can be considered a high priority purchase once unlocked. It's ability is an EMP burst with a 30 meter radius around Zephyr. Bots caught in the blast are completely incapacitated for five seconds. Reload and ability timers on frozen mechs do not stop though, so failing to kill or get away from what was caught before they're unfrozen can mean certain death. Zephyr shares the same health table as Killshot and Panther. It's average ground speed means faster bots will have no issue chasing it down while it's ability is on cooldown. It's ability gives it the ability to run pretty much any weapon combination it can carry with relative impunity. Guided missiles, Mortars, and Sniper shells all have this little guys name on it though, so don't get too brazen with it and it won't let you down.
Juggernaut: Rec Wep: RPGs, Pulse Cannons, Thermal Lance(+Stasis Beam), Carbines
Juggernaut is hands down the best brawling bot currently in the game. It's got the second highest health in the game, and it's shield adds even more to that health pool. It's slower than Ares, and it's shield only protects itself. The shield protects Juggernaut at all ranges from every direction. It's biggest drawback is that the shield can only be regenerated after being completely knocked out, and it's a walking target. This is one of the bots every player will learn to hate, but only those that stick with it through the long and arduous task of upgrading it will learn to love. Juggernaut is the prime candidate for wielding damage over time weapons and bullet hoses. It can be overwhelmed when faced with multiple mechs, but single mechs outside of attackers will be hard pressed to fight it alone.
Ares: Rec Wep: RPGs, Missile Racks, Carbines, Long Arms
Ares performs a bit differently than Juggernaut. It's shield is heartier, but deploys as a wall in front of it instead of attached to itself. Unlike Juggernaut's shield, Ares's shield can cover allies behind it and next to it, and weapons that cause status effects will not afflict them on Ares so long as they hit the shield. It has a slightly better ground speed than Juggernaut, making it the ideal brawler for tactical strikes and support. Weapons with long cooldowns perform better on the Ares than the Juggernaut, as Ares will often have to make more use of cover to supplement it's lower HP and longer shield cooldown. It also makes a great counter-sniper at higher levels, between it's shield and superior health pool, it can pick off other, non shielded snipers with ease. It's shield can be flanked though, and Javelins and Mortars can hit it from above as well, so thoughtful positioning is a must.
Brickhouse is currently lacking, and has an update in the works that will give it a new ability. More will be said about it when that update goes live.
Paragon: Rec Wep: Missile Racks, Long Arms(+Railgun), Carbines, Javelins(+Rocket Mortars)
Paragon is the first bot everyone gets in this game, but far from the worst. If nothing else, Paragon is the definition of Average. It has the same health table as Lancer and MD, which may not sound impressive, but is still better than the health tables of every bot outside of Guardian and the Tanks. It has dead average foot speed, but it's ability is a sprint that increases it's speed to be comparable to Lancer's foot speed for a short duration. If your goal is to get your firepower where you want it, as fast as possible, Paragon can, and will do that. Like most unshielded mechs, it performs better with indirect and/or burst fire weapons. Carbines are the exception, because despite being sustained fire weapons, Paragon can wield the heavier versions of them with ease, making it a DPS monster that only Panther and Guardian can match.
Panther: Rec Wep: RPGs, Missile Racks, Long Arms(+Railgun), Carbines, Stasis beam(+Thermal Lance)
Panther is another bot that will stick with you throughout the entire game. It has a slightly faster foot speed than Paragon, and it's ability is possibly the best protection there is in the game. Panther can deploy an energy fence in front of it around 40 meters long. Enemy fire cannot penetrate this fence, meaning anything on one side is completely safe from anything on the other unless the projectiles are coming from above. Enemies that touch the fence are afflicted with the Stasis status effect, which slows their move and turn speed to a crawl. This gives Panther unparalleled flexibility on the battlefield. It has the same health tables as Zephyr and Killshot though, so it is fairly squishy if caught without protection. This mech is the main reason Paragon is quickly overlooked by most players.
Guardian: Rec Wep: Missile Racks/ Carbines(Either + Railgun), Rocket Mortars
Guardian is the slowest of the attackers, but it's the only non-tank with a unique health table that places it between Paragon/Lancer/MD and the Tanks. It's ability fires a wave that reaches 30 meters at a wide angle in front of it, which destroys Panther Fences, destroys Cheetah's mines, stops Killshots mid-dash, strips tanks shields, as well as puts the ability and all of the weapons on bots caught in it on their cooldown cycle. It functions similarly to Zephyr in terms of it's ability's utility, doing everything Zephyr's ability doesn't. This, on top of Guardian's high weapon capacity, makes it the king of the counter-pick. It can chew through pretty much every mech in the game but the Brickhouse, especially the mechs that rely on their ability for most of their effective durability. It's biggest weaknesses are it's sluggish foot speed, lacking protection against indirect fire and/or long range fire.
(Reminds me of a few War Robots troll builds)
