Mech Armada – Comprehensive Part Guide

This is a guide to showcase the usefulness of all parts in the game, as well as show some general tips with them. I play on challenge 12, so my opinions are skewed towards this higher difficulty and the effectiveness of certain parts changes. I will also be ignoring daily part bonuses, although I recommend using them as they can be quite strong.

Ultimate Guide to Parts

All credit goes to Mantis!

Preface

Before I begin, I want to mention that the game has a built in sandbox and part catalog. You can test any part combination before using them in a run or practice against bosses. This is a rogue-like and part of the game’s fun is discovering your own broken strategies.

Transport – Walkers and Spiders

These transports all have the ability to move after using actions (weapons/abilities) and recover spent movement. This includes both damaging and non damaging weapons. An advanced technique is to equip an AoE weapon and use it on empty terrain just for the bonus movement. It only recovers their movement from used points, so if walkers only move once, they’ll only get 1 movement back. These transports are designed to kite enemies and stay out of enemy attack range. Choose the Infinite Loop expansion that stores movement for the ultimate kiting strategy.

Mini Walker

The Mini Walker has 2 hp, 2 movement, costs 3 energy and 3 credits, costs 8 credits to upgrade, and can be used 4 times. It has the ability to move after action and each upgrade refunds spent movement up to 2 per turn.

This transport is a great starter for hit and run tactics due to its cheap cost and high uses. If you can pick up the expansion for diagonal movement on walkers, these can give high value for their cost. Aura bodies work particularly well on these due to being able to walk near the frontline mechs, use their buffs/weapons, and then run away at the end of the turn.

Walker

The Walker has 6 hp, 2 movement, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 8 credits to upgrade, and can be used 3 times. It has the ability to move after action and each upgrade refunds spent movement up to 2 per turn.

This transport can be a decent pick to start if you predict getting hit sometimes. While it shouldn’t be getting hit due to it ability, the occasional attack it can take will allow you more tactical flexibility. Its also a good pick mid run as it compliments most weapons and works well with any team. Using close range weapons, such as the Saw or Flamethrower, can have great returns.

Mega Walker

The Walker has 10 hp, 2 movement, costs 5 energy and 7 credits, and can be used 2 times. It has the ability to move after action and each upgrade refunds spent movement up to 2 per turn.

This big boy is the one of the healthiest transports at level 1 and can allow at least 1 hit early on. While it should still avoid getting hit, it allows for riskier plays with mitigation capabilities. It can march up to an enemy, take out a priority target, then retreat back to avoid getting swarmed by too many enemies. With the right parts and buffs, it can even march deep into enemy territory to attract aggro for counter damage or distract enemies to stall their advance. Don’t start with this unless you plan to use its extra health as other walkers have more uses, are cheaper, and have the exact same abilities.

Mini Spider

The Mini Spider has 2 hp, 2 movement, costs 3 energy and 4 credits, and can be used 3 times. It can move diagonally, move after action with the first upgrade, and refund 1 movement with the second.

The Mini Spider is one of the few transports with a natural diagonal movement and is a great addition to any lineup. They fulfill a similar role to walkers as they upgrade to get the same abilities. Its movement can sidestep enemies though impassable terrain and makes a decent support that can keep up with other mechs without blocking passage or group up on the first turn. While strong early on, they need to be used carefully mid – late game as some enemies also begin to move/attack diagonally and the single movement refund may not be enough to escape retaliation. A good pick to save an expansion choice later.

Spider

The Spider has 6 hp, 2 movement, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, and can be used 2 times. It can move diagonally, move after action with the first upgrade, and refund 1 movement with the second.

Similar to the Walker, it has enough hp to take a hit from weaker enemies, but its diagonal movement makes it a better choice for flanking with your frontline mechs by moving in to shoot, and then retreating 1 or 2 spaces. It has enough hp to be a frontliner with heavier bodies and its movement allows for tactical retreats. It’s a good all-round transport that’s main downside is that you only get 2.

Transport – Tracks and Tanks

These transports all have high health with some being armored. They also all gain double movement on roads. These are designed to be sturdy enough to take damage and keep going. The track series cannot move onto rough terrain and the tank series have access to the Push ability that allows them to shove an enemy or ally forward 1 tile and then takeover the empty space.

Mini Tracks

The Mini Tracks has 3 hp, 2 movement, costs 1 energy and 2 credits, costs 4 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It has the ability to double movement on roads, but cannot enter rough terrain. Each upgrade increases it health by 3.

The Mini Tracks is a pretty decent starter that has the lowest cost of all transports in both resources. Not the best transport by any means as mechs that use these often wont need the extra health and those that do have better options. It is still pretty useful as the extra health can be used effectively with healing expansions or to provide a buffer for weapon platforms. This part’s best use, however, is as a scout and sacrificial pawn. As scout, it secures and stays on energy tiles while everyone else fights. As a pawn, its low cost makes it ideal for blocking enemies if you make a mistake. With the Initiative expansion, it can be a more proactive pawn. This works great with the Kamikaze and Big Rocket parts as Kamikaze needs cost effectiveness and the Big Rocket can be ‘reloaded’ making a new mech.

Tracks

The Tracks has 9 hp, 2 movement, costs 4 energy and 3 credits, costs 4 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has the ability to double movement on roads, but cannot enter rough terrain. Each upgrade increases it health by 3.

The Mini Tracks’ big brother has the largest transport health pool in the game. This makes it a good candidate for tanking roles at a cheaper credit cost. This comes with the downside of lacking the utility that the tank series provides and not being able to position well on some maps. Even without a dedicated healing mech, the Pristine Health expansion that restores health every battle works well with this part and although you may struggle a bit with the last battle, its high hp will ensure it takes a hit or 2, sometimes from the boss. The double movement can be nice for setting up choke points, but it isn’t reliable enough to base your strategy on. Make sure to get the expansion that allows movement onto rough terrain, unless it is the 4th one.

Tank

The Tank has 5 hp, 1 armor, 2 movement, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It has double movement on roads and it gains the ability to push allies or enemies 1 square at level 2. It gains 1 armor per level and an additional 3 hp at level 3.

Second-best transport for being a bullet sponge due to its natural armor. While the Tracks has more health and is cheaper, this beats it out thanks to both its Push action and capability to enter rough terrain naturally. The Push ability is severely underestimated and has many uses. The most obvious is shoving enemies forward to take its place, thereby decreasing enemy attack range. A not so obvious trick is to shove allies instead to reposition both units either out of attack range or use it as an extra movement for both mechs. A hidden tech is that the Impenetrable Defenses expansion is only removed on conventional movement. This means that the Push command can shove an enemy/ally and still retain the 2 armor buff between turns. Stack that with Infinite Loop and you have an emergency escape button.

Mega Tank

The Mega Tank has 9 hp, 1 armor, 2 movement, costs 5 energy and 7 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has double movement on roads and it gains the ability to push allies or enemies 1 square at level 2. It gains 1 armor per level and an additional 3 hp at level 3.

If you want a fortress, this is your pick. Healthy, armored, and having utility makes this transport a serious goliath. It needs support from other mechs/parts to bring it to its full potential, but boy does it work. Thanks to its beefiness, it can allow other units to use AoE weapons and not affect this unit nearly as much. Again, the Push command can shove the ally back into safety afterwards. Armor also reduces DoT effects, so enemy Scourge or ally Flamers are reduced in threat. Be sure to give this unit high hp or armored bodies to maximize its role.

Transport – Jets and Wheels

These transports are made with mobility in mind. They all start with something that gives them better positioning and can all get extra movement when upgraded. Be sure to use these carefully as they don’t have the safety net of moving after actions or tanking damage.

Mini Jet

The Mini Jet has 2 hp, 2 movement, costs 3 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It can fly over all terrain, but only over units with the level 2 upgrade. It gains 1 additional movement at level 3.

You want air support? Say hello to the Mini Jet as being able to move onto tiles other units cannot allows unique and important positioning, making great support units. It can be relegated to air assault duty, but its low hp makes it vulnerable to a single mistake. Both styles are viable, but the support role doesn’t really need to be able to fly over units until it has 3 movement as it will be near the back and others will move out of the way most of the time. The final battle won’t have any notable terrain features, so unless this part is upgraded, it’d be better to switch it with something else then. The exception to that is with the expansion that increases flying units movement by 1. This expansion alone makes it worth investing into both jets as flying over your anything for a key strike or buff at 4 movement is a powerful tactical option.

Jet

The Jet has 6 hp, 2 movement, costs 4 energy and 7 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It can fly over all terrain, but only over units with the level 2 upgrade. It gains 1 additional movement at level 3.

This Jet is similar to the Mini Jet, but more expensive and bulkier. It can see more combat with its increased hp and being able to retreat over mountains or other units gives it front line potential. It doesn’t have any of the safety features other front-line transports have, so it will have to rely on its body and support. One neat trick is to support this transport with damage enhanced mines. Deploying mines allows it to be defended when attacking from mountains, interrupting all but the hardiest of foes.

Trike

The Trike has 2 hp, 3 movement, costs 3 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It has double movement on roads but cannot enter rough terrain. At level 2, it gains 1 movement when at or below 6 hp and level 3 makes the extra movement always active.

The Trike is the king of speedsters. It is fast, relatively cheap, and has enough uses to compose half your squad. Taking advantage of its level 2 ability is crucial to its role. The passive activates at CURRENT hp, so while you can use bodies that max at 6 hp, you can also take a different body and purposely damage it to get the extra movement. This can save credits and has great synergy with parts like the Berserk or Echo body. The best way to break the hp threshold is to have support weapons to lower enemy damage or have a low damage AoE weapon hurt it. Other support weapons are also useful such as a Claw to bring it back home, a Teleporter mech, or if it is equipped with a Freezer or 2. You’ll want the Better Treads expansion for more movement options.

Buggy

The Buggy has 6 hp, 3 movement, costs 4 energy and 7 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has double movement on roads but cannot enter rough terrain. At level 2, it gains 1 movement when at or below 10 hp and level 3 makes the extra movement always active.

The Buggy shares all the traits of a Trike and can thus be used for the same roles. Its increased health also allows it to equip heavier bodies and charge for the front line. If using the this transport for assault duty, you will need to invest in its 3rd upgrade, which costs credits that could’ve been used elsewhere. A notable body is the Maximus. It upgrades all parts by 1 level, its default level activates the Buggy’s passive, and each upgrade boosts its health by a significant amount. Their uses match and the combo can save a ton of credits.

Transport – Specialized

These transports all have unusual movement compared to the rest of the cast. They are powerful, but they can be worse than standard transports without a plan. These are best used in conjunction with regular moving mechs rather than fielding mechs with only these parts.

Jetpack

The Jetpack has 6 hp, 1 movement, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has the ability to use a jetpack to jump over everything, landing 2 spaces away. At level 2, its jetpack range increases to 3 spaces, but it also has to move to that space. At level 3, it can choose to jump between 3 or 4 spaces away.

The Jetpack is a hybrid of a Walker and a Jet (obviously). Most of its movement comes from its jetpack action, so it effectively works like a Walker. While the first upgrade might seem like a downgrade by increasing minimum range, this can be compensated by moving the mech in the opposite direction first to arrive at the same space as before. Similar to the Tanks’ Push, it can keep the armor buff from the Impenetrable Defenses expansion if it only uses the jetpack while also stacking movement from Infinite Loop. I find this transport works best as a shock trooper, designed to get in position on turn 1, then retreat turn 2 after unleashing its salvo. It can also work as counter aggro by first being buffed and then jumping behind enemy lines. AoE weapons are notable as they can be used near the enemy and then the mech can retreat further than most other mechs in 1 turn. Because AoE weapons tend to have a cooldown, it can spend the following turn on setting up.

Turret

The Turret has 10 hp, 2 minimum movement, costs 3 energy and 4 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It can jump over tiles and units, but must move at least 2 spaces. At level 2, it can move 3 spaces and at level 3, it gains diagonal mobility.

The Turret has a lot of advantages: it has high hp, its cheap, and it has high mobility. It does have 1 major weakness; losing precise movement. This means that the Turret requires careful planning to reach positions in advance and, until it gets upgraded, is barred from half the spaces on the map. After reaching level 3, its range of movement is large enough to make up for this disability. The Turret works well in either frontline or supporting roles, but it lacks the precision to make perfect use of aura bodies. If using this part, you’ll likely split its uses between combat and support instead of dedicating it to 1 role as turrets hopscotching together cover each other’s weakness.

Teleporter

The Teleporter has 3 hp, 1 movement, costs 4 energy and 7 credits, costs 8 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It can teleport next to any mech, but cannot move on its own. At level 2 it can swap places with a mech and at level 3, it can move after actions.

The Teleporter is tricky to use. It must have at least 1 other mech to move at all and until it reaches level 3, it can put itself and allies in danger without proper precaution. This unit can act as bait and switch at level 2 by replacing an ally and tanking the damage. It can move another ally to retain that ally’s movement or it can even teleport in, attack, then swap with your tanking unit. At level 3, however, it becomes a lot more versatile. By having move after action, it can teleport then move allowing it to safely recover an ally in danger. It has great synergy with Roller bodies. A hidden tech with the Teleporter is that it can teleport tread or wheel transports onto rough terrain without penalty. The transport will need a viable space next to it if it wishes to leave, but you also have the Teleporter for that too.

Roller

The Roller has 8 hp, 3 movement, costs 4 energy and 7 credits, costs 8 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It can move diagonaly and has double movement on roads, but it cannot enter rough terrain. It also cannot move and then attack on the same turn. It has a +1 range increase for weapons at base that increases to +2 at level 2. It gains a +3 damage buff to weapons at level 3.

The Roller is likely the hardest transport to master. By only getting to move or attack each turn, it needs proper action efficiency to work well. To make up for this downside, it is the only transport that directly makes weapons better, cutting down the need to move as the aliens are dead before they arrive. If you have trouble getting this part to work, getting an upgraded Turbo or Echo body can allow it to move after action, thus enabling it to kite enemies similar to a walker. Going heavy on range is also an option by stacking a Ranger body and nearby Eagle Eye bodies for a total of +5 range with all weapons. Having it act as a mothership for drones is viable as its range bonus affects their deployment range. The Air Strike or Mine Launcher weapon are also strong on this transport as they can strike enemies before they get in attack range, although mines don’t benefit from the damage bonus. Area of Effect weapons are also particularly effective as they benefit the most from extra range and damage while the Roller repositions on cooldown. The movement utility abilities of the Teleporter, the tank series’ Push ability, and the Claw can move the roller and still allow it to attack.

Bodies – Offensive

These bodies are for aggressive mechs, providing some form of direct damage, bonus damage, or safer damage. They all vary in application, but most prefer being in combat rather than supporting.

Chain Reaction

This body has 7 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 7 energy and 10 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has the ability to attack again with the weapon that gets a kill once per turn. Each upgrade raises health by 3 and armor by 1.

If this part sounds strong, then you’d be right. It’s like a delayed Echo, but twice as durable, making it viable for slower mechs. It is, however, very expensive, so you need to have a plan if starting with it. Its ability encourages you to have your hardest hitting weapon with another to soften’em up. This means that you can invest more into a single weapon, rather than spreading your credits. It has some great synergy with walkers and spiders as it can move closer to hit a weaker target and be able to move to safety afterwards. Its armor and sizable health when upgraded makes it a good contender for tanks that love damage. Having a Freezer on this mech isn’t a terrible idea as it can shoot twice with its main armament, then stun any nearby threats till next turn. It does have a downside of not affecting cooldown weapons, so no missile boats allowed. Also, avoid putting any Air Strikes or Mine Launchers on this as it will not activate the passive.

Turbo

This body has 3 hp, 1 movement, 1 weapon slot, costs 2 energy and 4 credits, costs 7 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It allows movement onto rough tiles, diagonal movement at level 2, and movement after actions at level 3.

A rather cheap body with obvious synergy with Trikes and Buggies. Its upgraded abilities and extra movement make it useful for other transport types as well, but its lack of weapon slots bring it down. Use this for offensive support jets that can retreat out of danger. Due to its low energy cost, it can be used for more expendable mechs, upgraded to whichever ability is needed.

Bullseye

This body has 4 hp, 1 weapon slot, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It increases the damage of its weapon by 3 and each upgrade raises it by 2 up to a total of +7.

A rather powerful body for its cost, although it needs some synergy to really shine. With only 1 weapon slot, it can allow you to focus your credits on fewer weapons without losing effectiveness.

Obviously, multi-hit weapons benefit, but so do AoE weapons. The Raygun is particularly strong for its piercing long range. An Electroshock works wonders as well. This part does best with walkers or spiders, but can work with others if it has range support, dedicated tanks, or some way of debilitating enemies. If you can reliably keep this mech alive, it’s an all around good part.

Berserk

This body has 6 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Its ability increases its weapons damage by 3 if at or below 5 health. The damage bonus raises by 2 with each upgrade.

One of my favorites that is great to start, but expensive to upgrade. If you’ve mastered Bullseye use, then you can make this work even better. It only gains the damage when injured, so the best time is to let it get hit early game and then never let it die. If you can manipulate enemy damage with either armor, overhealing, or neutralizing, then you can let the tougher enemies hurt you. It has amazing synergy with the Trike and Buggy as they both also have bonuses at low health. Slap on a couple of Gatling Guns or Electroshocks and watch enemies just melt.

Echo

This body has 5 hp, 1 weapon slot, costs 7 energy and 4 credits, costs 7 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. Its ability allows it to use its weapon twice every turn. This first upgrade enables it to move after action and the second upgrade grants 1 movement point.

This is a great body for most mechs that has a cheap credit cost, but high energy maintenance. Thanks to its double shot, you core weapons receive more value for their uses and upgrades. It also transforms each mech into a walker copycat. Unlike Turbo, it does not have diagonal or rough terrain movement, but you wont need it with a balanced squad. It works great with jets as both the later abilities give a boost to their effectiveness. You can use support weapons on this and see good results, but avoid all cooldown weapons. Highly recommended with Infinite Loop.

Ranger

This body has 5 hp, 1 weapon slot, costs 5 energy and 5 credits, costs 9 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It increases the range of any weapon it has equipped by 1 and each upgrade grants it an additional weapon slot.

An amazing general use body that has a fair startup cost, but requires quite an investment midrun. Any mech can benefit from more range and more weapons, but Rollers might have a bit of an edge as that 1 extra range can make a huge difference. You should upgrade this as needed as it not only costs a lot of credits, you need spare weapons to make use of it. Other than being one of the few 3 weapon bodies, there isn’t much else to say about it. Simple and effective.

Kamikaze

This body has 4 hp, 1 weapon slot, costs 3 energy and 4 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. The Kamikaze explodes when scrapped, dealing damage to all enemies around it. The damage starts at 6 and increases by 6 with each upgrade.

True to its name, the Kamikaze is best used for suicide tactics. If you have this, always be on the lookout for the Initiative expansion. Even if you don’t use it as your main strategy, having an emergency kill order is run saving. The lowest cost per use is to combine with the Mini Tracks and the Machine Gun parts, choosing the level of Kamikaze as needed. It’s best to stockpile energy when possible, so any energy perks are valuable. Unfortunately, scrapping does not recover any energy and neither does the Salvage expansion. If you have a Teleporter, you may not need the Initiative perk as it can move the mech into explosion range. It also makes for a decent meat shield for any mistakes as enemies target the weakest mech in range.

Missilehead

This body has 6 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 7 energy and 10 credits, costs 7 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has a built in Mini Missile weapon that upgrades as the body upgrades. Each upgrade also adds 2 health.

A high cost body that’s main advantage is having access to 3 weapons. Because the Mini Missile is built in, you can upgrade both damage and survivability at the same time. It’s a general use part that’s not great to start for its cost, but it can alleviate the need to spend any starting credits on weapons. Its a nice pick midrun as it provides just enough health for frontline mechs and support mechs get access to some damage. Fun tidbit, I love to name any mechs with these Johnny 5.

Bodies – Defensive

These bodies all are built to last through enemy fire. Most either have high health or high armor, but they are often very expensive compared to other bodies. They work best when supported by other mechs that build upon their strengths.

Heavy

This body has 12 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 9 energy and 10 credits, costs 7 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It resists all debuffs and gains 6 health with every upgrade.

One of the 3 healthiest bodies, tied with the Trooper and the Reflector. Its high health and debuff resistance makes it destined for meeting the aliens head on. The energy cost of this part incentivizes some sort of healing as it cannot be an effective tank without it. Even if not used as a tank, the debuff resistance comes in handy against Arachnids. Watch out for Scourges as the DoT does not count as a debuff. Saws and Shotguns are useful as this body can afford to get close.

Impervious

This body has 8 hp, 3 armor, loses 1 movement, 2 weapon slots, costs 7 energy and 8 credits, costs 7 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It resists all debuffs, regains its movement at level 2, and gains 3 armor at level 3.

If you want an armored fortress, this is the poster child. While initially slow, the armor will last you long enough to gather credits to upgrade it. It has low hp compared to other tank bodies, so investing more into armor would be more worthwhile. Don’t overlook any healing weapons as the overheal mechanic is still useful. If you can’t spare the credits, you can rely on its transport for extra movement or even a Booster ally. The claw is notable as allies can move this mech or it can bring enemies into range. Something to be mindful of is that knockback is not considered a debuff, so this can really hurt this body without some movement.

Defender

This body has 10 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 8 energy and 10 credits, costs 9 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. With every attack this body receives, its armor rises by 1 up to 12. Each upgrade increases the rate of armor gained by 1 and health by 4.

Meet the walking pinata. This body gives up early turn advantage in favor of longer battles. With a whooping maximum armor of 12, stacking other bonuses can make it negate the damage from most foes. It is, however, weak to debuffs, so keep it away from Bats and Arachnids. Gazers should also be avoided as they have both a stun and can pierce armor. Because this mech likes to be hit, attaching some counter damage with either an energy shield or a counter gun is ideal. An advanced technique is that friendly fire counts as being attacked, so any damaging AoE weapon, other than the Electroshock, can build up its armor. Even the Flamethrower can be used as armor reduces damage from damage over time. Put a Resonator on this bad boy, and you got yourself a honey trap.

Reflector

This body has 12 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 9 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It counters 30% of all damage recieved, increasing by 20% with each upgrade. Each upgrade also increases health by 6.

Similar to the Heavy body, this part wants to be on the front line soaking damage. Its natural counter deals its full damage even with armor, so both healing and armor buffs are recommended. Keep watch for the resistance expansion to deal with Bats, Arachnids, Gazers, and Scourges. Stacking counter on this body is useless as only the highest percentage counter is used. The damage works even if it dies, but it will not activate on the Sandworm’s tunnel attack, so don’t think you can cheese it. It does work against all ranged attacks, but friendly fire should be avoided as allies also take damage. Resonators work really well with this mech, but it needs some support to mitigate damage taken. Beware, enemy armor reduces counter damage and makes it less effective.

Immune

This body has 7 hp, 2 armor, 1 weapon slot, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 5 per upgrade, and has 3 uses. It resists all debuffs and damage-over-time. Every upgrade raises its health by 4 and armor by 2.

The poor man’s Impervious. It is cheaper, has more health, more uses, and is the only body to resist DoT. Its lack of a weapon slot can be a problem if you don’t lean heavily into its strengths. It works well if you want to turtle up and slowly whittle down enemies. Having these surround an aura mech can have some interesting results. Pick this to start if you want to have good buffing weapons and save credits as its extra use allows another damage sponge. Having 2 or 3 of these with armor or healing guns can make a sturdy wall.

Dodger

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 7 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has a 20% chance to dodge any attack, increasing by 20% each level.

The Dodger is a weird one. It has low health and only a chance to dodge, making it a questionable tank. It’s also expensive to use for kamikaze tactics and there are other ways for avoiding attacks completely. I’ve found it works best as a support or yoloing a boss. A support is often squishy and doesn’t want any damage and some bosses do enough damage to kill in a single hit, so avoiding the attack can buy a turn if you’re lucky. It has potential for guarding enhanced tiles, but other bodies work just as well. I’d only use this if I had nothing better.

Bodies – Hybrid

These bodies rely on their weapons more than the body’s characteristic to determine its role. All of these tend to have higher health than normal, even compared to defensive bodies. Some have no ability, but they compensate by having extra weapon slots, health, or being cheap.

Trooper

This body has 12 hp, 3 weapon slots, costs 9 energy and 10 credits, costs 7 per upgrade, and has 1 uses. Each upgrade raises health by 6.

One of the best bodies for its large health pool and access to 3 weapons. Unfortunately, you can only have 1, so it’s not credit efficient when it comes to upgrades. It is also expensive energy-wise, especially when you include the cost of its weapons, so do not let it die. Starting with the Mini Missile or Double Double can fill its weapon slots with something useful as you build your other mechs and discover what style your run will have.

Gambler

This body has 4 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 10 credits, costs 7 credits to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Its ability allows any weapon with variable damage to always do the maximum. Its health raises by 6 with each upgrade.

Ah, the Gambler. A bit of a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. Its default health is low enough for Trikes and Buggies, its health can be upgraded high enough to tank, and its passive strengthens the Double Double, Minigun, Gatling Gun, and Sniper. Sadly, it is outclassed by other bodies for each role and even the Sniper loses its synergy when upgraded. I find the best use is when I start with doubles or other rapid fire guns, otherwise you have to rely on RNG to find one. Use it to fill whatever role your team needs.

Maximus

This body has 4 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 7 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. Its ability raises the upgrade level of all parts attached to it. Each upgrade raises health by 6.

This unique body has a great passive. It is best used to save your precious credits for other equipment, so you’ll usually have 2 with the same parts. It has good synergy with Trikes and Buggies as it gets extra movement with no upgrades. When the wheels are upgraded once, the Maximus is free to upgrade as its health amount no longer matters. It can be used with any role as everything benefits from a free upgrade. It is useless if the part is max level, so it falls off late game.

Tenacious

This body has 7 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It recovers 3 hp every turn, increasing by 2 every upgrade. Its health also rises by 3 each upgrade.

Another one of my favorites, this body is self sufficient. It can tank or allow for some aggressive plays. I find it has great synergy with the Spider transport as it provides enough health to take a hit and has great retreating options to recover when needed. The Jetpack is also good for its big nope button. The regen activates before DoT damage, saving you from Scourges. Close to mid range weapons are more valued as it likes to get close to the action. I recommend upgrading this as soon as possible for better survivability.

Engineer

This body has 6 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 6 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. Any tiles this body is on has double the effect. Each upgrade raises health by 4.

The body specialized for tile use. Any tile it is on has double the effect, so which tile gun you have determines its role. Be aware trap tiles are also doubled, so be extra careful when using them. If you don’t have any tile weapons, it has a hidden function as a scout role. It will double energy gained from energy tiles. This is useful for energy intensive strategies like Kamikazes and just good in general. It does not double the energy from the extra energy received from the expansion nor does it count for auto-collect past the turn you win on.

Triple

This body has 6 hp, 3 weapon slots, costs 7 energy and 8 credits, costs 5 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises health by 4.

The last and cheapest body with 3 weapon slots. Having these enables full use of the number of Mini Missile and Double Double weapons your mechs can have. It gets a nice health bonus when leveled, making it more durable than the Missilehead or Ranger. Make sure to have enough weapons to outfit this body or you’ll have to rely on crappy machine guns.

Tuple

This body has 6 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 5 energy and 5 credits, costs 5 per upgrade, and has 3 uses. Each upgrade raises health by 4.

A simple body with a fairly high health limit. It has no bonuses, but is a reasonably priced all-rounder. A nice pick to balance you team with no downsides.

Dual

This body has 3 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 3 energy and 4 credits, costs 4 per upgrade, and has 4 uses. Each upgrade raises health by 3.

The lowest cost 2 weapon body. It has plentiful uses and its upgrades can give it much needed health to survive weaker foes. If your units have a habit of dying, the cost of this part gives the most bang for your buck. Most bodies have 2 weapon slots with bonuses, so I prefer picking them over this, but I’ll take what I can get.

Basic

This body has 3 hp, 1 weapon slots, costs 1 energy and 1 credits, costs 4 per upgrade, and has unlimited uses. Each upgrade raises health by 3.

Bare-est of bones, this body has very little going for it. It is the cheapest body possible and will get you by until you find something better. It is very good for Zap Brennigan tactics. Throw this on a Machine Gun and Mini Tracks to have a body blocker or energy farmer. Due to its 1 credit start, you can spend the rest on good weapons and transports. I wouldn’t upgrade this in most circumstances.

Bodies – Aura

Aura bodies are designed to make your core units better. Because parts have limited uses, you can get more value by strengthening your stronger parts. Their low hp usually relegates them to the back line. Aura bodies also do not affect themselves, but they will affect other mechs that have auras. The same aura will stack on mechs (or enemies in Mischief’s case) in range.

Mechanic

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 5 energy and 8 credits, costs 6 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has an aura of 2 hp regen for every space around it and each upgrade increases the regen by 2.

This body supplies health to allies who get hurt, so it sees less use for mechs with low health pools. It can support from the backline, following behind a tankier ally, or it can act as a ‘fuel’ depot for faster mechs. Having 2 can provide a ton of sustain, but it does not overheal as it is considered a regen, not a heal.

Booster

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has an aura granting 1 movement to all allies near it. The first upgrade increases movement granted to allies by 1 while the second grants itself 1 movement.

Positioning is very important in this game, so granting extra movement can be a powerful tool. It has synergy with move after action mechs or an unupgraded Impervious. Its second upgrade grants it extra movement, making it able to keep up with allies. You won’t need 2 Boosters as its overkill, but its nice to have.

Eagle Eye

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 6 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has an aura that grants 1 range to all allies in the four cardinal directions. The first upgrade gives the range bonus to allies diagonal to it while the second grants itself 1 range.

This is likely everyone’s favorite aura body. Increasing range is very strong and it even gets some itself at max level. If you want to save credits, putting this on a body with diagonal movement or other types of mobility can give high value for low cost. If paired with Rollers, it may not need even that. As it requires upgrades to get range, it should remain a support unit until then. Two upgraded Eagle Eyes together for a +2 range to everyone is pretty scary. For the aliens.

Bodyguard

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 6 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has an aura that grants 3 armor to allies in the four cardinal directions. The first upgrade grants the armor bonus to allies diagonal to it while the second increases the bonus by 2.

An aura body with more versatility than the Mechanic, but it requires an upgrade to get the same coverage. It also does nothing against Bats, so be sure to take them down lest the armor be rendered useless. Same as all other aura bodies, it does not give armor to itself, making it vulnerable to ranged enemies. An armor tile can give some flexibility and a pair of these can turn anyone into a tank, but it’s harder to defend 2 bodyguards (defending bodyguards, ironic).

Commando

This body has 5 hp, 2 weapon slots, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 6 per upgrade, and has 2 uses. It has an aura that increases the damage of allies in the four cardinal directions by 2. The first upgrade grants the bonus to diagonal allies while the second increases the bonus by 2.

A useful aura no matter what you have barring a defense only build. Multi-hit weapons benefit most, but bodies like the Echo and Chain Reaction also love this mech. Unlike the other aura bodies, if the bonus damage isn’t enough to get a kill, its ally might be exposed to danger. Works well when paired with long ranged or heavily armored allies, so support weapons are recommended. A good strategy is to have Gunner Drones escort it as they get incredible value for being damaging bodyguards.

Mischief

This body has 5 hp, 1 weapon slots, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 9 per upgrade, and has 3 uses. It has an aura that increases damage dealt to all enemies next to it by 3. The damage weakness increases by 2 with each upgrade.

A deceptively powerful aura. It only gets 1 weapon slot, but it increases damage dealt to enemies from ALL sources of damage. This includes, but not limited to, mines, counters, DoTs, and trap tiles. It is very risky to use as it needs to be next to enemies, so prepare accordingly. Freezers, mines, resonators, and drones can help delay enemies while the saboteur works his magic. The Mischief only needs to be near an enemy, so giving it movement points to run up and then run away at the end of the turn is also viable.

Weapons – Close Range

Close range weapons are designed for the first mech entering the fight. They prefer to be at melee range for maximum effectiveness, so after action movement and tanky mechs get better value from them.

Saw

This weapon deals 14 damage, an unchangeable maximum range of 1, costs 4 energy and 6 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 4.

The classic robot melee weapon. It has high damage, but only certain mechs can use it due to its low range. It can be used by other mechs when paired with the Claw as it can pull the mech back out of danger. The Claw can also bring enemies straight into the Saw to be split in half. Resonators and suicide tactics make for decent distractions as well.

Shotgun

This weapon deals 12 damage, has a range of 3, costs 4 energy and 8 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. The weapons loses half its damage with each tile of distance from the target. Each upgrade raises damage by 4.

This gun is a pseudo melee weapon due to its damage falloff. Treat it similar to a Saw, but with more options for chip damage. It does have some hidden tech. The damage reduction happens BEFORE any damage buffs are applied. This means that at level 1, at shot at 3 range would deal 3 damage plus damage bonus. This gives it some serious versatility when paired with any damage support. Avoid any range bonuses as they are terrible with this weapon.

Machine Gun

This weapon deals 4 damage, has a range of 1, costs 0 energy and 0 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has unlimited uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 2.

The default weapon that costs nothing and should be in any arsenal. Its low range and damage make it a sub-par gun that should be replaced ASAP. It is better than nothing, and it can make decent filler for mechs for its 0 energy cost. Only upgrade it if you’re using suicide tactics or if nothing else would benefit you more. Even upgraded, it still costs 0 energy, so if you expect to be energy starved, it can have some use. It does gain range from bonuses, making it less awful.

Shield

This weapon gives the user 7 armor for 1 turn, costs 4 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each hit the mech receives while the shield is deployed permanently reduces the armor of the shield by 1 when next deployed. Each upgrade raises the armor by 2.

This shield makes for a decent defense weapon. It does not last forever, so it should be used to stall the enemy long enough for your other mechs to set up or whittle down enemy numbers. Watch out for enemies that strike multiple times as each hit counts towards armor reduction. When using multiple shields, each hit will reduce all active shields individually, so you’ll get more longevity if you stagger their use. It has some good synergy with the Defender and Reflector body.

Energy Shield

This weapon gives the user 5 armor for 1 turn, 50% counter damage for 1 turn, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each hit the mech receives while the shield is deployed permanently reduces the armor of the shield by 1 when next deployed. Each upgrade raises the armor by 2 and counter by 10%.

Like the normal shield, but it gives up 2 armor for counter damage. It has less value in double stacking shields as the counters do not stack. Instead, pair it with a Resonator for its defense buff and aggro as the armor reduction on the shield only occurs next turn. It has amazing synergy with the Defender body as the shield can help early on and provide counter damage even after it gives no armor. It’s not as useful against armored foes.

Hammer of Light

This weapon only kills Fog enemies, has a range of 1, costs 5 energy and 5 credits, and has unlimited uses. It has no upgrades.

I shouldn’t have to go too in depth about this piece as by the time you get it, you should be pretty good at the game. Because it costs credits, it means having a worse start than normal runs. Any range bonuses it gets only extend in the four cardinal directions and it can stall the Fog during normal battles. If bringing this weapon, make sure to keep a healthy stockpile of energy. You’ll need it.

Weapons – Mid Range

Mid range weapons can be used by any mech as they are balanced in range and damage.

Mini Missile

This weapon deals 6 damage, has a range of 2, costs 2 energy and 2 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 5 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 2.

One of the cheapest weapons available. It has plentiful uses and provides guaranteed damage. A good weapon to start if you don’t plan to have any damage buffers and have a lot of weapon slots. You should replace this with better weapons, but it is still a good general use gun. Don’t be afraid to upgrade it if its gonna stick around awhile.

Double Double

This weapon deals 2-5 damage 2 times, has a range of 2, costs 2 energy and 2 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 5 uses. Each upgrade raises minimum and maximum damage by 1.

Also one of the cheapest weapons available. Instead of guaranteed damage, it has higher potential damage split into multiple hits. This is good to start if you want to see some damage support in the run and can easily get through the early game with its plentiful uses. It falls off hard on level 3 as enemies there love armor. It becomes useful again past level 3, so have something to help against armored foes.

Minigun

This weapon deals 2-4 damage 3 times, has a range of 2, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 8 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises minimum and maximum damage by 1.

The middle child of the rapid fire guns, its cost is fairly manageable. Its extra hit means better bonus damage from buffs, but is worse than Double Double without support against armored foes. Make sure to have weapons with high single hit attacks to cover this weapon’s weakness. A Bullseye or Berserk body can make this weapon much more effective.

Gatling Gun

This weapon deals 2-4 damage 4 times, has a range of 2, costs 10 energy and 10 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises minimum and maximum damage by 1.

Say hello to my little friend! This thing spews bullets and shreds enemies. Having damage bonuses make this gun better than any other gun in the game against single targets. It is also the most expensive gun in the game. Similar to its weaker cousins, it hates armored foes, so make sure to compensate with strong single target damage weapons. Or you could buff it so much armor doesn’t matter.

Cannon

This weapon deals 8 damage, pierces 3 armor, has a range of 2, costs 4 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. It also applies a -1 armor debuff for 2 turns. Each upgrade raises damage by 2. The debuff decreases armor by an additional 2 and 3 with each upgrade up to -6.

The Cannon is the only weapon that can shred or pierce enemy armor. Most enemies don’t have armor, but the debuff stacks on enemies and allows all future damage to increase by giving negative armor. This damage increase includes counter, DoT, mine, and trap damage. Because the Cannon pierces, it wont deal extra damage from the debuff if the enemy has between 3 and 0 armor. Most bosses don’t have armor and all are resistant to debuffs, so this weapon loses some of its strengths. It is still better than the Mini Missile and the Double Double in terms of guaranteed damage and has 3 uses.

Weapons – Long Range

Long range weapons can hit targets at at least 3 range by default. They hit hard, but usually have some downside that needs to be considered.

Sniper

This weapon deals 5-10 damage, has a range of 3, costs 5 energy and 10 credits, costs 8 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. The first upgrade raises minimum damage to 10 and the second upgrade increases damage by 4.

Everyone’s favorite gun. Its extra range makes up for its lower starting damage that becomes quite good with upgrades. While having a pretty good energy cost, it is very expensive to start with it and requires at least 1 upgrade for consistency. It can be used by any mech, but gets some nice synergy with range increases. Get enough and you can snipe all the way across the map and never even move. That means Rollers love this. Stack it with a Ranger body and some Eagle Eyes, and you’ll watch them drop like flies.

Air Strike

This weapon deals 12 damage at target tile after 1 turn, has a range of 3, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 4.

It’s like a stronger sniper, but delayed. It relies on your game knowledge of enemy movement to predict targets, but that is relatively simple. Aggressive enemies march forward towards the closest mech, picking the weakest among those in range while cautious ones will move to avoid as much of your range as possible and moving safely into range for their attacks. Most enemies are aggressive and all enemies can be predicted if you use your units as bait. Weapons that restrict movement can help, such as the Mine Launcher or Smoke Grenade. If used properly, this technically has more range than a sniper as it strikes aliens as they move into range. Be careful to avoid friendly fire. Pro tip: These can hit Hoppers.

Big Rocket

This weapon deals 20 damage, has a minimum range of 2-3, limited to 2 rockets per battle, costs 4 energy and 5 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 1 use. Each upgrade raises damage by 5.

The only consumable weapon in the game. It deals a huge amount of damage and is your problem solver for enemies that need to die immediately. It does have a glaring weakness of not attacking directly in front of the mech. While limited in ammo, you can get around this if you have spare energy. You can have a cheap mech carry this that you consider expendable and scrappable or you can spend 2 turns swapping to a Machine Gun and then back to the Big Rocket to ‘reload’. You only get 1, so it won’t be part of your core strategy without wasting energy. You should only upgrade this as needed to take out enemies the base damage wouldn’t kill, and only if you have a problem with them as the upgrades are expensive and not efficient. This is an amazing boss killer, though. At max level with an Echo body and the Initiative expansion, you can spike the final boss before he even gets a turn.

Weapons – Area of Effect

AoE weapons are interesting. Most can be used on an area with no direct target, giving them more range than listed because of their attack radius. The mech using it cannot be hurt, but allies will suffer friendly fire. Similar to the rapid fire guns, these weapons get extra value from damage bonuses. Bosses are strangely weak to them because they take up more tiles and thus, get hit multiple times.

Missilepod

This weapon deals 6 damage, has a range of 2 and hits in a cross, a cooldown of 1 turn, costs 6 energy and 8 credits, costs 8 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 2.

This weapon is nicely balanced in terms of cost and is simple to use. It covers a good area and does respectable damage. It is not so good against single targets, so always cover it with stronger weapons. Mechs that can move after attacking can ensure the largest coverage of enemies hit and be able to avoid retaliation. Range bonuses are also nice.

Mega Missilepod

This weapon deals 6 damage, has a range of 2 and hits in a square, a cooldown of 1 turn, costs 10 energy and 10 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 2.

Shares a lot of the same traits as the smaller Missilepod, but it now attacks in a square, able to hit more enemies. It is the most expensive weapon in the game, tied only by the Gatling Gun. If you can afford the cost, use this instead of the other pod as this is better in every way. Something to note is that because it strikes in a square, it technically has 4 range when looking at single targets.

Raygun

This weapon deals 6 damage, hits all targets in a line, a cooldown of 1 turn, costs 8 energy and 10 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade raises damage by 2.

The king of range that attacks all tiles in a line. This is not quite true on double maps as it reaches about 8 tiles. Still, it can allow mechs to take out annoying targets like Arachnids. Bullseyes are great with this weapon as the body is weak and can avoid the front line while also dealing a ton of damage. Some bosses don’t like to move, so this can whittle them down. Just be mindful to keep mechs out of the line of fire.

Flamethrower

This weapon deals 6 damage, has a range of 1 while also hitting the tile past the target, inflicts 3 damage over time for 2 turns, costs 5 energy and 8 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. The first upgrade raises damage by 2 and DoT damage by 1 while the second upgrade raises damage by 4.

There’s just something immensely satisfying about flinging fire and roasting creatures alive. This weapon is designed to get in close, but can be used from further away. The DoT stacks and while range bonuses can be helpful, it can still only attack in a line. A boss can be stacked with 2 DoTs at once if done point blank. As the only damage over time weapon in the game, hit and run styles make the most use of this as they get close and can run away to let the fire finish’em. The fire damage hits at the start of the enemy’s turn, so consider that part of the damage. Be aware that armor will block each individual stack’s damage. It is also not considered a debuff.

Electroshock

This weapon deals 12 damage, has a range of 2, a cooldown of 1 turn, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. The attack spreads to all enemies next to the target, losing 4 damage per distance from the original target.

An AoE weapon with an unusual twist. It has a pretty high initial damage for a weapon that hits multiple foes and that makes it more useful against single targets. One big advantage is that this will never cause friendly fire. This weapon also has the same hidden tech as the Shotgun. The damage falloff happens before damage bonuses. This means that you can rack up some serious damage. If using this tech, its first upgrade becomes important as that increases the number of targets that can be hit.

Smoke Grenade

This weapon cripples all units in a cross, has a range of 2, costs 5 energy and 5 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Crippling lowers movement and attack range to 1. The first upgrade changes the cross attack into a square. The second upgrade adds 4 damage to the attack.

A powerful support AoE. I shouldn’t need to explain why limiting enemy range and movement is strong. Its last upgrade adds damage to the attack which also allows damage buffs to work on this part. Add on the fact that this has no cooldown, and this is one of the best AoE weapons there is. It might be weak to bosses and Basilisks, but it can help deal with the other enemies to allow more focused fire from other mechs. This is also one of only 3 weapons that can directly affect Hoppers at range, although it still avoids the damage.

Weapons – Offensive Support

These weapons are designed to debilitate enemies or provide offensive options. They are best put on support units, although some can deal damage.

Mine Launcher

This weapon deploys a mine that deals 8 damage, has a range of 2, costs 5 energy and 8 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. When mines damage an enemy, it will interrupt movement and attacks if the damage is at least 50% of the target’s maximum health. Each upgrade increases mine damage by 4.

A great versatile tool. It can stop enemies while also damaging a significant portion of their health. If the enemy has too much health or armor to interrupt, you can still place multiple mines in their path. Enemies that move diagonally can be harder to predict, so try to angle your mechs to restrict the enemy’s attack vector. Mines can receive buffs from damage guns, tiles, and auras, making them capable of breaching the damage threshold. It does not count as a debuff, so Basilisks are also affected. The mines placed can be scrapped to make room and can even collect meta energy. Mines will not be attacked by enemies, but will take damage from any AoE attack, friend or foe. There are several hidden techs with the mine. One is that mines can be displaced with both the Claw and the Push ability. They also count towards all of the Teleporters abilities. Mines also count as allies thus, you can spawn new mechs next to them.

Freezer

This weapon deals 1 damage, stuns the target for 1 turn, has a range of 2, has a 1 turn cooldown, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. The first upgrade removes cooldown and the second increases damage by 4.

This stun gun can immobilize strong units while you deal with weaker foes, like Arachnids. You’ll want to upgrade this ASAP to remove the cooldown. Because it does 1 damage at base, it benefits from any damage bonuses. An advanced technique is to use this to stall the end of a battle in order to recover health from the heal over time expansion.

Neutralizer

This weapon lowers enemy damage by 6 for 1 turn, has a range of 2, costs 2 energy and 3 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. The first upgrade increases the duration by 1 and the second lowers damage by an additional 4.

The cheapest support tool you can buy. This has to be used on enemies before they reach you, so it brings you into strike range. Some (a lot of) enemies can still hurt you with only 1 stack of this debuff, so you should consider getting this to level 3. You can view this as a poor man’s Freezer that does not help much against Scourge enemies. It does not work on bosses either and has trouble being useful against them. It’s best used to stall attacking enemies as they will not move without a weaker (or multiple) target(s) in range, thus occupying space from the non-neutralized threats. Something to note is that counter damage scales with enemy damage, so no damage means no counter damage. The Defender body sees some synergy with this as an attack with zero damage still counts as an attack, but this also has anti-synergy with shields for the same reason. By the way, if you hate Hoppers, this weapon works on them at range.

Counter Gun

This weapon applies a counter buff of 50% for 1 turn, has a range of 2, costs 4 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. The first upgrade increases counter by 30% while the second grants 4 armor.

A gun best used with tank builds. You need some sort of damage mitigation or healing in order for this gun to be useful. If you don’t have the expansions/parts to deal with the damage, put this on the backburner until you do. Counters do not stack, so you’l likely run 2 of these at most until it gives armor.

Damage Gun

This weapon applies a damage buff of 2 for 1 turn, has a range of 2, costs 4 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. Each upgrade increases buff amount by 1.

Liable to be everyone’s favorite support tool. Its simple damage buff is useful for anything that deals damage, except counter damage. Weapons that hit multiple times or multiple enemies see the best value, but it can also shine by increasing damage by just enough to ensure a kill that would normally take 2 shots. As it only raises damage by 1 with each upgrade, your main armament might be a higher upgrade priority.

Trap Tile

This weapon places a permanent trap onto an unoccupied tile that deals 10 damage to any unit ending their turn there, has a range of 2, has a 1 turn cooldown, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Tiles can be removed by using this weapon on the tile again or replacing with another tile. The first upgrade allows traps to be placed or removed if the tile is occupied while the second raises trap damage by 5.

I would consider this the trickiest support tool to use. Enemies only take damage at the end of their turn, so you will still get hit and these tiles can also hurt you, slowing your advance. The damage is blocked by armor and bosses can trigger multiple tiles. The tanks’ ability to Push are useful as is their natural armor. This weapon can be paired with Neutralizers or Freezers for some decent combos. If you have another tile weapon, you can replace these with the other tile when you want to advance.

Damage Tile

This weapon places a permanent damage buff tile onto unoccupied tiles that increases damage by 5, has a range of 2, has a 1 turn cooldown, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Tiles can be removed by using this weapon onto the enhanced tile or replacing it with a different tile. The first upgrade allows tiles to be placed or removed if the tile is occupied while the second raises tile buffs by 2.

The strongest, general use tile. It adds more damage than a maxed damage gun, rewarding good positioning. Do not let enemies steal these or expect to be decimated. Be especially careful on boss missions as most will advance towards you. If you retreat, their large size can trigger the tile easily. Rollers like these as they don’t like to move and have long range

Gunner Drone

This weapon launches a gunner drone, has a range of 1, has a 2 turn cooldown, costs 8 energy and 10 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Gunner drones have 6 hp, have 2 movement, can fly over tiles, deal 2 damage twice, have 2 range, and are active upon launch. Drones do not carry over between battles. The first upgrade adds 1 damage and allows drones flight over units while the second adds another 1 damage and 2 health.

For those who like expendable units. They have a 2 turn cooldown, so having someone stall the enemy can help get more of these buggers on the field. The drones make for perfect bait and get extra value from damage bonuses with their one-two blast. They can also fly, giving them decent area coverage if you don’t have jets. The weapon benefits from increased range, so having an expendable fighter that can deploy wherever it’s needed can be very powerful. They can also collect energy from tiles.

Weapons – Defensive Support

The defensive support class of weapons either heal or give armor. They are only useful when your mechs are attacked, so mechs that are often hit see the most benefit. Some healing weapons have an overheal mechanic where they grant temporary health that is removed at the start of the next turn. Overheal buffs stack.

Heal Gun

This weapon heals an ally 5 hp, has 2 range, costs 4 energy and 6 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. This weapon can overheal and each upgrade increases healing by 3.

This gun is fairly straightforward in its use. It can heal damage or preemptively reduce it. This works better with high hp mechs or allies that only plan to be attacked by 1 enemy at a time. The weapon cannot target the user, so if this mech gets hurt, you’ll need another with this gun. Stalling the last enemy can allow for your squad to heal before the next battle.

Armor Gun

This weapon applies 5 armor to an ally for 1 turn, has 2 range, costs 4 energy and 8 credits, costs 9 to upgrade, and has 3 uses. Each upgrade gives an extra 2 armor.

A little harder to use compared to the Heal Gun, but has more potential mitigation. It’s best used with armored mechs or when you have some healing capabilities, either through parts or expansions. The buff stacks, so having multiple guns is like going to a build-a-tank workshop. It sees great synergy with counter parts.

Heal Tile

This weapon places a permanent tile on an unoccupied space that heals 4 hp, has 2 range, a 1 turn cooldown, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. This tile can overheal. Tiles can be removed by using this weapon on the tile again or replacing with another tile. The first upgrade allows placing and removing tiles on occupied spaces while the second increases healing by 4.

A slightly weaker automatic heal gun. These can be placed near the back lines to repair any injured mechs or placed near a contested area for the overheal effect. It’s a little harder to use due to needing careful positioning to prevent enemies from regenerating. Enemies can also overheal, making it doubly important.

Armor Tile

This weapon places a permanent tile on an unoccupied space that grants 5 armor, has 2 range, a 1 turn cooldown, costs 5 energy and 7 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Tiles can be removed by using this weapon on the tile again or replacing with another tile. The first upgrade allows placing and removing tiles on occupied spaces while the second increases armor given by 3.

The tile meant for drawing a line and telling enemies they can’t cross it. You either need some healing capabilities or enough armor to negate the damage completely to make full use of this weapon. It is pointless for mechs that don’t want to be hit, but it can provide armor in an emergency. This tile is actually very dangerous on foes. Your weapons can prove unable to kill enemies on this tile, so having a displacement ability is recommended. And whatever you do, do NOT let a boss snag this space.

Repair Drone

This weapon launches a repair drone, has a range of 1, a 2 turn cooldown, costs 7 energy and 8 credits, costs 10 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Repair drones have 6 hp, 2 movement, fly over tiles, heals 6 hp, have 1 range, and are active on launch. Drones do not carry over between battles. The first upgrade allows drones flight over units and each upgrade increases healing by 4.

The counterpart to the Gunner Drone, these robots heal instead. They can also bait and reach areas other units can’t, and they have the highest single target heal in the game. This comes with 2 major downsides: they only have 1 range and they cannot overheal. This means that they are vulnerable to ranged enemies and low hp allies aren’t helped much. Their low hp can still save those allies as they can heal the ally above the drone’s health so the drone is targeted instead. Unlike other healing weapons, these drones can both stall and heal at the end of a battle by acting as bait. Like the other drones, they can also collect energy.

Resonator

This weapon causes all enemies to target this mech, costs 5 energy and 6 credits, costs 6 to upgrade, and has 2 uses. Each upgrade grants the user an additional 3 armor for 1 turn.

The Resonator is an oddball. It makes sure any enemies that can target this mech, do. Something to keep in mind is that enemies will still block each other’s movement, so if an enemy could attack and is unable to, it will target something else. It has obvious synergies with counter styles and tank builds. The armor bonus given when upgraded can allow it to be used like a shield that doesn’t decay. Mechs with low hp will need to be careful if using this.

Weapons – Utility

A utility weapon’s purpose is to displace enemies or allies, or provide other movement advantages. They provide options that other parts do not have, but require clever planning to be of any use. Smoke Grenades receive an honorable mention.

Claw

This weapon grabs units in one of the four cardinal directions and pulls them to this mech, has a range of 2-3, costs 2 energy and 4 credits, costs 6 credits to upgrade, and has 3 uses. Each upgrade increases maximum range by 1.

This is a weapon for those who understand the game’s mechanics and can exploit this tool to its potential. It requires clear line of sight and cannot pull targets over blocked tiles unless it is a flying enemy. The Claw can pull an enemy on turn 1 to isolate and take it out. It does not affect bosses, but it can pull Basilisks and even Hoppers. It can pull an ally that has face slapped an enemy and needs rescuing. It can move other mechs so that allies can preserve their own movement. It has great synergy with glass cannon allies or when equipped with the Saw. The Smoke Grenade also makes for a good partner as it can keep enemies at bay as you kill them one by one. It can set up for a better AoE attack. As I’ve said, creative use makes or breaks this part’s effectiveness.

Closing Statements

And that covers every part in the game. I hope this guide was helpful and managed to change your mind on parts that you might have deemed terrible. Maybe now you don’t have to start with a Sniper every time or think that Rollers are useless. Of course, you most certainly can as to each their own. Still, if this guide helped you enjoy the game more, then I’m glad.