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zeke50100 -> Choosing the Mech that is Right for YOU (3/20/2009 23:53:17)
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Choosing the Mech that is Right for YOU
By Zeke50100
Table of Contents
Introduction
Personal Preference
Statistics
Default Weapons and Effects
Ability to Combo with Outside Equipment
Mecha Style
The House Mecha
Conclusion
Introduction
As you may know, MechQuest’s combat system is primarily focused on one thing: The mecha itself. This guide is designed to help you find a mecha that is right for you. Now, you may go, “Well, that’s easy! Just get the _____ mecha!” Well, it’s not as simple as that, and in this guide, you will hopefully learn why.
Personal Preference
This is the biggest part in choosing a mech. Personal Preference. Now, this guide could all be put into a few words: “Pick a mecha that fits your preferences,” and be done with it. Now, that wouldn’t be a guide then, would it?
The way personal preference will be used in this guide is much more explanatory than that. Basically, there are different types of mecha; your personal preference will then lead you to the mecha you want. But first, a few statistics and facts…
Statistics
Statistics are the core of the MQ battle engine. Without statistics, there is no mecha. When choosing a mecha, first and foremost are the statistics to look at.
First, let’s start with an example. For this example, I will be using the Forensics Defender
Let’s take a look at the core statistics, HP and EP.
HP: 350
EP: 210
As we can see, the HP is 350 and the EP is 210. The HP of a mecha is very important. Without much of it, the survivability of this mech will not be very competent. For a level 22 mecha, the HP statistic of this mech is very good. You can compare any mecha you want with another of around the same level using the Mecha Bases Pedia
The EP, on the other hand, is needed for using weapons. No EP means no fighting. Looking for a mecha with lots of EP is always good, as you will nearly never need to skip. This mecha has around average EP for its level, meaning it is sufficient enough for basic needs.
Next up are the secondary statistics. Here are the secondary statistics for the Forensics Defender:
EP Regen: 14
Most mecha do not have many secondary statistics. The most common one is EP Regen, found on nearly every mecha in the game, save for some special mecha. Now, when taking a look at Energy Point Regeneration, you must factor in many other things. First of all, the total EP for the mech. If a mecha has VERY high EP, then there is no need for high Regen. Second of all, there may be special effects on the default equipment that can help reduce the need for EP Regen, or the defaults may have low EP usage.
On the other hand, there could be certain things about the mecha that REQUIRE high EP Regen; i.e., if the mecha has high EP usage, low total EP, etc., it will need a higher regen to compensate. Keep these things in mind when selecting the mech.
The example has an EP Regen of 14. This is slightly below average. Combined with the around average EP total, this mecha is not the best for EP lovers.
Other secondary statistics include: Critical, Boost, Dodge, Defense, and the player stats (Power, Luck, Reflex, Accuracy, Perception, Efficiency)
Default Weapons and Effects
Default Weapons and Effects are almost as important as statistics themselves. They provide special effects that in nearly all cases will turn the tide of battle. See the Guide to Equipment Specials and Effects for a list of all of the specials and effects.
This part is important because, due to the variety of special effects, you must select a mecha which fits your preferences. Let's take a look at the Forensics Defender:
FT GPD Sig
Dmg: 40-50
Energy: 30
Cooldown: 1
Special: Prevents enemy EP regeneration for 2 turns
FT Super Tazer
Dmg: 40-50
Energy: 30
Cooldown: 5
Special: Stuns 1 turn
Mercury Police Lights
Dmg: 42-48
Energy: 30
Cooldown: 3
Special: Increases total damage by 50% (Roughly 67 Dmg, may be a little higher or lower)
Starship Air Strike
Dmg: 42-48
Energy: 30
Cooldown: 3
Special: Increases total damage by 50% (Same estimated damage as "Mercury Police Lights")
Titanium Vest
Dmg: 0-0
Energy: 30
Cooldown: 3
Special: Increases defense by 50%
As you can see, there are a variety of specials equipped on this mech. Some of the most important ones are stunning, defense boost, and EP Regen halting. Combining these effects, we can gather that this mech is designed to not get hit by the enemy, while dealing some extra damage. Some may like this, some may not. Personal preference comes into play quite a bit here; do you want high damage dealers, or mecha that can't be hit? This is up to you, not anyone else.
Another thing to watch for are the cooldowns on each default weapon. Taking a look at our model, we can see that this mecha will never need to skip, if the right strategy is used. There are some weapons that, while they are very powerful, have high cooldowns. Choosing a mecha with either no-skip strategies or the ability to not skip during battles with outside equipment is very important.
Of course, there ARE some other factors just as important as this one, such as...
Ability to Combo with Outside Equipment
This one is also very important. If a mecha cannot combo well with outside equipment, then you are forced to use the default weapons and are unable to expand on the combinations. For example, let's look at our model mecha again:
As seen in the above section, this mecha is designed to not get hit. The front arm has an ability to stun for 1 turn. However, we can expand on that, with a weapon such as Priceless Frying Pan, a weapon that can stun for TWO turns without hurting this mecha. While it does slightly less damage, an extra turn of not being hit is very important for this mecha, since it may need to skip turns due to its low EP.
When selecting a weapon, you may also want to find a weapon that can boost the weakpoint of a mecha, instead of increasing a strong point. Since this mecha has low EP, you may want to find a weapon that is decent for use, yet has low EP, such as the Used Electron Sniper. Now, some may say, "But that is a level 8 weapon with very low damage!" Well, that may be true, but the effect is the same. In fact, it is actually better, due to having a 100% chance of stunning, unlike the default front arm. This weapon also costs quite a bit of EP less, so it may be good to swap out a default for this kind of item, as long as the general effect is the same. It's all up to personal preference.
Mecha Style
The last part covered in this guide is mecha style. No, not looks type of style, battle-style. While this was covered for a bit in previous sections, it is still important enough to warrant its own. Mecha style is how a mecha battles. As we know, the Forensics Defender is designed to not become hit; it's designed to stop the enemy so that it maintains its own HP, while it can whittle at the enemy's. This is the biggest part of personal preference. I'll explain why:
It is up to someone's preference of battle-style to look for a mecha they want. If someone is not comfortable with stunning, this mecha may not be the best choice for them. If someone is more for the big damage-type mecha, there are better options out there. There some things that some people prefer, which can help narrow down the selection of mecha that is "right" for the person.
The House Mecha
The house mecha are the most known mecha in all of MechQuest. They are also the most important, being deciding factors in which house to join. To help you pick your house based on the mecha, this short section is here. Now, let's take a look at the pros, cons, and abilities of each house mecha:
Wolfblade Standard
Abilities: Increased damage, Stunning, EP drain.
Pros: Very stable damage output, and high chances for increased damage. Also a high chance to stun.
Cons: Lower EP than the standard of the same level.
Wolfblade Advanced
Abilities: Increased damage, Stunning, defense nerf to enemy, decreasing damage taken, increase damage/decrease accuracy.
Pros: Very stable damage output, high chance for VERY high damage, high chance for a two turn stun, competent nerfs and buffs.
Cons: Damage boosting head also decreases accuracy, and lower EP than standard Mecha.
The Wolfblade series generally have the ability to increase damage (and in the case of Advanced, a LOT of damage), and stunning. The advanced version can also decrease enemy defense and damage. This helps counter out the accuracy nerf received when using the Rage ability. However, they also carry the same con: Low EP and regeneration. This mecha is not for those who like having high EP with no worries. It is, however, good for those who like dealing high amounts of damage.
Mystraven Standard
Abilities: Stunning, DoTs, EP Strikes, Double Damage.
Pros: 3-turn stun, high chance for a DoT, high chance for an EP strike.
Cons: Low chance of 3-turn stun, low chance for increased damage, very unstable damage.
Mystraven Advanced
Abilities: Decreasing enemy accuracy, Critical hits, stunning, DoTs, decreasing enemy defense.
Pros: Variety of specials. Medium EP. Very large accuracy decrease to the enemy.
Cons: Very unstable damage range.
The Mystraven series, like the Wolfblade, also carries some traits through. Each of them has the ability to stun and deal DoTs. The Advanced version can decrease the enemy accuracy substantially, which is its core effect, allowing it to not be hit for an extended period of time. The same con, however, appear in both versions. This mecha has a very large damage range. While this may be good for lucky people who tend to get the high-end of things, it is bad for people without much luck.
Runehawk Standard
Abilities: DoTs, stunning, increased damage, healing.
Pros: Variety of specials. 2 high chance DoTs, 3-turn stun, and healing.
Cons: Low chance of stunning, low HP.
Runehawk Advanced
Abilities: DoTs, HP Leech, EP Leech, HP <=> EP Redirect
Pros: Very high amount of DoTs and Leeches. High EP.
Cons: Low HP
The Runehawk mecha also carry traits through the series. They generally have a variety of DoTs. The standard version can heal, stun, and increase damage, while the Advanced activates a multitude of DoTs upon the enemy. The advanced version can leech off of the opponent's EP and HP, which is a great ability to survive longer. The body can also redirect parts of attacks towards the high amount of EP that it possesses, rather than the low HP. They both have low HP, which can be a pain for those who enjoy survivability. They do, however, have very high EP and regeneration. This is a great mecha choice for those who love having EP.
Overall, the mecha when choosing a house is very important. Those who enjoy reliability and survivability, and care a bit less about EP, may want to check out Wolfblade. Those who have rather good luck, and enjoy more stealthful styles of fighting, should probably look around in Mystraven. Those who enjoy healing abilities, reliable DoTs, and having high EP should probably go for Runehawk. This is not final word, but go with what you enjoy.
Conclusion
Let's look at a general overview:
Statistics: HP, EP, and secondary stats. Some people may like high HP and couldn't care less about EP, while others are the opposite. Choose a stat-selection that you are comfortable with.
Default Weapons and Effects: The default weapons of the mecha. Pick a mecha with defaults and effects you enjoy using.
Ability to Combo with Outside Equipment: How well a mecha can work with non-default equipment. If a mecha cannot use non-defaults that well, it may not be the best choice for you if you like customization.
Mecha Style: The battle-style of this mech (e.g. Stunning, Defense boost, etc.). Choose a mecha that uses a style you are comfortable with. If you aren't "all in" for stuns, don't pick a mecha that relies on it!
In the end, everything is affected by your personal preference. This guide is not meant to give you a list of mecha that are the "best"; it is to show you the basic things you should base your mecha choice on. Follow these general guidelines, and you may have a much easier time picking out a mecha.
And remember, make sure to always carry a "backup" mecha, just in case a certain mecha you use may not be right for a certain quest.
To find all the info you need about a mecha you are considering, check out the MechQuest Encyclopedia, as it contains EVERY mecha in game.
Thanks to #13 for info
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