MECH PLANNING: There isn't much choice in mechs/equipment at lower levels, and low-level mechs have few if any equipment slots. You have a lot more options at this level. Optimal performance requires planning. Carefully select equipment and weapons that add to what your mech is already good at, or that compensates for weaknesses.
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COCKPIT: Mostly boosts Precision, which is good against Dodge. A lot of small bonuses available at these levels can synergize with your mech.
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CHASSIS: Basic equipment boosts Shield but lowers Speed, or gives Dodge. Shield-boosting chassis are best used on mechs that already have Shield, preferably niode shield(s) from Shield Slot(s). Good Dodge is useful against mechs without good Precision, or for mechs so fragile they can't take hits anyways; look for mechs with multiple Chassis slots to stack Dodge high.
Nanobot Repair and Handheld Nuke are other new chassis options. The former has Auto Repair and low odds of a big kickback. The latter has huge almost guaranteed kickback, but potentially increases damage quite a lot. If you do plan to use these, remember the weight requirements on each; Nanobot Repair only works for 25-50 ton mechs, and Handheld Nuke for 35-55.
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ENGINE: Boosts Speed, and a variety of bonuses with different modules.
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SHIELD: Level 1-9 mechs are all 20 tons or under, so only have access to the 0-25 ton tier of shields. All normally available level 10-18 mechs are 25-45 tons, so may equip the far more powerful 25-50 ton tier of shields. Crystal versions provide 32% protection against one of the five types of damage (projectile, laser, fire, ice, missile), but impart 11% vulnerability to another type and 8% vulnerability to a third type. Niode versions provide 42% protection to one type and 11% vulnerability to a second (no vulnerability to a third) and Shield (12). Niode shields are really excellent.
Two shield modules don't fit in the standard tiers of shields; the new niode shield Turtle Shell for 20-45 ton mechs that fits the low-level Axe Bot and Shocklite (prevents 48% Trample damage and gives Shield (11), but imparts Proj. Vulnerable 4% and Missile Vulnerable 5%). The vulnerabilities are rather unpleasant especially for low levels when there's plenty of hard-hitting projectiles and missiles, but the the Shield (11) is a big boost from the normal Shield (6) normal to the 0-25 ton shield range. The other nonstandard shield is the niode shield Titanite Buckler for mechs in the 40-60 ton range, which gives Shield (8), Dodge 1, and Speed -1. The 50-75 standard range of niode shields has Shield (16), but the drop in shield could be worth the trade, for a dodge-oriented mech.
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HOPLITE: Available level 10, costs crystal, 25 tons, 50 start armor, 3 weapon + 1/7 levels. Speed bonus 6, small 2X Damage and Freeze chances, various shields against specific damage types as increases in levels. Shield slot at 6 and 26, chassis slot at 9, engine slot at 13, cockpit slot at 18. This is a pretty big step up in defense compared to previously available lighter mechs, thanks to the 25-50 ton range of niode shields. The various damage-specific shields are a bonus.
The best shield-defensive crystal mech for a long while, especially if you can afford multiple different niode shields and switch them out for the right occasions. Faster than the iMech, especially with the engine slot at 13 (the iMech gains its first engine slot at 36). The Holmes at level 16 is more suited to Dodge.
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NERIO: Available level 11, costs niodes, 25 tons, 50 start armor, 3 weapon + 1/5 levels. Speed bonus 7, small proj. damage and missile damage bonuses, gains Precision bonuses as leveling, small 3X damage possibility. Cockpit slot at 3, shield slot at 7 and 14, engine slot at 9.
The best defensive niode mech for a while when leveled to 14 with its second shield slot, if you can afford a variety of niode shields and switch them out to fit the occasion. The next mech to get multiple shield slots is the Nifthel crystal mech available at level 19.
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iMECH:: Available level 12, costs crystal, 30 tons, 70 start armor, 3 weapon + 1/6 levels. Speed bonus 5, cockpit slot at 2, chassis slot at 4, shield slot at 10. Slow (4) at 18, good bonuses to proj. damage as leveling.
A good mech if you have nice projectile weapons. The Hoplite has better defenses, some chance of 2X damage, and is faster, but doesn't have consistent high damage. The iMech goes very well with the Fist of Fury projectile weapon if you have it from earlier purchased Axe Bots. Other projectile weapons may be available as prizes from events or mission bosses. If you notice a limited edition high damage projectile weapon sale on, or have a load of good projectile weapons, think about the iMech.
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TROOPER: Available level 12, costs niodes, 30 tons, 60 start armor, 4 weapon + 1/5 levels. Speed 4 (plus another 10 when leveled up), precision 2, increasing chance of 2X damage as leveling, increasing vulnerability to fire and ice as leveling. Chassis slot at 4 and 14, cockpit slot at 9.
A Dodge type shield-breaking mech that hits its stride at level 14, with good speed, good 2X Damage percentage, and high Dodge with properly equipped second chassis slot. Fire and ice weapons are normally first available at level 17 and 18, but special limited edition niode weapon sales can come up, making fire/ice available for lower level players, so watch out for those. This mech may be your best bet for breaking through shields, especially if you're facing multiple shields and don't have high-damage weapons (or if your selection of high-damage weapons is limited, allowing your opponent to effectively shield). The high dodge can push your opponent to bring a decent Precision mech or suffer the consequences.
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ORCUS: Available level 14, or free with qualifying niode purchase at mechagalaxy.com. Costs niodes, 35 tons, 65 start armor, 4 weapon + 1/5 levels. Speed 7, with more speed bonuses as leveling, decent proj. damage bonuses as leveling, engine slot at 2 and 18, chassis slot at 2, shield slot at 12.
The fastest mech, with bonuses to the fastest weapon type(projectile), with an engine slot for even more speed. Load up with some hard-hitting projectile weapons to do plenty of damage to an opponent before they can hit back. Using a niode shield and Nanobot Repair chassis makes this mech a passable fast-hitting tank; equipping Handheld Nuke chassis makes this a quick kamikaze bomb. As far as I know it is not possible to get around Handheld Nuke's kickback with Shield or Projectile Shield.
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KERADON: Available level 15, or free with qualifying niode purchase at mechagalaxy.com. Costs niodes, 35 tons, 75 start armor, 6 weapon + 1/5 levels. Cockpit slot at 2, chassis at 2, engine at 4 and 18, shield at 4. Small chances of Trample, 2X Damage, 3X Damage, each increasing with level up.
A decently durable shield-breaking mech. Usually best with Shield rather than Dodge, has a Cockpit slot for better Precision and supplemental bonuses, a Shield slot that can combine with Torso Plating chassis for decent durability, and double Engine slots for comparable Speed when fully equipped. The best all-arounder in the class that can use any weapon type, with plenty of equipment slots to switch out as situation demands. Often best used in front line to take advantage of early Trample.
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HOLMES: Available level 16, costs crystal, 35 tons, 80 start armor, 4 weapon + 1/7 levels. Moderate bonuses to laser damage as leveling up, some chance of 2X damage at 8, engine slot at 5, chassis slot at 5 and 12, cockpit slot at 11.
A Dodge-type crystal mech with bonuses to laser damage, can be equipped with Handheld Nuke. The next mech to get double Chassis slots is the Oggun at level 24, so if you're looking for a dodge-type crystal mech, this is the best option for a while.
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DREAD: Available level 18, or randomly (low chance) as a prize for beating Mission Boss 2. Costs niodes, 45 tons, 90 start armor, 5 weapon + 1/5 levels. Moderate bonuses to missile damage and trample while leveling, shield slot at 2, cockpit slot at 2, chassis slot at 11, engine slot at 13.
Has considerable Trample damage, so using it on the front lines with a powerful missile loadout can be quite nasty if it survives - remember the slow firing speed of missiles. The bonus missile damage on this mech is the best available for a while, so look for this mech if you have a load of good missile weapons.
The next few notable mechs are the crystal Nifthel at level 19 with two Shield and two Engine slots and bonuses to ice damage, the crystal Luison with double Shield slots and assorted bonuses, the niode Fides with its monstrous early double Chassis triple Shield double Engine slots, and the crystal Oggun with plenty of 2X damage bonuses and double Chassis slots.
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In closing - remember the above aren't "rules", they're hardly even "guidelines." Change things up as necessary. For example, if you have an iMech-heavy lineup, your opponent may come in with proj. shields. But proj. shields leave an opponent vulnerable to laserx. So if you load your iMechs with projectile and laser weapons, they're able to handle more than iMechs armed only with projectiles. Or suppose you watched a replay and saw your high-Dodge mechs fall to low-damage Precision type mechs. Chassis slots aren't great at shielding, but if you don't have a shield-type mech, you have to make do with what you have - so perhaps switch your Chassis slots to shield-type equipment to win.
Again - carefully select equipment and weapons that add to what your mech is already good at, or that compensates for weaknesses. But remember, what your mech is good at, or what your mech is weak at, is determined by your opponent as well as yourself.
Submitted by Jim Lee#843365