The Radix Tribe have stepped up their game, this 225th
Anniversary of the “Battle that changed it all”, to whit; Red Ant formations
are getting some love.
Radix miners have struck a mother-lode of rare
minerals on Terminis 5 that can be used to dramatically reduce upgrade times
for the venerable Red Ant mecha.
Couple this with the announcement that every clan must
be sporting a 10 ton in the upcoming Clan Wars 3313 and you’ll be seeing some
fantastic Ant formations starting up!
Now
you say to yourself, “Ant Spec., that’s so Basic. What’s the big deal?”
Well, let me tell you, there are many ways to set up
your ants that can give you a decided advantage over those who don’t pay
attention.
Let’s start with the build. Ants cap out on upgrades
at Lvl 110 where they have 3 cockpits, 1 chassis, and 3 shields. They gain 95%
laser damage and some precision, speed and shields without the equipment buffs.
First off, you most likely have figured out that
lasers is the way to go. However, I also like to include at least one
projectile weapon and something with freeze per Ant as well. This will give you
one or two shots with better speed and the chance to freeze a mech so that you
can one shot them quicker. This will also help against players that stack their
shield slots with Laser shields.
In the cockpit, cup holders abound, but Known Hacks is
a nice Ant-friendly piece that does not cost a whole lot of niodes (9 when not
on sale). It gives you both Slow and Freeze capabilities while also providing a
4% bump on your laser damage. Two other niode cockpit pieces provide 5
precision, but aren’t really worth anything else for the 16 niode price of
them.
Chassis equipment is fairly limited at 10 Ton, at
least as the ant is concerned. Reinforced joints give a Dodge of 10 for Ferrite
and Bioptics, so is pretty hard to beat. There is some Niode gear available,
but nothing is so improved as to offset the cost. Jump jets are nice, but it’s
been my experience that anything with a kickback is not going to end well for
an Ant.
For formations, it’s been my opinion that when it
comes to Ants, load up the largest base you can get with as many as possible. I’ve
seen some people play with spacers, but I feel that’s a waste.
Ants have one primary advantage in a formation and
that is sheer numbers. It’s much easier to one shot ants as opposed to worrying
what little Trample you’ll be getting out of opponents at this weight class.
Also, if you spot someone with high trample, you have the shield slots to
counter it. Point as many guns at the enemy as you can is always a solid
strategy.
Now weapons. Topped out, Ants have 16 weapon slots.
Get the biggest, baddest lasers you can get your hands on, spread them evenly
between ALL Ants, not just your front lines. Reason being, you can always one
shot an Ant. Make sure you give each Ant at least 1 projectile, and maybe 1
freeze weapon. This will give you an evenly spaced speed advantage while
possibly sliding something past a shield and one shotting an opponent.
And with that, you have some decent strategy and set
ups to field an Ant spec next Clan War. Remember, a lot of higher level players
try to mix up what their ants can do for fun, so if you stick by your guns and
work towards the strengths of your formation, you should have an improved
survivability on the field.
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