T10 Tsunami Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

The T10 has a minimum level requirement of 55. All pertinent stats including purchase info are in the image. With that said lets see if it's worth the niodes. I say it depends on your play style, do you go in for the quick kill or do you hold out playing the long game until those big but slow weapons come online?

Let me explain this weapon sacrifices its speed for possible damage. This is of course is a trade off, being slower in speed to fire but if it does go off chances are it will fork the damage.

Variable of course by mech and equipment type the Fork can reach higher numbers. Will you see it go off often with that speed on it? Probably not but when it does launch and hit it will make itself known to your opponent. So depending on your play style this weapon may be right up your alley, this is a clear cut definition of slow and steady nukes em all.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Black Watch Niode Ice Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Another look back on limited availability weapons of the past. Today we're looking back on The Black Watch niode Ice weapon, all pertinent information about it are in the image, please remember it has come and gone already.

 Let's talk for a second about the fact it is a 62 Damage weapon available to level 30 players. That is unheard of really, a crystal based Crystalion does 59 damage and is available at level 69, then there is the Gorgon crystal ice weapon sitting at 67 damage for levels 79 and up. The Black Watch ice weapon sits nicely in between the two with a damage of 62.

The speed isn't too bad either as most high end crystal ice weapons have speeds of 99. The speed this weapon has is comparable to the Winter's Grasp Ice weapons that come with a Boreas mecha. Really the fastest ice weapon is the Tinsel E.M.P. with both speed and damage set at 111, but that is an exception to the rule. For an ice weapon this is a decent speed honestly, and stats wise it matches weapons in the same category that are 30-40 levels higher than itself roughly.

Put this on a mecha sporting added ice damage, or inbuilt slow and freeze effects and this gun will shine, as it already has those abilities built in. at that point all you are doing is increasing your odds of the weapon using its special abilities. As always a mechas built stats, your skill point allotment placement,and equipment load outs will have a huge impact on how your mecha performs, but for the level, with the damage it does, and the speed it fires at, this is not an ice weapon to pass up.


Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Modular Fuel Line Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

The basics on this engine piece is it is for 90-95 Ton mecha, they do Auto repair of [3], have Fire shield at 10%, Fire Damage at +5%, Ice vulnerable of 8%, and 2X Damage at 11%. All that comes to a price of course which is 1,962 Ferrite, 1,341 Bioptics, and 51 Niodes.

Now the big question is as always ... "Is it worth it?" Ice shielding will easily take care of the vulnerability it has. If you feel like investing the Arctic Delta has Ice Shielding at 38%. Also the BMF mecha sport enough shielding slots that you should easily be able to handle the switch off in vulnerabilities.  Fire damage here is decent, but not too high, in any event it would add a nice kick to your flame arsenal.

Fire shielding here decent at the 10% mark, could be worse could be better. Any bonus though as I said is a plus. Finally we come to the Auto Repair function with its [3]. That isn't shabby at all, given this engine piece doesn't have a speed rating it should be able to hold its own with the Auto Repair. Don't rely on it though one good critical hit and you mecha is toast. But for the times that doesn't happen this is a nice little feature.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Heatsink Ports Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas in the 45-55 to range we have this little gem. It will cost you 355 Ferrite, 168 Bioptics, and 44 Crystal. It packs the abilities of Speed +10, and Dodge (2). A crystal engine that packs more than just speed modifications is always a good thing and even a small bonus to dodge is a good thing. This engine is rather affordable, packs solid speed and marginal dodge bonuses.

Put into a proper tonnage mecha with the right chassis equipment to offer a high level of dodge those marginal bonuses to dodge on this engine suddenly become the difference between getting slaughtered, or walking away from a fight. There of course are better engines out there, and they are mostly Niode to boot. But this is crystal, cheap, and offer solid stats no real way to go wrong here.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Aegis Field Equipment Review by David McCallum : #701548

Shall I recount the ways in which I love thee....


No vulnerabilities has't thou...


Thine protection is twofold betwixt the awesomeness of the most plentiful of munition types...


And a bit of fork as well...


But most of all, I love thee for thou art a shield... love a shield.


See, we are a far more cultured lot over here compared to the A.N.N.


Well, except for Pat who still thinks that flatulence is the highest form of humour. Or Kenneth, our own Maroon Helmet, who is yet to graduate past doing hand written reports in crayon. Or Ron and Joel who start a mech review with whether or not the chassis looks like it's got wuzzbams...


OK, I'm cultured. Still more than the other place has got.


But that's not getting this review done. You know the drill by now. Is it useful, can I find a space for it readily, would I buy one?


Well I did. I managed to get hold of one while there were still limited numbers on the open market, before they became only available through the mystery Vortex Crates.


Of course it has to go on a 100 ton chassis, but the good thing about those behemoth beasties is that they have so many shield hard-points that you can always find space in the line for something a little different or special.


Lets see what this one can do that's special.

Compared to an Epsilon class shield (the only real equivalent) it has 23% mitigation for both Lasers and Projectiles. Probably the best combo you can have, and both have the same rating, rather than half mitigation for the second munition like you get with an Epsilon.


You also get Fork mitigation of 35% and Wide Fork of 40%.


Instead of a vulnerability, you have your straight shielding ability reduced by around a third, but that's still around the same as  Delta grade shield.


The thing is, on a hundred tonner, this piece allows a lot of flexibility.


On a Fext, with only 4 hard-points, you can use this in place of 2 shields, rely on the inbuilt Ice shielding and double up on shields that have become vulnerable due to equipment choices. The same goes for a Notos, just substitute Missile for Ice.


With a Potatotron you are using it to enhance anything that is needed because of that extra hard-point past 5, while on a Reaper you can use it to free up slots to cover the built in Missile vulnerability.


The point is, this is not a piece that you can only fit depending on what other choices you have made, unlike the other shield types.


This is one you can use as a starting point and build around it.


And you wonder why I love shields?



Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Northern Gale Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

This niode Ice weapon was handed out to everyone who logged in, in honor of the Mezwar New Year.

For a freebie this weapon has some pretty nice kick to it. The damage is a point above a level 62 crystal White Knight, the speed is comparable with higher end ice weaponry, such as the Winter's Grasp, and the Wendigo. Crit-Kill isn't usually included in a ice weapons so seeing that as a weapon ability is really cool (no pun intended). The slow ability is featured across many of the ice weapons to varying degrees, so it's good to see an old stand by reappear here.

Now of course your skill point allotment, mecha build stats, and equipment load out will play into the performance you get out of this weapon. Especially with the crit kill, depending on mecha model it will either have a good deal of equipment slots or not so many. Of course with how equipment is made a good deal of the cockpit pieces are able to increase crit kill potential. Granted you could slap this on any mecha for basic performance stats, but the bonuses to ice damage as well as Slow ability pretty much decide this weapons fate on an ice mecha.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Blue Dragon Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

A nasty piece of weaponry the Blue Dragon is a Niode based laser available to levels 107 and up. It has straight damage of 125, a speed of 104, and the ability of Crit Kill at 19%. All it will cost you is a small fortune in resources, to the tune of 2,100 Ferrite, 2,100 Bioptics, and 58 Niodes. Or get 5 for 232 Niodes with a limit of 45.

Do I really need to tell you laser specialty mechas are the way to go with this one? Or crit kill heavy equipment based mechas? I really didn't think so otherwise you would have never made it to lvl 107 to buy this in the first place. Honestly mecha build stats, skill point allotment, and equipment load out will help define the overall performance of this weapon on your mecha. But as stands with just the straight damage, and the ability as a maybe this is pretty much plug and play on any decent laser based mecha.

Submitted By Pat Willis#224534

Logo for the Independent Pilot Group (IPG) Faction By Germán Jaramillo (ID 685605)

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo (ID 685605)

Bola Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

This is a cyrstal ice weapon, with all pertinent information for level restrictions, and price contained in the image. These are big boy and girl toys reserved for higher levels, but through raid prizes, tourney participation and on occasion the mystery vortex, they may be made available to levels lesser than what is listed.

So lets break this down by the numbers, this weapon packs a straight damage of 83, a speed of 100, and the weapon ability of Freeze at 12%.

Straight damage is pretty much on par with the Flash Freeze niode weapon give or take a couple of points. The speed is equal to the higher end niode and crystal ice weapons (Winter's Grasp for niode, Wendigo for crystal), and the weapon ability of Freeze at 12% is actually very decent for a crystal weapon. Consider the Wendigo, it only has a weapon ability of Freeze at 8%.

So really for this being a crystal weapon it has damage potential and traits of some of the mid tier niode weapons. That in and of itself is impressive. Add this to a serious ice based mecha like the Boreas with its bonuses to ice damage, factor in equipment specs. and skill point allotment with your build bonus, and this is a straight up evil weapon to have fired at you.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

A Bit of a Rant by David McCallum : #701548

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Orbital Controls Equipment Review by David McCallum : #701548

There are few things that bring forth deep rooted terror in seasoned pilots, however the phrase "Bring Forth the Comfy Chair" is one of them, especially when it is unexpected.


As unexpected as, say, the Spanish Inquisition was.


And while this particularly comfy chair may have been unexpected, it's not in any way unwelcome.
 

You can now only get this gear through Vortex crates, but a few pieces were available on the blac.. I mean through suppliers who provide for the more discerning collector of rare purveyances.


I was fortunate enough to get hold of one, and while the price at the time was perhaps a touch on the expensive side, it is nonetheless a very tidy bit of kit.


Suitable only for the super heaviest of machines, it is precisely what you would hope for in a piece of cockpit equipment, the ultimate evolution of the humble cup older.


14 Precision... check. In fact that's the best target acquisition and tracking you can get, bar none.


3% Crit-kill... check. Plenty of pieces out there that have a rating the same, but there are also plenty who don't. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm more than happy to take a chance of one shotting a 100 tonner if its facing me.


Now there are plenty of cockpit systems that have these two in conjunction with other bonuses, and in this case its Freeze rated at 11% and Slow rated at a reduction factor of 8.


Both lend themselves to being popped onto an Ice chassis, but of course you can't! The Boreas is the heaviest Icer at 95 tons. Maybe Unification has a 100 ton ice mech out there... if these things are being pulled into the Vortex, they have to come from somewhere?


But that's pure conjecture on my part...


But getting back on point, it does allow a starting point to stack Ice weapons on a 100 ton chassis if you are looking at special build.


Otherwise, again these are useful bonuses that can disable a big enemy and that is always a useful thing. Infact if you check, this piece is a reasonably logical extension of the M-hole being the only other cockpit sytem that has this combination of bonuses, albeit in differing amounts.


All in all, I'm not unhappy with this. It fills a gap that the M-hole can't due to its tonnage restriction, and gives a solid boost to any 100 tonner you put it on.


Thumbs up from me!

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Emerald Ray Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we'll be looking at the Emerald Ray, as usual it will be compared to both the weapon above, and below it in the same weapon family. All applicable information on the Emerald Ray is in the image to the side.

So jumping right in at level 38 we have the Cheops Beam. A simple laser it has 40 damage, and a speed of 100, with no weapon ability.

So right of the bat the emerald Ray buries the Cheops Beam with its straight damage being stronger by 5 points, speed is better by 1, and it has a weapon ability of Precision at (3). So yes definitely an upgrade from its predecessor.

Then at level 48 we have the Hyper Amp. It sports a straight damage of 46, has a speed of 100, and the ability of Slow at (2).

The Emerald Ray looses out by 3 on straight damage, wins with 1 point of speed, and we can say the abilities are pretty much a wash. It really depends on your play style. Do you want Slow or Precision?

Final conclusion - The Emerald Ray sits firmly between the two as it should, and in all honesty it isn't much behind its higher level counterpart. This makes it a solid buy for laser shopping pilots and shouldn't be passed up.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Sleet Storm Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at the crystal ice weapon known as Sleet Storm. It is available for levels 18 and up, and has one of the most unpredictable abilities out there...Wild. The ability of Wild means it'll hit whatever it wants when you pull the trigger. It's a highly unpredictable ability, adds randomness to battle, and in my personal opinion is just fun to use.

Now of course as this is a crystal weapon it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a niode based weapon, and it follows standard weapon rules of as you increase in level you get access to new and better weapons. So really doing a comparison of this weapon with another wouldn't make sense, as obviously damage and speed get better.

This is an element based weapon suitable for elemental based mechas, bonuses can be had by paying attention to skill point placement, mecha build stats, and equipment load out.

 For a lower tier pilot looking to break into the mid tiers this isn't a bad weapon at all. It has standard damage, standard speed, and a fun little weapon ability to boot. So really if you have mechas that are ice based throwers you could do a lot worse than buying yourself a few of these, and going to town freezing up your opponents.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Greet the Dragon Seal, Flag for the Dragons Faction. By Germán Jaramillo (685605)

Submitted byGermán Jaramillo#685605

Novum Mech Review by David McCallum : #701548

There are a few things I dislike.


Having to strip down the wife's cockpit after she poured vodka and lemonade all over it is one of them.


OH behave you lot... just because I used words like strip and... look, no, its not a double entendre... or a single one either. Genuine drinks wastage (a crime in itself), controls, targeting, A.I., the whole lot needed to be yanked and replaced.


And while I'm waiting for the new out of the box A.I. to do its fifty squillion updates, I had time to flick back through some of our archived articles.


That was where I found another thing I dislike.


I agree with Pat on something.


Yes, I know, he's slightly up the evolutionary chain from chimpanzee with a bourbon bottle (he still flings his poo though...) but given an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters you eventually get something sensible.

And Patrick has done a fair few articles in his time, so I guess the chimp had to get lucky on occasion.


In this case it was with regard to the Novum Mech.


Now Pat's original review and spotlight went on about how you can only get them as a rare Novum mission and how he kept his and he was slowly leveling it and blah blah blah its good.


Yes it is, but unlike Pat's theoretical conjecture, I actually earn a living in the murky depths of the lighter tonnage mech specialists and I can quite categorically tell you that pound for pound this is perhaps the strongest mech you will come across.


Now the Novum is 25 tonner, and as a general rule of thumb I would tend to class a Niode mech as roughly equivalent to a crystal mech ten tons heavier.


The fact that I have seen these beasties in 70 ton lineups and they are certainly welcome in a 55 line just goes to show how much these little boogers can punch above their weight. I have seen a single Novum go berserk and munch through twelve enemy 40 tonners like Pac Man after a ganja session.


The crux of it essentially comes down to their defensive doctrine. Shielding is minimal, a 25 ton mech is never going to have huge armour to take a hit, they rely on simply not being there.


Mine are over level 100 and have built in dodge of 24 and that is before you fill any of the 3 chassis slots.


Rate of fire is excellent. With the throw weight inherent to a niode mech, a built in speed of 50 and three additional engine slots, it can out shoot most things in its weight bracket and an awful lot of them that are heavier. The built in damage boost for lasers is almost negligible so you can load it with whatever fast weaponry you have available.


I know of some pilots who load up on FOF Targeting and Forking Missiles to get big collateral damage, but one of my favorite builds is using a full load of venerable Galaxy Eyes. If you can couple that with Immersive Neural Rigs (4 of them in the cockpit) then almost a quarter of what you hit with will be a kill shot. Use Targeting Reticles and that drops to 1 in 5 but you also get 1 in 4 chance of Freeze, leaving them open for another pass.


The point is with 4 cockpit slots, you can realy tune your build to be a right royal pain in the posterior.


So any of you new pilots who happen to visit Novum and see something whizz past at high speed, check your hanger and offer a silent prayer to whomever in case something has landed in there... and for crying out loud, don't sell it!

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Radiator Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we'll be looking at the crystal flame weapon, the Radiator. As usual we will be looking at its effectiveness when compared to weapons in the same family both beneath it and above it level wise.

So diving right in at level 43 we have the crystal fire weapon of the Magmolator. It deals 40 straight damage, has a speed of 101, and has the ability of Splash at 5%, and Kickback at 20% with odds of 20% damage.

Radiator  beats out the damage by 4, increases speed by 1, and gets rid of that pesky kickback all together while substituting a Splash effect for a Burn effect at 1% less. Given the Radiator comes sans kick back that is enough alone to say this is the better weapon. Anything that blows up in your face is bad, and most seasoned pilots avoid kickback if at all possible.

Then at level 53 we run into the Mag Chain crystal fire weapon. A very simple, straightforward weapon it does 47 straight damage, has a speed of 101, and a Burn ability at 6%.

So at the higher levels the damage is better by 3 points, the speed is less by 1 point, and it has 2% more Burn ability. So the Radiator is still a contender even when compared with its higher level cousin. It is faster for certain, damage is less overall, but you're still hitting hard, and still having a decent weapon ability to it.

Final call on this weapon - Appropriately placed, better than the weapon beneath it for sure, and still a contender to it's higher level cousin. All in all a solid weapon and one that should be considered by pilots of such levels looking to torch something.


Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Fire Spray Weapon Review by David McCallum : #701548

Here's a word of wisdom for you.

If any person associated with the Bunny Clans invites you to a Burger Bar, there is a very good chance that quarter-pounder flame grilled Snavuurm patties with special sauce are not on the cards.


Pilot Jessica B Rabbit (who now serves with my old clan Heroes II) caught me out with that. The Bunny clans have a few strange ideas that have been passed down from the old Terra Nordic regions. So a 'thing' is not an object of nondescript persuasion, its an actual thing, which apparently is some sort of meeting.


A burger bar (she kept trying to tell me I had the pronunciation wrong, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference) is a type of thing, but it has different rules around membership. Something to do with family and gender I think, but since clans are like family without the awkward holidays and the female pilots tend to enforce gender equality at the end of a fifty caliber sidearm, I honestly couldn't tell the difference.


And to make matters worse, the only food on display at this burger bar (which is apparently a really important thing) was a half eaten bread roll with a note stuffed into it. She brought it to my attention because apparently I'm less reputable than any of our other pilots (way to win friends and influence people girl!) and I wouldn't laugh at how she came into possession of it.


According to her, it appeared from nowhere and landed in her cleavage region (which I was not allowed to examine) but the note had some strange symbols on it.


She reckoned it was from one of the Bunny's M.I.A. pilots and he was trying to make two way contact. I said I would pass it up the chain of command and asked if she had put a reply on a note between her wuzzbams as an experiment to see if it got back to the missing pilot.


That earned me the sort of look normally associated with the aforementioned 50 cal, so I left at that point to pass the information on as I had promised. And hopefully to get some form of food since I had skipped dinner due to the whole misunderstanding.


So after reporting to my superiors (and getting yet more scornful looks) I headed over to the firing range, heartily intent on satisfying my craving for something flame grilled in the meaty department. I was well aware that I had waiting for me  new relatively low powered but limited edition weapon that should suit my purposes.


The Fire Spray is, at least for a short while, the first fire based weapon that new pilots will have access to once they hit level 8, even before the Small Flame at level 17.


Currently costing 15 Niodes, 210 Bioptics and 270 Ferrite per unit or 60 Niodes for a five-pack, you get a flame weapon that has a damage potential of 31, speed factor of 106, a 7% splash rating and around a 50 to 1 chance of one-shotting your opposition.


Lets put that in perspective. You don't get fire damage like that until at least level 19 for a Niode weapon or 33 for Crystal. In terms of speed, its one of the fastest flame weapons there is, as well as being on par with a good bulk of the fast projectile weapons.


Splash is always nice, but you know what's really impressive? Since Galaxy Eyes are no longer available on the open market, you cannot get a crit-kill weapon until you have access to the exquisite Flavian Spear, and young pilots will need to get 5 times their level before they can buy those.


It's not a bad little weapon all told. And in the hands of a seasoned pilot, It does burgers and steaks up a treat.



Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

An Equipment Review For New Players by David McCallum : #701548

If truth be told, probably very new players, but it occurred to me that in all my time I haven't actually seen anything official on just how important this piece of gear is.


It fits on any mech at all from 10 tons up to 100, has no drawbacks whatsoever and gives any mechs some form of boost.


Actual worth of this piece is 5 Niodes (and you should learn very quickly that niodes can be hard to come by and spent very wisely indeed..) but you can't actually purchase it.


You get it FREE!!!


I am talking of course about the humble Instant Upgrade Kit.


And when I say free, I mean of course that you need to make some in game friends and you can send and recieve gifts, of which this is probably the most important one.


Think about it. Every day, you can make one of your mechs permanently better. Veteran players will no doubt advise you to use them only on Niode mechs, and for you first little while in your career you should certainly reserve them for your warhorse or the mech you will receive upon joining a clan.


But if you already have your Niode Mechs fully upgraded, there is no reason you can't use one of these on a Crystal mech. Trust me, if for any reason you do run out (and I can't recall running out in the past few years), send them to all you friends and they will come flodding back in.


Now just as a quick aside, definitely keep the X2 Instant Upgrades you get as KOTM prizes or mission completions for your Niode Mechs. ou don't get many of them and you need to use them for the best return.


So there you have it. The most under rated piece of gear in the game, all free and worth around 150 Niodes expenditure a month. At least that what you would have to pay to get the equivalent in upgrades.


Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

A Heavy Sigh... by David McCallum : #701548

Junior Pilots.


Can't live with 'em, can't hit them with a shovel and make them disappear (leaving only a suspiciously shaped mound in the back yard).


Mine are particularly inept. At least one has problems walking and breathing simultaneously.


There is something to be said for our form of mecha combat. It is very codified. Arm your mechs,  put the equipment on, line up and charge. It's not rocket science.


Actually, that's wrong. The most successful players, be they Crystal or Niode based have honed their
tactics down to a form of black arts, whereby they can work out the best mix of equipment and weapons to get the very best from their available mechs and to put them into a formation that will give them the greatest advantage possible.


Their strategies involve spending priorities and resource gathering. They are our elite, our senior pilots.


Unlike my junior pilots, I would warrant that when confronted with a game of chess, our senior pilots would not rely on the use of wave tactics with their pawns to attempt to secure victory.


One thing I will say in defence of junior pilots is that they have persistence. Senior pilots would take the word 'no' as an actual answer, as opposed to an indication that I may not have understood the question and the should ask again in 5 minutes time.


Actually no, its not a defence. See above for the wish to be able to have some suspicious mounds in the back yard.


And so I found myself (reluctantly) allowing them to perform a new survival drill I may have picked up in the past month. The scenario is relatively simple. They and their associates are stuck with very limited weaponry and resources (especially no heavy mecha) and are being hunted by man sized killer robots.


Admitedly they did learn a few useful lessons, and I hope they stick.


When wielding a rocket launcher, do not stand in the open like a tit in a trance.


In fact let's just generalise and say that use of cover is a good thing. Full stop.


When confronted with a disarmed killer robot that you have already blown the legs off of, there are better things to do than close to within arms length of it.


Attempting to headbutt a killer robot when you have a perfectly good plasma gun in your hand is not going to do much for your life insurance premium.


At least they did learn one transferable skill.


The next time they are confronted by a senior pilot with his superior tactics and mecha and weaponry who just rolls over them, they can climb out of their wrecked cockpit.


And defiantly call after them, "I'll Be Back!!"



Cue heavy sighs all around...

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Triplex Matrix Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

This is a cyrstal laser weapon, with all pertinent information for level restrictions, and price contained in the image. These are big boy and girl toys reserved for higher levels, but through raid prizes, tourney participation and on occasion the mystery vortex, they may be made available to levels lesser than what is listed.


So lets break this down by the numbers seeing as they are higher level weapons and have nothing above them to compare to.

Straight damage is coming in under the Black Widow niode laser but only by a couple points. Speed is on par with a Cherenkov Ray, or Man O' War Ray, and the weapon ability of X3 damage at 7% seems to be an improvement on the Blurring Beam X2 damage at the same percentage rate. All in all a very solid weapon for your arsenal, with just the right balance to it to feel like some kind of hybrid between crystal and niode weaponry.

As always remember mecha build bonuses, skill point allocation, and equipment set up will help determine how this weapon performs for you in the end. I do know that most mecha models come with some version of X2 or X3 damage built in so this added to say a Regis with an already increased laser damage potential would just make a mess when firing one of these.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Looking Back At The Missiletow A Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today looking back on past limited release weapons we come across this holiday themed weapon. This one is a niode based missile weapon, it was available to levels 26 and up. As usual the image contains all pertinent information for the weapon, and please note it was a limited release weapon it is no longer in stock.

Alright now that the basics are out of the way how did it stack up? Well the weapon closest in level beneath it is the Black Rain a 31 damage, 92 speed, Fork ability at 60% fan favorite. But the Missiletow beats it out in damage with a 65, a better speed of 95, and trades off such a massive Fork ability by adding in a Splash ability of 10% with the already existing 45% Fork. So yes definitely worth the upgrade.

Now the next niode based missile weapon up from there is the level 34 Stratos Spray. It has a damage of 40, a speed of 93, and a Fork ability at 60%. Once again it looks as though the holiday weapon is still the superior weapon, sporting better speed and damage, as well as doing a good job of balancing it's additional ability.

Do I even need to say it folks? Skill point allotment, build stats, and equipment load out will go a long way towards making this one hell of an effective weapon on your mecha. It is overall a solid weapon with good stats that are superior to the non holiday counter parts below as well as above them in level. Granted the earlier level missile systems are no where near speedy it is a good step up from what is available now at standard shops.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Amarok Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at the Niode Ice weapon available for levels 117 and up. All pertinent purchase information is contained in the image to side here.

Right off the bat you'll notice the 135 straight damage. That's pretty hefty for damage seeing as the Boreas signature weapon the Winter's Grasp only does 125 straight damage, so you get 10 points more here damage wise.

It has a speed of 103. Seeing as most ice weapons clock in between low to mid 90's for speed up to 100 as far as I can tell, so far this is the fastest firing ice weapon on the market. That is ideal of course especially when coupled with equipment to boost speed/rate of fire.

Weapon abilities clock in at 2X & 3X Damage modifiers both at 20%. This is an unusual weapon ability for an ice thrower as they usually have Slow, or Freeze attached to ice specific mechas. So this ability is unique to see on a ice gun.

So yes it is a high level weapon but once a pilot is able to purchase and outfit his or her mecha with these it will pretty much be an ice party. Mecha build bonuses should be paid attention to here as any bonuses you can get for an ice thrower here will only modify your damage to the opponent for the better. Of course equipment will help play a vital role in how this performs for you so pay attention to what you are putting in to work in conjunction with this weapon.

This thing is a monster though and through, give it to a Boreas to work in conjunction with the Winter's Grasp and you could see some devastating damage results. If the Grasp with its 50% Freeze ability hits and freezes, you may be able to pop the 2X or 3X damage modifiers on your next shot to shatter the lovely ice sculpture you made with the previous hit. So all things considered it is definitely worth the resource investment, and really will only help add to a pilots kill count.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Egg Nog Equipment Review by David McCallum : #701548

There are certain things a chap should not have to deal with when sober.


It all started so innocently.


With it being the new year, young Kenneth, bless his little cotton socks, decided to purchase a new set of combat fatigues. The packages duly arrived and he tore them open with the enthusiasm of a puppy that just discovered the joy of bubble wrap.


Out came the new overalls, a one piece light tan, nicely tailored, pockets all over the place, you get the gist. So we have to put up with him prancing around in front of a chrome bulkhead that he was using as a full length mirror for the next ten minutes. I mean seriously, when one gets to a certain age you need to realise you are built for comfort rather than speed, and there are certain poses you just can no longer get away with in polite company.


That wasn't the worst of it.


Out came the new combat helmet, and you could tell that there was an issue as soon as he opened the package.


"Oh", came his small quivering voice. "They got the colour mixed up."


And sure enough, he lifted a maroon helmet out of the sea of shipping nuggets.


And then true to Kenneth form, he spotted the bright side.


"But that's OK", he beamed. "I used to fight with the Ruby Dragons, so this will be a nice nod to them." And he promptly put the helmet on.


Take a moment to picture it in your minds eye. A tight fitting tan costume, topped with a maroon helmet.


There is just no plausible way that you can explain to the unsuspecting innocent just what an absolute fashion disaster that is likely to be nor the images it is likely to invoke, especially without the use of hand gestures.


Even Patrick had the decency to wake up from his mid morning inebriation and blink.


And since he is the boss, I decided that with discretion being the better part of valor, and with cowardice being the better part of discretion, I should valiantly go and hide in the stationary cupboard while Patrick explained some of the... erm... facts of life.


I took the time to have a decent look at one of my new toys.


Now I get the feeling these aren't going to be on the open market for too much longer, and I freely admit mine was scavanged from Santa's hordes, but at present you can get them for 45 Niodes, 905 Bioptics and 832 Ferrite.


Now its not a bad little piece of cockpit kit. Unlike the cup holder for the little guys, this is a big boy's version with its own liquid dispenser, suitable for any chassis between 75 and 90 tons.


A precision of 10, which is nice and standard for Crystal gear at that tonnage and is a very good benchmark. Can't argue with that.


Shield of 8. That's unexpected, but love a shield. I expect that loaded on this stuff, you just don't feel the pain. I'm guessing you don't give a monkeys about recoil either which accounts for the increase in velocity for projectile munitions.


A blessing in disguise, if you are already seeing double, chances are you are going to fork the odd shot.


Ah yes, the drawback. A speed negative. Let's get real, when you are right royally tanked your reflexes are going to be off. I may have to run empirical tests, but I'm guessing that this would actually be a speed increase for Patrick given his usual state.


Oooh, but I've left the best until last. With all of that toasty goodness swilling around your innards, you can run things just that much colder. 25% freeze for every shot colder.


Now that's just a whopper. To put it in perspective, there is no other piece of gear that has freeze in that order of magnitude. You do get close with the built in chassis bonus from a Jottun, and of course the built in stiffness potential from a Magnus is just obscene...


Sorry about that.. whopper... stiffness... obscene... I'm getting flashbacks to Kenneth's new outfit.


The point is, a single one of these on a decently leveled Magnus and its nighty night target, at least for a short nap.


But for my mind, you'd want to couple it with the throw weight of a niode mech to offset that speed negative. The Antithesis isn't bad, since it already has built in freeze, but to my thinking the new Onyx is almost begging for one of these. Or fling them on a Dreadnought and give it another string to its high speed bow.


Just one thing... make sure that once combat is over, you have a good backup crew that you trust. Side effects may include nausea, vomiting
, slurred speech, falling over and a distinct lack of judgement when it comes to the attractiveness and availability of those around you.


You may even think that Kenneth looks good afterwards...

Go on, admit it... you were thinking of something else, weren't you?



Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Cluster Rack Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at the Niode missile launcher the Cluster Rack. Please note it was a limited availability weapon and was available to levels 7 and up,no longer as far as I can tell available.

Most weapons of this nature start off at level 8 so having one available at level 7 is a big deal indeed. As such I won't be able to compare it to weapons under it in level only those above.

So at level 8  the niode missile launcher is the Air Shock with its 13 straight damage, 95 speed, and Splash of 8% for a weapon ability.

As you can see the Cluster Rack buries all of those stats with its 22 straight damage, 102 speed (very fast for a low tier missile weapon) and Splash ability coming in at 10% which is an additional 2% when compared to the Air Shock.

Always remember mecha build stats, equipment load out and skill point allotment will come in to play here to best determine weapon performance in a fight.


All in all it is a solid weapon for the price and is well on its way to becoming more popular with newer pilots than its predecessor the Air Shock. But due to limited availability it will be rare to see these used in battle, unless you know folks who have one or two and watch their fights.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534