Update On The New Mecha From Rizpah By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're taking a more informed look at the mecha that was found recently on Rizpah. It is now in mass production and is available for purchase in the shop, all pertinent information as usual is contained in the image to the side. The Banshee is a 30 ton, Niode based, missile thrower mecha.

Off of the showroom floor you get them with the following weapons. Advanced Fury Rack X2, and Small Cluster Rack X2.

I found mine on Rizpah so I saved some niodes there, as usual I'll be chiming in on the one I own as it levels up. Currently mine sits at level 40. Keep in mind I have to get it up to level 114 to have it fully upgraded, so keep watching for further updates as it "grows".

So base stats without equipment sees this mecha get the ability of Splash at 20%, Missile damage at +29%, Speed of +9, Fork of 4%, and 2X Damage at 10%. It has 2 Cockpit slots, 1 Chassis slot, 2 Engine slots, 1 Shield slot, and 12 Weapon slots.

Honestly even though it supports the "slowest" weapons in the game as a missile thrower which is its greatest asset, that doesn't mean you have to outfit it with just missiles, and those alone. Yes its main bonus is to missile damage, but with some thought, and proper equipment load out you could equip it to handle just about any weapon type.

As it is a lower tonnage you will most likely be limited in equipment load out capability. But it is a smaller mecha so space is of course going to be in demand. Think it through, outfit it well, and you could see this mecha shine is a support role on your line easily. Especially with Fork and Splash built in as mecha abilities this could seriously dish out damage across multiple enemies in an opposing line.

Is it a perfect mecha? No, but then again none really are. They all have little flaws here and there. Perhaps a weapon vulnerability built in, maybe a speed disadvantage, maybe limited equipment slots, not your main weapon type, etc, etc, etc.. Will it do the job it is needed to do in its tonnage range? If you weapon it up right, and equip it properly, yup. To be honest the price isn't bad at all either especially for modified looking niode mecha.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Fext Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

This is a one hundred ton niode mecha available to pilots with a minimum heavy skill of 55. It will cost you 22,000 Ferrite, 15,500 Bioptics, and 165 niodes at normal prices. I currently own two, one I bought shortly after they were released, and the other during the New Year clickathon event. I have one fully to my level of 109 and will be basing my review on that.

I have 7 cockpit slots, 6 chassis slots, 6 engine slots, and 4 shield slots available to me at my current level. For such a big machine capable of dealing out massive damage that is great to see. However the downside is with the equipment as stands for the 100 tonners you won't be able to make an awesome mecha without making it have a couple penalties, or vulnerabilities. The best you can do is slant the odds as much in your favor as possible and rely on the 4 shield slots to try and bridge that gap.

Before installation of equipment I have a laser damage of +38%, 3X damage at 28%, Fork at 9%, 1.5 damage at 65%, 2X damage at 21%, a trample shield at 70%, ice shielding at 70% and precision of 5. Now that is all available as part of the build stats at my current level. It has some nice toys and very nice modifiers on it.

The big selling point is the pure damage mods it has at X 1.5, X2, and X3. I have seen these all go off many at time in a fight even on standard crystal weapons and it is dealing minimally 2-3,000 or more in damage. With the right niode weapons you're looking at upwards of  5-6,000 damage in a single hit. That's just straight damage no weapon effects what so ever. Add in things like Fork from the build design, or equipment abilities to give it crit-kill or some other nasty surprise and this single mecha if outfitted right can basically just walk up and down your enemies lines making a big mess wherever it goes.

There are two uncontested rulers of the battle field as stands now, the Regis, and the Boreas. This Fext model could very well be the next in what is shaping up to be a holy trinity of ass kicking metal mayhem. It's a long game kind of mecha. You'll get out of it only what you put into it as you progress but do it right and this mecha will not disappoint.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Aspis Mech Review

Going to be a minimum level of 77 for this new mech which comes in at 90 tons and has a cost of 16,000 Ferrite, 13,500 Bioptics, and a whopping 135 Niodes. Some folks were lucky and found this for a brief period of time when it was "discovered" on Yomi Reefs. The downside to that was you got a new mech but it had no weapons and came to you just basically as a dino chassis. Should you buy it however you will get the mech specific Tri-Slagger weapons, a Sikuliaq, a  couple of H. Blast Plates, a deaths Head, an Ol' Willie Pete, and 5 Rail Cannons to round it all out. I was one of the ones who found it in Yomi and to this day I feel like I would rather have the weapon collection rather than the mech itself.

These mechs have large armor values when you finally get them leveled up and carry with them the  new Trample Shield as a built in ability, along with some minor precision, x3 and x2 Damage potential, and a splash shield with a fork shield. They also carry a wide fork shield on them as well with a minor crit kill and fork ability. So it would seem well rounded the downside is the speed, this is a slow mech and doesn't have much by way of engine slots (at 85th level mine only has 4). The cockpit is roomy enough for modifications, the chassis is alright, and it still has room for shielding slots to expand on.

This one is kind of difficult to call as to if it is worth it or not. On one hand it is pretty much an anti Torrent unit, able to negate most of the added bonus effects of those mechs, on the other it is slow, and if found like mine was is just real middle of the road to start off because it was lacking even a basic weapon system. This depends largely on your play style as to if you get one or not I  would imagine. There are of course worse mechs out there to get but I'm pretty sure speed and weapon wise there are plenty better to buy also. So be warned, be aware and buy smart.














Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Jadoon Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at the Jadoon mecha, all basic information on purchase and base stats are in the image here. The standard showroom floor model comes with the fire weapons of  2 Chemthrowers, 1 Ol' Willie Pete, and then goes to the laser weapons with 2 Res Lasers, 5 Cheops beams, and 1 Particle slate.

Some of those weapons seem vastly under powered for a 90 Ton mecha, so you may want to consider upgrading its weapon systems as you level it up. Keep changing and adapting to play to its strengths as well as increase your weapon strength.

They are a pretty versatile mecha model though able to go back and forth from the ever popular flame and laser weapon configurations with ease. Seeing as they get build stat bonuses to each of those two weapon types I can see why they are so easy in fire power transitions. They also enjoy a small Crit-kill, Trample, Slow and 3x Damage abilities in their build stats. The trade off here is they have an inbuilt vulnerability to missiles. Proper shielding is the usual reply but these have very limited shield slots. To give you an example mine is at my current level of 112, it only has three shield slots.

So get as many bonuses in your equipment load out as you can because this model forgoes shielding in favor of a more direct assault approach. Again using my Jadoon as an example it has 6 cockpit slots, 6 chassis slots, and 6 engine slots. So it has room to put in plenty of deadly shiny niode equipment pieces, or crystal if you prefer. It just doesn't shield itself very well at all and is vulnerable to missiles.

So Pat then what good is it?, you may ask. My answer is have you ever seen big damage Burn, or Splash effects from fire weapons augmented by build stats and equipment? Or big laser damage enhanced by over 50% build stats before you add in the weapons ability. Yeah, big boom and impressive in its own right.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Interview with Spike Shepard Player ID# 846030 By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846090

Hello all and welcome to Pilot’s corner. Today’s guest is a member of ~Heroes~, Mr. Spike Shepard!


Spike: Hi Kenneth, thanks for taking the time to interview me.


Ken: So Spike, what Faction are you a part of for this War?


S: This Faction War I'm Fighting for Heroes Revenge Faction{AFF}. It was a decision made by our leader John Fuller to join the Mighty AFF clans and fight against Drohchah oh-Thyehgr.


K: Have there been any bouts that have surprised you so far in Rounds 1 and 2?


S: So far there haven't been any real surprises for me except for Bouncing Blue Brigade running it so close with the Black Star Legion. I had Black Star for a much bigger margin but those Smurf lovers almost pulled off the upset!


K: That really was a nail biter! I think every Pilot had that one playing out on the holo vid. So Spike, what are your current feelings on this Faction War so far?


S: My feelings will ruffle a few feathers for sure, they always do. Anyway, I always enjoy a good Faction War, but more often than not we've pulled the short straw when it's come down to grouping.

This war it’s been pretty good and I’m looking forward to the silver place battle with Omegas and Hells Horses and it's going to be close. But almost every war, be it clan or faction, the gold ends up with the Dragon Clans.


There's no point in even fighting them as you're just hitting a brick wall with most of them. They're so strong in general that there's little point in getting into the cockpit on battle day.


K: They do have some imposing players, but no Clan is invulnerable. Chessmen used to have Ruby Dragons’ number time and again, but it was always close.


So what fights are you looking forward to in Round 3? Care to predict any upsets?


S: The fight to watch has to be Mechalympus versus Spirit of Zeon for the battle of round 3! I can't even call it myself as they are so well matched but if I had to decide I would give Mechalympus a slight edge. The other two close matches will be our battle against Omegas and Hells Horses followed by Black Star Phoenix versus Bacon Samurai Kiss in Division 5.


As for upsets, I would say a win for Zeon may be the closest you get to an upset but that is all going to come down to those defensive wins.


K: What are your feelings on specialist formations? Do you feel these are handled well so far, or do you think there should be a shakeup for wars to come?


S: Specialist formations are a must in wars. I proudly run a double rainbow that has been the bane of pilots double my level. Most top pilots have 5 Boreas, 6 Regis, etcetera etcetera. You're never going to compete with them at my level but certain specializations force players to adapt. I have various formations from single rainbow to double rainbow, 10 ton ants to 1200 ton max, to name a few, set in my base.


If you’re in any sort of war you have to adapt. Those pilots who don't adapt fall by the wayside. As for shaking up the formations for Clan Wars, I’m all for it! Why not crystal only Mecha line-ups! Or join up two of the current specialist formations like 50 tons or less Double Rainbow. There are so many possibilities but we get stuck with the same old, same old. It's time there was a big shake-up that leveled the battlefield.


K: Those are great examples! Think of the scrambling to cover a Crystal 70 ton or less double rainbow!

Lastly, is there anything that you’d care to comment or extrapolate on?


S: I would love to comment and extrapolate, but I'd have Tory and her cronies trying to arrest me next time I stepped foot Novum (not like she hasn't tried before). I mean, what doesn't annoy me daily in the Mecha Galaxy? It's like every change for the better is manipulated in some way by certain clans. KOTM's used to be a real fight, but certain pilots now just sit in the top few slots picking up niode weaponry for so little experience. When the weapons weren't so good, they didn't bother. When there was more experience they didn't bother. It's simple. The difference between the weapons and experience gained is only making the campers stronger.


It's the same in Clan Wars. Certain clans are assured a gold medal before a flamer has been fired in anger. The current level matching system just isn't working and there has to be a review to match up groups on more than just the average level. Why not use skill points, why not give every niode mech, weapon and piece of equipment a value and use all this to accurately gauge a level. Walkovers are boring! Right now in this current war there are Factions racking up 1000+ wins while their opponent struggles to hit 100 wins. Something has to change and the change has to come soon!


K: All very interesting points. Well, unfortunately our time is done. I’d like to thank you for taking the time to come in and talk with us today, Spike.


S: Thank you for taking the time out to interview me Kenneth, but I have to go and prepare for our third round battle against Omegas and Hells Horses. I have a few formations I need to tweak. It's been a pleasure.


K: Also I’d like to thank our readers. Without you, none of this would be possible. This is Kenneth Hicks in the Pilot’s Corner signing off.

Telescopic Sight Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas with the tonnage of 15-40 we have this cockpit equipment piece. It'll cost you 248 Ferrite, 150 Bioptics, and 19 Crystal to buy one. It features a Trample ability at 5%, and a Precision of (2). A pretty basic, straightforward cockpit piece with a decent price attached to it, really no real way to go wrong especially with a Trample ability.

Precision boosting is just an icing on the cake really, given the low number on the Precision it may not pay to stack these as much as other pieces. However with the trample ability it just may be worth while, if your mecha is a high enough level to afford you multiple cockpit slots. As usual watch your build stats, skill point allocation, and other equipment to optimize the use of this equipment piece.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Interview With Joshua Bourne ID# 702128 By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

Hello all and welcome to the Pilot’s Lounge. Today’s interview is with Joshua Bourne of the Dragons United Clans.


So Joshua, you are currently serving with the Black Dragonhood Faction, is this correct?


Joshua: Yes Ken, that is correct. I am fighting within The Black Dragonhood for this Faction War, joined by the pilots of Black Star Lycan Rangers, and a series of Brotherhood members of different clans and varieties.


Ken: It looks like you had Round 1 pretty much in hand with Black Star Legion, what were some of the matches that you found a bit more nail-biting?


J: From the other rounds? I loved the look of the Dawn of Dragons against Smurfs Brigade. There was an incredible fight between the pair of them and it came down to the wire. I hear there was a lot of Defensive wins for both sides so clearly they are incredible combatants. Shame it wasn’t able to be in Round 3, where the stakes were higher.


K: Very true. That was a fight that could very well have gone either way. Were there any fights that had a surprising outcome in your opinion?


J: If I am honest, I was surprised by Deaths Dawn and Highlanders fight in Division 4. Deaths Dawn has performed so well in previous wars that no one could have expected to lose the Division at all, never mind at Round One of Three.


K: True enough. Not sure what the heck happened there. What fights do you see coming up in rounds 2 and 3 that should be nail-biters?

J: As much as it saddens me to say, this round seems to be pretty one sided in terms of opponents. There might be some surprises and some upsets, but this round seems to be pretty straight forward and the wins will be pretty decisive.

If I was to watch one fight, I would watch Bouncing Blue Brigade and Black Star Legion. Two strong Factions like them fighting it out can only ever lead to an amazing result in the end.

Round 3 will of course be the fabled fight of Spirit of Zeon vs the infamous Mechalympus. That one will be on all the news nets and holo-vids, that's for sure.


K: Absolutely, the gambling revenue alone will keep Rizpah supplied in goods for years. Okay, I want you to make one division winner pick that you think will be an upset.


J: It would have to be Division 5 with the potential of Bacon Samurai KISS besting Black Star Phoenix. If it actually comes around to be that they indeed beat such an opponent, the coms will be filled with praise, celebration and of course, vows of "We will get you next time! Mark my words!" Ah, those are good times when they come around whilst on patrol in the outer rim.


K: On a side note, have you noticed any marked improvement in any pilots or factions due to Birthday Sale goodies?


J: I have noticed a lot of power increase from the Dragons slightly less experienced pilots from the incredible niode sale. I have to say, I would have done the same, but I was on the lookout for one of those new "hybrid" mechas. Such an oddity needs to be examined.


K: And lastly, do you have any parting comments for the listeners at home Joshua?


J: I would just like to thank you for this opportunity and tell you that you do amazing work for Galaxy Gatherings. Your news coverage is on par with the biggest news agency in the Galaxy, ANN themselves! Keep up the great work and all you pilots out there, watch your six, they can be anywhere and everywhere.

Thank you Joshua for your time and opinions. That’s all the time we have for now, if any of our readers feel like voicing their opinions please feel free to contact myself or any of the other writers for The Galaxy Gathering.


This is Kenneth Hicks, signing off.

Evador Bolts Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

Chassis equipment for mechas 75-85 tons. One will cost you 981 Ferrite, 1,105 Bioptics, and 50 Crystal. They give you a Dodge of (8), Trample shield at 30%, 2X Damage at 4%, Projectile Vulnerable at 5%, and a Splash shield at 30%.

The dodge is some of the best you can get in this tonnage range without resorting to usage of niodes. The vulnerability isn't a concern as the proper projectile shielding worth its salt will be able to handle the measly 5% offset this piece gives you. Trample and Splash shielding are major selling points here as both are at the 30% mark. Also who can say no to 2X damage?









Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Wave Dampener Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

This piece of shielding equipment is for mechas 85-95 tons, it'll cost 489 Ferrite, 151 Bioptics, and 60 Crystal to purchase. Yep you read that right crystals not niodes. It offers Trample shield at 30%, Fork Shield at 25%, Speed of  -2 , Shield of (6), and Wide Fork Shield at 50%.

That's quite a bit for a crystal shield to take on and only have a penalty of -2 to speed. Very good deal especially for the price. Usually you see this kind of equipment running up the niodes on your bill, but this is all crystal. Trample, Fork, and Wide fork shielding at 30, 25, and 50% respectively is one hell of a good haul regardless of what is used to make it. There is a benefit to be had here in loading up front line mechas with these.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Omnigrav Rotational Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

We are now looking at a 20-40 Ton crystal engine piece. To buy one will cost you 224 Ferrite, 144 Bioptics, and 30 Crystal. It has Speed at +18, and 2X damage at 2%. Doesn't pack a lot admittedly but it has a speed boost and 2X damage boost so it isn't bad at all for a crystal engine.

Especially seeing as the lower tonnage mechas run pretty fast to begin with the +18 speed boost can come in real handy. Also who doesn't like doing 2X damage? Add in some build bonuses for damage and you could be talking some pretty nice hits when it goes off. Of course your mecha will only get faster and hit harder if you have the ability to stack these. So keep leveling and pack these puppies on never know what may happen.

 Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Liquid Armor Equipment Rview By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas in the 75-90 ton range there is this chassis equipment piece. It costs 752 Ferrite, 1,975 Bioptics, and 38 Niodes to purchase one. It gives your mecha a Dodge of [10], Trample Shield at 14%, Shield at [18], Splash Shield at 8%, is Fire Vulnerable at 38%, and has a Speed of -2.

Now a word to the wise the Fire Shield of Caudata Delta does have fire shielding at 38%, which is enough to make it a wash for this chassis piece. You will then have a projectile vulnerability at 9%, but that is much more manageable. So unless you have extra slots on your mecha for shielding expect this chassis piece to cancel out and reset you back to 0 on the fire protection you may have enjoyed beforehand. Dodge is solid,Trample and Splash shield are alright, and the speed loss is minimal. There are other equipment pieces out there that aren't as much of a headache to get around, I'd suggest trying them first.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534