Valkyria Chronicles - A Word in Classes

Valkyria Chronicles - A Word in Classes

Introduction

Hello there, Pelandes’ back! This will be a guide about the classes and equipment available for you to play with in Valkyria Chronicles, this amazing game I had the chance to come across.

This guide will focus in all five on-foot classes, the six standard tanks you are going to find in your playthrough and some little detail in what you can expect from your enemies. I will cover as well the equipment you can give to your units and a couple strategies you can follow. I will try to keep spoilers to a bare minimum, but don’t read this if you are, say, still in Chapter 1.

I always ask the community to collaborate in my guides, but this time more than ever. Comment with your strategies, setups and other stuff! And don’t hesitate to correct me if something I wrote is wrong. Your help is appreciated!

And, as always in my guides, I remember you guys that I’m not a native English speaker. Beware for typos, misspells and other mistakes, because there may be some ahead. Another thing to keep in mind is that, even though there are both male and female soldiers in this game, I will be referring to everyone as “he”, for the sake of saving time.

Without further ado, let’s move out!

Term Glossary

I am going to be using some terms in this guide that may cause confusion to new players. I won’t stop to explain them unless necessary, so I thought that it would be a good idea to include a glossary for you to read if you don’t understand what I say. Also, if you feel that you may need another term being defined here, just say so in the comments.

Interception fire – When you move into an enemy aggro range, he will start shooting at you even though it is your movement turn. You will take damage as a result (unless you take cover or the AI misses), but you can still move while this happens, and entering Aiming Mode will stop all sorts of interception fire. Enemy or friendly Scouts, Shocktroopers, Engineers, Tanks and some Artillery (Gatling Guns, mainly) can shoot interception fire on the opponent’s turn. A unit will not do this if he can’t see the foe (because it’s behind him, for example) or if it is outside his shooting range.

Counter fire – Also “response fire”. Do not confuse this with “interception fire”. After a unit has attacked another one, some classes can shoot back if the attacker is inside his range. Scouts, Shocktroopers and Engineers can do this. Counter fire’s accuracy varies depending on the attacked unit facing the attacker or not. If they were, accuracy will be as usual; but, if he was shot when he couldn’t see the attacker (mainly, because he had his back turned towards him), the accuracy will be way worse. Counter fire can be prevented with some Potentials or if the target unit was outright incapacitated or killed.

Potentials – Basically skills or special abilities. All characters have four Personal Potentials and four Battle Potentials (the only difference being that the latter activate mainly when attacking), of which they tend to have one or two at the beginning of the game, and unlock more as they level up.

Incapacitated – Unlike enemy units, which die when their HP hits zero, yours fall to the ground and can’t do anything anymore. They are not technically “dead”, but they are now in risk of actually being killed if you don’t act fast. You have to make a friendly unit run up to them, and they will call a medic to evacuate the incapacitated soldier. You can redeploy them into battle the turn after they are evacuated. If 3 turns pass and battle is not yet finished or an enemy gets to them before you do, the unit will be killed, and that means that they are gone. Forever. Officers (excluding your Command Tank) will retreat instead of dying, but you cannot redeploy them in the current battle.

Team attack – When staying near an allied unit, there is a chance they will shoot with you if you attack, without sacrificing any CP. Friendly and enemy Scouts, Shocktroopers, Engineers, Tanks and some Artillery (again, Gatling Guns) can perform team attacks. Each unit has some allies that they “like” the most, and those are the most likely to team attack when near them.

Evade – Also “dodge”. Sometimes, when an infantry unit is attacked, it will lie prone and effectively dodge the incoming attack. Even if they are actually hit, they will take almost no damage. Surprisingly, it is possible to evade an explosive attack, in which case the unit won’t even be sent flying (they will still take a portion of the damage). Technically, all infantrymen can evade, but Lancers and Snipers are less likely do it, and Officers and Aces have a higher chance. A unit can’t dodge if they are shot from outside their field of view.

CP – Command Points (just in case).

AP – Actions Points. Basically represent how far you can move a unit with a single CP.

Ragnaid – Act as first aid kits. All units have one, but the Engineer’s the best one. Any unit can use a CP to heal himself or an ally instead of attacking.

Scout


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They are the first unit you’ll get your hands on, and a very useful one, if you ask me. The first thing you’ll notice when selecting them is that they have a massive AP bar. They are, in fact, the unit that moves the furthest with a single CP; they can cover large chunks of terrain without stopping and pretty much spot the entire enemy party in the process. Because that’s another thing they do better than anyone else: spotting enemies (specially hidden ones… try it out by yourself).

These guys have three main roles for your team: spot enemy, kill enemy, capture outpost; and repeat. Even though the game explicitly says that they are not the best suited for combat, they can rack up some kills at medium distance. They are armed with semiautomatic rifles, and those are headshot machines at short-medium range (and you can give long range a try, if you feel lucky…). Thing is, you don’t want them at point-blank range, because if the enemy doesn’t die in one volley, you are in trouble. And even if it does, his friends can turn you into a colander as soon as they get to move.

That’s right, the Scouts’ defense and HP maximum is rather low, and that’s the main drawback they have. They will take heavy damage from everything above an enemy Scout, even behind cover, and more than a couple of seconds under interception fire WILL severely cripple down their health, or even get them incapacitated before they can do anything. BTW, Scouts are the best class at evading and have the biggest detection area (270º around them, being the hardest one to catch off guard), but you don’t want to rely on that. They are better off in the second line, taking advantage of their high accuracy at medium range until you clear the next camp, then send them on the run to capture it before more baddies spawn.

A Scout equipment includes:

Semiautomatic Rifle.

Gallian series (default).

Gallian-A series (more damage).

Gallian-S series (better accuracy).

Gallian-X series (defense debuffer).

ZM series (imprecise, best damage).

Gallian-R series (mixture of A and S). Grenade Launcher Attachment – Elite Scouts.

1 Hand Grenade.

Small Ragnaid.

There is a tactic I heard about called “Scout Rush”, which consists in deploying some Scouts (though, sometimes just one is enough) and take advantage of their extremely high mobility and more-than-decent combat capabilities to simply sprint through the map, killing only those enemies who are in their way, and capturing the key camp or do whatever the objective was. Almost all missions can be cleared this way, very likely with a high grade since it takes few turns to do this. No wonder Scouts are considered “absolutely broken”, especially when fully upgraded. The thing is, I don’t like this strategy. I think that is a cheap tactic, and that it ruins the fun this game offers. It’s there if you want to use it, but I rather utterly fail a mission than doing this. Your pick.

Special Mention: Grenade Launcher AttachmentOne of the main troubles you can have when clearing an outpost or breaching a fortification is the case of the enemies literally camping it with Shocktroopers, Gatling Guns or similar, AND behind sandbags. Most of your medium-long range units rely on headshots to kill enemies, and the sheer defense buff the cover provides is enough to prevent your own Shocktroopers to rush in and wreck the place. Your best bet here is to use explosives, but diverting Tanks or Lancers from their anti-armor duties usually comes at a cost, and running out of cover, getting close, and throwing the potato in will end with your guy shredded by interception fire, and chances are he will be killed as well.

Once you get your Scouts to level 11, they become Elite Scouts. Aside higher stats, the promotion comes with a free Grenade Launcher Attachment for all your Scouts, which allows them to throw Hand Grenades much further. The parabola the projectile is thrown at gives the possibility of tossing it over walls as well. The situation described before can easily be solved with one Scout launching a grenade with this without exiting cover and give a window for the rest of the team to take the camp. For now on, all situations in which you would have used a Tank’s Mortar to clear several enemy infantrymen at once can be performed by a Scout. Of course that the payload your Tanks deliver is far greater, but that’s why those are still available for you to use.

Please, note: the projectile the Grenade Launcher Attachment uses is the same as the Hand Grenade the Scout has by default. This means that if you use the attachment, your grenade is spent for that turn. Also, keep in mind that the launcher cannot be used at short distances, but you can switch back to Hand Grenade mode to toss it closer should the need arise.

Enemy ScoutsProbably the most common foe in the game, beside Imperial Shocktroopers. As I already said, the offensive potential of Scouts consists in chaining headshots, and most enemies aim for the main body, so they are not that big of a deal; though beware for Scouts with the higher ground advantage. The only point at which they become dangerous are when you are outside cover (when a bullet can actually headshot you) or when a bunch of them gang up on you (especially if they trigger a team attack). As the game progresses, you find Scouts with debuffer rifles. They can be recognized by its different sound effects when firing, the blue onomatopoeias instead of the yellow ones and the fact that your defense has just been debuffed (though, by then, it’s probably already too late). Not too much to worry about said Scout, the trouble then comes from his companions, which will deal extra damage to you. Tread carefully!

At some point you’ll start seeing Scouts in white armor. Those are Elite Scouts. Beside higher stats, they have a Grenade Launcher Attachment, and will not hesitate to use it when your guys are behind cover or when your tanks roll up. They will only damage the treads, but it is going to be annoying as you will either have to repair them or risk the damage stacking and be immobilized just in the inappropriate spot. It has happen to me, and lost as a result.

However, the real threat enemy Scouts pose is, once again, their high AP. They rarely use their whole movement bar, but they can cover huge distances nonetheless. A Scout is always too close for comfortable, even if it seems like he is ways off. I have seen Scouts blazing through half the map in a single turn by using several CP and capturing key camps in the blink of an eye if no one stops them. Even a single friendly Scout is enough to neutralize this rush via interception fire. If you feel like the IA may try to pull this one off, leave someone guarding you base camp, just in case.

Shocktrooper


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For some reason, I kept calling these guys "Stocktroopers" until an in-game dialogue mentioned them aloud. Now I feel stupid.

Anyway, this is going to be your main infantry vs. infantry unit. These are the guys you send in when you need some extra firepower, when you have to drop the hammer in some stubborn enemy infantry. They have a high damaging potential coupled with a decent defense against bullets, though they have two fatal flaws: poor accuracy (they are a unit designed for close-quarters combat) and a relatively short AP bar, though deceivingly so. They can cover more ground that you think, but always plan for close targets.

Think of them as shotgunners. They will absolutely destroy any infantry foe at short range, but struggle to hit anything beyond middle range. They poor accuracy will make the shots scatter resulting in almost no damage. On the bright side, though, their interception fire is absolutely lethal. It will only trigger at short distances, but it won’t take more than a couple seconds of exposure to get a kill.

Their role is the one of erasing any unit tough enough for your aforementioned Scouts, namely enemy Shocktroopers, Aces in general and Bosses. Also, their high resistance and the fact that even though they can only cover short distances, they do so at full sprint and that results in less time of interception fire exposure, makes them a great deal in front line combat. Beware, however, for enemy Snipers, the only unit who doesn’t give a dime about your resistance or HP maximum, as a single headshot from these buggers will incapacitate the tougher Shocktrooper.

A Shocktrooper equipment includes:

Full-Auto Machinegun.

Mags series (default).

Mags-M series (more damage).

MAJ-X series (attack debuffer).

T-MAG series (extended magazine).

ZM MP series (imprecise, best damage).

Mags-R series (improved Mags-M). Flamethrower Attachment– Elite Shocktroopers.

FF series (default).

FoG series (HP Max debuffer).

VB FW series (more damage). 1 Hand Grenade.

Small Ragnaid.

For as surprising as it sounds, Shocktroopers actually can deal with enemy Tanks. If they manage to get behind it and point-blank shoot the radiator, they will deal about half the damage a Lancer would have caused with a direct impact on the main body. Not much, but remember that we are not using any explosives at all (*cough cough* Chapter 9 *cough*). And, if you manage to get more than one Shocktrooper on the Tank’s back, you can make good use of team attacks and cause even more damage. Oh, and also keep an eye on the “Demolition Boost” order. It greatly increases the Anti-Armor damage of a unit. It is designed to be used on Lancers, and it certainly does a good job, but if you followed the prior instructions and somehow got a Shocktrooper behind a Tank, you can use said order in him and very likely one-shot the armored vehicle. It’s an expensive investment (3 CP for the order, plus 1 CP to move the Shocktrooper, assuming you don’t need more to get him on position), but it certainly yields a nifty reward.

Special Mention: Flamethrower AttachmentTired of enemies hiding behind sandbags or in tall grass? Exasperated of Bunkers and other Artillery ruining your day? Well, my friend, let me introduce you to the Flamethrower Attachment! Once you get your Shocktroopers up to Level 11, they become Elite Shocktroopers, and they get said attachment to their machineguns. To use it, just scroll through you weapons on Action Mode until you find it. It is a short-range area-of-effect attack just in front of your Shocktrooper that will cause heavy damage to all infantry and artillery on its path. AND it ignores cover, AND it doesn’t destroy it, like grenades do, so it can be used by you afterwards. Win-win!

Unlike the Grenade Launcher Attachment, the Flamethrower can be customized with any of the three options listed before.

Once again, this highlights the importance of Shocktroopers on the front line, with yet another short-range weapon. Be sure that you always have one up in the top. Oh, and another thing. Flamethrowers CAN be dodged. I have seen threads of people discussing whether it is a thing or not. Well, it is. Be careful when using one on enemy Aces, as there is nothing as frustrating as bothering to close into an enemy to one-shot-kill them with your new Flamethrower and seeing them dodging it. Show some consideration, damnit!

Enemy ShocktroopersShocktroopers seem to be the backbone of the Imperial Army. Even if there are more Scouts in the early game, they don’t take that long to stand out. They are seen in almost every mission in the book except for a few ones in the beginning and they tend to be both good at offense (they charge fearlessly into your troops taking advantage of their high defense) and defense (it is VERY common to see a Shocktrooper or two camping at a base, ready to shred with interception fire any Galian that comes too close for comfortable).

Now, you may have used by now a ZM MP Machinegun that you shamelessly looted from a dead Ace Shocktrooper (I’m not judging…). It only takes a few uses to find out that it is USELESS at long-medium range, but that it wrecks havoc at close quarters. Take a second to notice that the imperials use those guns all the time, and you get a good idea of what strategy to follow: stay the hell away from those guys! Long-range for the win!

As the game progresses, Shocktroopers in black armor will make an appearance. They are Elite Shocktroopers, and they bring Flamethrower Attachments into the fray! They will use them instead of their machineguns if you are behind cover and they are close enough. Same strategy here: stay clear of them and you shouldn’t have too many problems. Also, Shocktroopers with attack debuffer machineguns do appear at some point, but they seem to be somewhat rare. What is NOT rare is a Shocktrooper boasting HP debuffer flamethrowers, and it is really annoying to be hit with one of them. It won’t hurt as much, but you max HP is reduced for the next couple turns. As if not dying wasn’t hard enough already.

Lancer


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Scrap out of your head the idea of the chivalry charging into battle, riding horses and with their spears dead on your face. The term comes from the weapon this infantry unit carries, a “lance”, which is basically a glorified rocket launcher. As you may have already guessed, this is an anti-armored specialized unit. You already have tanks to deal with the enemy’s, but when they are teaming up on your sole armor, you’ll appreciate any extra help you can get. Besides, being an infantry unit, it only takes one CP to use, while tanks require two.

They have an AP bar similar to the one the Shocktrooper has, but slightly shorter. However, they don’t run at all as they move. I know that lance HAS to be heavy, but I know that you can do better than a leisure stroll! This result in a lot of interception fire exposure, but, fortunately, Lancers have the highest HP maximum of all infantrymen. They also boast an impressive defense against all sorts of explosions. How convenient to have that in a unit specialized to fight tanks. Their only defense flaws are their poor evasion, making them easy headshot targets, and the fact that their blast suits don’t protect them from flamethrowers. They also have very poor accuracy. It will improve over time, but it will never be as good as, say, the Scout’s.

So it’s off to shoot tanks. It will usually take somewhere between 3 to 7 Lancer and/or Tank attacks to destroy an enemy armor, depending of the model, assuming all shots hit the hull. But almost all tanks have a vulnerable spot on their back rears: the radiator. Even standard bullets will do damage if they hit there, but a cannon or lance strike on it usually results in a one-hit-kill. Lancers are the best at this, since they are smaller and can bypass a tank without taking too much damage (thanks to their high HP max) and point-blank shoot at the radiator. Tanks can do the same, but it will require two CP instead of one and you cannot do this if the enemy tank is in a narrow path or if you are too close (tanks cannot aim too high nor too low, Lancers can). Also keep in mind that lances have limitated ammo: 3 warheads total. You restock it automatically at the rate of 1 projectile per turn, or you can have an Engineer walk next a Lancer to instantly replenish all ammunition.

A Lancer equipment includes:

Lance.

Lancaar series (default).

Theimer series (improved Lancaar).

Lancaar-SH series (anti-infantry mortar)*.

VB PL series (best accuracy, less power).

Lancaar-R series (accurate Lancaar).

Theimer-R series (accurate Theimer). Small Ragnaid.* Requires Elite Lancers.

Lancers can TECHNICALLY attack infantry as well, but it usually doesn’t end well. Sure, they do a lot of damage upon impact, and can one-hit-kill enemies if they headshot them, but the hard part comes at actually landing the hit. Their poor accuracy makes it very hard to hit any infantry beyond short range. And, if you want a headshot, you literally need to press the pointy bit against their skull before pulling the trigger. It’s doable, but risky. I will also go ahead and say that, surprisingly, the “explosions” don’t have an area-of-effect attack. You need a dead on hit to deal damage. That’s why they are best suited to fight tanks: those are bigger, slower and, in short, easier to hit.

Special Mention: Mortar LancesWell, that’s a disappointing upgrade. Not BAD, disappointing. The game presents it as a way to deliver powerful grenades at a longer distance you can chuck a Hand Grenade, effectively turning your anti-armor Lancers into anti-personnel. The thing is, even though it has a fair share of advantages, it has also huge drawbacks to cope with.

First of the disadvantages, it isn’t a long-range weapon. At all. If the in-game stats are to be believed, its range is just over twice as long than throwing the grenade yourself. Definitely an improvement, but nowhere near the distance an Elite Scout with a Grenade Thrower Attachment can achieve. Coming second is the fact that you don’t throw the projectile like Scouts with said attachment do, with a big parabola, but instead it is launched in almost a straight line, like Hand Grenades, and thus can’t reach higher ground nor be thrown over walls. What a mortar, I may add. Also, the explosion radius is about the same as the standard grenade, so if you were expecting something like a smaller version of the Tank’s Mortar, you are in for a disappointment. Last but not least comes the fact that this isn’t an attachment for your primary weapon, like the Grenade Launcher or the Flamethrower. This a completely different weapon tree for your Lancers, which can only carry one lance at any given time. It can be either a Rocket Lance (Lancaar, Theimer or VB PL model) or a Mortal Lance (SH-Lancaar series). So you can’t switch weapons mid-fight: you either bring a one or the other.

So, what are the advantages, then? It has high damaging values, over your standard grenade. The best Hand Grenade in the game (the B-Type Mark 5) deals 400 anti-personnel damage. The best Mortar Lance (the SH-Lancaar Mark 10) deals 500. It may not seem like a big difference, but in the late game enemies are going to be surviving grenades blowing up right under their feet with a shiver of HP left, which wouldn’t have happened had you used a Mortar Lance instead. The extended range, even if not great, is still appreciated (especially when you don’t have an Elite Scout at hand). Mortar Lances CAN be used against tanks: a direct hit in the radiator is still enough to one-shot it (which you couldn’t achieve with a Hand Grenade, even if you used the Grenade Launcher) though hitting it in any other part only damages the treads. The projectile of a Mortar Lance explodes on impact, unlike Hand Grenades, which bounce around and you have to pray that it doesn’t land into a bad spot. Also, Mortar Lances have dead on accuracy, something Lancers don’t tend to have with Rocket Lances.

Plus, the ones carrying the Mortar Lance are Lancers, damnit! They have high defense coupled with the highest HP max in the game. What if they have to run out of cover to get close enough for their Mortar Lances? These guys take interception fire like nobody’s business. The poor range can be compensated by getting the height advantage over your enemies. Oh, and if you are still not convinced, I’ll tell you this: there are two boss battles in which Mortar Lances DO make a difference. Which ones? That, I’m not telling you…

For that reason, I always have one of my five Lancers carry a Mortar Lance, while the other four have Rocket Lances. I know who he is, and I can always deploy him mid-battle should the need arise for this kind of weapon. Not very practical? Yes. Useless? Hell no!

Lancer (cont.)

Enemy LancersDamn these guys. They are the main reason I lose battles, aside failing an explicit objective, running out of turns (happened once) or just pure frustration. Even though they are not a serious menace for your armor by themselves, they are rarely alone. It is common to see chunks of Lancers side by side or accompanied by a Tank of their own or a piece of artillery.

Lancer swarms are a severe threat for your commander tank’s wellbeing, and having one of this buggers flank it and point-blank blast its radiator is something that has happened to me more times that what I will ever admit. That, or stupidly exposing the back rear to an eager imperial Lancer that you didn’t know was hiding in the tall grass. At this point, the only thing you can do is pray that they’ll miss. And even if that doesn’t happen, more than two Lancers / Tanks is usually enough to overwhelm one of your Engineers repairing your Tank every turn. Do not be cocky with half your armor’s HP left. Three Lancers will wreck that in one go if they get the chance.

To fight Lancers, you are left with bullets, as explosions will do pitiful damage. Practically any unit (except your own Lancers) can kill these guys with a single CP if they headshot him (they have very poor evasion stats), and, if needed, you can use your Tank’s machinegun. At some point, Lancers in black appear. They are Elite Lancers. Besides higher stats, there really isn’t much difference, beside the threat increase as they deal more damage.

Oh, by the way, Lancers will sometimes attempt to snipe your units, even from across the map, if they have a clear line of sight. It’s very likely they’ll miss, but sometimes your luck is on vacation and they score a hit. And they may attempt to attack infantry units if there are no Gallian tanks in the vicinity. Again, they are likely to miss due to how small the target is, but an actual hit will severely cripple your unit’s health, or even incapacitate them right away if the target was someone with low defense and / or HP max (Scouts, Engineers or Snipers).

Engineer


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First of all, big shout out to Polly, who was kind enough to provide me with an Enginner insignia for this guide, WAY better than the stuff I cooked up on Paint, since they are almost impossible to find now. Thanks a lot, buddy!

These guys really come in handy when under heavy fire. They sacrifice combat versatility in exchange for a good deal in support options. They can repair tanks, rebuild destroyed cover, dismantle mines (both anti-armor and anti-personnel), replenish ammunition, and are the best healers, being the only class that boasts a Large Ragnaid, capable of restoring 250 HP compared to the 100 HP the smaller version provides. You name it, they can do it. They also have the second largest AP bar in the game, almost two thirds of a Scout’s.

Thing is, you are only going to want one of this guys in the field. One at all times, but just one. However, once you get a second Tank, you may think about bringing two of them into the fray, especially if both armor, with their share of soldiers, split up at some point. A single Engineer can replenish all the squad’s ammo (they just need to walk nearby) and perform as many repairs and heals as needed, since both the Engineer Tool and the Large Ragnaid have infinite uses (though each use requires a CP). The only moment at which you may be interested in having two guys is if the squad scatters and it’s too much distance for the Engineer to cover, or too risky. And is always recommended to have a third one in store, ready to deploy, just in case the one in action is downed. Remember, you just need one, but one at all times.

When it comes down to the stats, Engineers and Scouts have similar traits, though the former are even lower. Their attack lacks quite a lot as well. They are capable of getting a kill with their semiautomatic rifles, but is unlikely, and they may be better off doing Engineer stuff. The slightest of interception fire is enough to kill them, and response fire usually results on incapacitation (another reason not to attack in the first place). But if they use their CP in repairing / healing instead of attacking, it means that an allied armor or soldier is up and ready to take on whoever threats the Engineer’s life. Talk about symbiosis.

Also, almost all Engineers have one of these three potentials: Repair Boost, Super Repair or Super First Aid. The first two makes them more suitable to repair tanks (though the latter is better) and the last one makes the best out of healing infantrymen. Knowing who has which is always beneficial for a good tactician. But you have to take on account that most Engineers have as well one “fatal” potential: Maintenance Lazy, Head-Lit Deer, Moody, Frail Body, Shut-in… Not that there is much you can do about it, but you have to know what to expect and don’t blame the game when it actually happens.

An Engineer equipment includes:

Semiautomatic Rifle.

Gallian series (default).

Gallian-A series (more damage).

Gallian-S series (better accuracy).

Gallian-X series (defense debuffer).

ZM series (imprecise, best damage).

Gallian-R series (mixture of A and S). 3 Hand Grenades.

Large Ragnaid.

Engineer Tool.

Unlike Scouts, the Engineers don’t get a Grenade Launcher Attachment on their rifles when they reach the Elite Engineer status. The only thing they get is a stats improvement, nothing else.

Of all the tasks said been able to be performed by an Engineer, only two consume the CP action: healing a unit (with the Ragnaid) or repairing a vehicle (with the Tool), and hence can only be done once per CP. However, rebuilding barricades and dismantling mines are performed when getting near it and htting the spacebar as the icon appears, in which case the event is performed without spending the action; and replenishing ammunition is done passively just by walking next to an ally. Keep note that there is one kind of ammo that cannot be restored: the smoke rounds carried by the Edelweiss. I’ll talk about these later on.

An Engineer rarely attacks by own initiative, meaning that most of the firing these guys do is interception fire support. For that, I have found quite profitable giving my Engineers Gallian-X model rifles for the following reason: their attack is already low, meaning that the damage reduction is not that big. The other reason is that they have an interception range similar to the Scouts’ and larger than the Shocktroopers’, so they are one of the first, if not the first one to intercept. The defense debuff is applied as long as a single bullet hits, doesn’t matter the damage caused. Lastly, the Engineers are never alone (they shouldn’t be). You get where I’m going with this? As soon as an enemy enters the Engineer aggro range, he is one of the first ones to shoot back, meaning the debuff is applied BEFORE most of the other soldiers' interception fire, which will now deal extra damage. It’s a little hard to explain but, my, it is effective.

A side benefit of this strategy consists on taking potshots with the Gallian-X at enemies you are struggling to kill in the rare occasions there are neither tanks to repair nor soldiers to heal. You can even try at long range. It doesn’t matter if the damage dealt is negligible, for as long as at least one bullet hits, the defense reduction is applied. Now, that enemy will take way more damage from any source and will be, in short, much easier to kill. Yet another support option for Engineers.

Enemy EngineersNot gonna lie, they are pretty rare. So far I have seen four, one in Chapter 3, another two in Reports 4 and 8 respectively, and the last one in the first DLC (“Behind Her Blue Flame”). And that one doesn’t count since it’s player-controlled.

The other three were smartly placed Engineers, near the important Tanks or other stuff to repair. They are priority targets, as there is nothing more annoying than blasting a Tank down to a third of his HP and have it repaired next turn. Same goes for iron barricades, only destroyable via explosions, being rebuilt before you can go through the hole you just made.

However, like already shown, Engineers have very poor stats and are easily killed by any unit. It’s unlikely they will give you much trouble unless you forget about them. By the way, Engies do not seem to react to broken treads. They will only repair Tanks once their hull HP is down, though their repairs fix both the treads and the hull.

Sniper


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They are by themselves a very self-explanatory class. They have bolt-action rifles with scopes powerful enough to put a bullet in an imperial skull from across the map. They are the definitive long range infantry killers, for as long as the target is not behind cover. If that’s the case, no headshots for you!

Concerning the stats, they have a very high damage base stat coupled with precise accuracy, but lack in pretty much any other field. Their defense is very low and same goes with the max HP, defense and evasion. The AP bar they have is painfully short, barely enough to relocate. Since these guys focus in being away from the frontline, popping heads non-stop, that’s not really a problem, until you find enemy snipers. That is when it’s really on.

In the early game, Snipers are medium-distance anti-personnel units, as the default sniper rifles coupled with low level stats result in something that can only be qualified as “decent” accuracy, at best. It’s either that or long-distance body shots, as the head is such a small area to hit that you are going to be depending on luck a lot until you get your hands on better rifles or you start building some levels. Late-game Snipers, on the other hand, can nail a fly in the other side of the continent without breaking a sweat, many of them getting as much as perfect 100% accuracy. At that point, if the crosshair is red, then pull the trigger and get a headshot. Period, no luck involved. Just keep in mind that their shots can be dodged as any other one. And that missing by an inch is still a miss.

The Snipers are one of the two classes that don’t offer interception fire or response fire (the other being the Lancers) due to their limited ammo: 3 bullets a turn maximum. Also, they are the only class which can zoom in their scopes when aiming their shots. Go all the way in for maximum precision!

A Sniper equipment includes:

Bolt-action Sniper Rifle.

GSR series (default).

Brondel-M series (more damage).

GSR-XX series (better accuracy).

Brondel-X series (aim debuffer).

ATR-XX series (anti-tank rifle).

ZM SG series (inaccurate, best damage).

GSR-R series (mixture of M and GSR-XX). Small Ragnaid.

The Snipers are the class that benefits the most out of the “Camp Hopping” tactic. Since they have such poor mobility, they are a pain to relocate when the frontline moves further away from them and the enemies get out of range. What you can do is move them to the nearest friendly camp and order them to retreat. After that, redeploy them in another camp that is closer to the action, so they can start shooting again. It takes a full turn cycle to do this, and two CP at best, but it’s still better than have them stroll through the map and spend dozens of turns and CPs to get them in position. The battle would be already over before they get to it.

Having the “Retreat” order further simplifies this tactic, as you don’t need to get the Sniper to a camp for them to retreat, you can just do it on the spot. Still requires two CP total to execute the “Camp Hop”, but is prevents extra cost (i.e. needing more than 1 CP to get your Sniper to a camp).

Special Mention: Imperial Sniper Rifles (ZM SG series)Oh dear, another disappointing weapon. Like all Imperial weapons, it trades accuracy for rough power, meaning the closer you are, the more effective it is. However, why the hell would you want that on a sniper rifle? The point of Snipers is to blast heads, which have very small hitboxes, from really far away. Having a Sniper going close and personal because he has a ZM SG sniper rifle kind of defeats the point of him being a Sniper to begin with, don’t you think?

Jfcien, A friend of mine, came up with a strategy called “The Front-Line Sniper”. He has two Snipers: one is your average guy with a GSR or a Brondel, shooting from far away; while the other one has a ZM SG and moves along the squad, trying to keep up, “Camp Hopping” if needed. He basically body shots enemies at medium-close range, either finishing them off or OHK them if the target was a Scout or a Sniper. The ZM SG Mark 7, the most powerful Imperial sniper rifle, can one-shot enemies crouched behind sandbags, but you are going to need to be real close for that.

Enemy SnipersAll of them are priority targets. Every single one of them. They can easily headshot your guys and incapacitate them in a shot or two, from REALLY far away, for as long as they get a clear line of sight. I guess that’s the point of their class, after all…

Their hit ratio, surprisingly, is pretty low. As you know, the ZM SG rifles they use are inaccurate as hell, plus, you may dodge one or two shots; but when they hit IT IS GOING TO HURT. Even if they don’t kill you outright, you will be left with so little HP that the next enemy might as well be the one delivering the finishing blow.

How do you fight them, then? Well, you either shoot them first, before they do the same to you, or you find cover and keep your head low. The first option is, obviously, the best one, but it isn’t always viable. The buggers are usually smartly placed: half hidden, out of range, hard to hit; making counter-sniping the only way out. The second option, easier to accomplish, avoids fatal headshots but still leaves you with a Sniper to kill. Or you can simply ask for Mortar Support (if you have the proper Order) and bomb him out of his hidey-hole.

At some point, Snipers in white armor make their appearance. You know the deal: they are Elite Snipers, and those guys are a pain. They still deal a ton of damage, but they now have better accuracy, effectively making up for one of the few exploitable flaws the imperial Snipers had. I have seen these guys taking out my units from the other side of the map, one-shooting them even while crouching behind cover. That gets you an idea of how dangerous they are. Again, the strategy to follow here is ye old “whoever shoots first, shoots twice”, or, in this case, lives to see another day.

Tank


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Although less in number than any infantry unit, each armor in the field sure makes the difference. They are way more resistant than your average soldier and boast weapons to face any situation they encounter. Giving any command to a tank costs 2 CP instead of the usual 1, so you better use them responsibly. Also, Tanks require AP to even turn around. It’s a small amount, but running out of AP means that you can’t even spin. I have lost count of how many times my command tank has got stuck in a bad position, with its weak spot completely exposed, and I couldn’t even turn around to, at the very least, not having it facing an incoming missile.

That’s right, all Tanks have a weak spot in their back rears: their radiator. Even standard bullets can do damage in there (albeit not much) and actual anti-armor weapons can one-shot-wreck a Tank if they score a hit in there. That’s why you should never expose it, since a surprisingly well-aimed lance at your command tank can easily result in game over. But same goes for the enemy armor.

Tanks have two HP bars: one of their health indicators is their hull, and it’s basically the same than any other unit: if it reaches zero, the poor chap is done for. The second one is named “Treads”, and is significantly shorter. Depleting it will massively reduce the Tank’s AP bar, up to a point in which is literally immobilized. You don’t want that to happen to your command tank, do you?

Armor vehicles also have, at the very least, three hitboxes: the main body, where attacks will deal standard damage (or none in case of bullets); the treads (the lower half of both sides), hits there will case minimal damage to the hull but will very likely wreck the “treads” HP bar; and the radiator (at the back rear), of which I already talked about.

These are the six Tanks you are going to be seeing the most in your playthrough:

The Edelweiss


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The command tank of Squad 7, a medium tank from the Gallian Militia if you want to be technical about it. It appears in almost all major missions, and having it blow up results in a mission failure. You get it very early in the game and it soon shines for its offensive capabilities, resistance and mobile cover for your infantrymen. On the other side, it has an AP bar similar to the Lancer’s, meaning, quite short. It does increase with the proper upgrades, but I guess that’s fair, being a tank.

The Edelweiss is equipped with the following:

Theimer 88mm KwK Anti-Armor Cannon.

Theimer 12.7mm turret-mounted machine gun.

82 mm Tank Mortar.

ISARA Smoke I (smoke rounds, unlocked half way through the game).Please note that the weapon’s name do change as you upgrade them. The ones shown are the default setup.

The Edelweiss has a weapon for any situation. The main cannon is used to deal with other Tanks, but it is fairly inaccurate until you upgrade it, meaning that is best used at short-medium range. The machine gun is used mainly for interception fire, but you can use it directly to deal with enemy infantry at short range (especially Lancers, as it’s the only weapon the Edelweiss has that is effective against them). The Mortar allows you to clear chunks of infantry at medium range, though it will deal almost no damage to Lancers and it will only damage the treads of other Tanks.

The smoke rounds require a separate explanation. Basically, they create a smoke screen at long range that blocks the view of the enemy, meaning no interception fire. But same goes for you! It basically doesn’t allow seeing through it, inside it, or outside it if you were in it. You can still try blind shots through the smoke screen (and you may hit something) but keep in mind that explosions (cannons, lances, grenades, mortars) will clear it out instantly. It is a great way of getting rid of interception fire that would have otherwise been lethal, though it is easy to forget that you have it. The smoke screen stays for one turn and then it clears itself out. The ISARA Smoke I is the only kind of ammunition that cannot be replenished by Engineers, meaning you only get a shot per turn.

The Edelweiss’ radio system is also needed to send Orders, so in the few missions in which you don’t have it, no Orders for you!

The Shamrock


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A Light Tank from the Gallian Militia unlocked half way through the game, significantly faster that the Edelweiss, but also weaker. It is more easily destroyed and it is less effective as cover, since it’s smaller. It is, however, the only Tank capable of switching weapons, offering more options that your classic cannon-machinegun-mortar setup.

As it isn’t a command tank, losing it isn’t fatal, and it will be available at the next mission again.

The Shamrock is equipped with the following:

Main weapon (one of the three):

Breda 75mm PaK Mark II Anti-Armor Cannon.

MG (assumed 14.5mm) Gatling Gun.

Heavy Flamethrower. Erma 7.92mm turret-mounted machine gun.

75mm Tank Mortar (ONLY if the Cannon is the main weapon).

The cannon works the same way the Edelweiss’ does. Same goes for the Tank Mortar. However, a maxed-out Edelweiss has a stronger cannon and mortar than what a maxed-out Shamrock can achieve. Still, due to its speed and size, this tank is better at flanking others and hit them right in the radiator.

The Gatling Gun is an interesting option which allows fighting infantry efficiently at medium-long range, even Lancers, something tanks usually can’t do. And you may still rack a Tank kill or two if you get close enough and shoot the radiator with the Gatling. It will deal massive damage, though it may not outright destroy the heavier models.

By picking the Flamethrower, you are essentially sacrificing all anti-armor damage and transforming the Shamrock into an anti-infantry specialized unit. You cannot harm Tanks with Flamethrowers, even if you hit the back rear. That said, a flamethrower-equipped Shamrock is a beast at dealing with chunks of infantry, having a deceivingly long reach and a wide area-of-effect, while conserving all advantages a flamethrower has (check the Shocktrooper section for more info).

Imperial Light Tank


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This is the first imperial Tank you are going to be seeing in the game. In the early game, they are quite the threat for your guys’ well-being, but it will be easily out classed. Their only strong point seems to be their relatively large AP bar, for a Tank. Be sure that you are not flanked!

The Imperial Light Tanks stop appearing more or less as you go over the first third of the game, as heavier models take over.

A stock Imperial Light Tank is equipped with:

Krimm N-327 45mm Anti-Armor Cannon.

Uranus 7.62mm turret-mounted machine gun.

Krimm N-210 85mm Tank Mortar.

Thing is, what these guys use the most is their cannon. The machine gun is basically used for interception fire and is rare to see the mortar in use, unless there is a bunch of infantry packed together and no armor in sight. And it isn’t powerful enough to outright incapacitate your units unless they were at two thirds of their HP left or less. The most annoying thing it will do is destroy your cover and leave you exposed to other enemies.

While playing as the imperials in the first DLC (“Behind Her Blue Flame”), you’ll get one of this as your Tank. However, it is a severely weaken version of it, with way less HP and crappier weapons (not to talk about the accuracy). Also, it has an AP bar worthy of a Sniper. The only use I found for it is as a base holder to prevent Scouts rushing in.

There really isn’t much more to say about this Tank model. Next!

Imperial Medium Tank


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A more powerful Tank, makes its appearance as a “plus one” of the lighter version, but soon takes over and becomes the main Tank of the Imperial Forces until the late game. Considerably more powerful and taking a few more hits, the only disadvantage it seems to have is that is slower that its Light brother.

It’s also the only Tank model in the game that I have seen boasting a different setup than the classic cannon-machinegun-mortar, having a flamethrower like the one the Shamrock can equip. For more info, the easiest one to see is the one appearing in Report 8, though getting close is ill-advised.

A stock Imperial Medium Tank is equipped with:

Krimm N-324 76.2mm Anti-Armor Cannon.

x3 Uranus 9mm machineguns:

1 turret-mounted.

1 in the front.

1 in the back rear. Krimm N-216 85mm Tank Mortar.

As you couldn’t tell already, this armor has three machineguns, making it an interception fire beast as it has almost every angle covered. But what really makes it unique is that the bugger has one in the back rear, right on top of the radiator. Flanking it to shoot said hitbox directly may not end very well…

Other than that, it behaves in a very similar way the Imperial Light Tank does, with the exception that is somewhat more common to see it using its mortar against infantry. Keep your guys away from him!

Imperial Heavy Tank


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The most resilient of all the Imperial Tanks, the Heavy version sure takes some hits to go down, most of the times been a shot in the radiator the only way to destroy it without wasting too many turns and / or CP. It is significantly slower than both its counterparts, but makes for it with the biggest non-boss HP bar and not one but TWO destructive cannons, other weapons aside. They appear for the first time at about half game, and stay there till the end, when they become the predominant armor.

Some Tank Bosses are based on this model, meaning the strategies mentioned ahead work as well with them.

A stock Imperial Heavy Tank comes equipped with:

Krimm M-312 122mm Anti-Armor Cannon.

Krimm N-334 76.2mm Anti-Armor Turret.

x2 Uranus 7.62mm machineguns:

1 over the 122mm Cannon.

1 on the 76.2mm Turret. Krimm M-312 122mm Tank Mortar.

The main thing you have to notice is that the Heavy model carries a second cannon, the turret on top of the hull. It is, gameplay-wise, a different entity with its own HP bar (significantly smaller than the Tank’s) and it’s operated separately by the AI, requiring only 1 CP but not being able to move the Tank itself when selecting this unit. It packs less of a punch than the 122mm behemoth the main cannon is, but don’t get overconfident as this Tank in particular can shoot you twice using only 3 CP. The Turret can be destroyed and the Heavy Tank becomes less dangerous, though I only suggest doing that if you already have a Lancer going straight for its butt next turn.

Which gets me to another point, the Heavy Tank CANNOT attack directly behind him. That is a relief after that Medium model with the totally unfair machinegun in the back rear, but even the Light Tank could, at the very least, turn its turret around; but the Heavy Tank has all its guns pointed at the front, a terrifying place to be, I reckon, though it needs to spin 180º to deal with a threat behind it, and it is the imperial Tank with the least amount of AP to spend. You know where I’m going with this, right?

Another thing, the 122mm Mortar absolutely wreaks havoc among infantry. Do not, I repeat, do NOT allow any infantrymen near it, besides Lancers! Too many of my soldiers have learnt this the hard way already.

Imperial Tank Destroyer


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The best way to describe it is as a glass cannon. No joke. This Tank model sacrifices resistance and any infantry-effective weapon for a very powerful attack, while retaining a relatively high mobility.

You are not going to be facing a lot of this ones, but make sure that everyone is ready when it shows up, because the longer it stays, the more dangerous it becomes!

A stock Imperial Tank Destroyer comes equipped with:

Revelle D-5S 85mm Anti-Armor Cannon.

Uranus 7.62mm fore machinegun.

In a straight 1vs1 Tank fight, the Edelweiss can out-perform most of the Tank models in the book by pure attrition. The Imperial Tank Destroyer, as you may guess, isn’t the case, since 2-3 shots from this armor will blast your command tank into pieces without an Engineer taped to the back. You have to figure out a way to destroy it before he gets the chance of attacking, especially if it is accompanied by other anti-armor units. It isn’t very hard, as this Tank has slightly less HP than a Medium Tank, but the safest bet is, as always, going for the radiator.

It isn’t a well-suited Tank to fight infantry. It only has one machinegun and it is stuck in the front, making a Lancer charge much less risky. As soon as you clear a path for him with Snipers or other infantry-killing units, you can pretty much flank it with ease and shoot the vulnerable spot. Due to its low HP and that they show up late in the game, you can even try with Shocktroopers team attacking its radiator to cripple it, then finishing it off with a Lancer or a Tank of your own from a safe distance.

Finally, I may repeat that it doesn’t do well against infantry, so your guys are relatively safe around it. It doesn’t even have a mortar! The only danger comes from the possibility of it clipping your soldiers with its cannon. It’s unlikely, but definitely possible.

Artillery


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Also known as “Fixed Weapons”, they are basically an immobile gun for defense proposes, and there are different models. The thing that they have in common is their vulnerability to flamethrowers and that they are NOT good for your health.

The first type or Artillery is the Anti-Armor Battery, and the fact that it will severely damage your Tanks is a no-brainer. You never want to face one of this head-on, make sure to take it out of the way with subtle tactics. Aside that flamethrowers one-hit-kills it, you can also shoot the gunner with regular bullets, whose head sticks out on top (though it is much easier to hit from behind, since you can target the entire body), but if you miss and hit the gun’s structure instead, you won’t deal any damage. Oh, and even though it is designed to fight Tanks, it can still be god darn effective against infantry if it happens to nail them.

His little brother, the Gatling Gun, is the living opposite. Is a Fixed Weapon for infantry, dealing enormous amounts of damage to anyone dumb enough to charge at it head first. While not ridiculously powerful when actively attacking (though still packs quite the punch), its potential comes from their interception fire, able to turn a soldier into Swiss cheese in just a couple seconds. While you could use flamethrowers to deal with it, by the point you’ve closed in the distance to use it you’ll probably be incapacitated already unless a potential like “Fearless Will” happens to trigger right there. Your best bet is to either play it safe with a Tank or shoot the gunner from afar, somewhat easier to do here since the Gatling Gun doesn’t have armored plating protecting whoever is manning it.

Both Anti-Armor Batteries and Gatling Guns can be taken out with a single Lancer / Tank shot, doesn't matter where you hit them. Thing is, they are quite small for that kind of weapons, which do not excel in accuracy. You need to get close for that.

Moving onto heavier models, here comes the Bunker. It can be either a Gatling Bunker, or an Anti-Armor Bunker, but the outcome is pretty much the same. They are basically armored Gatling Guns and Anti-Armor Batteries respectively. They both require two hits with a flamethrower or several Anti-Armor attacks (Lancers or Tanks) to be destroyed. Their weak spot is the slit in the front, from where they shoot at you: it’s not a one-hit-kill, but requires fewer attacks. Bunkers have a deceptively long reach: don’t get overconfident even if you think you are far enough, you will probably be still in range. Also, some Bunkers have a ragnite barrels behind them which you can shoot with standard bullets to make them go boom and take the Bunker with them. Oh, and there is a special type of Anti-Armor Bunker in Chapter 15 which will fire Mortar Rounds at you as well.

Besides those, there are other entities in the game that are classified as “Fixed Weapons”, though speaking of most of them will spoil you the story (being entities related to some bosses), so I’ll just keep my mouth shut.

Officers

Also known as “Leaders”. Easily recognizable by their red uniforms instead of the regular grey / white / black ones, this guys are basically stronger versions of any class mentioned earlier, including Tanks (but no Engineers, though). Besides higher stats, they passively grant their team an extra CP per Officer for as long as they live. When they die, their bonus is removed instantly from the team’s CP pool. Officers can also be recognized by looking at their info tabs, which have a CP symbol strapped in the top left.

You yourself have four Officers: Lieutenant Welkin (The Edelweiss), Sergeant Alicia (Scout), Sergeant Largo (Lancer) and Caporal Rosie (Shocktrooper). Half way through the game, you’ll unlock a fifth one, the sergeant who commands the Shamrock, whose name I’m not telling you to prevent spoilers. The Edelweiss and the Shamrock are always deployed when a mission starts (unless the game says otherwise), and it’s up to you if you want to deploy the rest of your Officers as well for extra CP.

Unlike regular soldiers, your five Officers are part of the main plot story, meaning that, by the power of Deux Ex Machina, they are never killed in action. They can be incapacitated, but when meeting the dying criteria of regular soldiers (bled out, finished off by an enemy, etc.), they instead “retreat”. They are not dead, and can be used in the next battle, but they are out for the current one’s duration. The Shamrock, being a Tank, cannot be rescued when its HP hits zero, and he instantly withdraws; but loosing the Edelweiss results in an immediate Game Over, as it is your command tank.

The enemy AI can surpass the five Officer limit, but theirs are killed like any other regular unit and that’s the end of them. The enemy has a number of Officers at the beginning of any mission, and cannot be replaced (Officers never show up when they ask for reinforcements). Yours, however, can be rescued when incapacitated and redeployed later in the same mission.

Aces

Also wearing red armor, but without the CP symbol in their info card and always with a unique name (“Ty the Immortal”, for example) instead of a generic class one (say, “Scout”, or “Elite Lancer”). They are improved versions of the enemy’s soldiers, usually even out-performing the Officers, having one stat in particular at a very high value.

Killing them doesn’t drain CP from the enemy’s count, but instead you get to take their weapon and equip it in one of your soldiers the next time you step in the Barracks. This is the only way of getting imperial weapons (which, basically, trade accuracy for rough power).

While Aces tend to be powerful foes, with high stats, you’ll sometimes find some of them which have a stat at a ridiculously high value, but has another one reduced in return. There was this Sniper Ace I found with an insane evasion and accuracy, though an HP max low enough to virtually kill him in one shot using any weapon. Problem came at trying to hit him, when his evasion skills came at work.

Some Aces will drop upgrades for your Tanks instead of weapons, and one gives you a unique Flamethrower Attachment. They are sometimes hidden somewhere in the map and you have to find them first, and then kill the bugger if he lets you. The weapons you obtain as a reward from killing them are always in order, that is, if you find out that you just got a ZM Rifle Mark 4, but the last one of the sort you got was a ZM Rifle Mark 2, it means that you missed a Scout Ace, the one with the Mark 3 rifle.

Bosses


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Seriously tough combatants, a Boss can be either a very powerful Tank or an exceptional foot soldier. Whoever it is, they are not restricted by any class standards beside the CP usage (1 for infantry, 2 for Tanks) and thus can have off-the-chart stats or (usually AND) whatever weapon they bloody feel like, including a Ragna Cannon powerful enough to blow up entire chunks of terrain or doomsday spears which pierces through EVERYTHING.

Bosses also have “unknown” HP max, meaning you never know how many hits is it going to take to kill one. Sometimes they are downright invulnerable. At this point, the only thing you can do is complete the mission objective before he (or she) single-handily wipes out the entire roster.

They only appear in certain story missions, and each one requires a specific set of steps to be defeated, sometimes going through multiple phases. More than once, you’ll have to face two at the same time. There is even a Boss which is an armored vehicle, but explosive weapons are off-limits in said mission. Have fun figuring out a way to bring that last one down.

Be advised, some Bosses (specifically the main plot Imperial commanders) can issue Orders the same way you do, providing buffs to their underlings at a cost of some CP. There’s one which can fully heal everyone in the map, and I hope I don’t have to deal with that one ever again. Be sure that you pay attention to which buff is given each time so you can swap your tactic on the fly or issue an Order of your own to counteract its effect.

Community Section

If you guys have been following my works around, you should already know the deal, but for those who haven’t, here’s what this section is:

It’s basically an empty gap in the guide for the commentators to fill up. There’s one in all my guides, and I’m expecting to have plenty to add in this one as I know, by experience, that you guys always come up with great strategies. Post them in the comments section, and they may earn a place in the hall of fame this section is!

Unlike the guide itself, this section CAN feature spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

ValkyrurS7: You can get the "Ruhm", Selvaria's machinegun, for your Shocktroopers by finishing the first DLC ("Behind Her Blue Flame"). It is a full-automatic firearm with a twenty-round-long magazine which excells in accuracy and damage, being capable of getting kills at medium range and, sometimes, long range; something unusual in Shocktroopers. You only get one, though.

Ekimmak: Since a Tank cannot take damage from interception fire (unless they are firing directly at the radiator, and either way the damage is usually negligible), it is a good idea to make your Tank go first when facing heavy interception fire in order to soak up bullets, and then make the infantry advance behind, taking advantage of the Tank's cover.

Pelandes: This is actually one of mine's, which I learned when playing NG+. Regarding Shocktroopers, I had them equipped with Mags-R and ZM MP models for most of my first playthrough, but now I decided to play around with other machineguns and the results were impressive. Turns out, Shocktroopers with MAJ-X can tank bottlenecks by themselves since they debuff the attack of all of those who intercept and that results in them taking almost no damage when the enemy attempts to attack them. This tactic is specially useful against Lancers, who suddenly become way less dangerous for your command tank, and you may even survive a point-blanck rocket in the radiator. The strength of MAJ-X equipped Shocktroopers is, hence, their interception fire.

deafmatch: Different sniper rifles also have different zoom "stats". For example, the ZM MP series, which are super innacurate, have scopes with incredible zoom power in the later models, allowing you to still land a bullet on a distant target. The sheer damage it causes will make up for the fact that the thing you would be getting the most are bodyshots.

Marksman: Snipers can make for good improvised Scouts if you get them to high ground or up a watchtower. They will spot a lot of foes and keep track of them during their turn, not to talk of getting a hell of a shot once you get to move again. The problem is, watch out for Snipers, Lancers and Tanks, all of which have an extreme range of attack and will attempt to take down your guys at their first chance! And, given the fact that the one being shot at is a Sniper (low HP max, low defense, low evasion), he is probably in for a world of hurt.

Other Guides

These are other guides that I made myself on the Steam Community. If you think that one of them may interest you, do not hesitate in checking it out!

A guide about all weapons, drones and augmentations in the FTL universe:

FTL Reference: Weapons, Drones and Augmentations

If you want to become a medic in the merciless wasteland DayZ is, it may be wise to read this one:

The Doctor's Handbook: health and medicine in DayZ

If you play March of War, do you happen to be on the European Alliance? This one's for you!

March of War - The European Alliance Arsenal

I decided to write another "Reference" guide. This time about Invisible Inc, a game with a FTL-ly feel. All weapons, gadgets, augmentations and enemies are listed and explained. Enjoy!

Invisible Inc Reference - Weapons, Gadgets, Augmentations and Enemies

Last Word

For as short as this one may look, it actually took me a surprising amount of time to write it. It is probably due to how crazy busy I’ve been these last months.

This may be the shortest of my works, but I’m not expecting it to stay like that for that long, as there are enormous amounts of bit and pieces that couldn’t make it to this guide, but that I’m expecting to be adding to Community Section as they pop up in the comments. I have said what I know, now it is time for you people to contribute!

Be safe in the Gallian battlefield, friends.

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=408405257					

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