The Zenith Guard has heavy firepower early on in the Laser Mech's Burst Beam and the Charge Mech's Ramming Engines. However, Ramming Engines' self-damage means that the Defense Mech must frequently deploy shields to prevent it from killing itself. The shields are also important for preventing collateral damage from the Burst Beam and for protecting against Vek attacks.
Block damage with a Shield 4 times in a single battle
Strategies[ | ]
The Laser Mech demands open column and row space to work at its peak efficiency. If enclosed by buildings your Defense Mech must encase them in shields before you fire.
The front two tiles of the burst beam will take 3 and 2 damage respectively, enough to kill all normal Vek apart from the Beetle. When upgraded the distribution becomes 4-3-2 from your mech, which can kill the Alpha Scarab, Alpha Gastropod and Alpha Bouncer.
The Charge Mech only inflicts self-damage if it hits anything. Using it to arrive on empty space can substitute for its low movement and lets it cross chasms.
Beware of the self-damage if inflicted with A.C.I.D. or a damage Boost, as they will double the self-damage taken.
Look for the Force Amp passive, as it allows the Charge Mech deal 4 damage to a Vek without any upgrades, as well as making the Defense Mech deal 2 damage when pulling into itself.
Since the Charge Mech damages itself every time it attacks, it's recommended to choose one of the following Pilots to start the timeline with:
Abe Isamu removes the self-damage from the Charge Mech, and allows him to spam Ramming Engines with no drawback.
Ariadne increases the Charge Mech's health to 6 - enough to survive all 5 turns of a battle - and enables her to attack at forests without setting the Charge Mech on fire.
Mafan's Zoltan Shield allows him to spend it using Ramming Engines every turn, provided he doesn't take damage or gets set on fire for the enemy turn. The extra reactor can also be used to immediately power Ramming Engine's damage; the increased self-damage isn't an issue since the shield absorbs it already without damaging tiles either.
For pilots obtained through the run, noteworthy ones to look for include:
Harold Schmidt and Kazaaakpleth can give the Defense Mech a much better pushing tool in addition to its default Attraction Pulse.
Kai Miller and Morgan Lejeune both raise the maximum damage of the Laser Mech to 5, which is enough to kill most Alphas.
Silica on the Laser Mech firing twice can eliminate any boss.
Flying: Flying units can move over any terrain tile.
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