OP items at 9k PS - Mini-CWs are coming - Are you ready?

Discussion
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I started building a bunch of 9k builds for Arena (post on that coming soon) and since I have not played that PS range in years it has been very fun rediscovering the game at this range.

With my first builds I have been just having fun and not trying to build a serious Mini-CW meta (yet)

But One item I think is very OP at this level is Agus-Prime, to the point of being a crutch (no judgement here, just sayin, smokem if you gotem)

Because this item is not as useful at high PS I feel it might be over looked by many people in mid PS.

I think they are so good… that I’m going to fuse a second one to build some high PS double bubble builds for fun solo PvP.

I could list off a bunch of other items I think are OP at this level - but I’ll leave that to you guys.

Let the Arena begin!

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I’ve also been playing below 9kPS this week, and really enjoying it.
I have no idea what’s going to dominate the new mode though. Lots of different things seem strong in that range, but nothing stands out as particularly dominant.

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What have you been doing best with? Or die to most?

I think when they dropped the Argus Prime down to 2pt of energy instead of 3 made it an OP item for that PS range. I plan to force it into a bunch of 9k builds.

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I think that strong hitscan does well at this level.

Spectres, Nothungs, Aspects, Athena and Destructors are good.

I’ve found melee to be difficult at this level because the builds are so fast. If you are going for melee, double Draco or Draco and 2 Remedies is great for high damage, as are 2 Harvesters for collision damage.

Kapkans will be top notch at this level. No one is going to have Interceptors.

My opening 9K loadout will be something like:

A little machine gun spider, probably with Huginn and Nothungs. Maybe I’m out to lunch to think that 3 Nothungs will fit on a build at 9K. I also have a couple of fused Defenders and a fused Vindicator from battlepasses, so maybe 3 Defenders and a Vindicator on a Huginn spider.

A little fire dog build, probably with 1 Draco and 2 Remedies.

A Porcupine build, probably with 2 Kapkans and 2 Porcupines.

Other things I think that might be interesting and that I might get to compete:

Echo Fatman
Deadman Avalanche
Explocust! I have +bullet speed +blast radius Locusts. Maybe these on a little Harpy hover.

The problem with cannons and rockets is that cars are extremely fast at this level, so missing your shots has serious consequences.

Another idea for melee: Flash + 3 Tempura firedog.

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Yeah, I did make 2 Athena builds and a Destructor banana boat already. (I posted the Athena builds already - the Destructor is still in testing) Those weapons are pretty OP in that power score for sure.

I do also plan to make a few MG spider builds. The new legs should work well in this mode.

Have not had time yet… hmmm maybe tonight :slight_smile:

I did already made a 9k triple porc. A kapcan version is also a good idea. I’ll have to add that to my todo list. (I did already build a 9k 5-kapcan agus bubble build. not the same thing - but the Kapcans made me think of it)

I plan to build waaaaaay more builds then I plan to use in this mode so I can post to the exhibition for other people.

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Another idea: 2 Cyclones on a Huginn build, probably in an over under banana configuration on Sleipnir tracks.

Another idea: A Huginn Gremlin build, maybe with a Cheetah. It seems like the Huginn cab is at the center of most of my plotting to take over 9K. The cabin is so good for this format as it shaves power score from modules and generators by providing internal cooling. It also has a very flat buildable surface to mount machine guns on.

The new Gerrida legs should be key, as the perk of - Spread synergizes with machine guns, especially box machine guns such as Defenders, Protectors, Tacklers and Vindicators, as these are otherwise extremely desirable weapons but they have awful spread problems. Make sure they are fused for - Spread, run Falcon and run them on Gerrida legs or Bigrams and you have a very strong gun.

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I’m definitely going to be running interceptors on some of my builds for this, as I predict lots of kapkans and Yaoguai drones.

I’ll probably run some kind of harvester build (or possibly Lacerators), as they seem to chew through the new legs easily, and I’m predicting lots of gerrida MG builds.

I think I’ll also try a gremlin/Huginn/auger build, as they typically perform well in this PS range.

Might do a whirl/gerrida build too.

And I guess if all else fails, I’ll try an equalizer/aurora build.

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The real secret weapon at this level is strategy. It might be different with the CW strata of players, but generally, sub 10k, most of your human opponents will be MASH W MASH W MASH W MASH W type of player.

Aegis, daze, radars, etc do well here.

You can’t get too fancy, of course. 9k is a hard cap to hit if you’re used to building at 16k.

Jockey, Bat, Pilgrim & Growl are your friends at keeping PS down, as are Large Wheels & Twin Wheels for their tonnage & low PS.

Drones, turrets & minelayers work far better down here than they do above 10k…

Weapons I’m especially successful with are maces, therms & storms, and the aurora/MG combo @130898924 Poony mentioned.

Those autocannons are good because so few opponents have enough map awareness to know where they can & cannot sit without getting chewed up.

Melee is perfectly doable, but you’re going to have to make something fast and maneuverable - or at least put a cloak on it. __

All of this is conjecture, though. Currently, at 9k, a good portion of the players aren’t very good. I’ll go several matches where I learn the ONE player on the other team I have to take down in order to win because that’s the only other good player there is.

When the CW hits this PS level, that changes. I’m betting it’ll be the difference between Patrol & Get the Scrap. I have different builds and different tactics for bots & players, and I’m sure I’ll do the same for newer players with crap parts and good players with all the parts.

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Other things I plan on trying:

  • therme
  • thresher
  • tempura
  • jobukko/incinerator/Kapkan
  • junkbow
  • remedy/harvester
  • nest/trombone
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I can just see it. Doppler and Verifier? What is this cheat code?

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To see if your melee/flamethrower build will work down there, try running down the bots in your test drive.
You’ll find one of the problems is they’re just too fast unless you’re clever.

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I’ve been playing melee around 6kPS this week, and it is sometimes a struggle to actually connect with a victim, but at least when you do connect it’s often devastating.

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Having at least one build with interceptor on it in your 3 car line-up is a good idea.

It was a must have in Arena last time they had it.

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It’s a very underused module, IMO.

I like that it’s so small that I can hide it easily on any build. I do wish it was active for longer though, but it’s useful nevertheless.

I’m not sure why they’re going for so cheap on the PS4 market. I guess everyone who wanted one got it with the BP?

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Never used an interceptor and i finished in the top 20. Situational awareness and lower than frame level passive melee are all you need.

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Were you using a bubble build?
Or did a shield raise your PS too much?

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Fortunes, Nothungs, Aspects, Porcs, hammerfalls, Remedies, Frontal rocket launchers (cant think of the name), CRICKETS, Athena’s, dual stillwinds+kapcan, kapkan/barrier/therms, Purple frontal MG’s on new legs, incinerators. and of course, Oma/minigun V’s. Kaiju’s. The purple drones (cant think of the name)

I suspect well played Crickets will rise at least at the beginning. They are quite strong again.

Edit: Speed matters at this PS.

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Bubble PS is low now because it is only 2 pt

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You cpuld fit a 3 energy aegis on a build at 9k, but it wasnt optimal i found. But now one plus an omamori are gonna be standard issue for this im thinking

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Both Argus and Omamori will be used a lot.
They are both pretty OP.

I do plan to have some serious builds, but this time I also plan to play a few oddball builds.

Also, like last time, I plan to only play solo.

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