This is the follow up to my first post about Factions and Bot Classes, if that’s what you’re looking for go check it out here: Ultimate Raid Guide Part 1: Factions & Bot Classes
In this post i will be giving details on what should you bring to a raid and how can you make effective armor against bots. Starting with what i think most people are here for:
What are the best weapons for raids?
Screenshot from gilliardgamer
As most of you already know, Retchers and Porcupines are the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to raids, they both combine high DPS and explosive damage making them the two strongest weapons you can have for PVE, you are definitely not gonna have any struggle getting a good score with these. The optimal number for each would be either a pair of Retchers, or 4 Porcupines (or 3 + a Flash, in case you want something to slow down the bots)
Recommended gear (for Porcupines):
Hadron medium cabin + x1 King minelayer
Echo heavy cabin
Harpy light cabin
KA-2 Flywheel reload booster
x1 Flash I or Spark III
x2(or higher) Expanded Ammo Packs
x4(or higher) Icarus IV and/or Icarus VII hovers - hovers will make your job much easier when using Porcupines.
Recommended gear (for Retchers):
Harpy light cabin
humpback heavy cabin
x2(or higher) RN Seal radiator
x1 Shiver Cooler - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add
Oppresor engine
x2(or higher) Expanded Ammo Packs - You can use a single one if you own Harpy, but its risky if you miss a lot of shots.
However, these items are quite expensive and not many players can get their hands on them, so i will be giving alternative options for you that might not perform as good as them, but will definitely allow you to get a very good score.
What would be the cheapest, but still efficient gear for me to use?
In case you don’t have a lot of money, don’t want to spend too much just for raids or simply wants something to start with, this is the gear i recommend you, it is significantly cheap for how it performs and will allow you to get a decent score.
Total average cost on current prices: 410 on PC, 930 on Xbox and 1000 on PS (duck not included)
includes:
- x4 Vector machinegun
- Growl light cabin
- PU-1 Charge Heavy Generator (alternatively, you can instead use Ampere light generator, which is significantly lighter but deals massive damage when destroyed and doesn’t have much health, it costs around the same price as PU-1.)
- RD-1 Listener 0 Energy Radar
- R-2 Chill radiator
- Radio data transmitter
Note: the prices will likely be different from when i published this.
What weapons should I use?
Machineguns & Miniguns
Machineguns are easy to use, accurate, and have high DPS, making them a very good choice for raids, pretty much there is no bad option, with the only exception being frontal machineguns, as their limited firing angle can be annoying sometimes, but they can still perform pretty great if you can get away with their limitations.
Recommended:
x4 Vector (x5 if you own an Apollo generator)
x4 Defender (x5 with Apollo)
x4 Piercer (x5 with Apollo)
x4 Guardian (x5 with Apollo) - Best low cost
x4 Sinus-0 (x5 with Apollo)
x4 M-29 Protector (x5 with Apollo)
x3 Spectre-2
x4 MG13 Equalizer
x3 MG13 Equalizer + x1 Aurora
x3 Caucasus
x4 M-32 Vindicator (x5 with Apollo) - Best from frontal machineguns
x4 M-39 Imp (x5 with Apollo) - Best from rapid-fire machineguns
x4 MG14 Arbiter
x3 MG14 Arbiter + x1 Aurora - Best from miniguns
x3 Punisher - Best from machineguns
Recommended gear:
Favorite medium cabin - For long overheating time weapons
Torero medium cabin
Humpback heavy cabin
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal radiators
x1 Cs Taymyr or Shiver coolers - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add
x4 Claw frontal wheel - If you own Claws and you have Aurora paired with other weapons, make sure to use them so you get a small damage boost for it. You should not make this a priority however, as the damage bonus is small and will only be applied to Aurora, it is only recommended if you already own Claw wheels.
Note: For the most effective use of machineguns, make sure you tapfire, as simply holding fire with them will reduce their accuracy and your overall DPS. with the exception of Miniguns and Caucasus, of course.
NOT Recommended:
LM-54 Chord - way too low DPS to be worth using, despite the low energy cost.
SM Hornet - as its description says, “The least effective machine gun”.
Reaper - MG14 Arbiter does its job but far better.
M-38 Fidget - Funny enough, Piercer does higher damage than fidgets.
Aspect - M-39 Imp and M-32 Vindicator do its job but far better.
ST-M26 Tackler - M-29 Protector does it job but better.
Aurora Only - Aurora, even with damage buffs, isnt really that great on its own, pair a single one with other weapons instead.
Autocannons
Screenshot from Daft909
Compared to Machineguns, autocannons don’t have that much DPS (except for Whirl), but due to their explosive damage, range and accuracy, they can be very good against bots, however, their energy cost is higher. Its still a pretty good choice and will allow you to get a good score.
Recommended:
x3 AC50 Storm
x3 AC62 Therm
x2 AC72 Whirlwind (x3 with Apollo)
x3 Whirl - Best DPS
x2 AC80 Stillwind (x3 with Apollo)
Note: Like with machineguns, tapfiring will make your accuracy better.
Recommended gear:
Harpy light cabin - For light autocannons, such as AC62 Therm and AC50 Storm
Torero medium cabin
Humpback heavy cabin
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal radiators
x1 CS Taymyr or Shiver coolers - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add.
NOT Recommended:
AC43 Rapier - Bad accuracy and very bad DPS.
Cyclone - AC80 Stillwind does its job but far better.
AC64 Joule - Way too expensive for a very underwelming performance.
Plasma Emitters
Plasma emmiters share a couple advantages, like firing constantly and, in case of Helios, being able to deal cabin damage by hitting the full volley anywhere on the bot. They are a pretty decent choice and only require a single module to support them.
Recommended:
x3 Syntesis
x3 Prometheus V
x3 Helios
Recommended gear:
Quantum medium cabin
Humpback heavy cabin
Power Unit charge booster
x4 Claw frontal wheels
NOT Recommended:
x3 Syntesis/Prometheus V/Helios + x1 Aurora - This combination does give you higher DPS, but not enough to compensate its 16 energy usage, leaving you with no extra energy to use. A Power Unit module will give you nearly the same DPS for a lower energy cost.
x4 Syntesis/Prometheus V/Helios - Same reason as the above.
Tesla Emitters
Screenshot from That_guyfire
If you really dont want to worry about missing your target and wants to be a good support for your teammates, make sure to bring a few of those. however, keep in mind it will be very expensive and you shouldn’t buy them just for raids.
Recommended:
x3 Spark III
x1 Flash I + x2 Spark III
Recommended gear:
Quantum medium cabin
Howl medium cabin
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal radiators
x1 CS Taymyr or Shiver coolers - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add.
x4 Claw frontal wheels
NOT Recommended:
x3 Flash I - Despite being very effective against bots, this is absolutely not a good investment, as it will cost a LOT and you can simply buy 3 Porcupines instead, which will do a much better job.
Shotguns
Shotguns will be the weapon class i will recommend the least, as despite their incredible DPS, their range is very short, forcing you to stay closer to the bots, which will draw their attention to you.
Recommended:
x4 Lupara - Best low cost
x4 Seldgehammer
x4 Mace
x3 Thunderbolt
x2 Hammerfall
x2 Hammerfall + x1 Mace - Best DPS
Recommended gear:
Torero medium cabin
Favorite medium cabin
Jannabi light cabin
Oppressor engine
Bigfoot heavy wheels - only if you are using Thunderbolt or Mace.
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal
x1 CS Taymyr or Shiver - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add.
NOT Recommended:
Breaker - Will cost you way too much for a bit extra DPS, use hammerfalls instead.
Any frontal shotgun - You already got short range, now also limited firing angle, not worth.
Any reload shotgun - Worse accuracy, lower DPS and higher energy cost.
Gravastar - Way too innacurate, way too fragile and awful range.
Other
I will list here the rest of the weapons that are worth using in raids and their respective gear.
x2 Incinerator
Very helpful support weapon that also gives a decent score.
Recommended gear:
Blight light cabin
Harpy light cabin
KA-1 Discharger or KA-2 Flywheel reload boosters
x2(or higher) Expanded Ammo Packs
x4(or higher) Icarus IV and/or Icarus VII hovers
Bigfoot heavy wheels - only if using Blight light cabin.
x2 Thresher
Cheap alternative if you can’t buy Retchers.
Recommended gear:
Harpy light cabin
Humpback heavy cabin
Torero medium cabin
Oppressor engine
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal
x1 CS Taymyr or Shiver - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add.
x2(or higher) Expanded Ammo Packs
x2 Impulse (x3 if you own Apollo)
Cheap alternative if you can’t buy Retchers, which can later be used to craft them.
Harpy light cabin
Humpback heavy cabin - only if using x2 Impulses
Torero medium cabin
Oppressor engine
R-2 Chill and/or RN Seal
x1 CS Taymyr or Shiver - Not recommend using more than 1 cooler, as their bonus is drastically lower for each extra cooler you add.
x2(or higher) Expanded Ammo Packs
What weapons I should NEVER use in raids?
Here i will be listing all the weapons that are not worth bringing to a raid, the reasons may be different but be sure those will very likely not give you a good score.
Cannons, all of them - Cannons have great damage and explosion radius, but very low DPS, making you take way too long to kill multiple bots.
Rocket launchers, all of them - Like cannons, they have great damage but they take way too long to kill multiple bots, and also use a lot of ammo.
Drones & Turrets, all of them - Despite their decent DPS, drones are easily targetted and destroyed by bots, and also can block teammates’ path.
Melees, Chainsaws & Lances, all of them - Melees will force you to facehug bots, which is a very bad strategy and will cause you to take a ton of damage.
Long Reload & Charging weapons (Crossbows, Mandrakes, etc.) - Like cannons, those will take way too long to kill multiple bots, making them not worth.
Trombone (as support) - Trombone will be effective against bosses, but weak against groups of bots, as it can’t heat all of them in time.
Flamethrowers - Way too short in range and they use way too much ammo.
Jubboko, Kapkan & King - Like drones, those will be shot down by bots.
Revolvers - Way too low DPS to be viable. Machineguns do its job but better.
Nailguns - Like with Revolvers, Machineguns do its job better.
Yongwang - Way too expensive and not so reliable as other grenade launchers.
R-37-39 Adapters - Machineguns and Plasma Emitters do its job but better.
Skinner & Enlightenment - Common sense.
What modules should I always bring to a raid?
Modules are just as important as good weapons, so you should always make sure to bring some to maximize your performance. However, make sure to only bring what will really help you.
Radiators, Coolers & Reload Boosters
Radiators will help you with your heat-based weapons by increasing the amount of shots it takes for them to overheat, while coolers will boost the cooling process after they overheat, make sure to use as many radiators as you can. As i have mentioned previously you should always make sure to bring no more than a single cooler as they give a worse bonus after the first.
Reload Boosters will boost the reload speed of your weapons, however keep in mind they are quite heavy.
Engines
Its always good to have an engine that can boost your movement parts or weapons, in case they can’t be buffed by any engine or it is not really needed, just bring one that will fit what you most need, be it speed, tonnage or mass limit. Hot Red is a good option if you want an extra point of energy to use.
Ammo Crates
Ammo crates will increase your ammo by a lot, specially the epic ones, however make sure to hide them properly as they explode when they are destroyed. You can use rare ammo packs if you can’t buy the epic ones, however keep in mind that their health is not that great and they deal a significant amount of damage.
Radars & Radios
Despite not many people willing to use them, radars can be very helpful to make the raid end faster, as you will know sooner where bots are coming from. Always make sure to bring at least one a zero energy radar and a radio, as both are very light and cheap, and also provide you and your teammates a better detection.
Averter
Screenshot from Daft909
Averter is not really necessary, but if you want that extra protection for your guns and cabin you can use one.
What modules should I NEVER bring to a raid?
Here i will list the modules that you shouldn’t bring to a raid due to them being unecessary, or useless. I wont shot pictures and give extra details about each as this post is already bigger than i wanted, except for chameleon which has an important thing about it.
Chameleons
Like you may expect, chameleon will prevent bots from shooting at you, however, if you cloak after they have targetted you, they will still target you for a few seconds, which may lead to them shooting you and taking your invisibility away, and also, despite being cloaked bots will remain following you, eventually causing them to bump and take your invisibility away.
Boosters
Boosters are completely unecessary for raids, as in most cases you dont need that extra speed.
Argus & Interceptor
Drones and mines are not a significant threat for you to need extra modules to deal with them, you can simply shoot them down which will do the same job.
Verifier & Oculus VI
The vast majority of bots don’t use a cloaking device and they don’t really hide, so bringing one of these is completely unecessary.
Aegis-Prime & Barrier IX
You don’t really need that extra protection on raids, and those will take a lot of energy for that.
Fuel Barrels
I wonder how some people didn’t figure it out yet… YOU DO NOT GET FUEL FROM RAIDS.
Car Jack
Unless you really mess up with your building you wont even flip over on a raid, and keep in mind you can just ask a teammate to unflip you.
How about movement parts?
Movement parts don’t need much details explained about them, just make sure you bring a movement part that will give you good speed, tonnage, and those that may be best for the weapons of your choice. My best advice is to just not bring slow movement parts such as augers, heavy tracks or ML 200 Legs, as you will struggle to catch up with your team.
Lastly, Cabins
As for cabins, you should simply pick one that will benefit you the most, like the extra damage and huge mass limit from Humpback, the accuracy bonus and speed from Torero, and so on. If you can’t purchase these expensive cabins, you can simply use Growl which is the best starter cabin.
And that’s all for this post, i have been busy lately with irl stuff so thats why this one took way longer, i will be doing more research on the future posts as they cover some stuff im not that sure about. If you disagree with something here, make sure to comment and tell me what could be changed.
