Tips in getting better weapons

[Summerland]

I've just finished the game twice on Normal mode and was just on Hard mode chapter 2 with the 3 insecticons when I hit the wall.

Basically I'm down to about $100,000 credits. But using Prime (my most buffed character), I get killed fast. Maybe I should have saved up more credits for buffs. I could buff and probably beat this battle but then I think I'd be stumped on the next one and out of credits. I don't use my Hyper Lightning Axe as much cause of the low Atk base. My other items are a someone buffed rank B shockwave gun and unbuffed Rank A items. I think the problem is I need another game on Normal to use the credits to buff up some rank A items till I can get better. But I'm here hoping more experienced players can give me some advice.

Stats:
Health 4000
Melee Atk 380
Ranged 345
Defencse 595
Top Speed 200

Two of the weapons I'm using

Twin Frost Swords
lvl 6 Rank A
RobotSpd lvl 2
Total Atk Pwr 595
Physical Atk 397
Cyro Atk 248

Hyper Lightning Axe
Total Atk 698
Base Atk v 69
Lightning Atk 527
Max Energy 106

-> Ultimate Cost lvl 4
-> EnRec lvl 3
-> WpnDrop lvl 3
-> EngnAtk lvl 2


I am thinking of leveling up Sideswipe, as he's quicker.

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Summerland:

I think the problem is I need another game on Normal to use the credits to buff up some rank A items till I can get better. But I'm here hoping more experienced players can give me some advice.

you can also play the challenges, it would probably be a lot quicker than the actual story-mode game.

what have you been doing with all your energon? beating normal once should give you all you need to get started on hard.

also, while weapons do somewhat matter in that lower levels deal far less damage, even an unranked weapon from the end of normal should be enough to start hard. far more important is being able to reliably parry and use dodge offset.

[Summerland]

Is Energon the currency in the game? I wasted some in the first playthrough on stats. I used a bunch more upgrading a few C level weapons like twin thermal swords. And some was used on healing and buffing items.

Problem is I get killed in 2-3 shots/hits on the Insecticon big battle with 3 of them. I sometimes wound 1-2 quite a bit but can't beat them without buffs. I have about $140,000 money now, what I guess I could do is finish on normal or keep playing chapter 2 95% of the way through and racking up money and changing it to hard after.

I have played some of the challenges for extra stuff, from the ones I can find anyway. I should look up all the locations.

[Summerland]

Doing better now. $350k money to use and beat the Chapter 2 end battle finally, much less trouble than last time. (commander mode).

My rank A twin frost blades are doing around 685 base damage, can't seem to get it any higher though. Hopefully I'll get through to Chapter 7 on this run.

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Summerland:

Doing better now. $350k money to use and beat the Chapter 2 end battle finally, much less trouble than last time. (commander mode).

My rank A twin frost blades are doing around 685 base damage, can't seem to get it any higher though. Hopefully I'll get through to Chapter 7 on this run.

and just to be sure, you did buy parry, right?

also, the challenges i am talking about are available from the main menu. not the extra missions inside of the levels of story mode.

things do get a lot more aggressive on hard, and they attack much faster, but it shouldent be too hard to adjust timings.

of course you should use whatever weapons you're most comfortable with, but i think it's kind of a waste to use twin swords on optimus. then again, the timing on optimus/grimlock heavy weapons does take getting used to. if you can get a star saber, that might help a lot.

[Summerland]

I didn't have Parry, but I have just purchased it now. Hopefully it will help out.

Doing the challenges from the main menu, will all the credits & weapons I earn go straight to my main game?

I'm on Chapter 4 now on hard, still at $300k, need to keep the money up for buffs for those tough battles.

I was using heavy hammers for a while with Prime and doing major damage, maybe I should have kept it up. Next time I get a good hammer I'll equip it to him. I found one star saber rank A but I merged it with Sideswipe's weapon to get over 700 base damage.

How long before I get an S ranked weapon? Will there be any on chapter 6 & 7 hard mode? Looking forward to hitting harder.

[Summerland]

The challenges are tough at the moment. I can beat challenge 50 on commander with SS rank but can't beat some earlier ones on hard. Guess I'll have to do #50 a bunch of times or a lot of normal runs to build up cash.

[Summerland]

I am good at the shooter challenge and have a got a couple Rank S weapons

Shock Knuckles (5 slots)

Total Atk Power 1,759
Base Atk Power 329
Energon Atk Power 330
Lightning Atk Power 1,100


They look like they have shorter range but probably worth replacing my 780 damage Twin Frost Blades (Rank A - 3 slots, level 26)

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Summerland:

I didn't have Parry, but I have just purchased it now. Hopefully it will help out.

Doing the challenges from the main menu, will all the credits & weapons I earn go straight to my main game?

I'm on Chapter 4 now on hard, still at $300k, need to keep the money up for buffs for those tough battles.

I was using heavy hammers for a while with Prime and doing major damage, maybe I should have kept it up. Next time I get a good hammer I'll equip it to him. I found one star saber rank A but I merged it with Sideswipe's weapon to get over 700 base damage.

How long before I get an S ranked weapon? Will there be any on chapter 6 & 7 hard mode? Looking forward to hitting harder.

sorry for the delay, i only check this board once a day, if even that.

the reason i suggested a star saber is because it has ranged attacks built into it. pretty sure this holds true with a certain style of the normal elemental big swords, but i know it's true for the star saber.

still, so long as you're comfortable with the glove moveset, once you get those gloves to max level they should be able to carry you through the hard story.

i'd still rather use gloves on bee or sideswipe rather than optimus, though. that's just me, use whatever is comfortable to you.

[Summerland]

Best star saber I've seen is a B rank, but I'll keep a look out. I got sonic knuckles (or something), rank S right now. I am able to complete challenge #50 from the menu with S/SS rank on magnus, I seem good at it. So I should be able to get something good in time with that.

I have an S rank hammer I am giving Optimus.

[Summerland]

As an update I am currently near the end of Chapter 1 on Magnus. I have a bunch of S rank weapons now. I have maxed out Sonic Knuckles rank S, base damage almost 3k

I'm using Sideswipe but I try to keep everyone's weapons more updated now. I have tried many challenge #50 on magnus mode but I only get rank A and S weapons, they are good though.

I like the fast machine gun, but mine is rank A and only does 400 base damage. Do they make these in Rank S/SS? I never see them. What are the best ranged weapons to use for Sideswipe?

Still looking for Star Saber better then B rank.

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Summerland:

As an update I am currently near the end of Chapter 1 on Magnus. I have a bunch of S rank weapons now. I have maxed out Sonic Knuckles rank S, base damage almost 3k

I'm using Sideswipe but I try to keep everyone's weapons more updated now. I have tried many challenge #50 on magnus mode but I only get rank A and S weapons, they are good though.

I like the fast machine gun, but mine is rank A and only does 400 base damage. Do they make these in Rank S/SS? I never see them. What are the best ranged weapons to use for Sideswipe?

Still looking for Star Saber better then B rank.

might just have to go with an elemental big sword then, i know i've found those at S rank.

you should be getting to the renamed high-rank variants about now. i'm not too fond of the machine guns, myself, so i never really paid to much attention to them. i'm big on the grappling hook (really good for extending combos;) mixmaster's sludge gun, for the slow; and shockwave's gun, it seems to have really good raw per-shot damage.

[Summerland]

Most of my attempts were challenge #50 on magnus mode. Maybe I'll find better stuff in chapters 6 & 7 on magnus. I've found S ranked grappling hooks that look fun to use, I sell a bunch of the S stuff I find for cash or buff my weapons.

I'll be careful with stuff I find in coming chapters. Hoping to find some good stuff. When can SS rank weapons be found on kills? I like Shockwave's gun, but the one I had was B rank so I need something more to to date.

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Summerland:

Most of my attempts were challenge #50 on magnus mode. Maybe I'll find better stuff in chapters 6 & 7 on magnus. I've found S ranked grappling hooks that look fun to use, I sell a bunch of the S stuff I find for cash or buff my weapons.

I'll be careful with stuff I find in coming chapters. Hoping to find some good stuff. When can SS rank weapons be found on kills? I like Shockwave's gun, but the one I had was B rank so I need something more to to date.

for the hook, it does not matter what grade it is at all. i do not think it benefits from leveling up at all, either.

not sure what grades come exactly when, it's been at least 6 months since i was active playing the game. from what you're saying, they must be uncommon to rare at around the end of hard story/challenge.

hrm, as i recall, i think i only got 1 SS worth using from my own last playthrough of hard story/ hard challenges.

[Summerland]

Finally got around to beating Magnus mode and started up prime mode. Good news is that I have tried challenge mode mission #50 on Prime mode and still able to get SS rating on it and getting some S/SS weapons from it!

I have an S ranked Star Saber. Wondering the best setup for sideswipe. Maybe SS Star Saber, I'm good with the sniper rifles, got an S ranked one doing great damage.

[No Rest for the Wicked]

I just arrived at the discussion, but basically the secret to get better weapons is visit the lab shop at every end of chapter. If you wanna grind for it, redo the last challenges, the ones where you just fire on a turret, over and over and over and check the lab every time you finish it.

Also don't forget to use the bonus boosters (Xp, money and items) at the start of the section. In fact, if you can, use the item boosters in every big fight with lots of enemies to destroy. The best weapons are the Star Saber, the Forge of Solus, the Sword of Menansor and Devastator's Drills (the charged attack is... devastating *baduntiss*).