Tactical Compendium

[Alpro]

Just a little something to help new and returning players alike. I've been playing since launch and i'm still learning new things every now and then. Most of the information is scattered around these forums, i thought it'd be nice to have it all in one place. Feel free to contribute.

NEW ENTRIES
• REMOVED: Void Shocker kills neither grant XP or count towards kill limit (fixed in last patch)
  
  WEAPONS
  
• A weapon's first upgrade is not required to power up the second one
  
• Non-mech allies do not benefit from mechs passive weapons
  
• Storm Generator (Rocket Mech): only affects enemies
  
• Storm Generator (Rocket mech): does not count as an attack, ignores armor and acid
  
• Storm Generator (Rocket Mech): does not affect boulders (including Thumblebug's but burning will caused them to explode)
  
• The Grappling Hook (Hook mech/Gastropods): can safely pull units accross pits and liquids, all tiles "on the way" are ignored (time pods, fire, mines, etc)
  
• Rock Accelerator (Boulder mech): deals no tile damage except to mountains (cracks, ice, forests, etc are not affected unless there's a target on top -> TO TEST: will a boulder destroy a time pod? (likely))
  
• Viscera Nanobots (Nano mech): heal is per enemy killed, even if killed on same turn
  
• Seismic Capacitor (Drill mech): Cracks form on any kill, including boulders, acid vats and your own spawned units such as tanks
  
• Seismic Capacitor (Drill mech): killing exploding enemies will break the resulting cracks immediately, watch out for Blast Psions
  
• Control Shot (Control mech): can be used on any unit, even mechs and allies (this does not spend the unit's action for this turn)
  
• Control Shot (Control mech): can move units out of webs
  
• Control Shot (Control mech): cannot be used on frozen units
  
• Control Shot (Control mech): cannot move non-flying units into liquids or chasms
  
• Control Shot (Control mech): flying/leaping units still fly/leap when you move them
  
• Nanofilter Mending (Smog mech): when taking damage while on a sand tile, damage applies before the heal occurs
  
• Nanofilter Mending (Smog mech): counts as repair: removes status effects and mites
  
• Nanofilter Mending (Smog mech): walking into smoke + acid cures acid immediately
  
• Arachnoid Injector (Arachnoid mech): exploding enemies will kill the spawned spider
  
• Void Shocker, unlike the Storm Generator, takes armor and acid into account
  
• Void Shocker does not count hitting boulders as a hit, thus enemies doing so will take damage
  
• Void Shocker does not affect robots
  
• Void Shocker affects enemies you are to protect, such as the hostile robots you are supposed to freeze [<- CONFIRM] and the volatile Vek
  
• Grid Assault/Repulse can be used on any building regardless of mech's location
  
• Flood Drill can target any liquid tile regardless of mech's location
  
• Repair Field triggers regardless of which mech has it equipped
  
• Repair Field restores 2 HP to every mech if using mech is boosted -> TO CONFIRM: still behaves like this if using mech isn't the one with the Repair Field
  
• Enrage Shot benefits from Vek Hormones when used on an enemy
  
• Enrage Shot can be used on most units, including your allies (mobile only ie not the Terraformer) and even Psions
  
• Enrage Shot cannot be used on building-like objectives, such as the Terraformer
  
• Enrage Shot -> TO TEST: [s]spider eggs[/s], VIP jeeps, sleeping tanks (Archives mission), etc
  
• Critical Shields will not trigger when starting a mission with 1 power grid left
  
  STATUS EFFECTS
  
• Burning damage happens before enemy action, ignore burning Veks with 1 HP left
  
• Apply fire or acid on an emerging Vek tile and they'll spawn with the corresponding status effect
  
• Units on fire set forest tiles on fire
  
• The burning status is enough to remove mites, mechs don't have to take burn damage
  
• Pilots with the Thick Skin trait are still cleared of mites when stepping on a burning tile
  
• Applying smoke on a burning unit removes burning and the other way around
  
• Acid and armor only work against attack damage, not bumps, burning and explosions
  
• Landing on acid with the Leaper mech applies the status effect before self-damage and this isn't shown by the attack preview
  
• Launched enemies (via Judo/Pitcher mechs) into acid affects them before damage is dealt
  
• Acid is removed from the tile whenever a unit moves onto it, even if shielded
  
• Flying units are affected by acid pools (puddles) but not acid tiles (liquid)
  
• Buildings are unaffected by fire and acid and can be protected by ice
  
• Trains can also be protected by ice without failing the mission
  
• Trains won't move on the same turn they are unfrozen
  
• Blobs freed from ice explode on the following turn
  
• Satellites are unable to launch if frozen, this results in mission failure
  
• Freeze your own mechs when they're to block an attack or emerging Vek
  
• Mission objectives are vulnerable to burning, except trains
  
• The above includes the terraformer, earthmover, hacking station, waste disposal unit and such
  
• Boost increases all direct damage, including self-damage, but not bumps
  
• Taking no damage due to armor, unlike shield, still removes mites
  
  REPAIRS
  
• Repairing a mech carcass brings both the mech and its pilot back to life
  
• Repairing removes burning, acid, frozen and mites, in addition to restoring 1 HP
  
• Repairing also removes fire from the tile the mech is on, smoke cannot be cleared by Camila
  
• Rosie's ability won't remove burning if the mech is standing on a burning tile
  
• Rosie repairs adjacent allied units after moving, including mission objectives like Satellite Launches and the Terraformer
  
• Rosie is great for removing mites from other mechs
  
• The Nano Viscera (Nano mech) and technician trait heal, they don't repair (status effects persist)
  
• Nanofilter Mending (Smog mech): wile on sand, damage applies before heal occurs
  
• Nanofilter Mending (Smog mech): removes status effects and mites when any mech moves into smoke
  
  SHIELDS
  
• Shields protect from but do not remove status effects
  
• Shields can be applied to any unit, including objectives, boulders and mountains
  
• Shields do not protect against instant kill (white skull icon)
  
• A shielded train will still be destroyed if it hits an obstacle
  
• The Pulse mech can shield buildings, the Slide mech cannot
  
• Self-damage removes mites unless shielded
  
• Shields do not prevent the removal of mites when stepping in fire or acid
  
• CONFIRM: trying to freeze a shielded unit removes mites
  
• Shields do not prevent the effect of Heat Engine (Napalm mech)
  
  TILE DAMAGE
  
• Self-damage while shielded does not trigger tile damage (forest, sand, ice, crack...)
  
• Self-damage triggers tile effect from where the mech is when dealing damage
  
• Self-damage destroys time pods before they can be recovered (Charge/Leap mechs)
  
• Mines can be destroyed by damage and fire
  
• Self-damage on repair pads: heal occurs after taking damage -> TO TEST: land on a mine, see if it destroys it
  
• Damage does not destroy repair pads
  
• The armored train destroys anything in its path without breaking (mechs leave no carcass when destroyed this way)
  
• Trains can fall in chasms and die
  
• Cracked tiles become chasms when damaged but pushes happen first
  
• Non-pushing attacks are ideal to break cracks under Veks, such as with the Drill mech
  
• Cracks destroy time pods, mines and conveyors and crack/break mountains
  
• Cracking tiles removes fire
  
• Breaking cracked tiles under Burrowers kills them before they flee
  
• Emerging Veks on a cracked tile won't spawn if the tile is destroyed
  
• Damage cracks ice tiles, cracked ice tiles turn to water when damaged
  
• Applying ice to a water or cracked ice tile (or freezing an enemy over these) turns it into a normal ice tile
  
• Applying fire to an ice tile (cracked or not) turns it immediately into water
  
• Applying fire on sand or a conveyor tile converts it to a normal ground tile
  
• Damage + burn on sand sets the tile on fire, rather than producing smoke
  
• Time pods are unaffected by ice and are destroyed by fire
  
• Landing time pods remove smoke
  
• Exploding units still explode and deal damage when dying into chasms or liquids
  
• Buildings have 1 HP, when destroyed, 1 power grid is lost
  
• For tiles with multiple buildings, each point of damage destroys one building
  
• Terraforming/Waste Disposing mountains cannot destroy the shiny object
  
• The Gastropod's hook triggers tile damage at its target's location (setting forests on fire, etc) but the target will not be affected unless it is being grabbed at point blank
  
• Instant kill is considered damage, it sets forests on fire, breaks cracks, etc. On units, it bypasses everything (armor, shield, ice)
  
  TACTICS
  
• Veks don't care about sand, cracks, acid, mines, conveyors, repair pads and mission hazards
  
• Veks avoid tiles with fire, smoke, teleporters or time pods, use these as area denial near buildings
  
• Burrowers avoid conveyor tiles, in theory
  
• Veks immune to burning (Smoldering Psion effect) still avoid burning tiles
  
• Exception to the above: burning Veks ignore burning tiles
  
• Psion bonuses only apply to Veks and sacks, not robots, blobs or spider eggs
  
• Veks affected by acid leave an acid puddle on their tile on death
  
• Exploding enemies, when killed from an emerging Vek, will explode after all other Veks have emerged, potentially damaging them
  
• Veks push-killed onto a time pod do not destroy the pod, unless they explode or burst in flames (Psion effects)
  
• Veks push-killed onto a repair platform are not healed but the platform is used up
  
• Frozen veks, even flying ones, can be pushed/pulled into water
  
• Tiles can only be affected by one effect, for example, fire replaces smoke and the other way around
  
• You do not need to pick up the time pod before the mission ends to get its content
  
• However you still need to touch the shiny object to spawn a pod...
  
• When you have nothing to do with a mech, try cracking mountains or ice in hope to find the shiny object
  
• As far as i know, you won't get the shiny object on first or last island and you can only get one per run
  
• You only get 1 time pod on the first island, delay doing the harder missions until you get it, if you can
  
• Arachnoid psion effect: enemies killed in chasms or liquids still spawn an egg on another nearby tile
  
• Arachnoid psion effect: killing enemies with a burning weapon sets the egg on fire
  
• Spider eggs are immune to smoke but smoking them still removes their webs
  
• Beetles can charge safely past fire, acid, mines, time pods and repair platforms
  
• Charging beetles are stopped by chasms and liquids, they fall without dealing damage
  
• The beetle boss can charge over liquids TO CONFIRM: can it charge over chasm?
  
• Bosses have their attack cancelled when falling into liquids instead of dying
  
• Units with a charge-like attack, such as the Combat and Charge mechs, are able to do so even when webbed
  
• VIP jeeps can Hit the Gas and move even when webbed or smoked, but not when frozen
  
• Moving a webbing enemy and its webbed target together (Triptych/Slide mechs) removes web
  
• ♥♥♥♥ webs
  
• Allied and spawned units, including walking bombs and spiders, can pick up time pods
  
• Mechs can move through their frozen allies TO TEST: does this apply to enemies too?
  
• Goos are stopped by shielded units and buildings, unlike what the attack preview shows
  
• Enemy attacks are cancelled if they aim off the map (crabs, scarabs, artillery bots...)
  
• Firefly leader: both attacks are cancelled if one of them is off the map
  
• TO TEST: attack cancelled when enemy AoE is partially off the map (pretty sure crabs get away with targeting a single tile on the edge of the map)
  
• Destroying boulders counts as a kill but grants no XP
  
• Diggers do not spawn boulders on time pods
  
• Tumblebugs don't target boulders created on previous turns
  
• Other Veks don't target boulders (explosive or not)
  
  PROGRESSION
  
• XP gained is equal to the killed Vek's max HP
  
• Soldier Psion increases the max HP of other Veks, thus increases their XP reward
  
• During the player's turn, XP is granted to the pilot directly responsible for the kill
  
• XP gained during the enemy turn (from hazards, burning etc) is shared randomly among your pilots (AI-controlled mechs do not get a share)
  
• Enemies killed by mines grant shared XP rather than rewarding the responsible pilot
  
• Killing your own mechs, allies and spawned units does not grant XP
  
• Excess XP after a pilot gains a level is wasted
  
• Gaining the Conservative trait grants +1 use immediately
  
• Gaining the Finisher trait grants its benefits during the same mission, if gained before the last turn
  
• Gaining the Thick Skin trait doesn't remove acid -> TO CONFIRM: and burning
  
• Small spiders count as enemies for mission objectives and XP, eggs don't
  
  MISSIONS
  
• When choosing an island, consider the boss and enemies you'll encounter
  
• Avoid the desert as your first island, objectives and environment are generally harder than the other islands
  
• Missions with a single reward are easier as some buildings start shielded
  
• Missions with 3 rewards usually throw additional enemies at you
  
• The waste disposal and terraforming missions are easy and offer 3 rewards, always do them
  
• Most hazards such as tidal waves and thunder storms usually play in your favor, making missions easier...usually...
  
• When choosing a mission, you may want to avoid maps with too many obstacles in the center
  
• Consider your deployment options carefully, make sure you have room to manoeuver and stay out of range of webs
  
• You can encourage blobbers to throw their thing where you want, mostly, have 2 or 3 mechs around a tile that isn't adjacent to buildings or objectives
  
• Avoid doing the above against spiders at all costs
  
• Stick near the center of the map when you can, the closer to the edges, the more limited your options are
  
• Disable or unequip counterproductive gear as necessary before certain missions (example: Storm Generator vs Volatile Vek)
  
• Rosie can repair damaged trains
  
• Blocking emerging Veks is usually not a good idea on 1st turn, okay on 2nd and great on 3rd
  
• Terraforming (desert objective) removes tile effects, including smoke, but not emerging Veks
  
• False: lightning never strikes the same place twice (Thunderstorm hazard)
  
• Robot Factories (Pinnacle mission) do not spawn a robot on last turn
  
• Robot Factories (Pinnacle mission) still spawn robots if frozen or smoked
  
• Hacking facility (Pinnacle mission): if destroyed from burning, Cannon bot's attack is cancelled
  
• Destroying the Shield Generator (Pinnacle mission) removes all shields from all units, except Mafan
  
• Detritus Contraption (Detritus mission): targets ALL units, including boulders
  
• Allies can use repair pads (Archives mission), the same unit can use multiple pads to complete the objective
  
• Repair pads (Archives mission) restore 10 HP
  
  THE FINAL MISSION
  
• Gana's ability reveals pylon placement, it cannot deploy on those tiles
  
• Lava frees frozen units, ground units die, flying units live
  
• If the bomb is destroyed during the last mission, you get another and the remaining turns increase by 2
  
• The Renfield bomb supply during the last mission is apparently unlimited
  
• The Renfield bomb can be frozen and will still explode in the end
  
• It's spelled Renfield, not Reinfield!
  
• Losing remote pylons during the last mission does not affect your score
  
• The two parts are treated as separate missions, after the first one, mechs heal, dead pilots are replaced with AI, etc
  
• If a pilot with the Extra Reactor and without the Invulnerable trait is killed during part 1, the extra core will be removed at the beginning of part 2
  
• It is advised to put the extra core (green) into the least important upgrade to mitigate the above
  
  ACHIEVEMENTS
  
• Core of the Earth (Cataclysm): Flying enemies dying onto a chasm count
  
  MISC
  
• TO CONFIRM: Advanced Edition reveals the shiny object at mission start (mountain/ice cracks before deployment)
  
• Interface: click on enemies to view their move range
  
• Interface: you can preview the map and initial spawns when selecting a mission, click outside the window to select another
  
• This should be pinned

[Kilopede]

train can fall in a chasm and will immediately die.

[Alpro]

Thanks Kilopede, i updated the first post and also added a Tactics category.

[SquareDildo]

About the tidal wave - yeah, not really! There's a new mission with tidal wave where you need to kill at most 5 vek.

[Alpro]

^ I don't think the objective and hazard are tied together. Also i said usually to avoid lawsuits!

[[AMB]Messer]

I guess a small tip for cataclysm squad achivement: for achivement where you need to throw enemies into chasms, when flying enemy dies above chasm, it count toward enemy falling into the pit. Can save the trouble getting that extra coin

[charles_d_berger]

Great thread!! Keep it up.

My contribution: maybe a section on maximising xp? eg:
- Vek with +1hp from Psion grant +1xp when killed, so can be worth leaving the Psion alive if you can handle the extra difficulty
- xp granted to an individual unit if they are directly responsible for the kill, but spread across units if they are killed by status effect, other Vek, environmental hazard, etc
- [I'm sure there is lots more here that could be spelled out, that I don't actually know... like, if a 2xp Vek is killed by a hazard, what's the rule for assigning the xp? Is it random?]

Also:
- Boost increases all direct damage (including self-damage), but not indirect damage (eg from collisions, fire, bombs etc)
- Void Shock affects all enemies, including those you are meant to protect such as frenemy robots and volatile vek

[Hipnox]

To verify:
- If an attack launches the target into the air and then deals damage when they land (ie. Pitcher Mech's weapon), if it lands on a tile with ACID the target will receive double damage. This also includes your own Leap Mech on hazardous Mechs.


Cataclysm specific:
- The Drill mech will crack the earth if it kills a friendly unit. This includes spawnables such as tanks.
- The Drill mech can target an empty tile. This can be used to break cracked tiles and create a chasm.

[Alpro]

Updated a bit of everything, added weapons, XP and achievements categories. Thanks guys!

[jtrayax]

I should say, that vecs usually avoid tiles on fire, unless they are on fire.
Cataclism's mech tile-cracking effect destroys timepod.
Ice tiles need two hits to crack and become water tiles, unless you use weapons with fire effect - in this case they turn into water immidiately.

[Mike]

This should be pinned

[SquareDildo]

Two interface tips:
1) you can click on an enemy to see how far it moves, Most Vek move 3 squares, some 4 (all flyers?), and artillery enemies 2.
2) when selecting a mission, you can preview the map layout and even the initial Vek, then reconsider (click outside the window) to choose another one.

[Alpro]

The list is growing! Now tell me Into the Breach isn't a complex game...
Anyways, i updated the first post again, created the misc category for things that won't fit anywhere else and new additions now appear in bold italics.

[Mike]

If a vek that deals 3 damage attacks one of your buildings, do you lose 3 power grid or 1?

[Alpro]

Originally posted by Mike:

If a vek that deals 3 damage attacks one of your buildings, do you lose 3 power grid or 1?

You lose 1 power per lost building, you lose 1 building per damage. Building tiles have either 1 or 2 buildings on them. I will add this to the list next time i update it.

[jtrayax]

Smoke extinguishes fire on vecs and mechs too. But both can be undef effects of smoke or fire and acid at the same time.
After the initial powerup you can activate upgrades of modules in any order (ex - you can activate dash powerup on riftwalker's prime mech weapon before the +1 damage upgrade).