Pause's M-Gear guide

*This guide was written before AR and all the new patches

The (New) Complete M-gear Guide
Written by Pause

Overview:

During Space Cowboy Beta, M-gears used to be garbage. Everyone overlooked them when choosing their first gears, and no one wanted to be the “heal/buff class”. They were considered the worst in the game, and there was a huge decline of them. However, since the new servers have been released, this situation has changed DRAMATICALLY. They are now the best duelers in the game, given that they are built right and are piloted right.

Building an M-gear:

Here is the beginning stat in place for M-gears from level one:

Def: 4
Atk: 2
Spi: 4
Agi: 2
Fuel: 3

Before you (seriously) begin to build your M-gear, you need to take a few things into consideration. The first is that these are how many points you will be getting for every stat point added in each. That is, if you add one in defense you will get 4 points, contrary to adding one to fuel, which will give you 3. With that in mind, try to avoid using a defense CPU or spirit CPU as OFTEN as possible. If needed, restat. When using a Def or Sp CPU, you get less points than if you use, say, a fuel CPU, which is one of the best options. Why is this? Look at it this way:

If you have a level 60 CPU that adds +30 Defense or Spirit, think of how many points that saves you. That adds enough points to match about 7 and ½ stat points. Now, if you get a spirit CPU that gives you +30 Fuel, that’s exactly 10 levels of stats saved from the CPU alone. That gives you an extra 3 stat points to split up amongst the rest of the build. Get it? No? Good.

Now that that’s out of the way, think of which build you want to be. M-gears can usually go either Full defense (the choice for hardcore 1v1 and fights), Full support (mainly spirit based, good for heal/buff and CoH), and Hybrid (for obvious reasons, mix of both aspects). Here’s a brief view on each one, from my own experiences:

Defense:
This is my favorite build. At higher levels, this build is what makes you receive the reputation of the best dueler in the game. What it does is DRASTICALLY lower amounts of damage taken, in exchange for low SP. The low SP might take time to get used to, however the “big patch” will be added soon, which increases SP regen.

Full Support: Most of you from other MMO’s know what a full support is. This class has high amounts of SP for buffing and healing, as well as CoH in important situations. With the added stat point to spirit (4) and increased regeneration, this build is EXTREMELY viable, and your formation members will love you for it. In the arena, this is the best build to use, since every death refills the SP bar, so you can continuously spam heals and buffs, then do it all over again.

Hybrid: This is the choice other people like to make, in order to keep balance. It mixes both aspects of the M-gear, as in, medium amounts of SP, and medium amounts of defense. Although they aren’t “hardcore 1v1ers” (or should I say, not as hardcore as defense builds), they can still be pretty hard to kill because of the extra SP that can be used for heals. I’ve known quite a few amazing M-gears on joymus server who used to be hybrid builds (mainly the Goon M-gears) and still knew how to own hard.

The Healing Arts:

You might have seen this section in my old guide, and I’ll put it here again.

Healing Others:

This is a simple concept. Initiate the skill, and click the target you want to heal. If you can’t see them, and happen to be in a formation with them, click the name on the top left corner in the formation window. This works as long as they are in the same map.

Healing Yourself:

Hoho, here’s the tricky one. This part takes a bit getting used to, although it sounds simple enough: Click your name with the healing crosshair. However, if you’re engaged in PvP, it’s a bit harder. There are many techniques that can be used to heal yourself without leaving yourself as an open target (since you normally have to move straight for a second to heal yourself). The “Quick Guide to the art of Healing”, which was made by Azatht (Kaeirth) a while back, goes into detail for healing, and also provides a video for healing.

http://sco.gpotato.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8224

The one that I prefer is the “barrel-heal” which is also in this guide. This is the one you’ll be using in 1v1's more often. What you do is barrel roll past missiles, and during the barrel roll you click your name with the heal. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you do it, it makes it that much harder to take you down. I must also add that after getting the hang of this, it’ll probably become the most used way of healing yourself in a fight


Notice the the one similarity between all three: reverse engine. The skills you use most often (RE) should be placed on more than one bar, just in case you forget to tab. However, you can set up your bars to your liking.

The Barrel Rolling Arts:

Now, you might wonder why exactly I put a section for barrel rolling here. It might just be double-tapping a strafe button, however as an M-gear you can use this as a way to fake-out enemies, place you at a more favorable position, or even position yourself to avoid more missiles. Let me explain a few tricks for barrel rolling

Normal Rolling - Placement
Normal Rolling is just the basic touble tapping of A or D in order to avoid missiles. However, during circle fights, you can use the normal roll to place yourself in a position to shoot another salvo. For example, say an enemy is circling counter-clockwise. Barrel roll to the left (clockwise) and swipe. At the end of the barrel roll, you should be set up at a spot to shoot your missiles, once again facing him.

You can also roll to fake someone out. Once again, if an enemy is circling counter-clockwise, barrel roll to the right (counter-clockwise). The enemy should continue circling, and you'll end up behind him. From that position you can pretty much pressure him anywhere you want, for the enemy will struggle to gain you back in his sights

Double Rolling
There really isn't a "trick" (well, sorta) to do this. Double Rolling is simply positioning yourself in order to avoid more than one salvo of missiles in one roll. The easy way to do this is by running. If you have someone tailing you with missiles, boost hard to one direction. The missiles that were first launched will be hard on you, while the newly launched missiles will begin turning. There will be one moment where they are close to each other. When they are, roll. Both missiles should pass by you. Most hit-n-run I-gears use this technique, however M-gears can use it as well.

Inverse Rolling
Inverse Rolling is a weird variation of the barrel roll, requiring a different key input. In order to Inverse roll, you must hold a strafe key (a or d) and double tap the other strafe key simultaneously. What's the point of this kind of roll you ask? What it does is roll you in one direction, then jerk you back in the other one (as in, you begin the roll heading in the direction of the key faced, and jerk to the direction of the double tap). As an M-gear, this is a great way to fake out an enemy, or change the direction of a circle in a split second. However, depending on your angle, you can also use an inverse roll to keep you centered on the screen, instead of leaning in one direction, which is ideal for healing.

Inverse Rolling - Inverse Healing
The reason I'm including this is because it is hard. Very hard, especially if you aren't good at Roll Healing as it is. The awkward nature of Inverse Rolling makes it hard to click your heal, especially if your gear jerks when you do it. The easiest way to Inverse Heal is by allowing your gear to pass your mouse, and clicking it when it hits (as in, having your gear swipe for you instead of swiping your mouse manually)

"R" Rolling
R rolling is basically done by Barrel rolling, then pressing the R key. The point of R rolling is to stop you (if you are in a 0 speed engine, that is) mid-flight during the roll. This is ideal for R healing, which is healing while pressing R. This technique can be used by people who aren't accustomed to roll healing yet.

Reverse Rolling
Ideally, using Reverse Engine after rolling in order to move you a certain distance. This works best against B-gears at far distances. If they shoot a salvo, roll it, then reverse engine in order to gain more distance, rinse and repeat.

These techniques can be seen on video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UQ3JzRoLdA

Weapons:

What I’ve found out about M-gears is their ability to use a diverse amount of missiles. While I-gears are mainly limited to one salvo missiles like Eliminates, edrills and Arrows (due to frenzy), B-gears with their high salvo missiles (hawks, snipers, Tongphas), and A-gears with their standards, M-gears have nothing that hinders their use of missiles. Therefore, I’ll explain a use for every missiles you’ll need:

Arrows - (1x2)
Arrow-class missiles will be your grind and PvP missiles. It has low reload, which is great, however it has a low amount of ammo After the latest big patch, their probability has received a boost due to the new buff we get. These missiles are all-around: they have decent damage, decent prob, decent speed and induction. Arrows are ideal for circle fighting with I-gears. The arrow you should use is a Power Arrow (level 37)

Tongphas - (2x2)
Tongpha-class, although previously believed to be worthless, can actually be VERY useful. They have much better attack than Arrows (due to the extra salvo), the same amount of probability and better induction. However, it does have its down sides. The speed of Tongphas is low, too low to stand a chance outside of a circle fight, or outside of killing stationary targets. The reason I believe them to be good, however, is the fact that 1) its induction means more missiles will connect, and 2) the extra power will kill enemies quicker, which is just what m-gears need. Using these in circle fights require a bit of alterations to your (or at least, my) fighting style. While it is preferred to “swipe” the reticule and shoot, you’ll have to hold the reticule on the enemy for a split second longer in order for both shots to lock on, and its valid angle makes that a bit harder. These missiles have high reload, so I recommend using Mighty Tongphas (level 52)

Hawks - (4x1)
Hawk-class missiles are the preferred missiles for B-gears. However, M-gears will be needing them for chasing hit-and-run fliers. They fly at 550m/s, only 50 m/s slower than snipers, and have very high attack, not to mention the base probability is 90%. The down side to this missile is, of course, its induction angle, and its reload. However, the reload isn’t too bad to hinder you, since you won’t exactly be using them all the time. For that reason, I’d suggest using Straights (level 56) or Hawkys (level 64). Try not to use these in circle fights (for obvious reasons)

Snipers - (2x4)
Sniper-class missiles are going to be used for the same reason as hawk-class: hit-and-run fliers. Their speed is 600m/s, ideal for chasing, and it shoots two salvos of four missiles. Its valid angle is also something noteworthy: 14 VA, the highest base valid angle in the game for B/M/I-gears. However, it holds low attack. Added to that, it has a multi-target feature, which hinders the attack even more. In nation wars, these missiles are used more for weakening than killing, and, of course, chasing

Hammerheads - (1x2)
Hammerhead-class missiles are an alternative to Arrow-class. They have slightly lower attack, higher base probability, more ammo, lower valid angle and lower speed than Arrow-classes. However, since they’re only one salvo, they work perfectly with the swipe technique during dogfights. Their reload is a bit more expensive than Arrow-class, but not by much. The preferred hammerhead-class missile is Eliminate (level 47)

Edrills - (1x4)
Edrill-class missiles are considered the anti-evasion build missile. Their base prob is 100%, the highest out of the other B/M/I-gear missiles. Since they have one salvo, they work better with the swipe technique. And don’t forget, they travel faster than the other one salvo missiles, so they can double as chasers. However, their valid angle is surprisingly low (only 2 VA), and their attack is also pretty low. Everyone out there will tell you to find an edrill-class with a (Particle) or (Of Stinger) fix. This is because they add up to 4 VA, which overcomes their biggest weakness. They also have a high amount of ammo, and decent reload. The preferred Edrill-class to use is Power Edrill (level 49) and Edrill V2 (level 53)

Fighting Tips:

Before I go in-depth on tips vs. other gears, I will explain one basic maneuver that will aid you in fights:

SWIPING - The art of swiping is easy. For those that have played FPS games, it is similar to swipe-sniping (hence the name). What you do is get the target in view, and “swipe” your mouse across the screen. When the target reaches the focal point, shoot your missile. If timed right, you’ll be able to get the shot off RIGHT in the limits of the valid angle (and if you get proficient at it, you’ll be able to even BYPASS the limits of the valid angle), and continue turning. This, combined with RE and good barrel-rolling will make you a monster in duels.

I-gears:

1v1:
When fighting I-gears, you’ll have to consider whether they’ll be engaging you in a circle fight, or in a Hit-and-run fight. Next, consider their build, either Attack, Evasion, or Hybrid. Depending on their style of fighting (either circle or hit-and-run), you’ll need to change your choice of missiles and engines. For circle fights, keep yourself to one or two salvo missiles with good induction (Arrows, Edrills, Hammerheads, and Tongphas if you can adjust). Also, make sure you’re using a 0 speed engine, or mid-speed engine. For Hit-and-run, use faster missiles (Hawks, Snipers, and Edrills). Use a 400m/s speed engine for these guys. Next, the build: For attack builds, use lower probability missiles that have higher attack and/or reattack. For evasion builds, use missiles with higher probability: the higher the better. And as for hybrid builds, use a missiles with decent probability; the rest of the stats will be up to your preference. You need to also make sure you can barrel-heal, and use RE proficiently in order to make this a winning fight.

Nation Wars (or more than 1v1):
Go for the I-gears first. Since you won’t be able to read your opponent like in a 1v1, keep balanced missiles with the Consentration buff on. You should be able to take them out easy, considering they cannot be paying attention to you all the time. If they run too much, however, feel free to change missiles mid-fight.

B-gears:

1v1:
Your main concern in these fights will be NOT getting hit by the bombs. In order to do this, you’re going to have to have a mix of boosting away, and RE’ing away from the B-gear, while maintaining a steady flow of damage to it. Use either a mid-speed (for high speed RE’ing, and high angle turning) or high-speed (higher RE speed, lower turning) engine. While using RE, shoot the b-gear with as many salvos as you can. Usually every 4 seconds (bawoos), the b-gear will activate Air Bombing/Ground Bombing and attack. Once they do, take caution and barrel roll when the bombs get close. The range now is about 50m before the bombs explode, so make sure to barrel roll early.

Nation Wars (or more than 1v1):
Once again, STAY AWAY. If you see a B-gear targeting you, make sure to take it out quickly. If not, get away from it. It’s bombs are deadly, and mixed with others shooting you will give you a world of pain. Once again, however, their attention will most likely not be solely on you, so it’ll be an easier fight.

M-gears:

1v1:
Don’t bother too much with M-gear duels, they last too long to even be CONSIDERED fun. However, if you do decide to waste your time like this, use HIGH damage missiles, with a 0 speed or mid-speed engine. Do all you can to conserve SP: don’t RE when unnecessary, heal ONLY when you reach the minimum damage, and do not use useless buffs (evasion, raging evasion, fire shot). Make sure to barrel roll only when necessary as well, and use standards with high overheating (Demonhunters come in at this time)

Nation Wars (or more than 1v1):
Don’t target these guys unless others are helping you. Your low attack won’t do nearly enough damage to kill it in time before others kill you. Therefore, make sure you get others on him, and concentrate on the other gears out there.

A-gears:

1v1:
There are two ways to approach this. Either A) use the minimum distance bug on them to disable siege, or B) Stay as far away as possible and spam the right click. For those who don’t know, the minimum distance bug is used by hovering, or passing, directly over the A-gear. If the a-gear is sieging you, they will lose their target, causing them to move and siege again. If you perpetually do this with a 0 speed engine, and shoot when you have the opportunity, the A-gear will go down. The second trick is simple: just stay as far away as you can, and heal whenever needed. The better radar you own, the better. Use the same kinds of missiles you would use vs. an M-gear. Also, high reattack missiles are very nice to use.

Nation Wars (or more than 1v1):
You’ll be using the minimum distance bug more here. Killing A-gears is just as simple, if not simpler, as in duels. If they don’t target you, swoop in for the kill and take them out. Your army will be pleased when they don’t have to worry about A-gears shooting them. These will also be a nice target for you during wars.

i want pauses vids on youtube back
specialy the VS gm