Pardon me for the cringey title, but I’m trying to calm my insides as I’m expecting a job interview call as I’m writing this (although I would’ve gone with the same even in a relaxed state. Plus the original one feels too nerdy. HINT: A reference to an icy dragon from one of RA Salvatore’s books). 

---

What is deathbutton?

You might have heard or read about your grandpa older players talking about “death-button” setups. To the unfamiliar, ask one of the old pilots commanders and you’ll probably hear responses along the lines of, “It was way, way, way back when Griffins ruled the skies and brought pain and demise, blah-blah.” Before you say, “OK Boomer,” hear them out. I’m certain they can summarize deathbutton with “OK, BOOM!”

Death-button setup is or WAS as it says in the name. Press the red button to kill a red.  There are variations like the RDB or PDB (plasma deathbutton) but they follow the same principle as the classic death-button setup: Pinata/Orkan Griffin.

Classic to cryos

Back in the days (yes, I’m what of em), the classic setup (Pinata+Orkan) was Da Bomb. Shotguns existed but I’m telling ya, you ain’t gettin that 100m sweet range of yours. Once you enter that 300m, it’s curtains close for you, unless you can Gepard-shuffle away from the death-button kill range.

Yep, those were the days. The best part? You can easily get Orkans with gold!

Even with the release of newer weapons and after some nerfs, the Orkan was still the go-to weapon, especially for F2Ps. Well, you can’t go wrong with them as they’re easily acquired and can still tango with the newcomers. But that’s until the final nail in the coffin hit the servers. That clip size reduction from 32 to 25 finally hammered and sealed the casket shut, totally burying it (along with the efforts of those who heavily invested in Orkans).  R.I.P., Orkans. You will always stay embedded in our metal hearts.

When an old thing passes on, a younger, sleeker, more colorful one takes its place. The classic death-button got its eye poked and its baton snatched by the cryogenic rockets. They have the same 300-meter range, slow-moving rockets, and splash damage. The old deathbutton rockets vary in clip size depending on weapon type, with Orkans having the most clips.

In the case of cryos, they all have the same clip size and reload time, but varies in damage per rocket. This would eliminate the awkward feel of waiting for all your clips to go full.

A major feature of cryo rockets is its ability to inflict Freeze status, which slows a target by 60% and places a Death Mark debuff into it. This will make the target receive 20% more damage from all sources.  This makes cryos a good addition to a team as it just doesn’t bring damage to the table but also status effects, thus pissing on the classic death-button’s grave.

So, what happens to the death-buttons? Well, Exodus still outbursts Glacier and it should since they share the same upgrade cost. In the case of Pinata/Orkan versus Rime/Cryo, the latter outbursts the former by 50%/30%, sidelining the classic DB into training wheels in preparation for acquiring a cryo setup.

How to make classic DB great again?

This is a tricky situation in my opinion. With cryos locked behind a massive silver paywall, buffing (or reverting the nerf, in case of Orkan) the classic DB could make players opt out of cryos, especially if they become highly effective against Arthur. Unless Pixo decides to drastically reduce cryo upgrade costs, I feel that nothing can really be done to Pinatas and Orkans without affecting cryo sales. They’d probably bump up the upgrade costs of classic DB to compensate, but this defeats the purpose of them being some sort of beginner-type weapons. I guess they’d really end up to be training wheels after wall.

I once had the idea of turning Pinatas, Orkans, and Exodus into incendiary rockets, with DOT burn damage to at least give them some oomph against DR. Another thought was to increase their splash effect but reduce its damage the farther away from the center and put an “impact damage” for direct hit (although I think this would suit Tridents more).

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m not totally dismissing the potential of classic deathbutton. Lottie-Rose ran DB Ravens in her hangar. Still, I feel that what’s keeping them viable is the Raven’s jump bonus. Also, IIRC, Lottie has recently been shifting her DB Ravens to cryos.  So, is this the end for Pinata/Orkans? Sadly, that might be the case if you’re aiming for higher leagues. But if you’re still enjoying the classic death-button setup, then by all means, just play them. After all, our goal of playing is to have fun.

See y’all in the battlefield.

You’d probably notice that in my pocket guides, shotguns are the most suggested loadouts. Well, it’s not that I am too lazy to put other weapons. It’s just that shotguns are currently meta. For those who aren’t familiar to the term, metagame pertains to the most proven effective approach. Think of META as Most Effective Tactic Available, although its rootword is not really an acronym. Just think of it as a means to remember what it is.  

Why shotgun?

So, what makes the shotgun so popular? These are the reasons that I thought of:

Damage. Since more damage means more silver, shotguns can almost pay for their own upgrades (provided that you grind) as they do tons of damage at 150m and less.

Mobility creep and nerf to other brawling weapons. With most newer bots having high base speed and other mobility or shielding abilities, getting up close into shotgun range is now relatively easy. Kinetic shotguns existed way back but other brawling weapons held them at bay. Plasma’s 350m range was not hard to maintain and can easily chip away an SG user’s HP while staying outside SG’s kill range, while deathbuttons can just kill at 300m, which is still outside SG effective range. Back then, there were few options to get into effective range without being melted into slag, but this changed since the coming of dashbots.

Plasma and deathbutton setups then got nerfed. The combination of mobility creep and these nerfs pushed shotguns into the limelight.

Utility/lockdown. With the introduction of energy shotguns having the ability to immobilize targets, the weapon-class did not only bring damage to the table, but a chance to cut off a target’s mobility. Getting locked down in front of an enemy squad is a death sentence and this only incentivized clans to form kill-trains.

Modules, pilot skills, abilities. Modules like phase shift not only gave a means to escape death but to outplay enemies. Players can just phase shift when in dire straits and close in while invincible. By the time PS wears off, their shotguns have almost fully reloaded and they’re in position for a kill. 

Pilot skills provide not only movespeed for closing but a chance to increase DPS as well. The Sharp Shooter skill reduces the scatter of shotgun particles, thus increasing its overall accuracy and extending the shotgun’s effective range.

Newer robot abilities either provide some form of virtual invincibility (like shields and stealth) or mobility which makes it easier to close in.

Versatility. Although shotguns are not an auto-slot in every bot (due to mobility and other factors), we can’t deny the fact that any bot with a shotgun setup could potentially win a duel IF (and it’s a big IF) it can get close enough to an enemy. This IF is possible in Beacon Rush games. Even a slow, antique bot like Leo can spawn-raid-boss the enemy base given enough chance to capture a red home beacon.

Older speedy bots like a Gepard can still wreak havoc to the enemy lines when piloted well and equipped with shotguns. I’m not recommending this, but I’m saying it’s possible.

Simplicity. Shotguns are very simple to use. Get close and shoot. That’s it. Well, getting close could be a challenge, but at least, once you’re in range, you just have to mash those buttons.

Smart reload. In addition to quick reload times, shotguns can reload while firing, because of this, you don’t lose that much DPS when out of ammo. This is one of the reasons why brawlers prefer shotguns.

Pros/Cons

PROS:

• High damage potential, reload while firing, making them perfect for brawlers.
  
• Can hit stealthed bots without QR.
• Storms are cheap to upgrade and can compete with other pricey setups in terms of damage.
• Lockdown with energy shotguns.

CONS:

• Needs to get close to maximize damage. DPS drastically drops when out of 100-m to 150-m range.
• High upgrade cost for energy shotguns.

Shotgun types

There are currently two types of shotguns in WR. Kinetic and energy.

The good old original shotgun. If there is a perfect example of beauty in simplicity, it would be the kinetic shotgun. When there’s some knocking needed to be done, you can count on it on finishing the job. It is the budget brawler’s quintessential weapon where all you need to do is butt heads with the enemy and empty your clips. Shields? Get close and shoot em until they break. For purple force fields, walk through it and season your target with death pellets. That’s how silver and gold shotgun boys deal with reds.

The kinetic shotgun’s pricier cousin, energy shotguns provide the luxury of going through blue shields and the chance to ankle-break a bot to immobility. The lockdown potential kills off mobile bots’ speed advantage and helps the team catch fleeing reds. Its damage output is nothing to scoff at as it can also melt targets at close range with relative ease. The energy shotgun class has been the go-to weapons for higher leagues. It’s so powerful that even older bots get some fighting chance when equipped with them. Energy shotguns are a lot more expensive than kinetics though and takes a while to upgrade.

Note: There will be upcoming lockdown changes for Halo, Corona, and Glory. I’m not sure how it will affect energy shotguns’ popularity.

Optimizing your shotgun setup

Upgrade. When you get close to the enemy, you want to make sure that you’ll be landing a haymaker. Upgrading your weapons would ensure that you’re dealing high damage to quickly take a target down.

Sharp Shooter/Shot grouping. This is quite a handy pilot skill for shotgun setups. As mentioned before, this simply increases your accuracy and effective range.

Platform. Choose the right bot for your shotguns. Yes, I’ve mentioned that almost every bot equipped with a shotgun can kill up close, but you’d have to consider the bot’s ability to get close. You can either choose a highly mobile bot or a tanky bot that would be able to take hits and get into effective range. Bots with abilities like jump, flight, or speed boost could be good platforms. Likewise, abilities that provide some sort of pseudo-invulnerability like shields or stealth can allow the bot to come close in.

Mixing up. Instead of going all energy (lockdown) or all kinetics (budget), you can mix weapons up. A popular combination is Halo and Storm (especially after the Gust nerf) providing you with lockdown and damage, plus it’s cheaper than going Halo+Corona.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With the coming changes to energy shotguns, would I still make them? Well, currently, I have Halo in my WS. I honestly have no idea what the lockdown change implications would be. Damage-wise, I think Halo still outperforms Gust, so it wouldn’t be much of a deal. I would still suggest getting Storms though. It’s a bang for the buck with its lower upgrade cost.

I feel that Pixonic is trying to make cryoweapons more appealing. I won’t be surprised if they become the next meta, especially with Arthur being a popular choice for titans. Cryo rocket splash is effective against Arthur’s physical shield. Outside of titans, if it comes to cryos vs shotguns, I feel that brawlers would still choose the latter, especially those that have already invested. Skilled pilots can anticipate and dodge rockets while shotgun particles are hard to avoid. 

Personally, I believe that shotguns will stay, though might lose some popularity. Well, that’s if its damage output will remain untouched. We’ll never know though.  I guess all we can do is hope and wait.

The art of pugilism has existed since the ancient times. In War Robots, brawling existed way, way back. Magnum Gepards slugging it out with Thorkan Boas, Plasma Griffins against Punisher-Thunder Leos, where fights were decided at knife range. As clunky as their bots seemed, pilots fought with more finesse back then, making use of covers and corner-shooting to outgun their opponents. This is a far cry from what duels are nowadays, which are often decided with powercells and brute force.

What is brawling?

It’s probably what you have exactly in mind. Basically, it’s just squaring it out at 350m or less. A simple knife fight. You get your bot close enough to your weapon’s effective range and shoot it out. Very simple, eh?

Well, as simple as it may sound, in the early days of WR, you will not win a brawl just by standing and shooting. Powercells didn’t exist to back you up. You have to work for your own survival. You weave in and out and dance around your opponent. Dirty dancing boxing is where the money’s at because the longer you stay swinging and handing out the damage goods, the more you earn your purse in silver. It’s not uncommon for old-school pugilists to take down an enemy bot only to jump in to another slugfest.

Anatomy of a good brawler

So, what makes a good brawler?

FIREPOWER

First of all, a brawler is often defined by how hard it hits. Its weapons should deal high enough damage to be a threat to enemy robots. Short reload time is also factor. Sometimes, you’ll be facing tough enemies that an entire clip is not able to finish off.

Shotguns are probably the most popular choice among weapons, whether it be kinetics or energy. Energy shotguns even give a chance to pin down your target, allowing you to kite enemies or simply catch them. Kinetics on the other hand, are chosen for their raw damage output. They can also provide some sort of support by breaking down physical or blue shields (deals double damage to physical). Take note though that shotguns have the least optimal range among the brawler weapons. But if you could get into a headbutt range, you can take down targets with relative ease.

The Sharpshooter pilot skill increases shotgun damage.

Explosive Rockets used to be a popular choice but the Orkan nerfs hurt deathbutton setups a lot. Adding to that is the long cooldown. Exodus seems fine though and sees more battles than the classic Orkan/Pinatas. The arrival of cyro rockets could probably get the 300m-range rockets back into the meta. Their ability to apply slow and deathmark status to targets make them good support weapons and are especially useful in taking down tanks.

I guess Orkans could make it back if they get some sort of buff or just rework them into being DOT incendiary rockets to complete the ice and fire rockets theme.

Plasma weapons hit fast and hard. With the ability to go through energy shields, Magnums and Tarans—the plasma deathbutton—used to be the go-to brawling setup for Griffin pilots.

The 350m-range plasma setups are the out-boxers among brawlers, usually just dipping in and out of the 350 range while hitting reds with high-temperature plasma barrage. They got good reload times plus the sound that they make is quite satisfying.

Tasers (or deathfibrillators as I call them) are actually midrange to close, but could be used in brawling, especially with their high damage output in knife range. I consider them as electric shotguns and I sometimes make the noob mistake of getting too close fighting them. A perk of these weapons is not having to aim once the target is locked and this could be godsend against dashers, jumpers, and fast bots.

Bulgasari was a notorious one at this, frying off reds with force lightning while hiding behind a big-ass shield and dashing around. It could also be used by jumpers as you could just lock on a target and avoid hits by leaping around. Getting a target lock could be irksome though and skilled opponents can break your lightning grapple by using covers and then just dance around you. Guidance Operator helps with the lock-on time.

Machine guns are probably every WR commander’s “gateway drug” to brawling. Punishers are the usual go-to weapons for newer players and our first teachers to going rambo. I would suggest every new player to master this weapon as it will automatically teach you to be a good brawler. Machine guns have an accelerated state that give them 50% increase in rounds per seconds, increasing the DPS. To reach accelerated state, they must be fired for 3 secs without stopping. Accelerated state stops when you stop firing for 1 sec. Priming up your machine guns is a good idea before going into a brawl, so you’ll enter battle in accelerated state. Like shotguns, their accuracy increases the closer the target is.

Punishers are accurate at 200m while Avengers need to get to 100m to get to 90% and 50m for 100%.

Shredders and Pulsars are classified as energy machine guns. However, Pulsars are more of midrange weapons since they got 600m max range and 550m effective range. On the other hand, Shredders behave more like Punishers, with accuracy increasing as you get closer to target. Still, it seems to fight for position against Halos, with the latter being a better lockdown choice at the moment. If lockdown changes go through and Shredders go untouched, they might gain more popularity.

Flamers share plasma cannons’ 350m long brawling range. They can penetrate both physical and blue energy shields with flame streams capable of doing high DPS. The major drawback though is its projectile speed which is very slow and can be problematic against mobile bots. Because of this, it can be tricky to aim and require anticipating where the target is going.

Lockdown effects and the new cryo-rockets synergize well with flamer-class weapons, allowing you to cut down target’s mobility. Blaze, Igniters, and Embers are examples fall into this category.

DURABILITY

The ability to take punishment and withstand barrages gives you a chance to fire your weapons some more. It would be really a shame if you lose your bot without even getting to shoot. Having a big HP bar helps with this and surviving a fight to take another fight would help the team a lot. Sometimes, being tough as nails is enough to give a bot brawling potential, even though it may lack in firepower compared to other bots. Traditionalist Falcon is an example of this. Even though it’s a tank, it can definitely brawl by just being able to soak damage and retaliate with its single heavy weapon.

COMBAT ABILITIES

Some robots can brawl just by the virtue of having special abilities. Such abilities can even give brawl potential to squishy bots. Abilities that give mobility, buffs, or debuffs can help swing the battle into your favor. Back then, Jump and good piloting skills were enough to make Griffin the apex predator and subdue tough enemies like Leos and Lancelots. They were able to minimize damage with mobility and use of covers.

Dashbots, when they came to meta, also relied on their mobility. Stealth gives bots some virtual invincibility and breathing room when needed. Shields—physical and energy—give damage mitigation and allows even squishier robots to brawl. Other bots even have damage resist, enhancing their ability to soak damage and live long enough to finish their targets.

When relying on abilities though, players should take note of ability cooldowns as it’s stupid to just wade into battle and get stomped because your Repulse is on cooldown.
It’s not necessary to have all three qualities to brawl. I’d say having good firepower and durability OR combat ability would be enough, depending on how you pilot your bot. Still, having three would be the best as it would make brawling a whole lot easier.
I am not mentioning the perfect brawler here as I believe that it depends on a player’ playstyle. It doesn’t matter if you got the “best setup” if you don’t even enjoy playing it. After all, we’re still playing a game.

Still, if I have to choose or make a brawler, I’d get an Invader. I am currently running an Inquisitor with this setup:

I’d probably try to upgrade it to level 9 just to get max speed and some extra HP (that synergizes with Armor Expert and the Armor Kits) if I get extra Ag. The weapons need upgrading if I want to keep up with the meta. I am at Expert II (jumping from II to I). On average, it could take down a bot or two before going down. On some occasions, it can pull off a John Wick on the enemy team before getting sent to the trash bin.

I got an extreme love for jumping bots, hence the choice of Invader. I thought that the Invader would perfectly replace my Inquisitor in terms of playstyle. Both jump and get some seconds of pseudo-invincibility in the air and on landing.

Also, the Invader fits the three qualities that I mentioned—firepower, durability, combat ability—and the idea that it kind of plays like a tankier Inquisitor makes it the best choice for me. Still, I have a loooong liiiiiist of stuff to do about my hangar, so I’m not sure when to start replacing it.

How to play a brawler?

Well, you could ask brawlers for tips. I won’t put high grades on my brawling skills because honestly, I play more RDBs than brawler bots. But if you’d ask me, my answer would be…

Yes, I’m quoting a line from 80’s cartoons inspired by a toy. Why? Because knowledge will get you far. Piloting skills can’t really be taught, but playing smart could be.

Know your loadouts

Before you master the enemy, master yourself first. It’s important to know your bot and your weapons, their strengths and their weaknesses. Always play to your strengths and try to make up for your weaknesses. Using my Inquisitor as the above example, I’ll only go in against one enemy as much as possible and maximize my stealth jump. While I’m on stealth, attacking my target, I can get an idea if I’d have to distance myself once the stealth fades or just continue to brawl and just use Repair afterwards. I try to fight it out in 100m at least since my weapons are much more effective at that distance.

Know your enemy

It is important to gauge your target’s strength before picking a fight. Don’t bite off more than you could chew. With my Inquisitor, I only try to slug it out with squishier bots. I know that I’d have trouble against a Traditionalist Falcon or an Invader. I’ve taken down Fenrirs before (but probably low levels).

Make sure that your “qualities” can exceed that of the opponent’s. If you know that your firepower is not enough against the enemy’s durability, wait for another chance (a teammate might be nearby to assist) or just find another target. If you’re piloting a tanky bot with lower firepower and facing a squishy enemy with high firepower, you could duke it out if you feel you can win through sheer tankiness. If you have an ability that gives some sort of invincibility or damage mitigation, make sure that its duration would be enough for you to survive.

Know your surroundings

Environment plays a big factor in the game. You can use buildings to your advantage, especially if piloting a mobile bot. Corner-shooting is also a part of a dirty boxer’s playbook. For those who are unaware of corner-shooting, it’s simply shooting using a part of your bot, like peeking with a Griffin’s left-hand weapons and hiding your hitbox behind a wall. Your damage output might be reduced but you’re taking minimal hits in exchange.

Always look out if there are enemy reinforcements coming your way. Avoid fighting near a red beacon, especially in beacon rush. You’re fighting a war, not a duel, so don’t expect that a red would just come to watch you fight 1v1 with his/her teammate.

Know your limits

Well, this just sums up all of the above. By knowing your limits, you’d know if you can win a fight or not. Always focus on your survival. Getting kills don’t matter if you’ll also get killed in the process, unless you’re doing it to secure a win. Don’t pick fights that you won’t win. Jumping into an enemy train and getting instakilled isn’t bravery. It’s not a mosh pit, for crying out loud.

Practice, practice, practice

The only way to get used to playing a bot setup is through playing hard. Doing so would make you learn the ins and outs of that certain setup. So, I really, really highly recommend just grinding.

Building your first brawler

Leo is the best training wheel for newer brawlers in my opinion. They’re rather slow but it’s usually enough in the lower leagues. Its innate tankiness allows it to take shots while closing in. Punishers or Pinatas can be used for light slots while Thunder would suffice for heavy in low leagues.

Griffin, with its jump ability, is a more mobile alternative and can be set up with Punishers. It’s not as tanky as Leos, so pilots must be careful in going in.

You can check my writeup about starter packs if you want to get free Leo or Griffin.

From here, players can go raise Ag for shotguns or Avenger. One go-to route is two Avengers and workshopping an Ao Jun. For a tanky brawler, Traditionalist Falcon has been a popular choice for FTP pilots, although the titan tends to push them away from the meta because of their ability to pierce through damage resist. For those who are able to get kinetic shotguns, I’d suggest Invader (I might be bias, but what the heck, I find it really good).  Fenrir can also be a carrier for the Avenger if you’re only able to get one. Still, I don’t have a specific bot recommendation since it would highly depend on player preference. One tip that I could give though is to play Skirmish mode when they have brawlers available to be able to test drive some bots.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you got to this part, you’re probably patient or just have too much time on your hands. Whatever your reason is, I’m grateful that you read through my text walls. What could I say more about brawling? Nothing much really except it’s an integral part of the game. I’m sorry if you’re expecting an in-depth brawling guide. My only tip is just get out there and brawl, son! Seriously, you’ll learn a lot just by doing it and correcting your mistakes.

---

WARNING: This is by no means an in-depth guide to RDB, but just an account of my experiences playing the setup. Not for the faint of heart as it contains walls of texts. Still, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on how I play them, which might be useful to those who want to give them a try.

---

The RDB or “Russian Death Button” was the first “budget competitive” setup that I loved. It was way back when dashbots were the top kids. I’ve tried leadhose/rambo (punishers) griffins at first but can’t just seem to properly grasp its playstyle. Spirals dealt next to no damage while workshopping plasma would take too long.

I did some research and stumbled upon the “Russian Deathbutton.” I was skeptical at first, for some reason unbeknownst to me. I guess I did find it expensive and somehow, I’m still hoping that I’d get used to Punishers. Adding to that probably is my strange aversion to everything meta or popular. But then I was too hungry to win, and so I bit the bullet and spent my Ag into getting a pair of Tulumbas and Pins to my Griffin. I took it to the field and did my first jumpshot.

I was smitten.

What is RDB?

As mentioned in the image above, RDB is basically a midrange rocket setup (said to be) favored by the Russian clans. It’s the longer ranged version of the legendary deathbutton setup consisting of Orkans and Pinatas. With proper platform and good piloting, it can easily bully setups below 500 range. It’s mostly used for hit and run tactics, utilizing Griffins.

Like most projectiles, RDB rockets travel in a straight line, but faster than DBs. Still, skilled players can easily telegraph and dodge them, especially dodgebots. Skilled Haechi pilots were a bane, especially with its Energy shield which absorbs most of the rocket damage. Zeus Carnage was also a problem as it has superior range and Energy shield as well, same with leveled Molot Fujins that chipped my Griffins before I can get them to my effective range.

Since RDBs are simply “burst assassins,” it’s also imperative that they’re heavily upgraded so as to make any impact in the field. Low-leveled RDBs are like gimped mages in MOBA games and are a waste of a hangar slot.

These are just part of the reasons why I decided to quit back then. I felt that I was offering nothing to my team. Seeing mostly dashbots, Ancilots, and other energy shield bots, in the field, who the fuck am I going to shoot?

Is RDB terribad?

I don’t believe they are but there are better midrange options. Dragoons, for example, shoots from 600m and can deal decent damage.  Zeus-class and Calamity-class weapons can poke from around 600, and the latter is even able to shred targets at close range. Still, I can say that there are no other options that can do instant damage with very minimal exposure like RDB does.

I just got back to the game less than two months ago. I was in Gold league then. I dusted off my hangar, finding a level 12 MK1 shotgun Golem, shotgun Gareth and PunThunder Inquisitor,  and two RDB Griffs with level 8/9 RDBs. One Griff was 6, the other was 7. After seeing the Pantheons, the Ragnarockers, and the Dragonbots, I knew my hangar needed major overhaul. I only got 5K gold (was expecting more, found out there’s no more gold for returning players), which I spent on an Avenger for Quizzie. I decided to work on it as it’s the best that I’ve got. After some matches, I immediately removed the Golem from my hangar as it’s not pulling its weight.

I remembered the last bots that I enjoyed most before taking a break were Docs with Tulumbas/Orkans, so they went in. One of the Griffins became plasma DB. After several tests, I noticed that I’m still not doing good with my hangar.  My shotgun bots would do good on some games and shit the bed on others, especially the Gareth which would either go John Wick or gone in 40 seconds. I needed consistency very badly.

While Doc Tulumbas/Orkans were very close to my heart, I noticed that it underperformed. On the other hand, the single RDB Griffin did most of the lifting, taking down two to three reds before going down. I decided then to go with two RDB Griffs, turning the Doc into an Orkan 1:1 bot (kills one red and then dies immediately afterwards).  I decided to invest more into my RDBs instead of the others as I felt that the only way for me to match the newer bots is to go outside of shotgun range. I just utilized the Inquisitor as a beacon defender since the RDBs are poor in holding down beacons especially against tanky bots.

The hangar that got me from Gold through Diamond looked like this:

In case anyone’s wondering if I got meta bots, the answer is no. As I’ve said before, I have a strange inclination to non-meta setups. I’d refuse to play a meta setup unless I’m having fun with it. This is my current hangar:

I was only able to get MK2s from the 1g event. My original plan was to get all RDBs to level 12, MK1 and get another Raven. The recent changes to MK2 made me consider getting my weapons enhanced.

I can say that the true MVP of my hangar is the Raven although I have the Inquisitor as a backup whenever I need a brawler. I believe that every hangar needs a brawler and close-quarters combat is a fundamental aspect of the game that needs to be learned by every pilot.

Piloting the RDB

As mentioned above, RDB is a burst damage midrange setup. Its advantage over other setups is the ability to deal high damage in a very short amount of time, with the downside of long reloads. Because of this, it’s best to go with peek-a-boo and hit and run tactics, using covers whenever reloading. Staying outside of brawl range (350m) is highly encouraged as weapons on this range are stronger than RDB in terms of damage and/or reload.

Rocket Splash

It is important to note that RDBs deal area of effect damage. This gives it the ability to damage enemies behind cover as shown in the image below.

The splash radius is significantly large (I’ve read somewhere that it’s 20m to 30m but can’t find the source) and you’ll be able to hit most enemies behind structures as long as you can trace a straight line from your bot to the “red box.” I feel the splash can go farther than that. But to be safe, stay within the box. You can fire a “tracer shot” instead of releasing an entire salvo, but run the risk of enemy repositioning to avoid splash. You can hit a target at 510m if you will manually aim, but if your target at 500m suddenly moves outside RDB range, there is a tendency that your turret would tilt up and you’d end up firing at the wrong direction.

RDB’s AoE is strong against grouped up enemies, especially those who huddle in enclosed structures like Yamantau center beacon. In the above game, I basically went for “exposed red boxes” and was able to take some enemies down or “flush them out of the hole,” so my teammates can finish them off.

If you don’t have QR equipped, you can use rocket splash against Stealth bots. You can use walls, bots, or terrain elevations to trigger rocket explosion.

Positioning and Zone Control

RDB is excellent in zone control. On the images above, I provided supporting fire. My goal here is to soften up the enemy beacon defenders, so our team can make a run for it. 

Some players may hate this playstyle of outfighting, but this is the way to play to your strengths. You’ll be heavily outgunned when you go in brawl range, so I’m heavily stressing the importance of not brawling against a legit brawler.

The image below gives a rough idea about zone control.

Why is this important? Well, controlling a strategic zone allows your team to technically mark the area as your own. Controlled areas around a beacon will help your team easily defend, while controlling red beacon areas gives access for beacon liberation. You can also make some zones impassable to the enemy team without them taking heavy losses. In TDM, having a larger owned territory allows a team to slowly suffocate the enemies off the map.

Positioning plays an important factor in controlling zones.  Having a good high ground with covering structures gives an RDB pilot a safe area to reload or wait for cooldowns. Jumping RDB setups favor these types of terrains as they can just pop up, shoot, and get back in cover before the enemy can retaliate. Jump pilots should be wary though since the enemies can mark them anticipate the jumpshot.

I’ve stressed a lot of times in this writeup that RDB, especially Tulumbas, has long reload times compared to other weapons. Because of this, making every shot count is crucial to be able to contribute to the team. Wasting rockets lowers your burst potential, which is what you bring to the table. Be wary of the environment as rockets can tend to get entangled on terrain elevations.

It really sucks not being able to finish your target just because some rockets hit the ground instead of making their way in. And because you failed to take the enemy down, it might even have the chance to close in and retaliate while your weapons are reloading. Rolling hills can often be a problem, so try to be on a higher ground and imagine a straight path from your weapons to your target.

Targeting

Prioritize low HP damage-dealers like Ares, Ao Jun, and Leech. If possible, try to mark them and get a good flank to take them down. With my setup, I focus on Ares and wait for them to use their shield. If I have a perfect shot, I’d immediately activate Shieldbreaker and empty my rockets just to be certain that they won’t be able to panic press their shields. Most of the time, I wait for them to go out in the open and activate their shield. That’s usually where they’re most vulnerable and don’t have time to back off.

For Ao Jun, it’s a waiting game. You’d have to wait until they land (unless you have QR). Some Ao Juns would wait for you to fire your rockets and then carefully time their flight to avoid them. That’s why I try to make sure they’re not aware that I’m marking them. You can also bait them out by firing a rocket or two.

Leech are tricky ones. You’re screwed if they carefully timed your rocket release and then Repulse you. I try to take them down if they’re preoccupied with my teammates. I make sure that it’s not latched on a teammate though.

Avoid hitting tanks. Traditional Falcons and Fenrirs are the bane of my RDB’s existence. Most of the time, they can outsustain your damage output. Energy shields and anciles can also be a problem, but since Shieldbreaker came, they were not much of a threat.  

EDIT: As of 5.6 patch, Titans were introduced into the game. I’d include them to the list of things to not prioritize unless they need to be disposed of. If possible, just outplay them by getting beacons as they’re rather slow to respond anyway.

Platforms

What are the things to keep in mind when choosing an RDB platform?

I believe Redundance is the first thing to consider when looking for an RDB platform. What I mean by this is does the bot’s hardpoints allow you to place multiple rocket launchers? Since you’re basically stacking up damage and that means carrying more weapons, being able to spam launchers would mean a lot. Personally, I would set the baseline to the classic RDB Griffin — two Pins + two Tulumbas. The setup has been proven to work and is easily accessible by newer players. Three Tulumbas would also work, with a close damage output to 2Pins/2Tulumbas.  However, a four-Pin setup, in my opinion, lacks damage output to be significant. It might work in lower leagues, but as you go up, you’ll gradually notice the difference and you’d want power in your salvos.

Mobility is my second consideration on setting up an RDB bot. 500m is easy to close in especially on newer bots and with the mobility creep. You should be able to reposition quickly after unloading your clips while waiting for full reload. Also, having good mobility lets you to be more creative with your shots. You can flank enemies and rain rockets from their blind spots or move from cover to cover, bursting down enemies when clips are full. Lastly, RDB range is short compared to other midrange setups. On a mobile bot, you can close the gap and be able to deal damage and flee for cover.

The last thing that I thought of is durability. In the absence of mobility, your bot should be at least able to take return fire while waiting for full clips. It would be a waste if you’re only able to do one alpha strike and immediately get blown up. In lower leagues, Leos and Fujins can be possible platforms. Durability is not much of a factor though for mobile bots with a good pilot.

So, from these, what would be the perfect RDB bot? I’d say Griffin is the best, not power-wise, but budget-wise, since you’re most probably just using RDBs due to lack of other options and would be switching once good comp weapons are available. For overall RDB specialization, Raven would be the best platform for me as it possesses both redundance and mobility. The 20% damage bonus on jump is like a free MK2 (or an MK3 if you have them maxed). You can check out Lottie-Rose’s page if you want to see RDB Ravens in action.

Next would be the Spectre. Damage-wise, it edges out Ravens with its four medium hardpoints. It’s beaten by Raven in terms of mobility, having the same movement speed at max. Stealth gives it a safer jumpshot in the absence of Quantum Radar in the opposing team.

The third place I’m probably giving to Ao Guang. With three medium hardpoints, it has good damage output while its homing missiles allows it to finish off low HP reds. Its flight capability gives it more airtime to get better firing angles. Damage Resist while in the air ensures that it will not get quickly vaporized when doing bombing raids. Still, most players would advocate a Scourge setup rather than RDB for Ao Guang. But if you’re thinking of a safe, budget setup for this dragon bot, RDB is a good consideration.

Avalanche/Tulumbas Inquisitor has been in my drawing board before. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Avalanche plus I’m not sure if it’s that worth to workshop. Adding to that is the unload time of Avalanche which doesn’t match Tulumbas’. If anyone has given it a try, please share your thoughts. 

How about Docs, Leos. or Fujins? Or Avalanche Butch/Fury/Behemoth/Falcon? Or even Tulumbas + Avalanche Inquisitors? Well, I am by no means discrediting other setups. I just believe that in WR, you should aim to get the bang for your buck. Cost-efficiency is essential especially with the game economy. I just feel that RDB Griffins are too easy to get and if you want an upgrade, just get a Raven, transfer the weapons, and voila! You got yourself the best RDB setup without wasting too much resources. You don’t even have to upgrade your Griffin unless Pixonic decides to give incentives on maxing out old gear. Also, I think that Tridents would be better for bulkier bots as they have farther range and are cheaper to get.

If you’re planning to get RDB Spectres (for whatever reason), Docs would probably be a good starting platform as you won’t be wasting resources on Pins. Doc moves faster than a Griffin and can maneuver easily on the ground. Just be careful on switching weapons since the other mode has a wider gap between the two arms. Doing a burst-switch-burst could get tricky here as the wider wingspan tends to make missiles get tangled up in pixels. Also, there are times when the enemy repositions before you can switch and fire your secondary weapons. I’m not sure if it’s just psychological effect of having narrower arms, but I feel that Doc can do more “through the hole shots” as its rockets more compact. I even called this surgical shots as they felt more precise plus it fits the Doc.

All in all, it’s just a matter of getting the most out of your bot. Quad Tulumbas Leech might have the damage output of a Spectre RDB, but is it worth it? With its ability to effectively brawl, it would be a waste of a bot, especially with Storms being relatively cheap. For me, if a bot’s forte is brawling, it should be set up as a brawler.

Modules, Pilot, etc.

Personally, I have only used Shieldbreaker and Quantum Radar. I consider my RDBs as specialized setups, with the specific aim of countering a meta strat. At the moment, I’m running solely Shieldbreaker to take Ares and the occasional Anciles down. I just love the way Ares pompously struts in the field, seemingly puffing its chest out only to get blown to kingdom come by a salvo of rockets. I can even imagine their surprise and frustration while they decide to back off or use panic Phase Shift.

I used QR before against Lokis and Ao Juns but felt its duration to be too short to be effective.  The wonky targeting also messes up a lot, you’ll end up wasting much of the duration cycling through enemy bots. Against Ao Juns, I just bait their flight and back away, waiting for an opportunity to strike back. 

Phase Shift is probably the best outside of QR and SB. It gives you some respite while reloading if the enemy manages to close in. It’s also quite handy in surviving deadly jumps when in Griffins or Ravens. I just personally dislike it due to the amount of powercells that it consumes.

Deathmark is a good option too if you want to boost your damage some more. Haven’t tried it though. Perhaps if I feel that I don’t need SB or QR, it would be the next in line.

For passive modules, Nuclear Reactor or Thermonuclear Reactor would be the best since you’ll be doing hit and run tactics anyway, plus you need every possible tool to amp up your damage output.

Pilot skills would always depend on the bot. The cookie-cutter setup of Roadhog, Armor Expert, and Mechanic would work. For my Raven, I’m using Wonderworker. The legendary pilot, Adrian Chong, adds more ooomph to your burst damage output.

Camp Nights

RDBs are often seen as campers and I believe they potentially are. Still, it all depends on how you pilot it. To be effective, you must be aggressive. It’s as simple as that. Being aggressive doesn’t mean charging in towards the reds and going down after taking an enemy. That’s just plain stupidity. Don’t just wait for opportunities. Make them. Instead of hiding behind a wall and wait for the enemy to come into range, how about trying to circle around them and find a good sniping site?

A successful flank can benefit your team by being able to take enemies down or forcing them to reposition. Some reds may also try to take you down and this might relieve some pressure in a contested zone. 

Don’t stay in one position for too long. Map out strategic areas where you can safely shoot reds then move from cover to cover to that destination. Always remember that damage is the only thing that you can bring to the team. You got no heals or disables (unless you have a weird lockdown ammo setup). Make sure that you’re always dealing damage. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Why do I RDB? Well, they’re fun (for me, at least). Ask the Griffin Girl and she’d surely say the same. There are times that I get frustrated with fighting shifty metabots and tougher-than-nails TraFalcs. I just enjoy the small victories that I get and try to play smart (except for occasional lazy tunnel visioning). When I lose, I make sure that I’m at least at the top.

Do I recommend RDB? Hell, yes, especially for newer players who want access to midrange damage setup. RDB Griffins are rather cheap to come by and you can have one in your hangar. But if you’re a highly competitive player and want to go up the ranks, I don’t think it’s the best option for you. Stick with Avengers and shotguns and use a metabot. I’m not saying that RDBs are impossible in champs. Niche setups do work, but then the climb wouldn’t be easy.

Anyway, if you’re still reading, thanks for the time and the effort. I hope you enjoyed or at least learned something from this. 

See y’all in the battlefield.

---

Like and follow my Facebook page for updates.