FRONT MISSION 2089: BORDER OF MADNESS BEGINNER'S GUIDE VERSION 1.00 By Angelo Pineda([email protected]) VERSION HISTORY --------------- 28-6-2010 - Beginner's Guide done. Will update material and do grammar fixes when they're found. TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sections Search Codes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INTRODUCTION [INTR] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. BASICS [BASE] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Game Flow [GAME] Mission Play [MISS] Intermissions [INMS] Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) [TFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. BATTLE SYSTEM [BATT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Battle Phases [PHAS] Wanzer Combat [WCOM] Wanzer Actions [WACT] Terrain Effects [TERR] Attack Types [ATEL] Job Types [JTYP] Weapon Types [WTYP] Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) [BFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. WANZER SETUP [WSET] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wanzer Design [WDES] Wanzer Parameters [WPAR] Wanzer Types [WANT] Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) [WFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. CREDITS [CRED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To quickly find the section you want, press Ctrl + F at the same time to access the Find options. If you want to access something, type in the word in [] and the [] themselves. If you want to find the Credits, type in [CRED]. AUTHOR'S NOTE ------------- I don't get the deal behind mobile phone games, but I sure am glad that the Front Mission 2089 series got the port treatment! To those who are unfamiliar with Front Mission, this guide will get you up to speed! Any Front Mission is not easy to get into and they tend to be confusing for newcomers. Thus, I decided to make this guide with the sole purpose of explaining how the fundamentals of Front Mission work. Enjoy! Sites allowed to post this guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.gamespot.com http://www.neoseeker.com http://www.supercheats.com http://www.1up.com I will consider allowing other sites to post this guide if I get an email on the address shown above. I'm usually open to allowing other sites to post my guides provided that I am credited for my work. I assume anyone reading this is aware of the guide's purpose so I don't think I need to explain that. Also, don't try and pass this work of as your own. I've created this guide in a certain way that allows me to identify if someone has plagiarized from my guide. Respect those who spend a great deal of time making guides to help out other people. We don't do it just because guide writing is fun, you know! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INTRODUCTION [INTR] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a beginner's guide to Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, released in Japan on the Nintendo DS. The guide will document the foundation and game mechanics that are found inside the game. This will not document any material pertaining to the game's missions and whatnot so please don't send any questions to my e-mail address about that. Go to GameFAQs if you are looking for walkthroughs of the game. This guide is written for those who have never played Front Mission or this one in particular if you have already played other Front Mission installments before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. BASICS [BASE] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section will detail how Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness works as a whole. If you are more interested in learning specific mechanics about the game, please check the other sections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GAME FLOW [GAME] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness progresses like any typical game: the player goes through a set amount of missions before beating the game. In-between each mission, the player can manage their characters to prepare for the next mission. Cutscenes occur at certain periods of time...before, during, or after a mission. These are plot-related events that reveal more about the topics covered in the game and the characters themselves. The player spends time at a base when they are not in a mission. When missions are accessible, the player automatically travels to various locations on a world map. This is how the game flows and progresses. To recap game flow: 1. Play and complete missions. 2. Intermission: prepare and setup units at the base. 3. Progress plot by watching scenes before, during, or after missions. 4. Repeat until the player beats the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION PLAY [MISS] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Missions in Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness work similar to other strategy RPG offerings. Prior to most missions, the player can see a basic briefing of the enemy forces and the main threat or objective for the mission. The player can make adjustments to their units accordingly before commencing the mission. Once in a mission, the winning conditions must be met in order to complete the mission. At the completion of any mission, the player is rewarded with monetary funds from military commission (if possible) and the amount of enemies destroyed. This is subtracted from the repair costs, which are incurred for every unit destroyed in battle. Each mission has a limit to how many units can be deployed for the mission, though the main lead, Storm, is a mandatory participant in every mission. On several occasions, non-playable characters (NPC) fight in missions, but the AI controls all of their actions. As far as mission variety is concerned, most missions are involved with the destruction of all enemy units. Some missions have different conditions, such as protecting a particular unit, gathering information at a designated location, or destroying enemy units within the given time limit. For example, escape points on a map can be identified via the green-colored squares that represent them. Similar objectives are also marked by green-colored squares on the map. This covers the flow behind mission play in a nutshell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERMISSIONS [INMS] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Intermissions are sections of the game in which the player is currently not participating in a mission. During an intermission, the player has access to a few options. Normally after a mission ends, the player will be sent back to a military base or supply camp. At any military base or supply camp, the player can access the following options: Briefing Room Pilots' Ready Room Hangar Arena Communications Center Move Out The Hangar is where the player can buy or sell parts and items for mission play. This is the place to go for upgrading wanzers any time during the game. Plot progression and mission briefings take place at the Briefing Room. A mission briefing is an analysis of an upcoming mission that helps the player to plan their approach. Pictures showing details like targets and friendly units often accompany mission briefings. The Pilots' Ready Room is where the player can speak with their teammates, as well as other military personnel. Some folks offer helpful tips about playing the game or reveal more details about the game's backstory. If the player wants more funds, the Arena is a side feature that pits a player-controlled unit against the AI for the purpose of accumulating money. The Communications Center is where the player can save or load game progress at any given time. Lastly, when the player is ready to take part in a mission, they must choose the Move Out option. This option will not be available until the player visits the Briefing Room. ARENA ----- Going back to the Arena, the player can fight opponents and win money. When fighting in an Arena match, the player must choose a unit to use for the match. Next, the player must select an opponent from a list of combatants to fight. After selecting an opponent to fight, the player must choose a fixed amount of money for the bet. If the player wins, they win an amount of money equal to the bet multiplied by the Odds rate. If they lose, the amount of money bet will be deducted from the player's total amount of funds. The Odds rate fluctuates based on the unit's composition against the enemy's. When a battle commences, the player gets to select what weapon their unit will use for the turn. After the action is completed, the player can choose their next action and so on. The goal of the battle is to destroy or disable the Arena combatant before your unit gets destroyed or disabled. Destroying a wanzer is relatively simple, but you can opt to destroy the wanzer's Arms and Legs instead. To disable a wanzer means to eliminate their ability to attack with their weapons so destroying their Arms and Legs is an alternative means to winning. There is no draw; the player successfully defeats the Arena combatant or vice versa. On a final note, weapon priority plays a role in who acts first. Fight takes priority over Long, but loses out to Short. Short takes priority over Fight, but loses out to Long. Finally, Long takes priority over Short, but loses out to Fight. If you can guess what weapon an enemy will use, you can use the information above to gain initiative when it comes to actions. Arena Screen interface: (Top Screen) --------------------------------------------------- | PILOT NAME | UNIT NAME | | PILOT NAME |---------------------------------- |---------------| Fight xxx HP |=|=|=|=| xxx | | |PICTURE| | Short xxx W/P _________ xxx | | |PICTURE| | Long xxx | | |PICTURE| | WW | ----------------- WWWWWWWWWWWW | | Pilot: xxxxxxx| WWWWWWWWWWWW | ----------------- WW WWWW WW | | Fight xxx | WW WWWW WW | | Short xxx | WW WW WW | | Long xxx | WWWW | | Agility xxx | WWWWWW | | Total xxx | WWW WWW | | Move xx | WWW WWW | | Attribute x | WWW WWW | | W/P xxx | WWW WWW | |_______________| WWWW WWWW | --------------------------------------------------- |MONEY xxxxxxx H$| --------------------------------------------------- | Player Combatant | | Odds: XXX.XX | --------------------------------------------------- (Bottom Screen) /\ /--\ ----------------- | COMBATANT | ----------------- | COMBATANT | ----------------- | COMBATANT | ----------------- | COMBATANT | ----------------- | COMBATANT | ----------------- \--/ \/ |----| |BACK| |----| --------------------------------------------------- | Help Text | | Help Text | --------------------------------------------------- Arena Screen guide: PILOT NAME - the name of the Arena combatant. PICTURE - a picture of the Arena combatant. Fight - the Arena combatant's potency in the Fight parameter. Short - the Arena combatant's potency in the Short parameter. Long - the Arena combatant's potency in the Long parameter. Agility - the Arena combatant's potency in the Agility parameter. Total - the Arena combatant's overall potency in all parameters. Move - the movement rating of the Arena combatant's unit. Attribute - the armor coating equipped on the Arena combatant's unit. UNIT NAME - the name of the unit that the Arena combatant uses. W/P - the Weight/Power Output ratio of the Arena combatant's unit. HP - the overall HP of the Arena combatant's unit. MONEY - the amount of funds available to the player for usage. ODDS - the chance of victory against the Arena combatant. If the unit is more powerful than the Arena combatant, the Odds rate will be low. High Odds rate reflects a stronger Arena combatant and a weaker player unit. COMBATANT - the name of an Arena combatant that can be fought. BACK - cancel selection and return back to pilot selection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS(FAQ) [TFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q: How do much of the game uses the stylus? Could I opt to use the regular controls instead? A: The stylus control is used for every menu and option in the game apart from using them in battle. Stylus usage is 100% optional, although it feels more natural on the hands in terms of controlling the battles. It's up to you whether or not you want to play the game with stylus or regular controls. Q: I need help on a mission! I saw the briefing prior to the mission and made preparations, but there are things the mission didn't go through! What gives? A: The briefings are only designed to give the player a general idea of what to expect in an upcoming mission. The missions themselves tend to have extra factors to take note of that the briefings never detail. If you feel that you aren't properly prepared for the mission, you can always make adjustments at the Hangar. Q: During an Arena battle, I fought a combatant and for some reason, it was over! I didn't even destroy the combatant so I'm not sure what happened. Can you explain how I did this? A: As stated earlier, there are two means of winning Arena battles. If you are not capable of destroying the combatant, you can disable them by taking off their Arms and Legs part. Not that I'm saying this is an easy task to do, but it is an option worth taking if necessary. Q: How is money calculated through Odds in the Arena? I fought a combatant at 1.01 Odds and barely got any money back! A: The amount of money you earn is basically how much you bet multiplied by the Odds rate. So if you bet 5000 and had an Odds rate of 1.50, you will get 7500. Subtract the 5000 you bet and 2500 is the amount won from that battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. BATTLE SYSTEM [BATT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section details the fundamental mechanics of Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness' battle system. If you are looking for information on how the battles work, you are in the right section. Reading information on Wanzer Setup is also recommended as information here goes hand-in-hand with the following section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BATTLE PHASES [PHAS] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The battle system of Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness is turn-based and takes place on grid maps for movement and actions. In short, it is the same format as seen in previous Front Mission installments. The concept of Phases has returned: the player's units go first and when they have finished acting, the AI-controlled units act next. These Phases are appropriately titled as Player and Enemy Phases. A full turn, therefore, is the combination of one Player and Enemy Phase. While the player-controlled units act only in Player Phases, they can counter enemy attacks during Enemy Phases when the opportunity is possible. If the player does not need to act, they can force a Player Phase to end. Thus, the general flow of a mission is as follows: 1. Player Phase. 2. Enemy Phase. 3. Repeat until the player wins or loses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WANZER COMBAT [WCOM] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As the main fighting unit in any Front Mission, wanzers are unique in several ways. Wanzers are compromised of four specific parts that have their own special purposes and durability parameters, known as Health Points (HP). The Legs control the wanzer's ability to move around the battlefield. The Arms allow the wanzer to attack using hand and shoulder-equipped weapons. Finally, the Body keeps the wanzer unit operating on the battlefield. Attacks damage parts on a random basis and do not focus on any specific part. Destruction of any part severely cripples a wanzer's effectiveness in battle. Without the Legs, the wanzer's movement is cut in half and thus it becomes an easy target for the enemies. Destruction of an Arm is self-explanatory; weapons equipped on it cannot be used. Lastly, destruction of the Body is the only way to eliminate a wanzer completely. Needless to say, the fastest way to destroy a wanzer is by destroying their Body parts. Most of the time, this isn't possible without taking out the Arms or Legs first. This may sound confusing at first, but the wanzer mechanics are quite easy to get into. Basically, as long as a wanzer's Body is functional, it has uses in a mission. Even if a wanzer has nothing left except a Body, it can provide assistance to the other units in some way outside of attacking. Destroyed parts can be restored with a supply truck or a repair backpack (more on these later) so no wanzer is truly "dead weight" until they are destroyed for good. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WANZER ACTIONS [WACT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wanzer mechanics aside, wanzers can do a variety of actions in mission play. The most basic actions are moving, attacking, and using items. Movement and attacks are self-explanatory, but attacks become unavailable if there is no enemy within weapon range or both Arms and the Legs are destroyed. Although weapons are only equipped on the Arms, a last-resort charge attack can be done in the event both are destroyed. The only requirement is that the Legs are still in operational status. The charge attack, unfortunately, will also damage the wanzer so only use it if no other option exists. Using items is more of a support action as opposed to an offensive one. The basic purpose of items is being able to repair damaged parts, although they cannot restore any that have been destroyed. There are special items that affect the performance of player or enemy units. Their data is detailed in the following section: Support Item Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Range Effect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mine 0 Places a mine in the current location. Flash Grenade 1-4 Stuns target. Smoke Grenade 1-4 Lowers target's accuracy. Chaff Grenade 1-4 Protects against long-range attacks. Acid Bomb 1-4 Lowers target's defense. Mines damage units that end their movement on its current location. This affects both ally and enemy units. Flash Grenades cause Stun status, which means that the unit is defenseless and all attacks have 100% accuracy rates against them. Smoke Grenades lower the unit's weapon accuracy by 50% for all weapons in the Striker and Assault Job classes. Chaff Grenades decrease any attacking unit's accuracy by 75% for weapons in the Sniper and Launcher Job classes. Acid Bombs decrease the unit's Defense by a certain amount for the entire mission. All three grenade items have a 50% chance of recovery each turn. Lastly, there are repair items that can be used to heal damaged parts. Unlike in Front Mission 1st, they can now be applied to other ally units and are not restricted to just the user wielding it. In regards to special actions, the player can interact with supply trucks in the game. Interacting with the supply truck requires a wanzer to stand one square adjacent to it. With the supply truck, the player can refill weapons out of ammunition or restore destroyed parts to operational status. If a wanzer does not move away from a supply truck, all parts can also be repaired by certain percentage per turn. The amount repaired depends on how much HP a part has remaining; less HP yields a higher percentage. In addition to supply trucks, the player will eventually have access to the Riff repair backpack. This part has the same restoration and ammo reload features of the supply truck. The backpack also comes with a basic repair feature, which restores 50% of a wanzer's part HP. The drawback is that the unit with the Riff cannot heal itself with its repair features. On a final note, the player can check the status of each unit on the top screen of the DS. On the top screen of the DS, unit status will be displayed any time a unit is selected on the bottom screen. Unit Status Screen interface: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | MACHINE STATUS || PILOT STATUS | |------------------------------------||--------------------------------------| | UNIT NAME: AC || PILOT NAME: LV. xx | | -NOW- / -MAX- || -STATE- -EXP- | | BODY xxxx / xxxx || FIGHT xx xxxx | | [****************]|| SHORT xx xxxx | | LEFT ARM xxxx / xxxx || LONG xx xxxx | | [****************]|| AGILITY xx xxxx | | RIGHT ARM xxxx / xxxx || TOTAL xxxxx | | [****************]|| | | LEGS xxxx / xxxx || -------------- SKILL: --- | | [****************]|| |PICTUREPICTU| --- | | MOVE: xx GE: xx% || |PICTUREPICTU| --- | | STATUS: --- --- || |PICTUREPICTU| --- | | --- --- || -------------- --- | -------------------------------------||--------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | UNIT NAME: -NAME- -BULLET- -RANGE- | | BODY BODY WEAPON AT xx / xx x - xx | | L. GRIP L. GRIP WEAPON AT xx / xx x - xx | | R. GRIP R. GRIP WEAPON AT xx / xx x - xx | | L. SHOULDER L. SHOULDER WEAPON AT xx / xx x - xx | | R. SHOULDER R. SHOULDER WEAPON AT xx / xx x - xx | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unit Status Screen (Machine Status) MACHINE STATUS - shows details of the selected unit's machine. UNIT NAME - the name of the selected unit's machine. AC - the armor coating of the selected unit's machine. NOW/MAX - the current/maximum HP values for the selected unit's machine. BODY - the current/maximum HP values for the selected unit's Body. LEFT ARM - the current/maximum HP values for the selected unit's Left Arm. RIGHT ARM - the current/maximum HP values for the selected unit's Right Arm. LEGS - the current/maximum HP values for the selected unit's Legs. MOVE - the movement value of the selected unit's machine. GE - the Geo Effect rating of the square the selected unit's machine is at. STATUS - the current status of the selected unit's machine. (Pilot Status) PILOT STATUS - shows details of the selected unit's pilot. LV - the overall level of the selected unit's pilot. STATE - the current Job levels of the selected unit's pilot. EXP - the current amount of EXP that the selected unit's pilot has. FIGHT - the selected unit's pilot potency in the Fight parameter. SHORT - the selected unit's pilot potency in the Short parameter. LONG - the selected unit's pilot potency in the Long parameter. AGILITY - the selected unit's pilot potency in the Agility parameter. TOTAL - the total potency of the selected unit's pilot in all parameters. PICTURE - a picture of the selected unit's pilot. SKILL - the equipped skills of the selected unit's pilot. (Equipment View) UNIT NAME - the name of the selected unit's machine. NAME - the name of the selected unit's weapons. BULLET - the current/maximum amount of ammo for the selected unit's weapons. RANGE - the minimum/maximum range values for the selected unit's weapons. BODY - the weapon equipped into the selected unit's Body. L. GRIP - the weapon equipped onto the selected unit's Left Hand. R. GRIP - the weapon equipped onto the selected unit's Right Hand. L. SHOULDER - the weapon equipped onto the selected unit's Left Shoulder. R. SHOULDER - the weapon equipped onto the selected unit's Right Shoulder. AT - the attack element (s) of the equipped weapon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TERRAIN EFFECTS [TERR] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness retains a terrain feature from Front Mission 1st and Front Mission 2 - the Geo Effect. Each square on a map has a geographical rating that influences a wanzer's ability to fight. Geo Effect affects two parameters in regards to wanzer combat: the unit's movement and weapon accuracy. A weapon's accuracy is deducted directly from the Geo Effect rating of the square the target is occupying. For example, a unit on forest terrain tends to have a Geo Effect rating of 20% or higher. Thus, any weapon targeted at this unit will receive a 20% accuracy reduction. On an urban terrain, ratings are generally around 5% so any units on this terrain are easy to hit. The player can equip four unique Leg types for their wanzers: Normal, Hover, Treads, and Tires. All Leg types require a certain amount of Move points to traverse one square on a map. Referring to the forest terrain example, Tires Leg types expend 3 Move to traverse a square whereas Normal Leg types expend 4 Move for every square on this terrain. Elevation also plays a role in what terrain each Leg type can move on. For example, while Tires Leg types may seem great on flat surfaces, they can ascend or descend one elevation level at a time. Normal Leg types can ascend or descend two elevation levels at any given time. Keep this in mind as there will be times that Normal Leg types are needed to pass through a map's terrain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ATTACK ELEMENTS [ATEL] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A feature first seen in Front Mission 2 and in later Front Mission entries, attack elements are attributes that dictate the type of damage a weapon can do. All weapons fall under one of the three attack elements. Attack Element Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Element Effect Color ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Piercing Penetrates through the target's armor. Blue Impact Applies tremendous pressure at target's armor. Yellow Fire Burns through the target's armor. Red This basically means that all weapons will have different effects when used against particular enemies. Specifically, weapon damage is affected by an enemy's armor coating. Resistance to one of the elements decreases damage by 25%, but this will be cut in half towards weapons made up of two attack elements. Armor coating applies to all parts of a machine, including wanzers. The player can freely change the armor coating applied to their units at the Hangar. However, only one type of armor coating can be added to the unit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ JOB TYPES [JTYP] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A standard mechanic found in every strategy RPG, Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness incorporates a Job class system. Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness has five unique Job classes - Striker, Assault, Sniper, Launcher, and Mechanic. Striker is a class that specializes in the Fight parameter and in melee weaponry such as knuckles, pile bunkers, rods, and a wanzer's bare arms. Assault is a class that specializes in the Short parameter and in close range weaponry such as machine guns, vulcans, shotguns, and flamethrowers. Sniper is a class that specializes in the Long parameter and in hand-mounted, long range weaponry such as rifles, bazookas, and grenade launchers. Launcher is a class that also specializes in the Long parameter, but specializes in shoulder-mounted weaponry like missile and rocket launchers. Lastly, Mechanic is a class that specializes in the Agility parameter and evasive maneuvers. In mission play, the player units gain experience towards any of the four parameters mentioned above. Using weapons designated for Striker, Assault, Sniper, and Launcher Job classes will result in experience in a particular parameter. To gain experience in the Agility parameter, a player unit has to be attacked by an enemy unit. Experience gained is directed towards one of the parameters depending on the action used. For example, if Storm attacks an enemy with an Assault weapon and EXP + 100 shows on the battle screen, 100 EXP is then added to the Short parameter. EXP amount fluctuates based on enemy composition; stronger enemies yield large EXP gains. Extra EXP is gained by destroying enemy parts, especially if the Body is destroyed. At certain point values for each parameter, a pilot can learn Battle Skills. Basically, they are pilot abilities that increase the potency of weapons used in battle at random. There are eight Battle Skills in total that a pilot can learn, but pilots are limited to five skills maximum. Likewise, not all pilots can learn all skills or have the five skills maximum. To learn skills, a pilot must level up apart from meeting the point value requirement. Pilot levels are increased up accumulating a certain amount of total EXP in all of the parameters. Bonus EXP is added to all Job parameters during each level increase. If a pilot reaches the maximum of 50 levels, they cannot learn any more skills. Most pilots have three point value intervals and thus three chances to learn a skill from the Fight, Short, or Long parameters. There are no skills for the Agility parameter unfortunately. The point value intervals will vary depending on the parameter's value and the pilot's specialties. A pilot that specializes in Striker will get skills early in Fight, whereas a Launcher training in Fight will take more time to learn skills. It is important to note that skills cannot be removed and if the pilot's skill slots are full, no more skills can be obtained. When you can learn Battle Skills, the following menu will be displayed: /\ /--\ ----------------- |SKILL NAME Lv x| |SKILL NAME Lv x| |SKILL NAME Lv x| |SEE | |SKIP | ----------------- \--/ \/ Skill Acquistion Guide: SKILL NAME - the name of the selected Battle Skill. Lv - the proficiency level of the selected Battle Skill. SEE - see the currently learned Battle Skills. SKIP - skip skill acquisition. Skill Acquistion Example: 1. Storm uses a Striker weapon and gains 55 EXP. 2. 55 EXP is added to Fight, which gives him over 1500 in this parameter. 3. Storm gains a Pilot Level increase. 4. Storm is only at Pilot Level 40 and has two skill slots left so the skill list for Fight appears. 5. Storm chooses to equip the Fight skill "Double". 6. If Storm does not choose to equip a Fight skill, the list appears whenever Storm gains a Pilot Level increase and has one skill slot left. 7. Storm will not learn any more skills if he is at Pilot Level 50 and has no more skill slots left. The Fight skill list does not appear in this case. Battle skills start at Level 1, though a few characters can get their skills to start at Level 2. Constant usage of Battle Skills will increase its level and therefore increase its potency. The final level is known as "Max", which has an extremely low chance of happening. The chances of getting the "Max" level are 1/2000 so you really have to get lucky for this to appear. Job Level Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Level Total EXP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 0 10 256 11 512 12 768 13 1024 14 1280 15 1536 16 1792 17 2048 18 2304 19 2560 20 2816 21 3072 22 3328 23 3584 24 3840 25 4096 26 4352 27 4608 28 4864 29 5120 30 5376 31 5632 32 5888 33 6144 34 6400 35 6656 36 6912 37 7168 38 7424 39 7680 40 7936 41 8192 42 8448 43 8704 44 8960 45 9216 46 9472 47 9728 48 9984 Pilot Level Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pilot Level Total EXP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 0 2 200 3 400 4 700 5 1000 6 1300 7 1600 8 1900 9 2200 10 2500 11 2800 12 3100 13 3400 14 3700 15 4000 16 4400 17 4800 18 5200 19 5600 20 6000 21 6600 22 7200 23 7800 24 8400 25 9000 26 9600 27 10200 28 11000 29 11800 30 12600 31 13400 32 14200 33 15000 34 16000 35 17000 36 18000 37 19000 38 20000 39 21200 40 22400 41 23600 42 24800 43 26000 44 27400 45 28800 46 30200 47 31900 48 33600 49 35500 50 37500 Pilot Specialty Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pilot Specialty Skill Slots ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Main Characters) Storm Assault 5 Rain Assault 5 Champ (Stan) Striker 5 Oddeye (Kate Slinger) Launcher 5 Gray Sniper 5 (Others) Hepaist Mechanic 5 Dark Knight (Roy) Asssault 5 Pilot Bonus EXP Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Range Fight Short Long Agility ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Main Characters) Storm 3-10 15 19 15 17 ---------- 11-20 20 28 20 24 ---------- 21-30 25 37 25 31 ---------- 31-40 30 46 30 38 ---------- 41-50 35 55 35 45 Rain 2-10 15 17 15 17 ---------- 11-20 20 24 20 24 ---------- 21-30 25 31 25 31 ---------- 31-40 30 38 30 38 ---------- 41-50 35 45 35 45 Champ (Stan) 2-10 19 13 15 17 ---------- 11-20 28 16 20 24 ---------- 21-30 37 19 25 31 ---------- 31-40 46 22 30 38 ---------- 41-50 55 25 35 45 Oddeye (Kate Slinger) 2-10 15 17 17 15 ---------- 11-20 20 24 24 20 ---------- 21-30 25 31 31 25 ---------- 31-40 30 38 38 30 ---------- 41-50 35 45 45 35 Gray 6-10 15 15 19 15 ---------- 11-20 20 20 28 20 ---------- 21-30 25 25 37 25 ---------- 31-40 30 30 46 30 ---------- 41-50 35 35 55 35 (Others) Hepaist 2-10 13 13 13 17 ---------- 11-20 16 16 16 24 ---------- 21-30 19 19 19 31 ---------- 31-40 22 22 22 38 ---------- 41-50 25 25 25 45 Dark Knight (Roy) 29-30 37 37 37 37 ---------- 31-40 46 46 46 46 ---------- 41-50 55 55 55 55 Pilot Skills Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Fight Short Long ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Main Characters) Storm Stun/Double/First Duel/Speed/Switch Guide Rain Stun/Double/First Duel/Speed/Switch Guide Champ (Stan) Stun/Double/First Duel/Switch None Oddeye (Kate Slinger) Stun Duel/Speed/Switch Guide Gray Double Duel/Speed/Switch Guide (Others) Hepaist None None None Dark Knight Stun/Double/First Duel/Speed* Guide For the Link skill, Link Attack, all main characters can learn it. Notes: * - pilot already has the skill equipped. - Dark Knight's (Roy) Speed starts at Level 2. Pilot Skill EXP Requirements Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Fight Short Long ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Main Characters) Storm 1500/3000/4500 1000/2000/3500 3000 Rain 1500/3000/4500 1000/2000/3500 3000 Champ (Stan) 1500/3000/4500 5000/7000 0 Oddeye (Kate Slinger) 3000 1500/3000/4500 750 Gray 7000 1500/3000/4500 750 (Others) Hepaist 0 0 0 Dark Knight (Roy) 2500! 5000 3500* The Link skill, Link Attack, can be learned through two ways: 1. A pilot's proficiency in Fight, Short, or Long is over 1500. 2. A pilot's proficiencies in Fight, Short, and Long is over 1000. Notes: ! - Dark Knight (Roy) can learn two skills based on his starting proficiency. * - Dark Knight (Roy) can learn one skill based on his starting proficiency. Battle Skills Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Type Description ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stun Fight Stuns target with a melee attack. Double Fight Strikes target twice with melee attacks. First Fight Grants first strike during battle. Duel Short Aim at selected wanzer parts. Switch Short Attacks again with a different weapon. Speed Short Adds extra attacks to burst weapons. Guide Long Aim at selected wanzer parts. Link Attack Link Provide attack support to a nearby unit. Notes: Link Attack operates similar to how it appears from Front Mission 2 to Front Mission 5: Scars of the War. Two units must be within weapon range and must not have acted yet in order to initiate the link. Linked attacks can only be initiated between two of the three weapon types: Fight, Short, or Long. They do not work if you intend to use two units using Fight, Short, or Long class weapons. All units deal 50% more damage than usual through Link Attack. For example, Storm uses Short class weapons and Champ uses Fight class weapons. As long as they are within range, they can initiate Links. If Storm and Champ both used Short class weapons, they cannot initiate Links. Lastly, initiating Links ends the turn of the units involved regardless if the first unit manages to destroy the targeted enemy. Battle Skills Level Guide: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Level Potency ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stun 1 Stun status normally lasts for one turn. 40% activation. Stun 2 Stun status normally lasts for two turns. 60% activation. Stun 3 Stun status normally lasts for three turns. 80% activation. Stun Max Stun status normally lasts for four turns. 90% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Double 1 One extra attack is made. 40% activation. Double 2 Up to two extra attacks are made. 60% activation. Double 3 Up to three extra attacks are made. 80% activation. Double Max Up to four extra attacks are made. 90% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First 1 40% activation. First 2 60% activation. First 3 80% activation. First Max 100% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Duel 1 50% weapon accuracy. 30% activation. Duel 2 70% weapon accuracy. 50% activation. Duel 3 85% weapon accuracy. 80% activation. Duel Max 100% weapon accuracy. 90% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Switch 1 One extra attack is made. 30% activation. Switch 2 Up to two extra attacks are made. 50% activation. Switch 3 Up to three extra attacks are made. 80% activation. Switch Max Up to four extra attacks are made. 90% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Speed 1 One extra round is fired. 50% activation. Speed 2 Two extra rounds are fired. 60% activation. Speed 3 Three extra rounds are fired. 70% activation. Speed Max Four extra rounds are fired. 100% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Guide 1 50% weapon accuracy. 30% activation. Guide 2 70% weapon accuracy. 50% activation. Guide 3 85% weapon accuracy. 80% activation. Guide Max 100% weapon accuracy. 90% activation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Notes: Link Attack has no proficiency levels. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEAPON TYPES [WTYP] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section discusses the weapon types that are used by both friendly and enemy pilots for the purposes of mission play and Arena battling. STRIKER ------- Weapon Types: Punch, Knuckle, Pile Bunker, Rod Weapon Location: Hand Weapon Range: 1 Description: Striker weapons are single-hit melee weapons that deal large amounts of damage and rarely miss. Striker weapons are last in the attack priority so expect to take damage before being able to attack. This is balanced out by the fact that a Striker weapon often hits the Body and therefore leads to easy kills. Punch refers to the melee attack, called Arm Punch, that occurs if an Arm has no Hand weapons equipped. Unlike in Front Mission 1st, the Arm Punch has been balanced and is much weaker than it was before. Knuckles, Pile Bunkers, and Rods are melee weapons that can be equipped on a wanzer's Arms. Arm Punch, Knuckle, and Rod weapons are Impact-based, whereas Pile Bunkers are Piercing weapons. ASSAULT ------- Weapon Types: Machine Gun, Vulcan, Shotgun, Flamethrower Weapon Location: Hand Weapon Range: 1 Description: Assault weapons are either multi-hit or single-hit weapons. Multi-hit weapons consist of Machine Guns, Vulcans, and Shotguns, which have weak single round damage. Unlike in Front Mission 1st, Shotguns now fire more than once so they are multi-hit weapons. These weapons, however, do fire multiple rounds which make them worth using on numerous occasions. Flamethrowers fall under the single-hit category much like Striker weapons. Of the weapons, Shotguns and Flamethrowers possess the greatest accuracy in this class. The trade-off here is damage output. The Machine Gun and Vulcan weapons have less accuracy, but deal more damage. In terms of attack elements, Machine Guns and Vulcans are Piercing, Shotguns do Impact damage, and Flamethrowers are predictably Fire types. SNIPER ------ Weapon Types: Rifle, Bazooka, Grenade Launcher Weapon Location: Hand Weapon Range: varies, base 2-3 (Rifle)/base 1-4 (Bazooka, Grenade Launcher) Description: Sniper weapons are ranged weapons that deal high, single-round damage from a distance. Sniper weapons include Rifles, Bazookas, and Grenade Launchers. Unlike in Front Mission 1st, Rifles are now strictly ranged weapons that have high accuracy in exchange for less damage output. Bazookas and Grenade Launchers are unique in that they can be used from both close and long ranges. The drawback is that their accuracy is fairly low, so misses are more common with them. Rifles are Piercing-based, Bazookas do a combination of Impact and Fire damage, and Grenade Launchers are Fire types. LAUNCHER -------- Weapon Types: Missile Launcher, Rocket Launcher Weapon Location: Shoulder Weapon Range: varies, base 3-4 Description: Launcher weapons are either single-hit or multi-hit weapons that can be fired from a long distance. The selling point of such a weapon is that the enemy unit cannot counterattack the user and unlike Sniper weapons, they possess higher damage outputs. Launcher weapons do have a minimum firing range, and cannot be fired at close ranges though. They are also the only weapons to have ammunition limits and must be reloaded when ammo has been used up. There is no difference between a Missile Launcher and a Rocket Launcher as both have the same functionality. Their attack elements are also shared - Fire. MECHANIC -------- Weapon Types: Shield Weapon Location: Shoulder Weapon Range: 0 Description: Mechanic weapons are purely for defensive purposes. They are used to raise a wanzer's Defense parameter and increase the damage tolerance when the wanzer guards. Shields are useful in defending against attacks from both Sniper and Launcher weapons. That's all there is to know about Mechanic weapons. BUILT-IN -------- Weapon Types: Punch, Machine Gun, Shotgun, Flamethrower, Bazooka, Cannon Weapon Location: Hand Weapon Range: varies depending on weapon class Description: Built-in weapons are self-explanatory: weapons incorporated into a wanzer's Arm parts. Built-in weapons tend to weigh less than equipping a normal Arm and a Hand-specifc weapon, making them quite useful. These are balanced out by the fact that the Arms tend to have low Defense and HP, making them easy to destroy. Cannons are the same as Machine Guns and Vulcans; they are under the Assault class as multi-hit weapons. They only differ in terms of attack elements; Cannons are both Piercing and Fire-based. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS(FAQ) [BFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q: If I manually end the Player Phase, does that mean the Enemy Phase ends as well? A: No, the Enemy Phase does not automatically end if you manually end the Player Phase. It continues as usual until all enemy units have made their actions. For the most part, manually ending the Player Phase is never a good idea. Q: One of my wanzers got both Arms destroyed! What am I going to do with a unit that can't attack? A: You several options in this case. The first is to restore the destroyed Arms via supply truck or Riff as soon as possible. The second is to keep the unit's Body operating until your other units come to its aid. If your Legs part is still operational, you can do a charge attack in the meantime. This will cause damage to your own wanzer, so only use it when necessary. Lastly, try to complete the mission before the damaged unit is eliminated. Q: I want to access the supply truck to reload my weapons but I don't see any commands about this. Is there something that I have to do to access the supply truck? A: Whenever you want to access the supply truck, one of your units must be one square adjacent from the supply truck. On the following turn, you can use the supply truck to exchange your weapons. If you are already beside the supply truck and haven't acted, you can access it on your current turn. The option to interact with the supply truck disappears once the unit moves out of the supply truck's range. Q: Every time I try to attack this unit in a mission, my shots keep missing! I have Arms with a high accuracy parameter on my wanzer that's attacking it but that's not helping out! Why is this? A: There are only two explanations for this. The first is that the enemy is on a terrain with a high Geo Effect rating. Lure that particular enemy out of the terrain so your attacks will connect instead of miss. The second is that your weapons have low accuracy. While Arm accuracy does augment the accuracy of the equipped weapons, it is important to use weapons with high accuracy parameters. A weapon with low accuracy parameters will result in a lot of misses even with high accuracy Arms. Q: I have all of my pilots equipped with Assault weapons but I notice that some of them do more damage and get better accuracy rates than others. During the level ups for pilots, some get more bonus EXP for Short. Is this expected or am I missing out on something? A: Pilots that specialize in a Job class outperform non-specialists and have boosted damage and accuracy parameters. Specialists also have a higher chance of their skills leveling up, with the exception of the "Max" level. Stick with the specialties and your pilots will perform better in mission play. Q: Is it possible to remove Battle Skills or am I stuck with what I chose? A: Battle Skills cannot be removed once they are equipped. The only way to get them off is to play a new game file. Make sure you choose your skills wisely. Q: What weapon should I equip for my pilots? I know that each weapon falls in one of the five Job classes but there's not much of a difference with each weapon that I see. A: It's personal preference really. If you want to train under a certain Job class, you should consider equipping weapons designated for that class. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. WANZER SETUP [WSET] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section details the mechanics and features behind the customization and creation of wanzers. Reading information about the Battle System is highly recommended as information here goes hand-in-hand with the aforementioned section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WANZER DESIGN [WDES] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Designing wanzers is a daunting task if you are new to Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness. This is where Front Mission really stands out of the strategy RPG crowd and thus, it has its own section. Designing a wanzer will be broken down into sections as to ensure that you understand the process behind wanzer configuration. FRAME PARTS ----------- The wanzer frame consists of the parts that make up the actual wanzer. This consists of a Body, a Right Arm, a Left Arm, and the Legs. A unit cannot be created unless the wanzer frame is complete. The Body part is top priority over the Arms and Legs for a good reason. Special to the Body is the Power parameter, which is essentially the lifeblood of any wanzer. Every part has a Weight parameter that is subtracted from the Power parameter. The overall Weight value of a wanzer must be always be equal to or lower than the Power value or it cannot be used in battles. Therefore, choosing the right Body is key to creating a powerful wanzer. Next in terms of design priority are the Right and Left Arms. A wanzer's only means of attacking are through its Arms and without them, it is helpless. The Hit parameter is special to Arm parts; it enhances the accuracy values of an equipped weapon. A weapon that has low Hit values can benefit from an Arm with a high Hit value. An Arm without a hand-specific weapon can be used as a Melee attack that has its own Attack and Hit values. Built-in weapon Arms are viable options as they result in lower Weight values for a wanzer. Their drawback lies in the fact that no hand-specific weapon can be equipped on Arms of this type. The last part in designing a wanzer is the Legs. The only purpose of the Legs is to allow the wanzer to traverse over various terrain and elevation. The Move parameter is special to Legs only and dictates how much a wanzer can move of course. The amount of Move needed to traverse a square depends on the Leg type and the square's terrain type. Some parts also raise the wanzer's Power value, although these parts are rare. Normal Leg types will suffice for the entire game, though Treads, Tires, and Hover Leg types have their uses in certain terrain. One last notable detail to mention is that the Move value can be increased depending on a wanzer's Weight/Power difference. For every 10% of free Weight that a wanzer has, 1 point is added to its Move value. The Move parameter's maximum is 25 points so if a wanzer has met that value, extra Move points are not awarded. The most squares a wanzer can move is 12 so those extra Move points can make a difference. SUPPORT PARTS ------------- After a wanzer frame has been fully assembled, support parts can be equipped to boost the effectiveness of the wanzer. Backpacks are parts mounted onto a wanzer's back that increase the following: item storage, Power value, and the range of support items such as chaff grenades. Backpacks have no drawbacks of any kind and therefore should always be equipped onto a wanzer. A special Backpack exists for Kevin's side, which is the Riff. The Riff is the only way for units to reload weapons and restore destroyed parts on wanzers in Kevin's side. As a special Backpack, the Riff does not have the same features as the normal Backpack. The second support part that a wanzer can equip are computers. Computers are parts that raise a pilot's proficiency in all Job classes. Computers tend to specialize towards one of the four Job classes, though there are ones that enhance all Job classes equally. Accuracy and damage are the most noticeable enhancements, although computers with high Dodge values raise a wanzer's evasion as well. Thus, equipping the proper computer for the right pilot is an easy task to do. ATTACKING PARTS --------------- Now that the wanzer has been equipped with its frame and support parts, it's time to give it some firepower. A wanzer can equip up to four weapons: two on the Hands and two on the Shoulders. Technically, a wanzer can have a fifth one in terms of a Body with built-in weapons, but this is exclusive to mobile weapons. Knowing what weapon to equip depends on the pilot who will use the wanzer and their Job specialty. Hand weapons are generally lighter than the shoulder weapons so they should be your first concern. For Launcher units, shoulder weapons should be their top priority. While it is possible to fully load a wanzer with weapons, this is bad wanzer design in most cases. No more than two weapons should be equipped on any wanzer for optimal performance. Wanzer Design priority: 1. Body 2. Arms 3. Legs 4. Backpack 5. Computer 6. Hand Weapons 7. Shoulder Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WANZER PARAMETERS [WPAR] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wanzer parameters for all parts will be documented here and split into the appropriate sections. (Commonly Shared Parameters) DF - the Defense parameter. High Defense values result in reduced damage. HP - the HP parameter. High HP values result in greater part durability. WEIGHT - the Weight parameter. Low Weight values result in extra Move points. POWER - the Power parameter. High values result in more design flexibility. (Body) INT. WEAPON - weapons integrated into the Body part(built-in weapons). AT - the Attack parameter. High values result in greater damage potential. HIT - the Hit parameter. High values result in less attacks missing. (Arms) HIT - the Hit parameter. High values result in greater weapon Hit values. INT. WEAPON - weapons integrated into the Arm part(built-in weapons). AT - the Attack parameter. High values result in greater damage potential. HIT - the Hit parameter. High values result in less attacks missing. (Legs) MOVE - the Move parameter. High values result in greater movement distance. (Computers) FIGHT - the Fight parameter. Raises proficiency in the Fight parameter. SHORT - the Short parameter. Raises proficiency in the Short parameter. LONG - the Long parameter. Raises proficiency in the Long parameter. AGILITY - the Agility parameter. Raises proficiency in the Agility parameter. (Backpacks) ITEM - the Item parameter. Raises the maximum amount of equipped items. RANGE - the Range parameter. Raises the maximum range of support items. (Weapons) AT - the Attack parameter. High values result in greater damage potential. HIT - the Hit parameter. High values result in less attacks missing. RANGE - the Range parameter. Dictates the minimum and maximum weapon range. AMMO - the Ammo parameter. Ammo must be replenished by supply truck or Riff. TYPE - the Type parameter. Classifies weapons under the Job classes. (Overall) FIGHT - the wanzer's potency in the Fight parameter. SHORT - the wanzer's potency in the Short parameter. LONG - the wanzer's potency in the Long parameter. AGILITY - the wanzer's potency in the Agility parameter. TOTAL - the wanzer's overall potency in all parameters. MOVE - the wanzer's Move value. W/P - the difference between the wanzer's Weight/Power values. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WANZER TYPES [WANT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assuming that you have read the Wanzer Design and Wanzer Parameter sections, it's time to learn about viable wanzer builds that can be used. STRIKER ------- Striker builds are designed for Fight specialists. The basic idea behind a Striker build is having a wanzer geared for close range combat and to act as a tank unit. Parameters that a Striker build focuses on are HP and Defense mainly since they attack last against ranged enemy units. The combination of high HP and Defense makes a Striker build hard to kill, which allows them to operate as tanks. Move is also crucial for reaching enemy units in order to attack them. Striker builds generally are used to finish off enemies thanks to how melee weapons operate in general. When shopping for new parts, go for ones with high Defense since they are easy to identify. Legs with the highest Move should be equipped, but don't sacrifice Defense too much. Equip Knuckles, Pile Bunkers, and Rods when possible as they deal more damage than Arm Punch. Arms with high punch damage, though, have the highest Defense ratings so they're easy to idenfity. Finally, a Shield should always be equipped on Striker builds for more durability. Build checklist: Frame - HP, Defense, and Move. Support - Normal Backpack and Fight-specialty computer. Attacking - Knuckle/Pile Bunker/Rod x 2 on Hand. Shield on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Numsekar Left Arm - Numsekar Right Arm - Numsekar Legs - Numsekar Backpack - Bag Worm Computer - Evolucion WW-87 L. Grip - Battle Tusk R. Grip - Crusader L. Shoulder - WS-14B R. Shoulder - None ASSAULT ------- Assault builds are designed for Short specialists. The basic idea behind an Assault build is having a wanzer geared for close-range combat and act as the main attacking unit. Parameters that an Assault build focuses on are Hit and Move for hit-and-run tactics with enemy units. Assault weapons lack the accuracy that Striker weapons possess so an Arm with a high Hit value results in more damage dealt. Assault builds do most of the fighting so being able to reach enemy targets is key with a high Move value. HP also matters since Assault units will take a lot of damage. When shopping for new parts, choose a balanced Body to suit the needs of an Assault build. Buy Arms with high Hit ratings for the purposes of better accuracy. For the Legs, high Move is important but stick with Normal Leg types to get the most mileage out of them. A Machine Gun or Vulcan paired with a Shotgun or Flamethrower is a good balance of multi-hit and single-hit weaponry. Top it off with a Shield to be safe. Build checklist: Frame - Hit, Move, and HP. Support - Normal Backpack and Short-specialty computer. Attacking - Machine Gun/Vulcan and Shotgun/Flamethrower on Hand. Shield on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Zenith V Left Arm - Zenith V Right Arm - Zenith V Legs - Zenith V Backpack - Bag Worm Computer - Yeata RG-0624z L. Grip - FV-24B R. Grip - Covet V300 L. Shoulder - WS-14B R. Shoulder - None SNIPER ------ Sniper builds are designed for Long specialists. The basic idea behind a Sniper build is having a wanzer geared for distance combat and acting as Link support for Strikers and Assaults. Parameters that a Sniper build focuses on are Hit, Move, and Power. The weapons designated for a Sniper build are very heavy so a lot of Power is vital to these builds. Despite the nature of their role, Move is important in order to get within a good attacking position. As long as they are not forced into a fight at close range, take advantage of their ranged weaponry. When shopping for new parts, go for the Body with the highest Power rating. Follow the same guidelines for Assault builds when searching for Arms. For the Legs, choose something with a reasonably high Move rating. As for the weapons, load both Arms with a Rifle and a Bazooka or Grenade Launcher. Lastly, use one shoulder slot for a Shield for defense purposes. Build checklist: Frame - Hit, Move, and Power. Support - Normal Backpack and Long-specialty computer. Attacking - Rifle and Bazooka/Grenade Launcher on Hand. Shield on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Eldos Left Arm - Eldos Right Arm - Eldos Legs - Eldos Backpack - Bag Worm Computer - Yeata RG-0624z L. Grip - Rock Jack R. Grip - Firebird L. Shoulder - WS-14B R. Shoulder - None LAUNCHER -------- Launcher builds are designed for Long specialists. Similar to Sniper builds, their role is providing long range support for Striker and Assault units. Parameters that a Launcher build focuses on are Hit and Power. Their weapons are even heavier than Sniper weapons, so it's imperative that your Power value is very high. Launchers are crippled up close and should ideally stay farthest away from enemy units. Use them to weaken or finish off enemy units rather than in Links. When shopping for new parts, go for the Body with the highest Power rating. Follow the same guidelines for Assault builds when searching for Arms. The Legs don't matter to a Launcher build so do whatever you want with them. As for the weapons, load both Shoulders with Missile and Rocket Launchers. They don't need Arm weapons to contribute to the fight. Build checklist: Frame - Hit and Power. Support - Normal Backpack and Long-specialty computer. Attacking - Missile Launcher/Rocket Launcher x 2 on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Type 105 Left Arm - Type 105 Right Arm - Type 105 Legs - Type 105 Backpack - Bag Worm Computer - Yeata RG-0624z L. Grip - None R. Grip - None L. Shoulder - Albatross R. Shoulder - Donkey DX2 MECHANIC -------- Mechanic builds are designed for Agility specialists. Their role is purely support-based as far as combat goes. Mechanic builds only require two things: HP and Defense. As they will be out on the battlefield doing repair work, expect enemies to come at them constantly. With high HP and Defense, Mechanic units can be used to eat the bulk of the damage from enemy forces. When shopping for new parts, follow the same guidelines as you would with a Striker build. Don't forget to equip a Riff Backpack, as well as two Shields for defensive measures. Mechanic units won't really need to be on the attack, so don't worry too much about their weapon loadout. Build checklist: Frame - HP and Defense. Support - Riff Backpack and Agility-specialty computer. Attacking - Shield x 2 on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Igel Eins H Left Arm - Igel Eins H Right Arm - Igel Eins H Legs - Igel Eins H Backpack - Riff Computer - Evolucion WW-87 L. Grip - None R. Grip - None L. Shoulder - WS-14B R. Shoulder - WS-14B HYBRID ------ Hybrid builds consist of fusions between two or three of the five builds combined. Hybrid builds may seem attractive due to their all-purpose role, but these builds are the hardest to make. Balancing all of the parts to have an effective hybrid build takes a lot of number-crunching and analysis of the parts available. It is doable to create hybrid builds but you will have to spend some time searching for the right parts. Build checklist: Frame - Balance. Support - Normal Backpack and balanced computer. Attacking - 1 Striker, 1 Assault, or 1 Sniper on Hand. 1 Gunner on Shoulder. Sample build: Body - Phantom Left Arm - Zenith V Right Arm - Numsekar Legs - Igel Eins H Backpack - Bag Worm Computer - SI Prototype VP-6Gr L. Grip - FV-24B R. Grip - Crusader L. Shoulder - None R. Shoulder - Donkey DX2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS(FAQ) [WFAQ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q: Why should I follow the wanzer design priority list? I've already made a few wanzers and it seems that I'm doing things right. A: The wanzer design priority list is a guideline on how to successfully create wanzers in the easiest way possible. Logically, a player will start off with the frame parts and leave the attacking parts for last. The wanzer design priority breaks these steps down to its simplest steps. You don't have to follow it, but it helps out a lot if you're new to Front Mission. Q: When I try to equip a part on my wanzer, the game tells me that I can't equip it! What am I doing wrong? A: The most common issue is that your wanzer's Weight value exceeds that of its Power value. You can easily solve this by equipping lighter parts and weapons. The second issue is that you are trying to equip a Hand weapon on an Arm with built-in weapons. Hand weapons cannot be equipped onto these types of Arms no matter what you do. Shoulder weapons, however, can be equipped onto these Arms. Q: Can you explain what the range on a Backpack stands for? I'm clueless on what is affected by the Backpack's Range parameter. A: Range on a Backpack increases the maximum range of support items like repairs or auxiliary grenades. Support items don't play much of a role in battle, with the exception of repair items, so the boosted Range isn't that useful. Q: Is there any benefit to creating a wanzer frame made up of the same parts? I could get better performance by mixing parts up instead of sticking with a pure wanzer frame. A: There is no benefit to creating a pure wanzer frame unless you like to use pure wanzers. Do whatever you need to make a good wanzer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. CREDITS [CRED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to: - GameFAQs obviously - Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness guide for skill level differences - Square Enix for the Front Mission series This FAQ copyright 2010 to Angelo Pineda. Redistribution in any form, including reprinting in electronic or print media, without express permission of the author is strictly forbidden.
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