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MechAssault: Ragnarok "End of the World" Strategy Guide
Version: 1.00 
Author: Vlad Danilchuk "AllYourBaseBelong2Us"
Date: September 20, 2003
Game: MechAssault 
Contact Info: [email protected] or 'PerfectSim' (no quotes) at Xbox 
Live. 

Table of Contents -
1.) Introduction
2.) The Ragnarok "End of the World" 411
3.) The Hardware
4.) Map Tactics
5.) FAQs
6.) Guide Versions
7.) Acknowledgments 

***********************************************************************
1. Introduction 
***********************************************************************
First things are first. No portion of this guide may not be duplicated, 
redistributed, or manipulated in any shape, way, or form - basically it 
means don't try and pass my guide in your name and take credit for it. 
You can however print it, show it to your friends, and obviously read 
it. If you have any questions, email me at my address and simply ask. 
There will be no harm done. Now then, this guide is a detailed guide 
that will help you become an 'elite' in the Ragnarok - a really great 
mech for Team Destruction and Capture the Flag in MechAssault (one of 
my personal favorites). Though, if you are still having trouble with 
him, I can only show you the way - you have to walk there or simply 
practice makes perfect. It really doesn't take that long to master the 
Ragnarok, so I doubt you will have any trouble with it. But this guide 
will give you essential tips and survival points to become one of the 
best. Are you ready? Let's begin. 

**********************************************************************
2. The Ragnarok "End of the World" 
**********************************************************************
The Ragnarok is a term meaning "End of the World". It is a Mech who 
appears as a boss in the "Worst Day Since..." chapter of Campaign mode. 
As he is a very cheap boss and does extra damage, I think a good 
combination of "Shoot-And-Hide-Behind-The-Plane" will kill him. Take 
note of those annoying elements and the health kits around the plane as 
well. Other than that, I recommend you pick a PPC or Sniper Mech to 
disposable of them. Okay, after beating the Ragnarok, you will get him 
and the separate configuration or his "Brother" the Ymir who is a PPC 
freak. Seeing as this guide only goes into detail about the Ragnarok, I 
can give only very few tips about his brother (or basically none). 

Official Name: Ragnarok (nicknamed 'Rag')
Class: Assault BattleMech 
Tonnage: 100
Armor: 5000
Speed: 20 mph
Offensive Weapons: Gauss Rifle x2, Javelin Missiles x4, Lava Gun x1.  
Defensive Weapons: Shields (a huge shield engulfs your Mech taking all 
the shoots thrown at you for a short period of three seconds).  

**********************************************************************
3. The Hardware 
********************************************************************** 

Gauss Rifle x2
Damage at level 1: 430
Damage at level 2: 600
Damage at level 3: 750

The Gauss Rifle is an unbelievable addition to the Ragnarok. It is a 
sniper rifle but its bullets appear in long bursts of energy. They are 
mainly used for medium-long distance to cause great amounts of damage 
and strike fear into the opponents' heart. Gauss Rifle are so powerful, 
they can knock over any light-medium Mech if fired from the right angle 
into the feet. Though I'm not 100% positive that firing the Gauss Rifle 
into the opponents' feet will knock them over, I am positive that 
you'll have a much better chance of knocking them over from the side or 
angle. If you happen to knock them over, use your Lava Canon to finish 
the job (Usually the enemy should die from the first hit from your lava 
gun; If not then fire again). The Ragnarok is a mech that skills comes 
to you in a package. Its not hard at all to point and shoot. Not to 
mention the lava gun is leveled up already and causes great amount of 
burst damage (something that you should take advantage from). The 
Ragnarok is the second best heavy defender in Capture the Flag games. 
You do the easy work, while the game damages your enemies for you. As 
for target-jamming Corvuses, and Owens - use your Lava gun at. Wait for 
them to take a couple of steps to put some distance in between you (as 
the target jamming will wear off pretty soon) and destroy them with 
level three Guass. Also, the thing the makes Guass the King-Weapon of 
Long-Range is that it quickly fires and reloads in 2 seconds. I'm 
guessing that you can fire 3 gauss bullets in the amount of time it 
takes of PPCs to charge up and hit its enemies at level 3. Work with 
this seeing as you'll need it. Practice shooting at enemies from across 
the Map to improve your accuracy. The only hard thing about it, is 
spotting them from 2 miles away. 

Javelin Missiles x4
Damage at level 1: 400
Damage at level 2: 545
Damage at level 3: 667

To most people, Missiles are their main use. Seeing as Missiles are the 
Rag's weakest weapons, we're going to go into some detail with it. 
Remember that Guass does more damage than Missiles - at all three 
levels. Also, remember that if fired on your enemy, it takes 2-3 
seconds to reach him, and if the enemy is directly next to it, the 
missiles will become ineffective and be fired over his head and miss by 
a clear mile. Keep your distance if you want to use this weapon at your 
enemies. Also, use this weapon while your Gauss Rifle recharges. Combos 
are nice as well (Switch rapidly in between the weapons and fire). Now, 
Javelin's can also overheat you a lot so be careful. On last thing to 
take note of is the lag. As explained before, it takes a good while for 
the missiles to reach its target. At that time they can run and hide 
behind a tree - the tree taking its damage. Switch to your lava gun to 
finish him off.     

Lava Gun x1
Damage at level 3: 12-20%

This is a little freaky so bear with me. The lava gun no doubt is the 
second more powerful weapon in the game next to level 3 warhammers. It 
is how it sounds - 3 bursts of lava come flying out of your gun for 
maximum painage. The lava gun also does a fair amount of damage such as 
the warhammers, and they also do a thing called 'burst damage'. This is 
much different then warhammers as the lava is automatically charged and 
keeps going for a while. So if you fire the lava gun next to the enemy 
mech - chances are it either misses them or hits them. What I mean is 
that if it hits them dead on, it does damage. If it misses, not a 
single bar will be taken off. However, you may fire the lava gun a mile 
away and the burst damage really hurts. Remember that this weapon won't 
trail as much and will disappear roughly 30 mech feet away. Another 
great thing is that the lava gun doesn't overheat as much as warhammers 
do. Warhammers take roughly 3 bars on your heating scale whereas lava 
only takes 2. Take advantage of this, it's a really great weapon and 
you don't even have to level it up. It's already at level 3 (that's why 
Rag doesn't take the blues). 

Shield x1

No, this isn't Star Trek because the shields are much more powerful. 
The shield is a giant big purple bubble that enlarges your Mech and 
takes any hits thrown at you. If warhammers are charged for 10 seconds 
and then thrown at you, you could simply turn your shields on, the 
warhammer will get stuck, the shield will disappear and the warhammer 
will float in midair (still causing damage if you are near it) 
exploding some time later. It's also used as a PPC killer. The shield 
will take the PPCs thrown at you (however it will need a good 3-5 
second recharge) so therefore the Ragnarok is essentially tougher than 
the Ymir. But why do you still get hit by PPCs? Chances are there's lag 
and you get hit online before you actually turn the shields on. So when 
you see a level 3 PPC floating your way, it's going to be a LOT closer 
(unless you are hosting). Also if you see a mech exploding next to you, 
turn your shields up. It should take some damage for you (not all). The 
only thing I recommend you not using the shields for is 
Gauss/Autocanons. You can't stop it/them because it's/they are too 
quick.

**********************************************************************
4. Map Tactics 
**********************************************************************
There are several different maps in MechAssault. Since CTF is the most 
played game type, I will describe that first followed by the Team 
Destruction maps. I cannot give you any other tips for the other game 
types since the Team Destruction maps will tell you everything you need 
to know. Just follow my tips, and you should be fine.

**************
Desert Storm -
**************
A game of desert storm could go on for minutes without a single flag 
capture if you're a decent defender and have decent back-up. Start by 
blowing up the bridge to your right, down the middle, and the nasty 
boulders down the back trail. Grab the power-ups as they spawn really 
quickly and there are three of them each time (unlike Midtown with two, 
and Jotenheim with only one). Next tell your medium defender to 
position himself just before the blown-up bridge (down the center) so 
he can see enemies before they go cloaked and off your radar. Use team 
chat, and never leave your post unless you have to chase an enemy down 
(which shouldn't be your job). If we look at the facts, Desert Storm 
will just about end up counting the kills. If the teams are both evenly 
good - the kills will be the only thing that matters. So if you see a 
minute left on the clock (with no flag captures but your team is 
winning by one kill), tell everyone to defend and stay back. Use your 
private chat as well (black button) and inform everyone of your 
situation. Good Luck.

***********
Jotenheim - 
***********
The Ragnarok is the best defender here (most people use it). There are 
no missiles (really far out though) so stick to Gauss and Lava. The 
main thing you should worry about is looking at the water. When you see 
it move, fire the lava gun into it. There are some people out there 
though that wallwalk in from the sides or cloak while walking in water 
(glitch) making nothing seeable. You'll just going to have to deal with 
them. Tell your middle mech to play middleman, or stay back and light 
them up, and communicate whenever you lose the flag. 

****************
Midtown Mayhem -
****************
My favorite map of the game. The first thing you have to do as soon as 
the game starts is blow up the walls. From the flag's left and right. 
This is good as if a flying Mech gets the flag; you can chase him out 
and not be stuck in the walls. Also, try blowing up the front walls so 
that you will be able to spot enemy runners more quickly. Look at the 
autocannons as well - they spot runners pretty easy (the direction they 
are pointed at, is most likely where the enemy is). If you have time, 
tell a runner to blow up a couple of buildings nearest you because 
enemy runners love to take cover behind them. Now your set. If you're 
guarding the red base - they will most likely come down the middle, or 
on the left/right ridges. Look for their footsteps 'stomp' or a dust 
trail you can spot. If your guarding the blue base, you can almost be 
90% sure that the runners will come in from the left ridge (or left 
side) where that pile of trees are. Don't try and destroy them because 
the trees will take any weapons' damage (except your lava gun and 
warhammers which you don't have) sent at them. After a while the trees 
will explode, but they have enough armor to last the game. The runners 
main goal here is to fly over you, grab the flag, and flag back. Learn 
to wallwalk (left right really quick), shoot at them in mid air (really 
hard but possible with the lava gun), and follow them. But that 
shouldn't be your job - it should be the medium Mech's job to follow. 
Usually, PPCs and Gauss ammo spawn first followed by two missiles so 
it'll take a while to get leveled up.  


***********
Coliseum  -
***********
Gladitor-Sytled battlefield. This map is a round one with a platform 
and bridges leading to it in the center where Gauss power-up are king. 
Doors surround it where enemy Mechs and you spawn. It has several large 
rocks perfect for cover. Though, this isn't the ideal map for a Rag 
since it's so big, and you are a huge target wanting to get hit; it's 
still pretty fun to play. Hide in the ravines in the middle ambushing 
another Mech and destroying them with the lava gun. Be on the guard for 
level 3 PPCs and Warhammers but your shields should come in handy when 
cover does not. 

*****************
Demolition City -
*****************
A huge city where everything you see is 100% destructible. Though I've 
never seen the entire city be destroyed in a regular game, I have seen 
about a good 60-70% of it down. Unless you try to destroy everything, 
it isn't going to happen. Here the city is surrounded by a coliseum. 
You are standing on a ridge just in front of the other team's spawn and 
next to the city. Whenever you see a heavy Mech crossing the bridge, 
destroy the bridge to destroy the Mech. The buildings themselves 
provide a LOT of cover, and are also helpful in taking down the enemy. 
There may be some tricky characters that go onto of the Coliseum (easy 
thing to do with a light jump jet Mech), and snipe from above. But they 
are sitting ducks, and will be destroyed easy. Power-ups occur mostly 
everywhere in here - so grab those level 3s. There are also nuclear 
factories as well that will damage you or the enemy by a lot. My tip: 
Stay back and slowly move your way forward with your allies. Charging 
is a dumb thing to do unless you're a fast Mech.

********
Frosty -  
********
This map is snowing all over the place. Not that much of visibility and 
several huge hills where jump jets really are the king, the Rag is a 
very nice Mech in this map. Since the bridges can be destroyed, don't 
walk on them since it takes a good 10 seconds to cross them. Also take 
note of them while down in the ravines as they may fall and kill you as 
well. Instead head down into the lower parts of the level (the ravine), 
while taking cover against the walls. There's a great deal of space in 
the area below ideal for sniping mainly. Your armor will also come into 
effect here as well. Power-ups spawn next to your spawn point, and 
enemies sometimes across from you. As they cross the bridge, destroy it 
for an easy kill. If you want, stay up and snipe from above as its hard 
to get a shoot in from below, enemies will be upset at you, and jump 
jet up to you. Assist with the lava gun and continue your rampage.  

****************
Hell's Kitchen -
****************
Not really a kitchen, this map is also pretty nice for a Rag. Lots of 
cover, great sniping room, and very easy to camp the other team's spawn 
point. As soon as you exit your base, take cover as the enemy is bound 
to be close. Stay away from the lava because it will overheat you like 
a pig, and damage you as well. Also take note of the fuel pumps, which 
damage you when destroyed (if your close). Be on the lookout for small 
Mechs that love to cloak and ambush you. Don't worry about focusing 
your attention to the Gauss Rifle; use the lava guns to scare the 
enemies back. Don't be afraid to go on offensive as well since the Rag 
is great for it. Look for the power-ups that are scattered around this 
level. The stiff terrain here is perfect. Jump Jets aren't a 
requirement or recommended but used very little. Remember to stick with 
your team, and don't wonder off by yourself. 

*********
Icepack -  
*********
Another great level for the Rag and yet another snowing level with lots 
of hills (very hard to jump jet onto since they are very high) 
surrounded by hills in the outer parts as well. Characters in this 
level love to take the Belial and snipe just about from anywhere. They 
jump jet over a mountain, snipe you, and go back into hiding. Don't let 
this be the case and stick close next to a hill. Also, don't get caught 
walking on the ice because a couple of hits will destroy it, and damage 
your Mech and trap it there as well. The bad thing about this level is 
the fact that there are no power-ups but remember the Ragnarok is the 
strongest mech in the game (with level 1's) because of its powered up 
lava gun and shields. Remember not to let the little Mechs grab your 
hard-earned salvage as they can run circles around you damaging you as 
well, but eventually screwing themselves over in the long run as your 
burst lava gun and shields help. Remember to lead the assault and let 
friendlies get cover by your shields.  

**********
Junkyard -
**********
A dark and cold level, the Junkyard has a center plateau leveled above 
everything else in the level. Jump Jets are effective here; as walking 
Mechs will have to take the two paths upon to it. Power-ups are 
scattered and spawn points occur in the four corners were middle Mechs 
love to camp spawn points. The main battles take place in the center 
plateau where anything goes. Cloaked Mechs are almost impossible to see 
as well because of the darkness. Very little cover support, I suggest 
you either stay back and snipe or proceed forward and take your 
offensive to a whole new level. I strongly recommend you stick with a 
buddy in this level as enemies always come in pairs. Control the center 
plateau to control the level, as it's impossible to hit from below, and 
very easy to snipe from above. Charging Mechs will sometimes run in 
three or fours in an attempt to grab the field from you. Don't let this 
happen and direct your support to the two walkways that lead up to it. 
Only after you defeat the heavy Mechs, go after the light Mechs that 
love to draw your attention. 

***********
Number 51 -
***********
My favorite level where Ragnaroks are on the loose! This level has a 
small city to the side where volcanoes explode around it, a large 
airstrip towards the center with lots of large mountains next to it, 
and lots of lava ravens to the other side that overheat and damage your 
Mech. Jump jets don't do much here, and wallwalking will help though. 
Most of the fights will take place in the airstrip where two spawn 
points are across from each other. Very easy to camp, and lots of fun 
for double kills. Try and draw the enemy to close space next to the 
city, where warhammers should finish them off. There's also a power 
planet that explodes when you hit it causing great damage to the Mechs 
near it. Most power-ups spawn either in the city or in the airstrip. 
Try to find a fight around in progress to end with your warhammers - 
don't go looking for one. Also try and steal other people's kills with 
your Gauss Rifle.

************
River City -
************
The best spawn point is the green one. You will start to the right of 
Red team's spawn point (very close to yours), and across from the Blue 
and Yellow's spawn. You will also get a hill that will provide cover 
and a great angle for spawning. This map is basically a river next to a 
city with lots of buildings. When you get down to the five-minute mark, 
the buildings will most likely be destroyed and all hell will break 
loose. Power-ups appear almost everywhere, and it is very easy to 
damage or be damaged. Also take note of that bridge next to Yellow's 
spawn. It provides some cover, and rarely does a Mech cross it. Also, 
flying and cloaked Mechs like to jump on top of buildings (no idea why) 
- Send the building a nice lava bath destroying the guy on top. This 
level is the ideal level for Ragnaroks and also Promes as well.  

************
Rock Solid -
************
Another heavy mech heaven. Rock Solid is a huge asteroid that falls 
apart easy. The center rises up and above to about 50 feet high with 
geysers, and huge rocks on top of everything. Use this to your 
advantage, and fire at the Rock, which has been proven to kill your 
enemy much quicker. Yes there are a couple of power-ups scattered 
around but most of them are on the top of the rocks which you cannot 
wallwalk up to but some are around the plateau that you can get. Only 
flying Mechs can get up there (such as the Belial and Kit Fox) and 
snipe which is a pretty dumb thing seeing as the Rocks take 2-3 hits to 
be destroy. Be aggressive here seeing as camping spawn points determine 
the winner.   

************
Stone Cold -
************
Not the wrestler, but a nice little compacted snowing level. Think of 
this as a research station with large icebergs in the middle that you 
can destroy. There's barely any cover, but several power-ups that spawn 
near your spawn point. There's also a ridge that surrounds the entire 
level perfect for Sniping. However, due to the fact that you're a 
Ragnarok, it will be hard to find an entrance up onto it, and stay 
there, as you will be pretty hard to miss. The only thing that I do 
here is run out and get as many kills as possible, charging over and 
over again. And its possible to get around 30 (which I've done in a 15 
minute game) kills or more. No real tips here folks, just a map of 
craziness.    

**********************************************************************
5. FAQs 
**********************************************************************
Q: Which is the best Mech?
A: There is no 'best' Mech but there is the best Heavy Mech - The 
Prome. The Ragnarok could probably take it from a distance but never 
too close. 

Q: What do you mean by damage '1500'?
A: Its just how much armor the Mech damages. Standard light mechs have 
around 3000 armor, which is equal to around 3 hits with lava gun. 
 
Q: Why no tips for Grinder?
A: In Grinder, the Rag is slow and quickly becomes an overheating pig. 
Seeing as at times you will be down 2 to 1 and there will be other 
Ragnaroks that would want to get you the hell out of their Mech. 
Grinder is for medium mechs.  

Q: Who win in a fight - Ragnarok or Ymir?
A: Ragnarok. Its shields will shut down the PPC. Gauss is greater than 
autocanons, and lava cannon is the same. Missiles help too. 

Q: How many kills maximum did you get in Grinder?
A: About 50 my second attempt to where I just got bored. People over 
Xbox Live said they've reached 200, which is possible.

Q: Any tips to not be such a newbie? 
A: If you play CTF - chose the Prome. If you play Team Destruction - 
chose the Rag. That's my 2 cents. To not be a newbie, use the team 
chat, be offensive, and never miss. Also practice your butt off and you 
will be an elite. 

Q: How do people get that many kills?
A: They steal kills. That's the truth. If you see a guy with 50 kills, 
there's no way he played 'fair'. You know it - they go after Mechs that 
are damaged. What I mean is that you'd have a better and quickly chance 
kicking a limping or Smoking mech than a Mech that just spawned.

Q: Didn't you just take content from your Prometheus guide and paste it 
on here?
A: Well yes and no. At the time, I did take some content from my 
Prometheus guide as tactics will merely be the same but I went over 
everything making it 100% Ragnarok.  

Q: Can you kill yourself with the lava gun?
A: Yes. Fire it at your feet and walk forward. About 2-3 bars will get 
taken off. 

Q: Why do you make up words?
A: Because... I feel special. 

Q: What's a great map?
A: For CTF - Midtown Mayhem. For Team Destruction - Number 51, 
Demolition City, or River City. My personal favorites. 

Q: Will there be more content for Live?
A: Hopefully...

**********************************************************************
6. Guide Versions 
**********************************************************************

Version 1.00 - I'm done everything from start to finish. The Ragnarok, 
the hardware, the tactics, and everything else. Enjoy! It's 100% 
complete. 

**********************************************************************
7. Acknowledgments  
**********************************************************************
Without these people the guide wouldn't be possible:
CJayC - Thanks man, GameFAQs rocks bad! 
Shadow Panther - For his Mech and Weapon Stats 
(http://members.aol.com/shdwpnthr/stats.htm) 
AllYourBase - Myself for making another guide to help you!
Microsoft Gaming Studious - Great game guys. Keep it up. 
You - For reading this. 

A guide by Vlad Danilchuk - AllYourBaseBelong2Us. 
                  Copyright (c) 2003. All Rights Reserved.