---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freedom Force Campaign Guide
written by Sherwin Tam (shervfaqs@yahoo.com)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
---CONTENTS---
--------------
Introduction
Version Changes
Conventions
Characters
Core Characters
Minute Man
Mentor
El Diablo
Man-Bot
Alche-Miss
The Ant
Liberty Lad
Microwave
Eve
Optional Characters
Man O' War
Sea Urchin
Law & Order
Bullet
Secret Characters
Blackbird
Iron Ox
Super Collider
Disclaimer
Credits
------------------
---INTRODUCTION---
------------------
This is a guide to the PC tactical RPG Freedom Force, one of my new
favorite games (else I wouldn't be writing a guide about it). As I don't
play the multiplayer portion (currently no co-op), this will be about the
Campaign portion of the game. I plan to include character descriptions,
some tactical tips, stat explanations, and maybe a scenario guide if I can
squeeze it in.
---------------------
---VERSION CHANGES---
---------------------
0.2 04/25/2002 Added optional characters.
0.1 04/20/2002 First version, with core characters.
-----------------
---CONVENTIONS---
-----------------
The following conventions are used for attributes and powers when
indicating cost:
Recruitment Cost: Prestige Cost
Attribute CP Cost
Power
Attack/Defense Type (Damage/Block Type, Notable Attributes)
CP Cost to Purchase + Cost to Upgrade
* indicates that a character starts off with the attribute or power listed.
[] indicates that the listed statistic or resistance has been modified as a
result from a given attribute (i.e., it's already permanent).
() indicates that the listed statistic or resistance is an available
modification from a purchasable attribute. It also indicates when used
next to a power that the character starts off at the specified level in
that power.
The only resistances listed are those that have been modified and/or those
that aren't Normal resistance. Any resistance not listed is assumed to be
Normal.
I've separated Ranged attacks into Projectile, Beam, and Grenade types,
since they all work differently. The Radius attribute means that the
listed ranged attack has an area-type effect at the point of impact.
Since the most common form of defense is Moveable for Active Defenses and
Inactive-enabled for Passive Defenses, I assume those attributes hold true,
with the noted exceptions listed as Immovable and Active Only.
OvP/UnP stand for Overpower and Underpower.
KB stands for KnockBack.
----------------
---CHARACTERS---
----------------
The characters are organized in terms of core (automatically recruited),
optional (recruitable during the course of the game), and secret (need to
use codes or have pre-ordered from EB). Within these sections the
characters are sorted in order of appearance.
--CORE CHARACTERS--
**************
**MINUTE MAN**
**************
First Available: 1. Came A Hero!
Advantages
+ Jumper
+ Is the first character you get, which means lots of CP
+ Excellent damage and decent speed with melee attacks
+ Can redirect or deflect physical and electrical rangedattacks
+ Extra hero points available means he can stay alive for a long time
Disadvantages
- Has no major ranged, area, or direct attack
- Can only do crushing damage
Minute Man is the "star" of the game and the first character you get, so
you're stuck with him on every mission for the first part of the game.
Fortunately, he's no slouch, especially against the relatively mundane
enemies at the beginning of the game. Later on he becomes less useful
because of his lack of ranged attacks and against enemies with resistance
to crushing attacks, but with 300-Percenter and his good foot speed and
ability to jump, he can never be completely counted out.
Stats: Str 6, Spd 5, Agl 5, End 4, Eng 4
HP: 70
Attributes: Jumper *
Disciplined 350
Heroic 750
Extra Heroic 1000
Minute Man doesn't truly need any of the extra attributes, although having
mental resistance can be useful, as well as the extra hero point. It's
unlikely you'll need 3 hero points, so the Extra Heroic attribute is a
luxury item.
Smash(3)
Melee (Crushing)
* + 191
Standard 0-EP melee attack. Good damage, has a chance to stun, comes out a
tad slow. OvP when needed to get major damage.
Strike for Freedom (Melee)
Melee (Crushing, 90-Degree)
* + 102
90-Degree arc and some decent KB makes this good in the early going for
breaking up clusters of enemies, although the short range of the arc means
they have to be pretty close.
300-Percenter
Special
250
Obviously 300 percent damage is a nice thing to have. Don't bother OvPing,
it doesn't seem to increase the percentage (although UnPing seems to reduce
it to 200 percent). For best results use an OvPed heavy damage attack like
Smash or Vanquish while you still have the percentage bonus.
Vanquish
Melee (Crushing, 2-Hit)
870 + 174
Minute Man's best attack; this does the same damage and stun per hit as
Smash, but it hits twice and has a much lower start time. There's also a
bit of KB as well. Twice the possible damage as Smash + fast execution =
good deal for your EP.
Patriot Whirl
Melee (Crushing, 360-Degree)
538 + 107
Same effect as Strike for Freedom, except in a full 360-Degree arc. I
normally don't use this too much, since by the time you get this you have
enough party members where you usually don't get surrounded and a lot of
the enemies use ranged attacks anyway, but obviously this would be the move
to use to clear some space if enemies are ganging up on you.
**Vigilance**
National Guard(3)
Active Defense (Redirect)
* + 198
This active defense is great against bullets and the occasional other type
of physical projectiles, as well as electricity. Turn it on while standing
in the middle of a bunch of gun-toting thugs and watch their own bullets
take them out without Minute Man having to lift a finger. It's a redirect-
type defense, which means you should always UnP it, since there's no
penalty, and there's no benefit to OvPing. Also, it doesn't get any
stronger if you upgrade, so don't bother.
Eternal Vigilance
Passive Defense (Deflect)
* + 153
Just in case the National Guard doesn't catch the attacks, this has a
chance to deflect the same attacks anyway. Given that you already have
National Guard, I wouldn't put too much more into this passive defense.
Just get enough to get...
Minute Missile
Projectile (Crushing, Stun, Chaining)
538 + 107
MM's lone ranged attack is slow to come out and does pitiful damage.
However, after some upgrading it has great stun, and it's chained, which
means that it'll jump from target to target if they're close together.
Obviously the main use is to stop an enemy or group of enemies in their
tracks so you can close in a finish them off at close range.
Rally the Troops
Area (Special)
298 + 59
This power's mystifying to me. The game description says it gives extra
mental resistance and cures panic, while the manual implies that it gives
an attack bonus of some sort. I personally haven't seen anything happen
when I use this, so more testing will be needed.
**********
**MENTOR**
**********
First Available: 2. Strange Visitors 1
Advantages
+ Nice beam attacks, radiation damage
+ Resistant to mental and mystical attacks (with purchase), can cure mental
states
+ Kinetic barrier stops common damaging attacks
+ Good disruptor of enemy groups
Disadvantages
- Can only levitate with purchase
- Psyche Slash is practically useless
- Outside of Electron Beam and Psyche Slash (see above), doesn't really
inflict any direct damage
The Man With The Plan and founder of Freedom Force, Mentor possesses
Amazing Psychic Powers and I swear has the voice of The Brain from the
Pinky and The Brain cartoon. In any case, psychic powers does not a stud
make, as Mentor's pretty bad at dishing out direct damage outside of his
Electron Beam. However, he makes for a good support character, especially
on levels where there's a lot of magic and mind control flying around.
Unbeliever is useful for Mentor to avoid Stasis and other nasty mystical
attacks. Levitate can get him on rooftops, but considering Mentor's attack
options (one direct, one beam, one penetrating beam), it's not vital. On
the other hand, you can enrage and irradiate opponents on the ground from
the safety of the rooftop, which is appealing...
Instinct Dominance(3)
Direct (Rage)
* + 139
Useful for turning enemies against each other. Enrage a couple of enemies
and wait for them to knock each other out. Be careful when there's
civilians around, though, since the targets will likely go after them
first, and make good use of the direct nature and long range and stay
behind some barrier while the target goes on a rampage.
Cortical Suppression
Area (Mental Blank)
* + 52
Large radius and a useful effect to buy some time while your opponents walk
around aimlessly. Of course, the main problem with this power is the fact
that you have to be close to the targets to use the area effect. Make sure
to check the range and resistance of the targets before using. Adjust the
power to an acceptable level of resistance, and don't move any closer to
your targets than necessary to get them within range.
Cerebral Balance
Direct (Special)
542 + 108
A no-brainer (ha), just cures mental states. No benefit in upgrading this
more than necessary. You can also always UnP.
Mental Barrier
Passive Defense (Normal)
807 + 161
Just in case you needed more protection, even if an opponent gets past your
mental resistance, there's a 50+% chance the attack will fail anyway with
this in place. Considering the price and how Mentor is already resistant
to mental attacks, this may be overkill. I'd certainly upgrade other
powers first even if I got this one, since 50/50 is already decent.
**Alien Energy**
Psyche-Slash
Melee (Energy, 4-Hit)
* + 80
One of the worst melee attacks in the game. Sure, it connects four times
for decent damage, but it takes almost FOUR seconds to charge, which means
anyone who can run/walk/hop/limp away can avoid it, and it's slow, so the
enemy has a good chance of dodging anyway. And it costs EP to boot, making
Mentor the only character in the game with no 0-EP attack. If you're going
to use it, say, on an enemy in stasis, always OvP unless you don't need the
extra damage. At least make it count if it actually connects...
Electron Beam
Beam (Radiation)
465 + 93
The first power you should purchase for Mentor; this should be Mentor's
main attack, as a lot of enemies are vulnerable to radiation. Not the
greatest accuracy or EP cost, but it's got good range and velocity.
Kinetic Barrier
Active Defense (Normal)
844 + 168
A pretty decent active defense, blocking both progessive-damage attacks
(acid and radiation) as well as physical and energy attacks. Good amount
of HP, so you can usually UnP this against attacks, as the chances of the
duration expiring is normally higher than the chance you'll be attacked
enough times to break down the barrier.
Modulating Beam
Beam (Irradiate, Penetrating)
844 + 176
Irradiating opponents around corners and behind walls and watching them
keel over while trying to reach you is great, which is what you can do with
this beam and its pentration property.
*************
**EL DIABLO**
*************
First Available: 5. Skating on Thin Ice 2
Advantages:
+ Flier
+ Only hero in game that does fire damage
+ Is effective at both close and long range
+ Highly resistant to heat and acid
Disadvantages
- Only does heat damage
- Starts off weak
- Hot-tempered attribute is annoying and occasionally dangerous
- Uses up energy quickly
A literal hothead, El Diablo isn't all that great to begin with, but ends
up with some of the most destructive capabilities in the game. Flaming
Fist is one of the best melee attacks in the game, and all the ranged
powers past Tongues of Flame can do some major damage -- too much, in fact.
El Diablo should avoid using his ranged attacks where innocents are
involved, because his tendency to OvP attacks means those fireballs will be
unintentionally large... Doing only heat damage outside of his weak Swift
Punch is both a blessing and a curse, depending on the enemies' resistance
to heat damage, so plan accordingly.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 4, Agl 4, End 4, Eng 5
HP: 70
Attributes: Flier *
Hot-Tempered *
Both of these attributes are central to El Diablo's character. Flying is a
big advantage in terms of travel and speed, although strangely enough El
Diablo's strong melee attack means you'll spend an inordinate time landing
to punch some baddies, so sometimes it's better to keep him grounded.
As for Hot-Tempered, using up more energy than you had intended is rather
annoying, and if you're really low and try an attack that gets OvPed,
there's a chance El Diablo will end up stunning himself, which is annoying,
especially if you're in the air at the moment. This is most dangerous when
using Hellfire; considering its extreme EP cost, if you're unlucky enough
to have it randomly OvPed, it's an automatic stun.
Swift Punch
Melee (Crushing)
* + 82
Not that great of a basic attack. While the start time is good, the punch
itself does low damage and isn't that hard to dodge. OvP this whenever you
use it.
Fire It Up
Active Defense (Normal?)
659 + 131
Blocks physical attacks as well as El Diablo's nemesis, cold. (You'd think
it'd burn melee opponents to a crisp, but no.) Use whenever you feel the
need to get away from it all. Note that there's currently some sort of bug
that allows you to UnP this and still have it block all relevant attacks
for the duration; it'll say something like 5 HP, but the HP will never
drop. It should actually have an Extreme amount of HP, from 50-100, but
I've tried well over 100 points worth of damage on it and El didn't even
get scratched, so UnP to your heart's content until this gets patched.
Flaming Fist
Melee (Heat, 2-Hit)
644 + 128
A two-Hit, high-magnitude, heat damage melee attack and one of El Diablo's
best powers. This will chew up any opponents who aren't resistant to heat
or are too quick for El Diablo to hit. Against someone who's heat
vulnerable, UnP, cuz you won't need a whole lot...
Absorb Heat
Passive Defense (Absorb)
612 + 122
Not quite as useful as on some other character, considering El Diablo's
already highly resistant (25% damage from heat). However, it is passive,
and it works half the time, so no damage is better than 1/4 damage. Gives
you a 50/50 chance of throwing a fireball on yourself and coming out
unscathed.
**Tier B**
Tongues of Flame
Beam (Heat)
* + 104
El Diablo's first heat attack. Mediocre due to the mediocre accuracy, so
get close if you can to compensate. I tend to invest the CP to get
Inferno, and use an UnPed Inferno attack instead, unless you're fighting on
the rooftops and don't want to damage buildings (in which case you're
better off using Flaming Fist if you can).
Inferno
Projectile (Heat, Radius)
736 + 147
Your standard explosive fireball (such as it is). Does good damage, high
KB, and has some stun, and the radius of damage makes up for the aiming
problems, so I normally choose to use this over Tongues of Flame. Be
careful about the radius in busy areas, as it's easy to do a lot of
collateral damage.
Ignition
Direct (Heat, Special)
337 + 67
On busy levels with lots of objects, this can be quite useful, since it's
obviously easier to aim. The direct property allows you to blow things up
without having line of sight like Man-Bot needs for his Disruption.
Hellfire
Projectile (Heat, Radius, Impact Spawn)
717 + 143
Inferno on steroids -- the same damage and stun, but with impact spawn,
which throws mini-fireballs from where the initial one lands. Massive
destruction, but given that the secondary fireballs aren't under your
control, it's iffy whether you'll hit anything significant. Definitely not
to be used anywhere near civilians. A larger problem stems from the EP
cost (your full bar). What happens when Hot-Tempered OvPing meets
Hellfire? That's right, instant stun...
***********
**MAN-BOT**
***********
First Available: 7. A Nuclear Winter 2
Advantages
+ Can fly with purchase
+ "The Battery" -- transferrence of EP makes Man-Bot an excellent support
unit for heroes w/ expensive powers
+ Attacks all have KB
+ High HP
+ Resistant to all physical attacks, as well as radiation and energy
+ Unstable energy
Disadvantages
- Slow foot speed
- Melee attacks easy to dodge
- Can't dodge
- Short-circuits with electricity
- Unstable energy
Considering his enormous exosuit, Man-Bot isn't exactly a ballerina, and
he's not particularly cheery. His melee attacks are slow and surprisingly
only average in power, although he does get a good strength bonus.
However, he's sturdy, can blow people over, and has a lot of energy --
Energy X, that is, which he can transfer to others. He's all about the
Energy, whether absorbing, transferring, leeching, or just blowing things
to kingdom come with it. He has the best recharge rate of any hero in the
game, too, which means there's always more after you OvP...
Ponderous means Man-Bot can't dodge (big surprise) and his melee attacks
are slower, which, given that they all are slow to begin with, makes them
REALLY slow. Unstable Energy is both a blessing and a curse. The random
surges after damage makes for a counterattack for both friend and foe in
the way. However, given that he can't dodge effectively, the explosion is
necessary to clear out gangs of melee attackers if Man-Bot gets in trouble,
so just don't stand too close... Grim Resolve is decent for less stun time
(good against the occasional electrical attack), but the big prize here is
Flier. With Man-Bot's speed, he needs all the mobility he can get, and
flying allows him to go over buildings and moves him faster than just
running.
Contain Energy(3)
Passive Defense (Absorb)
* + 176
Does just what it says, giving an 80+% chance at absorbing energy attacks.
Wallop
Melee (Crushing)
* + 127
0-EP attack, so go ahead and OvP. Slow attack, medium damage.
Double Uppercut
Melee (Crushing, Up KB)
640 + 128
Same effects as Wallop, but now the KB is higher and knocks opponents up in
the air (assuming they're not too heavy), which means they'll take damage
once they come back down and hit the ground. The time the opponent spends
getting back on their feet is time for you to administer another Double
Uppercut and send them right back up in the air again... Also good for
thinning out crowds by sending opponents successively in the air.
Energize Other
Direct (Special)
410 + 82
Gives a teammate (or a villian, or a civilian, whatever floats your boat)
increased EP regen. Also gives the target Unstable Energy temporarily, so
stay away. Use this to your advantage and energize a strong melee fighter
attacking a group.
**Tier B**
Focus
Beam (Energy)
* + 181
Man-Bot's lone beam attack has a slow start time and mediocre accuracy,
which somewhat negates its long range. However, it does have a significant
amount of KB; use this at close to medium range and sweep opponents off
their feet. Great for knocking targets off rooftops or against walls,
especially if you OvP to increase the KB. If you like playing Man-Bot as
an aerial character, this will likely be your main attack; hover near
opponents and nail them from above.
Transfer
Beam (Special)
171 + 34
One of Man-Bot's most oft-used powers, and damn cheap, too. Transfers some
of Man-Bot's EP to the target. Considering Man-Bot's extreme recharge
rate, this is a good tradeoff and keeps frontline units in top bashing
condition. Fly around the battlefield and keep everyone pumped.
Disruption
Beam (Energy, Special)
124 + 24
Beam makes objects explode on contact. Extremely inexpensive; the medium
accuracy means and beam nature means this isn't as strong as El Diablo's
Ignition, but the ability to explode objects still comes in handy, even if
Man-Bot can miss on occasion. Just make sure you don't try this if there's
some obstacle in the way. You don't want things to blow up in your face
(literally), after all.
Energy Leech
Area (Special)
271 + 54
The opposite of Transfer, where Man-Bot sucks up the EP from targets around
him. It's a good idea to OvP this, since it'll give you all the EP back if
you're successful in leeching anyone's EP anyway.
Release
Area (Energy)
857 + 71
The most damaging area attack in the game, and also one of the slowest, so
anyone who's dumb enough to be around when Man-Bot finally gets this off
deserves their fate. Smarter foes will take the four seconds or so for
Man-Bot to finish charging to hit him out of it or just run away as fast as
they can. Exercise caution in close quarters; Man-Bot can level buildings
with this if you're not careful.
**************
**ALCHE-MISS**
**************
First Available: 12. Prehistoric Panic
Advantages
+ Accurate long-range projectile attack
+ Variety of useful state-inducing mystical powers
+ Can purchase resistance to mental and mystical attacks
+ The costume. Rrowrr.
Disadvantages
+ Can only levitate with purchase
- Low pain tolerance
- Weak at close range
A Southern Belle with 'tude and a skirt that's plastered to her legs
(damn!), Alche-Miss is an excellent support character, with a variety of
different ways to inflict various different states and generally make an
opponent's life miserable. However, she makes a poor front-line character,
and can easily be overwhelmed if surrounded, especially given her tendency
to panic when hit. Keep her out of harm's way and away from enemies (or
use her abilities to knock said enemies away, one of the two).
Stats: Str 3, Spd 4, Agl 4, End 4, Eng 6
HP: 70
Attributes: Timid *
Level Headed 700
Levitate 850
The Timid attribute is the main culprit as to why Alche-Miss should be well
away from enemies, as losing character control while she's getting
pummelled is never nie. Level Headed is a nice attribute to have, but
given that Blessed Aegis already gives her a 75+% chance to ignore mystical
attacks, it's sorta expensive for the mental and mystical resistance.
Levitate is similarly nice but not necessary, since almost all of Alche-
Miss's major powers are direct.
Smite the Wicked(3)
Melee (Crushing)
* + 34
Given Alche-Miss's strength and the puny damage this attack (a slap, of
course) does, the only reason to use this 0-EP melee attack is on the 30-
35% chance that it will stun the opponent so you can make a run for it.
Arcane Bolt(3)
Projectile (Energy)
* + 192
Alche-Miss's main attack, and the one you should have set as the default
action. Takes a low amount of EP, has good accuracy, long range, and high
velocity. In other words, use it, love it.
Repulsion (KB)
Direct (KB)
* + 171
An interesting power: no damage, but high KB, long range, and it's direct.
Opponents normally take some damage from their landing after being knocked
in the air. Due to its range and direct nature, you can use this to knock
opponents away from fleeing civilians at a safe range. A more insidious
use of the power is to batter opponents against walls or knock them off
rooftops. Good way to blow fliers out of the sky, too. Make sure to OvP
to get high KB if possible.
Vengeance Curse
Direct (Hex)
769 + 153
Hexes opponents, which slows them down and has a high chance of stunning
them if they try to attack. Great to tack on to a trigger-happy opponent;
wait for them to stun themselves, then have someone close in for the kill.
Arms of the Goddess
Active Defense (Normal)
715 + 143
Protects from basically every type of ranged attack. Combine this with
Blessed Aegis and the Level Headed attribute to take care of mental and
mystical attacks, and Alche-Miss can basically shrug off anything that's
not at close range.
**Dimensional Summoning**
Alteration(3)
Direct (Special)
* + 105
Drops a random primary state on the target, which takes them out of the
action for a while (unless they're enraged). I've seen every primary state
except exile, stun, and surrender come from this spell, so you could have a
block of ice, a vegetable, or a hopping mad victim... Also removes
secondary states, so if you really need to stop someone's acid burn
immediately, this will do the trick. Of course, you could end up with a
hypnotized teammate attacking you, but at least they're not taking acid
damage anymore, right?
Blessed Aegis
Passive Defense (Normal)
* + 117
75+% chance of blocking mystical attacks. Yep, that's all there is to see,
move along.
Aloft
Area (Up KB)
378 + 75
Another no-damage power in the vein of Repulsion, but the KB here is much
more extreme. Anyone caught in the area when Alche-Miss is done casting is
propelled a ridiculous distance up in the air, making for a painful
landing. Make sure to check the KB against large enemies; heavy targets
don't fly too far, so this power isn't worth using unless the KB is high.
Purgatory
Direct (Exile)
293 + 58
Exiles targets to some alternate dimension for a while. During this
vacation into some new reality, the target can neither receive nor deal any
damage. In fact, they can't do much of anything, making this a good way to
take strong opponents out of the battle temporarily or buy a teammate some
time if they're being pummeled.
***********
**THE ANT**
***********
First Available: 15. Where Shadows Fall 1
Advantages
+ Great throwing ability
+ Good HP
+ Decent agility, can purchase Nimble and increase dodge ability
+ Strong melee attacks
+ Ranged acid damage
+ Cool costume
Disadvantages
- Wall climbing is the slowest way to scale heights
- Strong attacks cost an enormous amount of CP
- No direct damage ranged attack
The Ant is for anyone who has to have that nerd-to-insectoid hero (that
means you, Spiderman fans). Unfortunately, The Ant isn't quite as cool as
the legendary Spidey, since he can't just swing from building to building,
but he tries, with a funky costume and some great powers, making a high-
level Ant a formidable opponent. However, with great power(s) comes great
responsi-- er, actually, great CP costs. Ant's Worker Ant category is
laughably easy to complete, but to get to the nicer powers in the Soldier
Ant category requires some serious CP, meaning anyone who wants those
powers will have to wait a few levels where The Ant doesn't improve while
waiting for enough CP to purchase the powers. Fortunately, Acid Bomb is
one of the most effective ranged attacks despite not doing any direct
damage, and Shove and Ultrasonic Squeal can keep enemies busy until The Ant
at least gets Pincer Punch.
Stats: Str 5, Spd 4, Agl 5(8), End 6, Eng 4
HP: 160(144)
Attributes: Heavy Lifter *
Wall Climbing *
Nimble 200
Heavy Lifter lets The Ant pick up anything that's not bolted to the ground
and throw it. Use this ability to your advantage and pick up those trucks
and huge boulders for some serious chuckage. Just be careful in urban
areas; throwing cars and such has an annoying tendency to bring down
buildings... Wall Climbing is the minimum way to get on the roof. While
it's cool to watch, it's slow compared to flying or jumping up there.
Nimble sacrifices some HP to make The Ant significantly harder to hit. I
usually consider this an acceptable tradeoff, but it's not a must-have if
you're concerned you'll need those 16 HP.
Note that The Ant is vulnerable to acid, which means he can't take what he
dishes out. Make sure you're not in the radius of your own Acid Bombs!
**Soldier Ant**
Thorax Punch(3)
Melee (Crushing)
* + 72
Basically the same as El Diablo's Swift Punch, a mediocre punch due to its
low damage, although it comes out reasonably fast. Uses no EP, so always
OvP.
Acid Bomb
Grenade (Acid Burn, Radius)
* + 112
One of the nastiest ranged attacks due to the acid burn it dishes out.
It's a grenade, so take some care in aiming it, especially with innocents
around; you don't want to skip the bomb past the baddies and have it hit
some kid, after all. Also, since it inflicts a state, check the targets'
resistances to see whether you need to OvP the bomb to lower the chance at
resisting the effects.
Pincer Punch
Melee (Crushing, Stun)
732 + 146
Alright, now we're talking! This is one of the best melee attacks in the
game. Not only does it do high damage, it has an extreme stun factor and
almost no start time. Stun opponents and Pincer them to death...
Metabolize
Passive Defense (Absorb)
900 + 180
The high cost of this defense is somewhat justified by the types of damage
it blocks: acid and radiation ranged attacks. Unfortunately, it only works
50-60% of the time, which means you can't just waltz into the area of your
own Acid Bombs. Also note that this only stops the intial attack; if you
don't absorb an acid or irradiating attack, the progressive damage still
works like normal (i.e. hurts lots). Still, considering these are the two
most dangerous attacks in the game and The Ant has vulnerabilities to both
of them, anything that can stop the attacks cold more than half the time is
useful.
Mandible Assault
Melee (Crushing, 3-Hit, 90-Degree)
1047 + 209
Here we come to an attack that somewhat qualifies for the "overkill"
category, in that it almost does too much at once. Mandible Assault hits
three times quickly in a 90-Degree arc, which makes this effective against
groups. However, given the number of contacts and low EP cost, it also
makes a great attack in general, so you'll likely use this more as a
single-opponent attack (especially against someone you just Pincered), so
the arc is frequently wasted, especially given that The Ant also has the
highly effective Ultrasonic Squeal for stunning groups of enemies. It may
be more cost-effective to upgrade Pincer Punch as The Ant's primary melee
attack instead of purchasing this; however, there's no denying that it's an
effective attack, and since the arc's there, if you see a tightly grouped
set of baddies, go ahead and go to town with this directly.
**Worker Ant**
Burrow
Special
*
The Ant dives into the ground -- and stays there. Wait, why is this
useful? Well, as a ground-based defense, it's great, because while he's
underground, The Ant can't be targeted or damaged. Of course, he can't
move, either, but in cases where you need to get out of the way of a
teammate's explosion or need some time to recover EP, Burrow is just fine.
The effects are the same no matter what the power, so always UnP this.
Shove(3)
Melee (KB)
* + 142
An interesting melee attack, one that has no damage but the highest amount
of KB in the game. Say goodbye to anyone you catch with this on top of a
rooftop, because they won't land for a while. Great way to separate
enemies, knock them against objects, or just push people around (groan).
Note that since it's a melee attack, The Ant will immediately follow the
pushed opponent and try to push them again, so if you're using it
defensively or want to use another power as a followup, make sure to take
control of The Ant and give him another command.
Tunnel Travel
Special
*
The extension of Burrow, where The Ant goes Bugs Bunny and cuts a swath
through the earth to pop up somewhere else. As with Burrow, The Ant is
cannot be targeted while he's underground, and he ignores any surface
obstacles while traveling. Allows The Ant to travel underneath walls,
which is useful in certain levels. Works well with Ultrasonic Squeal;
tunnel to the middle of a group of enemies, then quickly stun them with the
Squeal and pick them off.
Ultrasonic Squeal
Area (Stun)
251 + 50
Yet another Ant power that does no damage, but this time the power has
extreme stun. The Ant's best defense against enemies trying to gang up on
him, and also works well as a close to medium range attack to allow The Ant
to safely approach (and hit) enemies.
Ant Swarm
Projectile (Blindness)
294 + 58
Has to be one of the dumbest-looking projectiles. Wasps or flies or
something, maybe, but picking up a bunch of ants from the ground and
throwing them? In any case, the thrown ants are homing (Huh? Flying male
ants, maybe?) and inflict the blind state, which has a variety of nice
effects. It reduces visual range, so ranged attacks have to move closer to
attack, and it eliminates an opponent's ability to dodge if they don't have
Danger Sense, so anyone who you're having trouble hitting will be an easy
target after blindness.
***************
**LIBERTY LAD**
***************
First Available: 17. Looking for Trouble 1
Advantages
+ Jumper
+ Highest agility in the game, very hard to hit
+ Fast speed
+ Useful area-based ranged attacks
Disadvantages
- Really, really (really) low HP
- Essentially defenseless against acid and radiation because of low HP
- Difficult to control grenade-based attacks
- Some powers currently broken
Liberty Lad is one of those characters you like or hate. Anyone who likes
scrappy characters with a hit-and-run, guerrilla mentality of fighting will
like Liberty Lad, while anyone who doesn't like fragile, high-maintenance
brats will hate him. LL's calling card is to cause some chaos, run in and
snipe a few enemies, then run away when attacked, and he does this better
than any other character in the game, having the best combination of speed
and dodging in the game. Of course, if you're not into "strategic
retreat", then you won't get too far with Liberty Lad, because he's simply
not hardy enough to be a front line take-all-comers character. Maybe when
he grows a few more inches... Liberty Lad requires a lot attention to make
sure he doesn't kick the bucket, along with some skill in throwing
grenades, which aren't easy to use. However, if you keep him constantly on
the move and use his grenades well, he's surprisingly effective.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 6, Agl [10](11), End 3, Eng 4
HP: [36]
Attributes: Nimble *
Jumper *
Danger Sense 300
Just in case you didn't think Nick had enough of an HP penalty, he trades
in 4 of his normal 40 HP for +3 agility with Nimble. No, your eyes don't
deceive you, that's 36 HP. Jumper allows Liberty Lad to make the quick
rooftop getaway or to drop bombs on unsuspecting enemies. Danger Sense is
crucially important to Liberty Lad's well being, and it's always the first
thing I purchase. How so? Normally dodge bonuses only apply to attacks to
the FRONT of a character, so any attack from behind is undodgeable.
Purchasing Danger Sense gives Liberty Lad the ability to dodge attacks from
all sides, prevents the loss of dodging ability from blindness, and gives a
+1 Agl bonus to boot. In other words, to effectively run away (and you'll
be doing a lot of that), you'll need Danger Sense to improve your chances
of not being shot in the back.
Although he only has the standard vulnerabilities to acid and radiation,
due to his low HP, radiation or acid direct/progressive damage essentially
means certain death without some quick state removal or the use of a hero
point. Be very careful if you take Liberty Lad along for missions where
opponents use these types of damage; consider using him in a long range
grenade-launcher capacity.
**Rumbling**
The Ol' One Two(3)
Melee (Crushing, 2-Hit)
* + 145
Surprisingly decent two-Hit attack. This is due to its fast speed and low
start time. 0-EP power, so OvP to your heart's content.
Schoolyard Taunt
Area (Rage)
* + 22
Liberty Lad throws out some snide comment and gives everyone around him a
hissy fit. Unlike what you'd think the power would do, all the targets
don't start chasing Nick around. Instead, the power inflicts the Rage
state, which means they'll attack each other or anyone nearby (so don't try
this with innocents around). Liberty Lad will definitely be a prime
target, however, so do the retreat thing right after taunting to make sure
the only targets the enraged opponents see is each other.
Flip-Kick
Melee (Crushing, Up KB)
789 + 157
A nice melee attack for quickly cycling through different opponents. Works
just like Man-Bot's Double Uppercut, in that it launches lighter enemies
into the air, except Liberty Lad's version is faster and has higher KB.
Use liberally as a main attack to break up large groups or as an initial
attack for a combo, e.g. Flip-Kick an opponent with OvP for high KB, throw
a Proximity Grenade right at your feet and run in the other direction, then
throw an Energy Grenade while the opponent lands on the first grenade.
Evil.
Tumble
Special
313
A great power for Liberty Lad in theory, making him nigh impossible to hit
while he's tumbling. Unfortunately, in practice this isn't the case,
because this power is broken. Instead of likely giving 99% dodge, it gives
1% dodge. So, DON'T USE THIS, until it gets patched.
Throw Voice
Direct (Rage)
166 + 33
In theory, this is an area attack based on the target, where the power
enrages the characters around the target. However, right now it's broken
(yes, another one), which means it works like Instinct Dominance, where it
just enrages the target. Which is still a decent skill, but it doesn't
work as advertised.
**Molecular Control**
Stun Grenade
Grenade (Stun, Radius)
* + 87
One of Liberty Lad's primary weapons, this grenade almost guaranteed stun
(for enemies that can be normally stunned, at least), a decent radius, and
long range. Excellent power to use for an approach against a group of
enemies, or to cover a retreat.
Energy Grenade
Grenade (Energy, Radius)
782 + 156
The only grenade in the game that does what you'd expect a grenade to do,
explode and do damage. Decent damage but a smaller radius than the other
two grenades Liberty Lad can use. Note that with the delayed explosion
time you can toss two or three of these out in succession and have them all
blow up at once, so if you're sure you've aimed them correctly, toss a few
out at once to do some good damage.
Proximity Grenade
Grenade (Heat, Radius, Proximity)
340 + 68
Don't believe the description. These grenades blow up when ANYONE comes
near, so if you try throwing some down and then running over them hoping to
lure enemies to walk over them, you're going to be in for a nasty
surprise... With that said, these grenades have a good radius of effect
and can be thrown quickly like the Energy Grenades, so if there's areas
where you know enemies are going to appear or travel through (like
dimensional portals), throwing a few nearby is certain to give the baddies
a rude welcome. Another interesting use is to just drop one as part of a
retreat or comboing with Flip-Kick, although in this case it's a good idea
to UnP the grenade to make sure you're not caught in the blast.
Molecular Excitation
Direct (Energy, Special)
247 + 49
Liberty Lad does the Gambit schtick and adds explosive power to objects, so
thrown objects that have been excited will do their normal thrown damage
along with an explosion equivalent in size to an Energy Grenade, unless you
excite objects that can naturally explode, like cars. Note that UnP/OvP
changes the duration, not the damage. It's normally a good idea to avoid
UnPing this, since the chance that the effect will wear out is too great.
Not a great power to use on its own, given the time it takes Liberty Lad to
excite something, then pick it up and throw it. However, when paired with
a character with good throwing skills, such as Minute Man, Man-Bot, The
Ant, or Order, Molecular Excitation turns ordinary trash cans and mail
boxes into high-velocity explosive projectiles. Great way to do some long-
range carnage.
*************
**MICROWAVE**
*************
First Available: 19. Wanted - The Minuteman 1
Advantages
+ Does radiation damage
+ Some of the most powerful, er, powers in the game
+ Resistant to physical, mental, radiation attacks
+ Beam attacks are accurate and cost-effective
Disadvantages
- No way to scale heights outside of the expensive Teleport
- Slow speed, melee attack
- Low Agl means little dodge ability
- Circuits fried with electrical damage
- Cool powers take a heckuva lot of CP to purchase
Your standard futuristic robot assassin reprogrammed to be a good guy.
(Well, standard in comic books, at least.) He (really it, but I don't like
referring to characters as "it") doesn't look much like Ah-nald and
certainly can't morph like the T2000, but then again neither of them could
teleport or reduce foes to radioactive heaps of atoms, either. Microwave
is possibly the most powerful character in the game, with some of the
coolest powers. He's even more powerful when you realize that you can UnP
a lot of said powers with no penalty, at least until Irrational thinks
about fixing that.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 3, Agl 2, End 5, Eng 6
HP: 110
Attributes: Cybernetic Brain *
Radioactive *
Resistant to mental attacks due to his Cybernetic Brain. He also gets a
bonus to his accuracy. Radioactive unfortunately doesn't mean he gets an
aura or glow in the dark, but he does get the high resistance to radiation.
Microwave Beam(3)
Beam (Radiation)
* + 178
Microwave's main attack, a long-range, radiation beam attack with great
accuracy and low cost. Enemy vulnerabilities means you can UnP this a lot
and save the EP, too.
Rad Bolts
Projectile (Radiation, Flight Spawn x 3)
* + 91
Same damage as Microwave Beam, but higher cost, lower accuracy, and shorter
range. So why would you use Rad Bolts? That little part about flight
spawning is the important part. Sure, you can't really aim the extra three
bolts you get, but if you have a group to shoot at, you don't really have
to. More interesting, though, is the effect at close range. Since the
bolts don't have much space to spread, the bolts will basically attack the
same target, which can make for some serious damage. Try teleporting right
behind a target and rad bolting to put on some big hurt.
Meltdown
Beam (Radiation, Penetrating)
929 + 185
Exactly the same as Microwave Beam, except Meltdown is penetrating. Thus,
it's not really worth it to use this unless you're behind some object.
**Materialization**
Interference(3)
Melee (Energy)
* + 103
Microwave's 0-EP melee attack, does energy damage. Somewhat slow attack,
but it's all Microwave's got against radiation-resistant opponents until he
gets Genetic Damage.
Displace Image
Special
*
The most powerful active defense, Displace Image will turn Microwave
translucent and will make him invulnerable to all damage. He's still able
to move around and his EP will recharge while he's displaced. Any attack
during the displacement brings Microwave back to reality. UnP to your
heart's content.
Teleport Self
Special
*
The fastest way from point A to point B is to just disappear and reappear
like Microwave can (unless you're the Bullet, that is). Take advantage of
UnPing to save EP, or get Microwave from place to place quickly by first
doing two UnPed teleports from one side of the sceen to the other before
starting a normal run. This is the only way that Microwave can get atop
rooftops.
Genetic Damage
Direct (Special)
686 + 137
The answer to any enemy with high resistance, Genetic Damage temporarily
changes the target's resistances so that they take double damage from
EVERYTHING. Play with their DNA and then let loose with your team's
biggest guns.
Clone Self
Special
1201
The most expensive power of any of the characters, and for good reason. A
created clone has half HP but in all other respects is the same as the
original Microwave. Imagine two or three Microwaves, all armed with long
range radiation beams. Better yet, don't imagine it, recreate it! The one
thing you need to watch out for is the collateral damage. Since the clones
are computer-controlled, they tend to cause lots of destruction to the
surrounding area, so when in heavily populated areas, you may be forced to
tone down the cloning. Works great with UnPing.
*******
**EVE**
*******
First Available: 22. Deja Who 1
Advantages
+ Sniper extraordinaire, with incredible accuracy
+ Can do acid damage
+ Useful supplementary state-inducing attacks
+ The costume. I mean, c'mon, look at it. (Then look at it again.)
Disadvantages
- No ability to scale heights whatsoever
- Has NO damaging melee attack. None.
Eve is a relatively one-dimensional character, being an incredible marksman
but having pitiful close-range abilities. Fortunately, having a kick-ass
set of projectile skills will get you pretty far in this game, and she does
have some defenses against melee attackers, so as long as you have someone
to cover for her if she gets surrounded, Eve is a valuable addition to your
team. If nothing else, I'll be there's precious few games that let you
play 7-foot, scantily clad enviromentalists. And, if you appreciate such
things (like I do), she's a lot of fun to watch in action. Ahem.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 4, Agl 5, End 5, Eng 5
HP: 110
Attributes: Beautiful *
Crack Shot *
Temperature Control 600
Obviously the first two attributes are a great benefit, since Eve needs all
the melee defense she can get, of which Beautiful is one (makes Alche-Miss
jealous, no doubt), and Crack Shot makes her already formidable aiming
skills even better. Temperature Control is more a luxury item; given a
choice between adding another projectile to her repertoire or getting some
heat and cold resistance, I'd certainly take the former.
Arrow(3)
Projectile (Piercing)
* + 243
Even given the high upgrade cost, this is worth boosting, because Arrow is
one of the most cost-effective projectiles in the game: it does decent
damage, has long range, is extremely accurate, and costs a measly 10 EP.
Make this Eve's default attack; put her on continuous fire and watch her
take down enemies without breaking a sweat.
Living Arrow
Projectile (Piercing, Homing)
* + 175
Does high damage and is even more accurate than Arrow, since it's homing.
Unfortunately, the EP cost of Living Arrow is enormous compared to Arrow,
which makes Arrow the better choice normally unless an enemy has been
particularly hard to target or you need to make a big first impression,
i.e. you want a one-shot takedown. Note that you can normally OvP (single
arrow) Living Arrow if you have full EP and avoid stunning yourself.
Acid Arrow
Projectile (Acid Burn)
912 + 182
Has the same attributes as Arrow, except the piercing damage has been
replaced with acid burn and the cost is higher. Check the target's
resistances and dodge chances; given that this doesn't have a radius of
effect like The Ant's Acid Bomb, either OvP to get a lower resistance, or
keep the EP cost low if the opponent's ability to dodge the arrow is high.
Swarm of Arrows
Projectile (Piercing, Flight Spawn x 3)
1064 + 212
An interesting option for thinning out crowds, but the spread is rather
high, although one of the four arrows is almost guaranteed to hit the
target, since the original arrow is aimed normally. It is of course more
effective the closer you are to the target,, which makes this a deadly
close range attack, but then again what are you doing so close to the enemy
in the first place? Also useful at medium range for groups, but not too
useful at its longest range unless the enemies are evenly spread and two
are to the left and one is to the right of the target... you get the idea.
**Nature's Glory**
Nature's Kiss(3)
Melee (Hypnosis)
* + 83
The only melee attack Eve has, and it doesn't do any damage. It has a good
chance at hypnotizing the opponent, but it takes a long time to start and
is easy to dodge, so it may be too late by the time Eve gets a hit.
Swarm of Leaves(3)
Direct (Blindness)
* + 122
Eve has a thing for swarms, doesn't she? In any case, here she conjures
said swarm of leaves to obscure the enemy's vision. (Too bad she doesn't
use leaves from her costume as part of the swarm... But I digress.) Given
that the power has long range, this is a great way to make sure you hit
those enemies that have good dodge abilities, since this negates dodging
for those that don't have Danger Sense. Blind them and then riddle them
full of arrows.
Binding Vines
Direct (Stasis, Ground Only)
* + 122
One of Eve's few powers that doesn't have long range. However, the
magnitude of this is very high; so long as your target is on the ground,
they'll soon have an up-close appreciation of the local flora. As damage
removes the stasis, unless you have another heavy hitter to take the bound
character out quickly, it's better to use Binding Vines to take closer
opponents out of the action while you focus on other enemies. They aren't
going anywhere, after all...
Empathy
Special
250
Eve's answer against melee attacks, or any other attack, for that matter,
Empathy does around 0.5-2 times the damage that any opponent does to her.
Of course, she still takes damage, but giving it back is bound to give some
attackers pause. Using this and watching a gang of thugs knock themselves
out while trying to attack Eve with Empathy on is rather humorous (at least
until you look at her health bar afterwards). Note that the type of damage
the attacker suffers is the same type that they dish out, so resistances
play a large role in how effective the power is. For instance, Empathy
wouldn't be too effective against Man-Bot if he used Wallop on Eve (not
that he ever would); Wallop does Crushing damage, and Man-Bot is highly
resistant to crushing attacks, so he wouldn't suffer more than one or two
points of damage from Empathy. On the other hand, if Mentor used his
Electron Beam on Eve with Empathy, he'd also suffer enormous damage from
the attack, since he's vulnerable to the Radiation damage that Electron
Beam causes. Also note that Empathy doesn't have any effect on state-
inducing attacks, so acid and radiation won't give the attacker any
progressive damage. The effect seems the same no matter what the power, so
always UnP this.
--OPTIONAL CHARACTERS--
Note that optional characters have a recruitment cost in Prestige. Unlike
core characters, you must recruit optional characters, which means that
even when they're available, they will not be part of your team unless you
recruit them.
**************
**MAN O' WAR**
**************
First Available: 12. Prehistoric Panic
Recruitment Cost: 4105
Advantages
+ Can fly with purchase
+ Only hero that does electrical damage
+ Good stunning and KB capabilities
+ High HP
Disadvantages
- Melee attack surprisingly weak
- Ineffective against enemies with electrical resistance
- High CP cost to develop
Man O' War shouldn't be listed under "optional", because he's practically
"necessary". A monster due to his highly useful electrical attacks, and he
has no real weaknesses besides a mediocre melee attack and needing a huge
amount of CP to develop fully. Those wanting to fully unlock Man O' War's
full power should recruit him as early as possible and take him on lots of
missions, because otherwise you'll likely never have enough CP to get
through either of his power categories. The electrical powers are useful
enough so that Man O' War's water-based powers will likely be underused;
although the stasis and stunning powers there are also nice, the lack of a
lot of direct damage hampers that category somewhat.
Stats: Str 6, Spd 4, Agl 4, End 6, Eng 5
HP: 160
Attributes: Charged *
Cold-Blooded *
Flier 1000
Charged is a nice attribute, giving both resistance to electricity and an
extra 5 points of electrical damage to Man O' War's melee attacks. Cold-
Blooded means you don't want to get too close to any Ice Queens. Flier is
a nice attribute to increase MOW's travel speed and gives him a way to get
to rooftops, but considering how much his powers cost, you may have to pass
this up.
Electric Arc(3)
Melee (Stun, 90-Degree)
* + 63
An arcing melee attack purely for stun. Extremely fast and thus difficult
to dodge. Set up an attack by stunning your opponents and then hit them
with Man O' War's normal damaging melee attack (Pressure Punch).
Storm Bolt
Beam (Electrical)
* + 167
Man O' War's bread-and-butter ranged attack. Decent damage and stun, but
the important part of Storm Bolt is its electrical property, which
seriously messes up any metal-based enemy.
Magnetic Harbor
Active Defense (Deflect)
683 + 136
Blocks ranged and area attacks from physical and electric sources, similar
to Minute Man's National Guard. As it's a deflect-type defense, you can
safely UnP this with no penalty. In fact, there's no reason to upgrade
this outside of getting the requirement to the next power, because there's
no benefits from upgrading.
Kraken's Scales
Passive Defense (Deflect)
807 + 161
Just in case Magnetic Harbor doesn't work, Kraken's Scales has a low chance
(25-35%) of deflecting ranged physical attacks anyway. It does differ from
Magnetic Harbor in that it works on energy attacks instead of electrical
ones, and it also applies to melee attacks.
Ball Lightning
Projectile (Electrical, Stun, Chained, Homing)
912 + 182
One of the coolest powers to watch in action, Ball Lightning starts off as
an ambling sphere of static which slowly winds its way to a target, but as
it hits it calls streaks of lightning from the sky to hit the target, and
then it chains to another target. Ball Lightning does decent damage and
good stun, which makes up for its high cost. Note that unlike the
description, Ball Lightning does not discriminate between friend or foe, so
don't throw this near your teammates, and don't use this too close to
civilians. The range of this is long, and the ball goes a long way while
homing, so unintentional shockings are very possible.
**Control the Waves**
Pressure Punch
Melee (Crushing)
* + 73
Man O' War's default 0-EP melee attack is surprisingly weak. He does get
the +5 damage bonus for the Charged attribute, but even that only results
to roughly 22 damage when fully upgraded, which is low considering his
strength (a medium-damage melee attack would be doing 34 damage fully
upgraded given MOW's strength). He is thus not the best choice for up-
close brawling. But, it's there, so when you need to use it, use it
(preferably OvPed).
Bermuda Triangle
Projectile (Stasis)
148 + 29
The reason why this is so cheap is due to the medium range and accuracy, so
chances are you won't always even hit the target on the first try.
However, stasis in any form can be useful, so if someone needs to be
stopped immediately, this is a decent choice.
Water Jet
Beam (Crushing, Stun, KB)
981 + 196
While there is some damage associated, the main purpose of the Water Jet is
either as a setup power with the high stun, or as a way to knock enemies
away with the high KB. Given the mediocre accuracy, this is best used at
closer ranges (to hit enemies to farther ranges).
Whirlpool
Area (KB)
355 + 71
There's a bit of stun associated with Whirlpool, but the main purpose is
the high KB. Use whenever the baddies are getting too close for comfort or
you need to spread things out some more. With the large radius, any close
clusters won't be too clustered afterwards.
**************
**SEA URCHIN**
**************
First Available: 12. Prehistoric Panic
Recruitment Cost: 4176
Advantages
+ Can fly with purchase
+ High speed and agility
+ Can do acid damage
+ Melee attacks do piercing damage and are very difficult to dodge
+ Effective defense
Disadvantages
- High CP cost to develop
- Acid attack can be hard to control
- Can't do a lot of direct damage
- Powers have high EP cost
Man O' War's cheery sidekick, Sea Urchin is actually decently powerful in
her own right, although the nature of her powers is such that she is more
suited to a supporting role, since her ranged attacks are all state-based
and her melee attacks are low in power. With her natural high speed and
agility, she is almost as hard a target to hit as Liberty Lad, and she
doesn't suffer from the low HP disadvantage that he has, although without
Danger Sense she can't play the hit-and-run game as effectively. Like her
mentor Man O' War, however, she has some of the highest CP costs in the
game, which means she'll need to be in a lot of missions to develop
effectively.
Charged gives Sea Urchin more oomph on her melee attacks, which is sorely
needed, since she has low strength and low magnitude on her attacks.
Charged and Neutralize also improve her electrical and acid resistances,
respectively. Nimble is a nice skill to have even given the HP penalty, as
Sea Urchin's resulting agility allow her to dodge a great deal of attacks.
Flier is a luxury attribute for Sea Urchin, since she's pretty mobile as
she is, but adding it allows her to truly zip around and retreat to the
safety of the rooftops if necessary.
Snap Kick
Melee (Piercing)
* + 124
I'm not sure what Sea Urchin does to her feet, but this basic 0-EP melee
attack and Riptide both are considered piercing attacks. Sea Urchin isn't
very strong, which reduces the damage on an already low damage attack, but
Charged makes up for a lot of that, and the attack at least is very swift
and thus hard to avoid. Don't expect to take down armies with this,
however. Always OvP.
Sonic Shriek
Beam (Crushing, Stun, Penetrating)
609 + 121
A stunning beam attack which unfortunately doesn't have the best accuracy,
which causes a lot of misses. Fortunately, what it does have is
penetration, which means that Sea Urchin can tag enemies around corners
without endagering herself and on rooftops without leaving the ground.
Penetrating also means that the beam can stun multiple enemies if they're
in a line, but as that doesn't happen too often I wouldn't count on that
happening. The level of stun is such that you can afford to UnP this on
occasion if you want to make sure it hits (put on continuous).
Riptide
Melee (Piercing, 3-Hit)
518 + 103
Basically three Snap Kicks strung together. The kicks come out quickly,
however, and the damage adds up quickly, which makes this a good attack
against anyone who doesn't have a high piercing resistance.
Power Null
Direct (Special)
541 + 108
Makes a random power from the target unusable. Always a nice thing to
limit options against major villians, but this works particularly well
against minions, who only have a few powers and thus are more severely
crippled.
**Bubbles**
Bubble Swarm
Projectile (Acid Burn, Homing, Flight Spawn x 2)
* + 154
This insidious power sends acidic, homing bubbles chasing after up to three
different targets. Make sure that there's only enemy targets near where
you're aiming, however; unlike the description, the bubbles don't
distinguish between friend and foe, so if you shoot this, say, at an enemy
that another teammate is fighting hand-to-hand, chances are they'll both
have to dodge some bubbles...
Bubble Shell
Active Defense (Normal)
949 + 189
This defense is expensive for good reason, since it blocks every kind of
damaging attack (not mental or mystical). The HP for the shell isn't all
that high, though, so this is one defense you may need to OvP if you
anticipate blocking a lot of damage. However, since Sea Urchin is so fast,
you can normally UnP this and beat a quick retreat while the Bubble Shell
is still on, using Sea Urchin's speed to avoid attacks.
Current Bounce
Passive Defense (Redirect, Active Only)
768 + 153
One of the more interesting passive defenses, this one is highly
specialized, as it only blocks electrical attacks and only works when Sea
Urchin is active and facing the attack. Thus, unlike most natural passive
defenses, Sea Urchin has to be aware of the attack before she can redirect
it, so make sure to have her turn around whenever an electrical attack is
coming her way. Once that's done, though, the success rating for this is
almost automatic (85-95%). Given that there's only two different types of
electrical attacks currently in the game and beam attacks can't really be
redirected (they're blocked instead), redirection only occurs for Ball
Lightning. This is the one power Sea Urchin can use in conjunction with
Man O' War, however; have Sea Urchin stand at a corner and Man O' War can
throw a Ball Lightning at her and have it redirected around the corner.
Also possibly useful for extending the range of the Ball, if Man O' War is
a ways away. Make absolutely sure that Sea Urchin is facing the ball by
the time it reaches her, however, or else the ball will end up frying her
first before it moves on to another target.
Bubble Gum
Projectile (Stasis, Homing)
347 + 69
Yet another way to stop opponents in their tracks, this time coming in the
form of a slow, homing projectile. This gives Sea Urchin some duplication
in her powers, since she also has a stunning beam with Sonic Shriek. Given
that this is homing, I would use this instead, unless there are obstacles
in the way, in which case Sonic Shriek is the obvious choice (unless you
move first).
***************
**LAW & ORDER**
***************
First Available: 19. Wanted - The Minuteman 1
Recruitment Cost: 5914
Since Law & Order are intertwined, let's discuss the two of them together
before looking at individual stats. Law & Order is literally a two-for-one
sort of situation, since one can transform into the other, and there's no
way to separate the two. (Gotta wonder what they'd do if they started
hating each other, or fell in love, or, whatever. What a psyche profile
that'd be...) However, the characters are developed separately, and
unfortunately even though you can use both on a mission by transforming one
into the other, only the character you choose to go on the mission is
actually considered on the squad. Thus, whichever form starts the mission
gets the 300 XP for squad members, while the other form gets the 200 non-
squad XP.
During the game, elements like states and HP are shared between the two
forms, and the HP is determined by whichever form Law & Order starts as.
Considering Order has more than twice the HP of Law, this gives Law an
inherent disadvantage, because it's much smarter to always start off as
Order and switch to Law when you need her skills, because the HP will
remain the same. The other method of starting Law gives both characters
her HP, which makes Order much less powerful. You can make up some of the
difference by changing into Law and picking up XP canisters on a level if
they're available, but it's unfortunate that Irrational chose to implement
L&O in this method instead of finding a more equal way to split up shared
attributes.
When playing Law & Order you should use the Transform power liberally,
because the different forms cover a lot of each other's disadvantages. For
instance, when moving around from battle to battle, switch to Law. To get
up to the roof, switch to Order (hope you bought that Jumper attribute).
The transform ability basically lets you play with double the powers with
the same character, although individually Law and Order aren't that
powerful.
**LAW**
Advantages
+ Attacks do piercing damage
+ Only character in the game that can restore HP to others
+ Also can transfer states
+ Good defense against elements
Disadvantages
- No ability to scale heights (use Order instead)
- No ranged attacks
- Blind
- Gets the short shrift because of HP discrepency
The seemingly cold and emotionless half of L&O, which is ironic given that
her main powers involve self-sacrifice to heal or cure others. Law is the
faster of the two. Although she can't dish out nearly the damage that
Order can, she does have the benefit of all-piercing attacks instead of
Order's more common crushing attacks, and she has some defensive
capabilites, especially against enemies throwing elemental attacks.
Certainly she's a better defender than Order with her Danger Sense, so
whenever you need to get away from it all, switch to Law. But her main use
is as a healer, both of HP and secondary states, and in that respect she's
quite good at keeping her teammates alive. When Law is around, any HP
canisters should be reserved for her, as she can heal the rest of the team
at the expense of her own health.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 4, Agl 4(5), End 5, Eng 5
HP: 110
Attributes: Blind *
Danger Sense 300
Danger Sense is crucial for Law's well being. She doesn't have the best
dodge ability in the world, but with Blind she starts off not being to
dodge at all, along with negating her Justice power, so adding the Danger
Sense improves her defense significantly, although she will still have the
speed penalty on her attacks. Note that Law has no attribute that allows
her to scale heights. However, Order can purchase Jumper, so when you need
to get on top of a building, switch to Order and hop up, then switch back
to Law if needed.
Justice(3)
Passive Defense (Normal, Active Only)
* + 69
The most important thing to note is that until you get Danger Sense, this
power is completely useless; since Law can't see attacks coming, she can't
prepare, so the power never works. With Danger Sense, however, Law has a
small chance (30-35%) of blocking physical, energy, and electrical melee
attacks used against her, from any direction, as long as she isn't stunned
or immobilized.
Thrust
Melee (Piercing)
* + 114
Law's standard attack. Piercing, as are all of her attacks (she doesn't
use that sword to bludgeon people, after all). Standard damage and speed,
OvP whenever you can.
Slash
Melee (Piercing, 90-Degree)
632 + 126
For a little bit of EP, you can do an arcing swing and hit multiple
enemies. Same damage as Thrust, but harder to avoid and of course hits
more things.
Trouncing
Melee (Piercing, 3-Hit, 90-Degree)
843 + 168
For some more EP, now you can do the same thing as Slash times 3. Starts
off a little slower, but the three slashes come out in quick succession.
**Balance**
Transform
Special
*
Turns Law into Order. Always UnP.
Mercy
Direct (Special)
* + 79
Law's healing power, where she sacrifices HP to heal others with twice the
HP she lost. The magnitude of the power determines how much HP she
sacrifices, so upgrading this power is a mixed blessing; while Mercy
becomes more powerful with the upgrade, Law will have to sacrifice more HP.
At full strength Law will give up an average of 20 HP to heal 40, so if you
feel that such a high amount is overkill, DON'T upgrade this power as much.
You can always regulate the amount of sacrifice/healing to some extent by
OvPing or UnPing Mercy.
Harmony
Active Defense (Normal?)
644 + 128
Harmony is a nice defense that blocks all forms of elemental attack (acid,
radiation, electrical, heat, and cold). Like Fire It Up, it should have a
large amount of HP (listed as extreme), which would take damage normally
for the duration of the defense. However, the game lists the HP between 5-
10. On the other hand, the defense seems to act like it's absorbing
damage, because the HP never decreases, so you can effectively always UnP
this. While it looks like the start time for this is extreme, you can
actually tell Law to move right after activating this, and she'll break out
of the extensive animation for this power.
Commuted Sentence
Direct (Special)
471 + 94
The counterpart to Mercy, where Law can transfer secondary states from
another character to herself, decreasing the duration in the process. Law
will again be hurt or inconvenienced (with the exception of blindness,
which she won't care about). However, unlike Mercy, this power also has an
offensive side, because it will also transfer states FROM Law onto another
target, and the duration will be increased. Thus, Law can turn state-
inducing attacks to her advantage, because unlike normal state-inducing
attacks Commuted Sentence has no resistance involved, so as long as you can
successfully use the power, the state will always be transferred. You can
also do a double transfer, taking one state off of a target and giving it
to another target. The magnitude determines the duration
increase/decrease, so when transferring states to Law, it's a good idea to
OvP and lessen Law's pain unless you're immediately transferring the state
again to someone else. When re-transferring a power to a teammate, always
UnP. Offensively it's up to your judgement of extra duration vs. EP cost.
I normally UnP or just use the normal power for transferring to others,
since getting rid of the state is the most important part, but if you have,
say, irradiation and you really want to stick it to the target, OvP and
watch your opponent glow. Note that in the case where Law and the target
both have secondary states, the states are swapped, e.g. if Law has acid
burn and the target has irradiation, then afterwards Law will be irradiated
and the target will be acid burnt. Also, Commuted Sentence doesn't seem to
work on the more obscure states, like alteration, nullification, or hexing.
Balance
Direct (Special)
605 + 121
Balance tries to even out the amount HP between Law and the target. One of
the more unique powers in the game, Balance is the only one that has a
resistance check to do direct damage. If the target fails their resistance
check, than Law will transfer HP from the character with higher HP between
Law and the target to the other character. The power is primarily
defensive, since you it'll only work well when Law is badly hurt and the
enemy is strong. Make note that the power that will take HP from LAW if
she has more HP than the target. Thus, the cardinal rule for this power is
to NEVER use it on any target that has more HP than you. If you want to
transfer HP to teammates, use Mercy. If you want to transfer HP to
villains... why would you want to do that? So, don't use it on healthier
targets. The magnitude of the power determines both the amount of HP
transferred (roughly the magnitude without OvPing) and the resistance, so
upgrading Balance means you'll transfer more HP and it'll be easier for you
to do so. Thus, it's a good idea to both upgrade and OvP this if you're
planning to use it, not to mention that it's slow, so you won't get too
many chances to use it before the enemy notices, either. Remember, though,
the power BALANCES the HP, so it'll take the minimum of whatever HP it will
normally transfer and half the difference between your HP and the
opponent's. For example, if you have an upgraded Balance and full OvPing
on, if Law has 60 HP and the target has 160 HP, Balance can transfer up to
roughly 40 HP maximum, so Law would end up with 100 HP and the target would
have 120 HP in the best case. However, if Law has 60 HP and the target has
70 HP, the most Balance will transfer is 5 HP, so that both characters have
65 HP, regardless of how much you OvP or high high your power level is.
Considering that Balance works well only when Law needs a lot of HP and the
opponent has a lot of said HP, it's one of those powers that you hopefully
will never have to use (i.e., you hopefully do lots of damage and take
little).
**ORDER**
Advantages
+ Jumper with purchase
+ Incredibly strong, thus highly damaging melee attacks
+ Lots of HP
+ Useful area attacks
Disadvantages
- Slow foot speed and attacks
- Can only do crushing damage
- Can't really dodge much
- Berserker attribute a problem with innocents around
- Costume big fashion faux pas
Order pretty much personifies the Big Lug prototype, with the large frame,
large muscles, and large hammer ("Bessie"). As such, it's pretty simple
how Order works: he gets up close and beats things up. And he's quite good
at what he does. The problem with him lies in the "getting close" part;
since he's slow, against speedy enemies he pretty much will spend the
entire time just chasing enemies, and if they have ranged attacks, they can
pick Order apart given his almost nonexistant dodging ability. Get in the
habit of picking up and throwing items at enemies to buy Order some time to
get close. Once he does, it's usually all over. An alternative is to take
advantage of Law's higher speed and use her to get up close, do a quick
Transform, and then whack enemies with Order. You should start scenarios
with Order, because starting off as Law means Order will be at a huge
disadvantage, since he'll be using Law's HP (110).
Stats: Str 8, Spd 3, Agl 1, End 8, Eng 4
HP: 290
Attributes: Berserker *
Jumper 300
For the most part Berserker is an annoyance. While it does make Order
stronger, he normally doesn't need any extra strength to dispose of
enemies, and the loss of control and random attacking that Order does is
frustrating, especially when civilians are around. Jumper is a nice
attribute to have, since it increases Order's mobility, and he needs all
the mobility he can get.
Punishment(3)
Melee (Crushing, KB)
* + 158
Decently damaging given Order's strength bonus, but only count on getting
one hit in due to the KB causing most enemies to fly across the screen if
Order connects. While this does damage the opponent even more, it's
actually bad if you need to follow up the hit, because Order can't really
follow up with any speed. OvP if needed to KO the opponent in one shot
when using Punishment, or use another power if you know you need to get in
multiple hits. Then again, if the enemy is powerful enough for you to have
to use more than one hit from Order, they're probably too heavy for Order
to knock them far away anyway, so maybe you can use Punishment after all...
Hammer Crush
Melee (Crushing)
* + 76
While it starts off a little weaker, Hammer Crush eventually does much more
damage than Punishment (72 vs. 48 damage when fully upgraded). However, it
costs some CP and has no KB. But when you can do 24 more damage in one
hit, you won't really care...
Quake
Area (Stun, Up KB, Ground Only)
448 + 89
An essential skill. Order slams the ground and invokes the Physical Law of
Trampolines, where the ground must react violently and thrust items on the
ground around him high in the air (but somehow Order stays grounded).
Quake works similarly to Alche-Miss's Aloft power, except it doesn't work
on flying characters and trades some KB height for some useful stunning
capabilities, which means Order will have time even after the opponents
land to administer some hurt while they're stunned. The magnitude affects
both the area and the level of stun. Check against heavier enemies to make
sure there's some KB; if they're too heavy to be propelled in the air, they
won't be stunned either, so Quake is useless on them. Excellent setup
power while approaching enemies; the primary reason why Condemnation isn't
as useful is because you can usually use a Quake before reaching enemies,
launch them in the air, and pick them off at your leisure, so you don't
need a close-range crowd clearer that often.
Hammer Carnage
Melee (Crushing, KB, 2-Hit)
696 + 139
Still as easy to dodge as Punishment, but the start time is virtually nil
for Hammer Carnage, and it hits twice with the same magnitude and KB power
as Punishment as well, which makes this a significant improvement.
**Fury**
Transform
Special
*
Turns Order into Law. Always UnP.
Blind Justice
Special (Rage)
*
Inflicts Rage on Order. Always UnP. I personally hate the loss of control
and thus never use this power (good thing I didn't have to purchase it).
However, if you're in a situation where Order is surrounded by enemies and
there aren't any friendlies nearby, you can try using Blind Justice and
letting Order loose, because Rage does give Order a bonus to his already
formidable strength, and anyone he sees he's allowed to hit anyway.
Condemnation
Melee (Crushing, KB, 3-Hit, 360-Degree)
1024 + 204
The ultimate in close-range crowd clearing, where Order swings Bessie in a
full circle three times, with each hit the same strength as a Punishment
swing. Not exactly very cheap in terms of EP cost, but chances are the
crowd won't be there once Order stops spinning. Of course, the problem is,
the KB is so high, most of the time the crowd gets knocked back with the
first hit and don't get hit all three times. Order will stop his spinning
when the targets are out of range, which means you don't have to wait for
the full animation time before doing something else, but since all three
hits aren't guaranteed, this move is quite inefficient if you don't hit
multiple targets. You're better off using Hammer Carnage when you need a
multi-hit attack on a single target.
Order in the Court
Area (Panic)
113 + 22
I'm sure everyone can see the delicious irony between the name and the
effect of this power... It's a good thing this is a cheap power, because
chances are you aren't going to use it too much. After all the work it
takes to get Order close enough to enemies, why would you want to make them
run away? However, if Order's being pummelled and you don't have the EP to
throw out a retaliatory Condemnation, this makes a decent stopgap. The
large area of this power also allows you to use it as a way to break up
groups of enemies ganging up on other teammates if you can't get to the
brawl fast enough and you don't want to risk hurting your teammate. Just
hope they don't run towards the enemy if they panic as well...
**********
**BULLET**
**********
First Available: 19. Wanted - The Minuteman 1
Recruitment Cost: 7239
Advantages
+ Fast. Really fast. Did I mention he's fast?
+ Attacks are multi-hit, have KB and are hard to dodge
+ HP regeneration with purchase
+ Easy to develop with low CP costs
Disadvantages
- No ability to scale heights whatsoever
- Low damage attacks
- Extremely vulnerable to progressive damage
- High recruitment cost
- What's with the helmet?
Bullet is for the most part a straight copy of the Flash. Which isn't bad,
really, since the Flash happens to be one of my favorite comic book heros
(YMMV). However, he's got nothing on the Flash when it comes to the
costume, although the Flash wasn't so hot looking back in the day either,
so we'll see. In any case, the Bullet is easily the fastest character in
the game. He outruns the fliers and even Microwave with a double teleport.
In fact, sometimes he's TOO fast; Bullet can easily outrun the rest of the
team by a few screens, and if he can't handle the action by himself, then
you could be in trouble. This is especially true with scenarios that have
"triggers" that don't activate until a teammate gets close. Thus,
sometimes you'll have to have Bullet wait for the rest of the team, or just
have him run in spurts. Bullet's attacks are of course all about speed as
well, and most involve lots of hits and some KB. The tradeoff is that all
the hits don't do a lot of damage. Bullet relies on lots of small hits and
being able to knock down or throw opponents in the air, making him an
absolute terror against normal thugs and smaller characters, but weak
against large enemies that have crushing resistance. Also note his
inability to jump or fly, which, coupled with his lack of an airborne-
capable ranged attack, means he can't get to rooftops at all. Bullet is
extremely good at what he does and a lot of fun to play, but he needs a lot
of management, and his weaknesses make him a big liability in certain
missions.
Stats: Str 4, Spd 10, Agl 4, End 5, Eng 4
HP: 110
Attributes: Rapid Metabolism *
Fast Healing 500
Solid Skeleton 500
The "Defenseless" rating that Bullet gets as a result of Rapid Metabolism
is a serious problem against any enemies that can do progressive damage.
If Bullet is Acid Burnt or Irradiated, it will usually kill him, so be
extra-cautious when fighting enemies that have those abilities. Use Hyper
Spin liberally to prevent Bullet from taking that kind of damage. Fast
Healing, of course, is extremely nice, allowing Bullet to regain up to 100
HP per scenario, at 5 HP per 5 seconds. Solid Skeleton makes Bullet
resistant to common (crushing) melee attacks, and thus is also a nice
purchase.
One-Shot Punch(3)
Melee (Crushing)
* + 85
Scarily, this is Bullet's highest magnitude punch. This is more of a
statement of how low-damage Bullet's other punches are rather than saying
this punch does a lot of damage (it doesn't). However, remember that
Bullet's fast enough to get in two punches for most character's one, so
this is still useful, especially OvPed. As with all of Bullet's attacks,
the swiftness is such that the opponent will have a difficult dodging this.
Fist Flurry
Melee (Crushing, 3- or 4-hit)
* + 110
Described in the game as 3 punches, Fist Flurry actually has 4 contacts;
however, the last punch doesn't always come out, thus the listing as 3- or
4-hit. While the damage of each punch is low, the speed at which they come
out makes this power dangerous. The EP cost is small enough such that I
usually set this as Bullet's default attack, and the extra hit that
sometimes appears is just extra gravy.
Fist Fusillade
Melee (Crushing, 6-hit)
458 + 91
Same idea as Fist Flurry, except now Bullet does 6 hits instead of 3.
While you can do more damage in a smaller amount of time with this versus
Fist Flurry, given the two costs, you can use Fist Flurry for a longer
period of time, and the time difference between uses isn't that significant
for someone as fast as Bullet. I normally pass over this in favor of using
Fist Flurry. However, if you need to immediately dish out as much damage
as possible, pull this out.
Speeding Bullet
Special (KB)
300
Just like Sprint, where Bullet does a near-instantaneous run from one point
to the next, except now Bullet uses his momentum to knock down the
target(s) at the end of his run. Note that unlike Sprint, you have to
target something, or else Bullet will run in place (which isn't
particularly useful). Useful as an approach power; while the opponent gets
up, you have ample time to amble up and batter them with punches. Be
careful when using against large targets; if Speeding Bullet doesn't knock
down the target, you're basically a sitting duck right in front of the
opponent. Always UnP.
**Speeding Bullet**
Sprint
Special
*
The classic super-fast run from point A to point B. Be careful when
approaching enemies with this, however. There's a small pause at the end
of the sprint, so running right up in front of an enemy isn't the best of
ideas, since you'll be briefly helpless once you get there. (Running up
behind someone, though, is perfectly fine.) And of course this makes for
the ultimate in fast getaways.
Whirlwind(3)
Projectile (Up KB, Chained, Homing)
* + 285
Bullet rubs his hands together insanely fast to produce a mini-tornado that
tracks down targets and tosses them in the air. It's both homing and
chained, making it potentially devastating against close groups. Works
against airborner targets, too. Again, not too useful against large, heavy
targets that can't be lifted. Check against the targets and power
appropriately to get a good KB (you can usually UnP against human-sized
targets).
Hyper Spin
Active Defense (Deflect, Immovable)
* + 144
The only immovable active defense for any hero in the game and quite short
in duration, Hyper Spin nevertheless quite helpful. Bullet does a quick
spin and generates high winds that deflect physical, heat, cold, and acid
attacks. Works well against a hail of bullets, although Bullet can
normally simply dodge those with good micromanagement. However, the
defense against area means Bullet can also defend against fireballs and
errant Acid Bombs without taking any damage. Due to short duration,
though, make sure not to start the spin too early (and of course don't spin
too late). Like all non-Normal active defenses, it's a waste to upgrade
this power, since it doesn't get any more powerful, and you can always UnP
it with no penalty.
Energize
Direct (Special)
318 + 63
Gives the target an increased EP recharge rate. The description says it
has a chance of stun, but I've never seen it happen, so all I can say is
that it's out there. Magnitude determines the duration.
Electrify
Special (Electrical, KB, Stun)
500
One of the stranger powers. Bullet apparently rubs his feet really fast or
something to generate some static, because after sprinting a short distance
he gets a periodic electrical discharge. Note that the first discharge,
which occurs right after Bullet stops running, has no effect. After the
first discharge, there will be up to three more discharges at two-second
intervals, depending on how far Bullet ran. Taking a few steps only gets
you one extra discharge, while running the maximum distance gives you all
three discharges. The discharges themselves have a large area and do a bit
of electrical damage. However, their main use lies in their KB ability and
high stun. Bullet can run and attack while he's got a charge, so you can
get some nice combos where Bullet punches opponents and the discharge blows
back the target for extra damage. Use well before you reach enemies so
that the discharges occur when you get close, or run away to charge up and
run back to the fray. Always UnP.
----------------
---DISCLAIMER---
----------------
(c)2002 Sherwin Tam
This is my personal handiwork, and I took a lot of effort to write it.
Please do not use this commercially or alter it in any way. Also, please
ask me if you plan to feature it on a web site or something of that nature,
as I'd rather not come across it one day and go, "Hey, how did that get
there?"
-------------
---CREDITS---
-------------
Irrational Games, for making the first superhero game to actually work.
GameFAQs, for being the one-stop place for, well, FAQs.
Freedom Force Center, for having all the current news about Freedom Force.
For Freedom!
