AirMech Neo Guide

AirMech Neo Guide by ambiva

Remember: Neo’s strength is speed, turning, good air DPS, medium ground DPS (not that bad at killing tanks). Cloak is sometime useful. The main drawback of Neo is the carrying weight/speed, but ninja is still fine.

Before I mention load out, first

Primary role of Neo should be
• Patrol & Scout
• Intercept
• Dogfight
• Early game Mech killer
• Special late-game cloak ninja attack(Goliath or other tank)
• Anti-ninja-deterrance
• Fast unit deployment (not for its carrying speed, for its speed to return to base/outpost for rescue)

Other tasks good for Neo:
• Quick Ninja base-hit and run
• Ninja capture
• Distraction strategy
• Killing tanks (shoot from back + strafe, DPS is not too bad)
• Fast team respond & support

I do find myself babysitting/micro manage units a lot (since most of time you’ll be playing with unskilled players, who do not know how to heal/manage/damage control units around outpost). Exhausting maybe, but fine.

My load out plan as for the up to date patch, effective in all cases

1 Soldier
Always soldier, for emergency re-capture/defend outpost.

2 Artillery
• Which one is up to you, I prefer Arty
• if your team mate don’t have them, you’d better get it in.
• if your team mate have them but you don’t trust them much, put it in
• if your team mate (good player that you know) has one, especially Osprey player. Then replace it with other units as you wish (Cluster Bomb or Ratchet)
• they are fragile so you’d better keep them alive, Neo can pick up 2 arty the same time.

Exception: Vale (Artillery is not very useful in 50% of the game, only useful for temporary stand-off/blockade up to you)

3a Stasis Mine
I always put this. Since 90% games I played, I established the anti-pushing defence line winning the game. This is the best combination with Radar Guardian. Knowing from where the enemy will push and get ready to kill all their tanks.
This thing will turn the table for you and save your day.
Good player will send pushing force with fixers or ratchets, but just simply re-deploy them.

3b Bertha or other units

4 Seeker or HAAT
Seeker: Don’t need much explanation. sometimes Mech can strafe your tanks, not seekers.
It’s so important for regional deterrence. Also always useful against ninja-base-attack
So put it in.

HAAT: mostly for CTF, but in PVP it does provide better defensive AA capability, though more expensive, very effective to protect your artillery field from bomber/warthog, and an excellent dogfight support.

if your teammate have seekers or T99, consider put HAAT.

5 Gemini or Longhorn
Don’t need much explanation. For early-mid pushing, outpost defending, ninja attack, etc.
You must have a tank.
Up to you, Longhorn is better dealing with enemy tanks/larger units
Gemini kills soldiers and small stuff faster

6a Radar Guardian
Needless to say, most big maps this is the best unit for Neo. Though Random map is a gamble.
Also It’s the cheapest guardian.

6b Aegis
Generally Useful on final assault or breaking T99/seeker lines, as well as killing neutral T99
but put it in when you feel like, it’s not effective in big maps since the battles are scattered.
I use this for Simple map, always. (if not Random map)
if enemy has 1 or even 2 chopper, yeah good to do it.
if enemy get 3 choppers, Hell Yeah!

7 Goliath
99% cases I put them in. Doesn’t need to explain much.
Unless you have 2 good-players as team mate and they both Goliaths, then you might use Bertha.

8 Money maker
if 2 of your teammates have MM, you can consider Lunchbox, or Creep spawner (good for some maps, such as like Duel)

Skill points:

Armour
For small/linear map like Simple, Duel, sometimes TwinPeaks (up to your taste)
Upgrade Armour to 3 first. other wise you’ll be paper to enemy units (tank is ok if you strafe well, but missile hit hard if you don’t evade well)

Guardian slots
For other maps, upgrade Guardian slots first accordingly. (see how much map view you can get)
And use your radar guardian as soon as they are available. Radar guardian is the best companion of Neo. Since lvl4 will give you extra slot, you can get to 4 guardian in mid-game easily. and 5 in late-game (it’s like god-mode, believe me, no enemy can sneak pass you)

Creep
If you are very experienced player, you might not bothering level up Armour at all (know how to strafe tank/T99, and circling missiles). As a beginner, I found armour important to make me comfortable, but now I don’t necessarily need it. Instead, level up Creep for general advantage.

Cloaking
probably the last thing you need the upgrade, sometimes unnecessary.
• Usually you use it to passing enemy defence line without alerting enemy Mech for sneaky tactics.
• Stealth cluster-bombing was effective, but the bombs are nerfed so rarely used.
• Special use for it is: cloak-ninja-goliath-drop to enemy base, difficult, but sometimes great.