MechQuest Tips and Advice

MechQuest Tips and Advice by Sheriff Duncan

Table of Contents:
NOTE: Use the Search Function (Ctrl+F on most computers) and enter the text in the brackets of the section you want to see to be taken right to that section.

1.0 Introduction [TIPS1]
2.0 Advice [TIPS2]
2.1 Advice – what should you remember? [TIPS2.1]
2.2 Starting out [TIPS2.2]
2.3 Effects and Specials [TIPS2.3]
3.0 “How to get money” or Farming Advice [TIPS3]
3.1 Random Battles [TIPS3.1]
3.2 The Knife and Spork [TIPS3.2]
3.2.1 Advice for the Knife and Spork [TIPS3.2.1]
3.3 The storyline [TIPS3.3]
3.3.1 Big Bad Broncho(BBB) [TIPS3.3.1]
3.3.2 Surprise Attack!-Dean Warlic Quest [TIPS3.3.2]
3.3.3 The Moon [TIPS3.3.3]
3.4 Jobs [TIPS3.4]
3.4.1 The all-powerful autopsy. [TIPS3.4.1]
3.4.2 Mega Lupus [TIPS3.4.2]
3.5 Wars! [TIPS3.5]
3.5.1 Spoils from the war – Action figures! [TIPS3.5.1]
3.6 In conclusion-Farming Spots [TIPS3.6]
4.0 How to spend? [TIPS4]
4.1 Mechas-Which ones should I buy? [TIPS4.1]
4.1.1 Mechas- Which ones should I NOT buy? [TIPS4.1.1]
4.1.2 House Mechas [TIPS4.1.2]
4.2 Credits and Nova Gems – How to spend them. [TIPS4.2]
4.2.1 Holiday Items and Rares [TIPS4.2.1]
4.2.2 Good Weapons [TIPS4.2.2]
4.2.3 Bad Weapons [TIPS4.2.3]
4.3 Build-a-Mechas [TIPS4.3]
4.4 Conclusion-How to spend [TIPS4.4]
5.0 Stats [TIPS5]
5.1 Info about stats [TIPS5.1]
5.1.1 Mods [TIPS5.1.1]
5.2 Builds [TIPS5.2]
5.2.1 House mech builds [TIPS5.2.1]
5.3 In conclusion-Builds and stats [TIPS5.3]

Introductions are in order! I am Sheriff Duncan, the PMG. I am the most recent of a long list of owners of this guide, to whom credit will be given later. In this guide, we will attempt to provide you with all the information you need to begin playing MQ (or get back into MQ) with all the information you will need to be successful.

Well… first of all, I want to explain you exactly HOW to explain a piece of advice. Why this? Well…

…A piece of Advice is, most of the time, given by experienced people, and these will usually help you, but… how do you accept this advice? By this I mean, which advice should you remember and which one should you not? Well, I find this very easy. A piece of Advice, as the name implies, is a recommendation, or a suggestion. So, you choose to accept them or not, to remember them or not. In other words, you can choose to accept or not accept this guide.

At the beginning of the game you will start on a transport ship (called the Dropship) that is headed for Soluna. It’s a good place to get used to the feel of the game since it has battle options, a shop, and interactive scenes with the other newcomers. It is recommended that you stay on the Dropship until you reach level 3, though you can leave at any time if you’d like by speaking with Captain Sys-Zero to the right of the ship. Also, a new feature has been added so that you can skip the Dropship all together. Walkaround is controlled by the left click of your mouse and you can talk to any of the people on the ship simply by walking up to them.

Mecha battles are probably the single most important part of the game. Click the little explosion symbol at the bottom of the screen to Battle! your first opponent. You’ll start with just one weapon (Refurbished Machine Gun), the ability to Skip a turn, and the ability to Eject in order to run from the battle. On the bottom of the screen you will see red bars representing the health (HP) of you and your enemy. The yellow bar represents the energy (EP) pool which will drain each time you fire a weapon and will regenerate (Regen) by a small amount at the end of each turn. The purple bar represents your experience level that fills as you defeat enemies. This enemy should be very easy to defeat with your basic weapon. One more important thing about battle is the concept of cooldowns. While the starting gun allows you to fire nonstop, most weapons will force you to skip turns before it can be fired again due to cooldown. Also, make sure to Repair your mecha after each battle since there’s no charge for it but the mecha won’t automatically fix themselves. After you defeat 8 enemies you will have enough experience to reach level 2 and a decent amount of money (Credits).

When you reach level 2, walk left to Tek the Mecha Mechanic. She sells several starter weapons to help you out and a few mecha for when you reach level 3. You can see how many credits you have by pressing the Shop button or simply clicking your character’s face which will also show the HP, EP, and Regen for your mecha. Always look over the information before you buy a weapon so you can get the right combination of power, EP use, and cooldown length. Currently, the Smokey Flamethrower and the N-UBER Missle (FLX-N) are considered the best weapons for starting players. When you buy new weapons, you need to Equip them to use them on your mecha. The starting mecha can only equip weapons to the Front Arm, Back Arm, Back Shoulder, and Head. More powerful mechas come with more weapons already equipped and are able to equip weapons to the Front Shoulder and even Chassis (body).

After getting new equipment, head right to Sys-Zero and try the Strange Blip boss quest. If you lose against Rifle Master or have an exceptionally difficult time, you might want to change your weapons or possibly buy a brand new mecha. Once you feel comfortable with your setup, select Land the Ship! to land in Soluna and then head to GEARS University to start your classes.

Specials and Effects are certain things that can either help you / bring you to your death defeat. They come in all sorts. Some effects can include boosting your own damage, decreasing the enemy’s damage, to crazy things like the ability to destroy equipped weapons entirely. These alone bring a whole new set of strategies, from lowering the opponent’s accuracy to the points of cheaply dodging every hit, to quickly destroying your opponent’s energy so they can’t make a single move. Believe me, the proper specials and effects when used at the right time are quite helpful. (And when the enemy uses the special YOU certainly didn’t want to see happen, well, we can see why you are in a pile of destroyed smithereens) For a comprehensive list of Effects and Specials, please look at Guide to Equipment Specials and Effects.

In this area, you will learn more about places to get a lot of money by “farming”. People farm because they want to get a weapon (or sometimes mechas) in the shortest time possible, due to curiosity to try out new stuff, or sometimes, because what they desire to have will only be around for a limited time. First of all, farming is not an easy activity, it is only for those who want to increase their credit account fast, and by fast I mean REALLY fast, like getting around 300000+ credits a day. Of course, there are three types of farming: Casual (those who do not play every day, but do at least 15 random battles when they do log in), Medium (those who log in almost every day and do around three Knife and Spork rounds a day) and Hardcore (those who play a lot and gain an unbelievable amount of credits per day). For those of you who still need help on the topic of farming, please take a look at A Simple Guide to Farming. For those of you who don’t know where good places to farm are, take a look below.

Ah, random battles. Perhaps one of the most practical ways of farming besides wars. They always give you the same amount of credits, so they can bring in a steady income of credits. Plus, the enemy variety is huge thanks to the scaling system update.
The only bad thing is that random battles do not give too many credits when you are using a low level mech, and the time between battles is greater than that of sequenced battles like that of the Knife and Spork.

The Knife and Spork is perhaps the most famous farming spot due to the full heals after every fight and the low difficulty in the challenges if you know which mechs to use. Apart from that, you get frying pans that may stun your enemies as a reward!

Here is some advice for the Knife and Spork:

• The Knife and Spork is only useful in its last challenges, where the enemies give a lot of money.
• Use the rewards on the challenges, but be aware that some enemies have immobility resist.
• Do not do too many rounds a day if you don’t have time.
• Random battles can be faster, but thanks to the full heal the Knife and Spork has, K&S; Challenge 8 is better than 10 random battles in terms of time.

The storyline… The eternal journey of a Mecha Pilot who once was a student, but who now has to ally with other planets so that they may survive the Shadowscythe attack…
Believe it or not, the storyline has some good farming spots.
Every quest in the storyline gives a good amount of rewards, and they should be done to get credits and items… For a full break down of the Storyline, check out the Storyline Guide
But I would like to point out two I like a lot.

Big Bad Broncho(or BBB for short) is the boss of the bounty hunting job over on Westion. (By the way, always use the starmap in Soluna, NOT the starmap on your starship, as the one there is outdated and will not have the latest planetary additions.)
He gives 245 Exp and 2000 credits (for the level 23 version), which is pretty good for leveling up to level 25. Plus, he is very easy to beat due to the mecha’s malfunction.
The only con of this spot is the dialogue, but it is not really that much. You just have to click a lot.

This farming spot is not used very much due to the fact that it is part of the story itself, but it can be very useful. It takes about half a minute to beat the enemy. Plus, it automatically repairs you mecha after each enemy!

The Moon is a great farming spot in my opinion, due to the fact that you just need to click, since there is no movement on the moon! Perhaps the only bad thing about this farming spot is the fact that you only fight ShadowScythe, like on the Surprise Attack quest. But, if you have been able to pick up the Shadowed Arthurian Lion mech from Braddock Steele’s Vacation War on Lagos, the ShS should be a breeze.

Jobs are really fun side quests that reward you with mechas and weapons. There are 5 jobs in Soluna City:

• Pizza Delivery, which does not give great credits, but it does give some decent equipment.
• Police, which gives some fair credits (especially with the Mega Lupus) and great rewards!
• Hospital, home to the famous Autopsy quest, which is one of the best ways to get EXP and Credits at lower levels. The mecha rewards aren’t too bad either.
• Ghost Hunting, which is…ghost hunting. The job itself is long, VERY long, but because of that you get lots of credits. Thanks to the Mecha revival, the rewards are now pretty decent, especially the Hunter Wraith/Eidolon!
• Museum, which gives decent credit rewards, but bad mechas. This is the job for the high levels, due to that fact that the monsters here are a bit stronger than the ones from the other jobs. Make sure you bring a strong energy blade!

A Word to the Wise: Do the Energy Blades Class to get a strong weapon for the jobs. When you get a good ranking, you can buy a blade from the Soluna City Energy Blade Shop. Apart from being powerful, they will be very useful in the on foot questing.

The autopsy, probably the most useful farming spot from levels 1 to… 13, maybe? It is very useful, but to be good in it, I’d suggest you used a mouse, since laptops are not good with it. You must have very accurate movements so that you win the 500 credits and the 100 experience!

Mega Lupus is found in 1337 Falcon’s Reach, in the Police job. He is powerful if you are low leveled, but it becomes much easier with good weapons and mechs! You always get a scaled amount of credits, so it is not as useful as the Autopsy, but it is better for those who prefer battling.

Wars… this is my favorite farming method. When you participate in wars, you win lots of stuff: you raise the War Meter, you get credits and exp (sometimes with a boost), you can win Valor Badges, and you can access rare rewards and mechas! These items are usually powerful, and the battles are easy. This farming method is the one I recommend the most, due to the things I mentioned above.

3.5.1 Spoils from the War – Action Figures!
When a war finishes, usually you will find swag for SC (Star Captain) Starships. Inside this swag, you will find one useful method for farming: Action Figures. These are sometimes real monsters and you can fight them in your starship! They are useful, since most of the time war enemies give more credits and experience. I do not find it truly useful though.

In conclusion, there are many farming spots, so many that I am sure you cannot count them with your fingers, but they all have a different value depending on the player. Fast players like wars due to the fact that they are quick battles most of the time. People that try to get everything slowly but surely choose the Knife and Spork. Lots of credits, but more time. So, if you ask me: Where should I farm? I would say: It all depends how you play. At least I hope this advice helped, though.

Ok, so you have lots of credits now, but the thing is…
How do you know what to spend your credits and/or Nova Gems in?
This section covers advice for keeping your credit and Nova Gem bag safe from thieves, also known as useless weapons.

Well, this is mostly a matter of likings. The mecha I recommend the most (apart from House Mechas):

• Katana: Useful due to the fact that it is a great improvement from the Newbatron.
• Nubertron: Strong and cheap, good for low levels.
• Police Force Series: First, I’d suggest getting the level 8 version. Then, you can use the house mecha from level 12 to level 20.
• Geist Hunter: This mecha is pretty good for its level, plus it has a bonus on ghosts. Apart from that, it will help you later with another thing.
• Mecha-Roni: The level 8 version is great. Don’t get the level 13 version, as the level 12 Werewolf is just as strong for almost half the price.
• Werewolf: This mecha is simply amazing. It can heal, use damage boosts, and buff itself over time while nerfing the enemy at the same time.
• Khael Serpent: Default with BoTs, DoTs, and Stuns.
• Shadowed Arthurian Lion: Great for ShS Farming, though useless until you’ve reached a level 21. Still, a good goal to work towards.
• Steampunk Model A-1: One of the best Body weapons, this mech is a great choice for its level. The Pedia lists it as rare, but can still currently be purchased. Simply replay the Bug War, gather Elemental Embers, and speak to Buckaroo.
• Any War or Holiday Mecha.

• Volt Thorn: Because of its great EP, it has the opportunity for longer fights.
• Mecha-Roni: Same as earlier Mecha-Roni comment.
• Werewolf: Same as earlier Werewolf comment.
• Pirate Sniper Series: Its default is speechless. It’s only beaten by Sepulchure’s Doomknight Armor and Kurosawa Shimada’s Authentic Musashi Helm specials, both which are not free to players. Even if it’s a Build-a-Mecha, it should be taken into consideration if you’re a Star Captain, because with the right weapons, you can be constantly dodging every hit the opponent throws at you.
• Most of the time, any War or Holiday Mecha. There are sometimes exceptions when a mecha does not fit the power standards of today’s game.
• The current Star Captain Monthly Mech (SCMM). There is always a great range of levels, so that no matter where your at, there is a version for you. SCMM’s are usually buffed, have great builds, and are the talk of the forums so finding a successful build should be very easy.

Of course, these are tips, not orders, so buy any mecha you want to! I am just recommending these so that you take care of your money.
Note: I do not place Nova Gems because I do not recommend buying Nova Gem mecha… at least not permanent Nova Gem Mecha (non-rare)

Well, these are hard choices, but I recommend you don’t buy:

• Ghost Hunter, because the first House Mech is much, much better, and you won’t be level 5 by the time you finish Ghost Hunting.
• Newbatron V.1337, since you can get other mechs that are better at almost the same price(note: the price is 2000, not 20000)

A Small Note: The Ghost Hunter series… I would like to do a small comment: this mecha is good at its level 18 version, but its level 5 version is bad. The level 18 version, while it is mainly for catching ghosts, helps just by doing that. Plus, its upgrade is even better. The Hunter Wraith, a Doom Upgrade of the Geist Hunter, is a good option and should also be taken into consideration even if I didn’t list it.

House Mechas are possibly the best ones around, and they will help you a lot. These are the only non-rare Nova Gem Mechas I would recommend.
But, first of all, which house should you choose?
It all depends.
Wolfblade: Pure power at the cost of energy.
Runehawk: Some DoTs(Damage over Time), lots of mana and randomness!(proof of the randomness is an arm every version has)
Mystraven: Random damage(the strongest weapons have a 12-96 range!), DoTs and criticals. They base themselves on luck.
So, which house would you choose?
First, think of this:
Which community fits you the best? I added links to the forums of each house so that you may know how each house is.
Then again, you do not worry at all about the house community, and you only care about the house mecha.
If that’s the case, then I present you with the Mechas!
Original Wolf Advanced Wolf
Original Hawk Advanced Hawk
Original Raven Advanced Raven
The Original Mechas range from levels 6 to 24. The Advanced Mechas have versions from levels 25 through 40.
Choose wisely.
Although you have the option to betray, you may never return back to the house you betrayed.

For further detail in choosing a house, see the How to Choose the Right House for You guide.

Most times, people do not lose their money because of mechas. In fact, sometimes people go to bankruptcy because they spent too much on the equipment for their mechas! In this section, you will know what to spend your credits on.

Artix Entertainment has a very unique feature: Their holiday items are extremely powerful. REALLY powerful. There are three things you must spend your money on:
1.- Mechas
2.- War Rares
3.- Holiday Items.
Holiday Items are, almost always, themed according to the season. The items are truly powerful, usually more powerful than permanent items.
Nova Gems allow you to buy extremely powerful equipment, and the reason for their existence are mostly holiday items and rares, since…
Normal Items= Normal
NG Normal Items= Very powerful
Normal rare Items= usualy more powerful than normal items
Rare NG items = usualy more powerful than normal NG items
“Which holiday items should I buy?” Well, I could answer you: Buy as much as you can, because they’re leaving and possibly never coming back.
One thing, though: Do not spend a lot on Nova Gem items. After all, they don’t drop from battles.

Well, now that we finished the holiday items and rares subject, I want to point out the few powerful items that are permanent. In my opinion, these are:

• Shadow Napalm v2: (NG) Speechless. Great weapons with great DoT. Even though they are level 10, people at levels 20+ use them.
• Shining Electron Sniper: (SC) One turn stun every time it hits? Excellent.
• Used Electron Sniper: Non-SC version of the SES.
• SDF Vampiric Blast: (NG) Powerful weapon, it has the power of a level 22 shoulder.
• Knife and Spork Frying Pans: Useful 2 turn stun, it is a sort of evolved Shining/Used Electron Sniper.
• Dualstrike Weapons: These always do a huge amount of damage. The high level ones can hit in the 100s.
• Jelly Blaster: It’s only 200 NG and lvl 9. the 100% dot makes it really powerful and makes its average damage equal to a lvl 20 sc weapon.
• Stun Gun RC1: While it has a huge EP requirement and a long cooldown, it is the only guaranteed two turn stun in the game. Only recommended for players in the 15-22 level range due to the EN drain and the lack of enemies with high stun resistance.
• Thunder Head: Pros: Powers up your mecha for 40% extra damage for 5 turns OR Raises Defences by 50% for 4 turns. Cons: Uses up a turn.
• Precise Musket Series: This is highly recommended, because it can disable or shoot off entirely Equipable Mecha Parts, or even give a 50% extra Critical chance on Non-Equipable Mecha.
• Adhesive Bombs Series: Crits, extra damage, and DoT. What more could you want?
• On-Target Series: Due to the increasing amount of abilities that lower your accuracy/increase their own defenses abilities, this is good because it give you a +50 bonus for 5 turns (including turn used to activate). However, it doesn’t do any damage.
• Shiny Cutlass Series: This amazing weapon not only does DoT, but it ALSO decreases defenses over 4 turns until it reaches -60, therefore it’ll make your enemies easier to hit.
• Shiny Cutlass Throw Series: When it’s special activates, it can do amazing damage. The best part is that it’s Non-SC!
• Orboret Series: Strong BoT with a DoT added for good measure.
• BackGun Series: Immobility resistance nerf + Stun + extra damage against Shadowscythe!
• Wraith’s Claw: It’s the best energy blade in the game, it has a VERY high Base and Maximum damage.

Now, beside good weapons, there is certain equipment that doesn’t really deserve a place in your inventory, be it because of the cooldown it has or because of its side effects.
Now, maybe the weapon pricing is not as big as the mecha chassis price, but they do certainly take a lot of your money.
Here we list some of these weapons:

• Experimental Stun Gun: Extreme cooldown and energy cost is horrible. If you are a Star Captain, avoid this and just get the Stun Gun RC1. It is much more efficient.
• Missile-Roni: Sure, the damage is great, but after looking at the cooldown and energy requirements, you’ll agree that this is a no-buy.
• Any head in Tek’s Mechs Non-SC shop as they do nothing at all.
• Energy Reaper: Its base damage is so low, it’s not even worth the 200 Nova Gems.

These ones are… interesting. There are only about 4 models for this kind of mecha (one of them already rare), and they can be quite powerful if you ask some people.
Personally, I do not use them, due to the fact that I have lots of rares, and rares occupy inventory space. These mecha are recommended for:

• Players who have plenty of space.
• Players who buy space with Nova Gems.
• Players who do not buy rares.

The combos these Mecha use are quite powerful, though. I once bought it, and I have to say I dominated. However, they are not good enough for long battles, because they use lots of energy.
If you are one of the above, you should get them.

In conclusion, you have to learn what to buy and how to spend it. Here are some suggestions to be better when spending money:
Think: Is it really worth it? Check the stats (HP, EP and Regen) first.
Check the Mechquest Encyclopedia before EVER buying a weapon. Also, now that the staff posts the weapon specs on the Design notes, make sure to check for the most recent equipment specs. It’ll not only save you the grief, but also the credits, or in some cases, the Nova Gems.
Finally, never hesitate to ask. The Equipment Comparison Request forum is a great tool that you should take full advantage of.

Stats, the last big improvement in the MechQuest battle system. They are not truly useful at the beginning levels, since they are most useful when the numbers are big. Still, start training your stats from the moment you decide a build!

I will give you a small information on stats, and then tell you about builds.
Accuracy: As it implies it increases your chance to hit.
Reflex: Increases chance to dodge.
Power: Increases damage.
Perception: Reduces damage taken.
Efficiency: Reduces amount of Energy used.
Luck: Increases chance of criticals, dodging, resisting stuns, and other little things.

The stats that are most appropriate for a house are:
Wolfblade: Power, Accuracy, and maybe Luck.
Runehawk: Luck, Power, and maybe Efficiency.
Mystraven: Luck, Reflex, and maybe Power.

Note: Non-SCs gain 5 points to train on stats every level, while SCs gain 6 points.

For more detailed information about stats, I recommend reading Mecha Stats and Stat Builds Guide

What are mods, you ask?
Well, they are stat boosting items that can be used on your mecha. Every Mecha comes with at least 1 Mod slot. Star Captain and Nova Gem mecha come with 2.

Builds are the combination of different stats that “build” your character in a style of fighting. Right now, most builds are custom, since stats are not fully developed yet.
Still, I can give you different builds that are popular in today’s game.
Note: These builds are at level 20 and have two variants: Non SC and SC.

The Power Hitter
Power: 60-70
Accuracy: 40-50
Goes great with offensive mecha with lots of HP.

The Shield
Reflex: 50-60
Perception:50-60
Goes with mecha with low HP but great offensive power.

All or Nothing
Power: 100-120
This “build” gives you great offensive power, but it does not let you develop on other fields.

Lucky 7’s
Luck: 100-120
Luck affects a variety of things, and this distribution works better for some.

Create your own build depending on your likings!
Recommendation: Do not make “balanced” builds. These do not provide good bonuses for any stat.

Now, House Mechs need different builds, and here are a few I recommend.
Note: Posted recommended Stats are set as if you’re at lvl 20.

For Wolfblade, I find useful a variety of the Power Hitter, which I call the Sharp Hitter:
Power: 40-50
Accuracy: 60-70
Reason: This one is especially useful for the Advanced Mecha, due to its special ability that makes the mecha lose accuracy. Also, if you wish for a single-stat build, power is your choice.

For Runehawk, I recommend a Special Summoner Build:
Luck: 80-70
Power: 40-30
Reason: It gives the ability for more specials and a bit of a power boost. I do not recommend Perception, because Runehawk has a Mana Shield (on level 25 Version and up), which gives the mecha an even bigger quantity of HP.

And finally, for Mystraven, I recommend the Lucky Shenanigan build:
Accuracy or Reflex: 40-50
Luck: 60-70
Reason: Due to the highs and lows of the default weapons, a high quantity of luck will allow you to dish out more critical hits and specials. As to a one stat build, choose Luck.

For more House Builds, visit the different house strategy threads.

Wolfblade
Runehawk
Mystraven

A Word to the Wise: In the Advanced Mechas… if you change one of the weapons, you might need a different build to fit your weapons, since the defaults go along with the builds.

5.3 In conclusion-Builds and stats
To sum it all, builds will give you a huge bonus in terms of power or easiness.
Even though they do not affect you in the early levels, developing a build early makes you receive the bonuses little by little.

Special thanks to:

Rikai: For starting the thread.
blues: For allowing me to do this guide.
Andy1234, EinhanderX01, The POD, legomaster00156, Kuld, andy123, jbob741, lord of cookies, AQ Madness, .Shadow//, kasama999, aciddragon666, nopenope, serioussam and vacozaur tase: For giving useful tips that were the base to this guide.
Einwill: For summing up all the tips.
Andy1234, hauntar, Aaronman99, EinhanderX01, Destined Dragonlord, cheese4432, skyvolt666, concreta, ZamuelNow, .Shadow//, Z.324, Luggy, Nixkreig, zeke50100, dargon, hauntar, bileon, venturer90, and deathkiller: For correcting and giving info on the guide.
venturer90: For being the previous owner of this guide.
Dudu Master: For approving this guide and pointing out some errors.
Karika: Running the Guide
PD: Running the Guide