Summary
Like most RTS games,Mechabellumhas several unique and complex mechanics that encourage critical thinking and strategy. However, this complexity can be daunting for new players, especially since the game lacks a proper in-game tutorial. Without clear guidance, you could feel lost as you navigate through the learning curve.
At first glance, it may seem that it’s about putting a bunch of mechs, or “units,” on the board. But as you dive deeper, you start to understand how the game’s systems interact. On top of that, knowing a few key pointers beforehand can help you ease into the game, develop your own strategies, and gain a solid footing early on.
9Set Up Your Chaff Properly
It may not seem like it initially, but yourLight Bots, or chaff, are easily the most vital assets on the field, especially yourCrawlers.They’re cheap, quick, and, most importantly, serve as core distractions. In both early and later rounds,their sheer quantity tends to overwhelm opposing units, and once these swarms enter enemy territory, their towers don’t stand a chance.
Swarms control a major portion of the field butneed solid supportto maintain and continue gaining ground. As such, you need to ensure they don’t get blasted by stronger mechs, so diversify your positioning, respond to counter-strategies, and always aim toeliminate opposing chaff.
8Know Your Starting Specialist
Although Starting Specialists aren’t too impactful in the grand scheme of things, they can help you gain someearly-game momentum.You can pick a Specialist from apool of fourat the start of the game, and most of them will give you either a supply or a free unit. As a rule of thumb, it’s better topick a Starting Specialist thatoffers you a unit,especially a Rare one.
Knowing which unit-providing Specialist is the best depends on the meta. However,Rare units are usually strong and versatile, so they’re a safe bet. Having access to more units without recruiting them gives you more options, and if you utilize them well, you can dish out significantCore Damage.
Rare units, includingTyphoon,Farseer,Fire Badger, andSabertooth, are exclusive mechs you may’t directly recruit.
7Never Buy The War Factory Too Early
The War Factory isone of the strongest units in Mechabellumand has the highest stats on paper. However, it comes with a major drawback that beginners seemingly ignore:200 upkeep.This means that when you buy a War Factory, you’ll receive200 fewer Supplyin each subsequent round.
Of course, you can reduce this upkeep from 200 to 50 with theWar Factory’s Efficient Maintenance upgrade, which costs 200 Supply. Still, you’ll be spending too many resources at a point where Supply is limited and valuable. This is why many players recommendbuying the War Factory in the late-game phase, where you have enough Supply to justify a War Factory’s purchase.
6Invest In Aerial Units
If you look at a unit’s stats, you’ll find a"Target" categoryhighlighting where that unit can hit. More often than not, a unit’s target will be"Ground Only,“showing that they can’t attack aerial mechs. This is a common weakness among several powerful bots, including Sledgehammers, Vulcans, Crawlers, and many more.
As such, if you put too many ground-only units in a specific position,a single aerial unit, regardless of power output, can remove them.Thus, you should maintain a solid ratio between your aerial and ground units, making sure you purchase or upgradeat least one aerial unit after Round Two.
5Position Units Based On Speed
In Mechabellum, the last thing you want is for your units tocharge ahead before their reinforcements can catch up.This leaves your forces vulnerable, allowing your opponent to pick them off in smaller groups. Clustering all your mechs too tightly can cause units with different speeds to either lag behind or advance too far ahead.
Ideally, you should place your quicker units, likeLight Bots, behind your slower units, likeMedium,Heavy, andGiant Units, during the Deployment Phase. That way,they’ll move in syncand hit the center of the battlefield together.
you’re able to check each unit’s speed, which ranges fromsix to 16 meters per second, in their stats.
4Your Devices Matter
The game provides three devices—Shield Generators, Sentry Missiles, and Missile Interceptors—and allows you to buy up toeight per round.Shield Generators offer critical defense against ranged attacks, Sentry Missiles can wipe out chaff in one shot, and Missile Interceptors destroy incoming enemy missiles.
Each device plays a specific role andremains active until depleted or destroyed.Though they aren’t permanent, using them strategically offers massive value and can win you a round. For instance, placing Shield Generators on towersdelays paralysis, while Sentry Missiles can target areasflooded with enemy chaff.
3Never Skip Permanent Pre-Round Reinforcements
On each pre-round screen after Round One,you can buy reinforcementslike items, units, cooldown-focused abilities, and other upgrades for Supply. Out of these options, you’ll rarely come acrosspermanent all-purpose upgrades, like a stat increase on each unit or a boost to your post-round Supply gain.
When these upgrades appear, don’t overlook them. Unlike items or abilities that might have niche uses,all-purpose upgrades provide lasting benefits that impact your entire strategy.Their versatility and long-term payoff make them one of the most powerful investments in the game, granting a strategic edge lasting healthily in the long run.
2Always Look For Counter-Picks
Mechabellum revolves around aRock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) Mechanic, something that’s common in most RTS games. The basic idea here is that you have asimple countering systemwhere each choice directly refutes another. This is much more pronounced in this game—a unit can be exceptionally strong against one archetype and weak against another.
Whenever your opponent places a unit on the board,you can immediately respond with the appropriate counter-pickin the follow-up round. In most cases, you must guess your opponent’s play and placement for this to work, and if you guessed correctly, you’ll win the round by a massive lead just by counter-picks.
VulcansandFire Badgerscan decimate chaff but are extremely vulnerable to Giant Units and aerial mechs like theOverlordandWasps.
1Prioritize Upgrades Over Placing More Mechs
It’s important to remember that you havelimited board space, so filling it up prematurely with too many units can deprive you of your future strategies. Besides that, buying units in late-game rounds feels extremely underwhelming sinceyou’re purchasing weaker Level One mechsto compete against the opponent’sLevel Four or higher mechs.
Instead, you should focus on buyingtech upgradesfor your units, which can provide several effective buffs like increased range, damage, and other abilities. Once you buy an upgrade for a unit,it automatically applies to all units of that type on the board.Plus, any future purchases of that unit will come pre-upgraded, making it a better future-proofing investment.
