User blog:Darkveng/Making sense of game mechanics

I saw a recent blog post trying to explain how weapon bonuses worked, and they couldn't explain specializations.

All specialization is used for is determining if a weapon suits a particular character or not. For example, let's take Elite Megatron (R4): his specialization is Melee, and his class is Command. Let's suppose that you manage to get both forms of this card, but not his signature weapon. You'd need to either equip another weapon or bench a very powerful card.

Keep in mind, every weapon in your Cyberdex has a specialization and two classes. The trick is finding a weapon that matches the specialization, class, and faction of your card. In our example, you could meet all 3 of these criteria with the new Episode Cyclonus shield or the Episode Razorclaw  weapon.

Why do these matter?

To answer that question, go into your Team screen, touch the edit button, and then touch a card. You'll see a row of symbols, touch them for an explanation. You'll see the following bonuses:

Max Level =  +30% ATK

Trans-scan = +15% ATK

Each of these two bonuses apply to the card separately. In other words, you multiply the card by the first bonus, and THEN multiply that result by the 2nd bonus.

Signature Weapon = +15% ATK/HP/DEF

Specialization = +5% ATK/HP/DEF

Class = +7% ATK/HP/DEF

Faction = +3% ATK/HP/DEF

These bonuses all stack. So let's say we use Cyclonus's shield on Megatron.

MTM Elite Megatron has base stats of 16765 ATK, 28800 HP, and 3173 DEF. Once we apply the MTM bonuses, his ATK raises to 25064. HP & DEF stay the same.

Now the other modifiers impact his weapon bonus. The base stats on a level 13 Cyclonus shield are 133% ATK, 131% HP, and 171% DEF. Megatron gets the specialization, class, and faction bonuses here, so we add 5%+7%+3%=15% in bonuses to each category. When we add these on, he gets 148% ATK, 146% HP, and 186% DEF by equipping this shield.

But not so fast! He also gets a bonus for his position in the deck, of either 2x for front row or 3x for back row. Let's assume he is a 2x for this example. The 2x doubles the weapon bonus, making them 296% ATK, 292% HP, and 372% DEF. That makes his stats 74,188 ATK, 84096 HP, and 11803 DEF.

Let's contrast this with a different weapon. Say we use Episode Chromia's weapon, which gives 179% ATK, 134% HP, 101% DEF as a base. It is not Megatron's signature weapon, and does not match the specialization or faction...so all of those bonuses are lost. It does have the command class though, so that bonus still applies. He also still gets his role bonus. So the weapon gives Megs 372% ATK, 282% HP, 216% DEF for final stats of 93236 ATK, 81216 HP, and 6853 DEF.

So is it always better to use a faction weapon? Do you have to match class or spec? Not really. You have to make an informed decision based on your personal objectives. In thise case, the Chromia weapon gives more ATK, while the shield gives more HP & DEF.

I tend to try using signature weapons whenever I can. In Elite Megatron's case, his weapon gives 157% ATK, 119% HP, and 124% DEF at level 13. All bonuses apply, so for a front row position, he should wind up with approximately 93738 ATK, 85824 HP, and 9773 DEF. Wonderful option if you're lucky enough to get it.

Remember, some events (such as Cold Delivery) give bonuses for characters of a certain faction using weapons of their same faction, so attempts to duplicate these numbers may vary a bit depending on when you do it.

Hope that helps!

-Darkveng