Battle Strategy II: Let's Talk Teamwork!

      "No man is an island." ~  John Donne

Welcome back to Battle Strategy, a series of articles focusing on the best ways to battle automatons.

Today I'm writing about teamwork.  To some working together might be exciting, to some annoying, and to some even scary. But teamwork is truly an important aspect of many parts of life, even games!

Teamwork can make the difference between winning a battle with three victory spinners or being badly defeated. A coordinated team is pretty much assured a victory!

As we talked about in Battle Strategy I, the Aetherlight's fight mechanics include many cool effect combinations you can make boost your attacks. This principle doesn't just apply to solo battles, it also applies to co-op battles. This is where the fun happens.

Say you and your friend Taka decide to battle a Pacifier. Taka has a Water Rifle, and you have a Tesla hammer. Taka shoots first, then you follow with the Tesla. Because Taka made the automaton wet before you used your electric hammer, your hammer does twice the damage!  That makes for a combined damage value of 120 on just the first turn!

When another person joins a solo battle, the automatons' health bars automatically double to match you. If three people battle together, the automatons will have three times their normal health. That is another reason why teamwork in battles is essential. Together, you can beat the boosted automatons, but if you work alone or even against one another's attacks, you will be defeated.

Try to make your attacks boost each other as you would if you were on your own. If one player shoots a water rifle, don't use a fire weapon even if you were planning to: the damage you do will be cut down by half. Use an ice or electric weapon if you have one, then your attacks will be doubled! If you don't have a coordinating weapon, it's best to stick with a neutral "no effects" weapon.

If you use an ice weapon on a flaming automaton, the attack will be cut down by about 1/5. Oof!

That said, now we can get into the aspects of teamwork where you not only help yourself—you also help your teammates.

I. If possible, plan beforehand.
If you're meeting up with some buddies to fight those automatons, ask them what they have in their arsenal. If one person has all ice and the other all fire, you won't be able to go anywhere. In the ideal scenario, you and your friends would have complementary weapons, such as these:
Water rifle + Tesla Hammer + Dulcet Defensive Vambrace
Rocket Hammer + Oil Spitter + dynamite
Gyro hammer + Flintlock Sniper

II. Communicate.
Don't be afraid to say, "What are you going to use?" The better you communicate with others, the better coordinated your attacks will be. If no one's talking, step out and be the one to say, "I'm using [insert element]."

III. Upgrade your personal arsenal to include a variety of elements.
The more elements you have in your weapons arsenal, the more versatile you will be in a battle. For example, notice my favorite arsenal as listed in Battle Strategy I has every element except neutral: Ice pistols (Ep. 3), Water Rifle (Ep. 1), Oil Spitter (Ep. 2), Rocket Hammer (Ep. 2), Fire Stick (Ep. 3).

It's no fun to be the ice guy with a team of fire-lovers! As a last resort, be a good sport and aid your fellow fire friends with oil cans and dynamite. 

May your battles go smashingly and your Aethermeters be full! Have courage, resistors... the Scarlet Man is coming soon!

Until next time, 
Hanna Brassheart