Things are about to get dangerously tripodal in here as we give you a crash course on everything about the Scout Body!

Thanks for joining us again at The Spider Tanks Showcase! Today we’re making a sharp turn away from last week’s feature on the always flashy Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider to spotlight a more unassuming Tank Body. While it may not have the bling and bass of Snoop’s ride, it skitters across the arena with deadly efficiency.

This week we’re talking about Scout. This body will typically be one of the quickest in the arena with its streamlined 3-legged design. Its smaller size, however, means a Pilot will have to translate that extra speed into better dodging, because Scout isn’t carrying much extra Armor.

There are Bodies faster than a Scout, but not by much. The smallest Bodies, like Flea, may move a tiny bit faster than Scout, but they also have even less Armor. Scout moves fast enough to dodge whatever comes at you, but also doesn’t feel like you’re driving a Tank made of paper– so maybe you won’t explode if you get accidentally hit once or twice.

Scout has pretty low Energy compared to most Tanks. This means you won’t be able to rely on Abilities as often as other Pilots, so think about affordable tools for each match. Luckily, Speed Boosters are cheap and they can turn Scout from a fast Tank into an unbelievably fast Tank very quickly. Repair Drone could be another solid option for many pilots. Since it affects you for quite awhile, its Energy cost is a little easier to swallow. With Scout’s low Armor, even a little repairing can go a long way.

Hot Potato: Scout/Flamethrower

This first combo may be a little bit reckless for some, but in the hands of the right Pilot it can just litter the arena with wreckage. Scout gets around quickly but has the armor to take a stray shot or two if that’s what needs to happen. This is essential for getting in close with weapons like the Flamethrower. Smaller Tanks may have the speed edge, but if you’re going to run up on the enemy, you need to make sure you can prioritize damage over dodging once in a while.

The flamethrower slows you down when you start shooting fire. This defeats the entire purpose of Scout, so timing is absolutely key. You need to cover the distance between you and the enemy before you start flaming, then if possible, position yourself where you can catch your enemy for more burning as they try to escape.

How long you can hold them in the fire is critical. Flamethrower will continue to burn the enemy after you stop roasting them, but not for as much damage. You need to burn them down to where you know they’ll die from the DoT, then cut the firepower and race out as fast as possible. For many Pilots, mastering this technique will be a serious challenge, but those who do will be highly feared by opponents.

Rear Support Sniper: Scout/Crossbow

This one takes less advantage of Scout’s speed to leverage borderline kamikaze tactics, and more to dominate the battlefield with superior positioning. Speed isn’t only an asset while close up on the enemy, and with a long range Scout in the backfield, a weakness never has to go unexploited.

This build is all about using the superior range of a Weapon like Crossbow to control the flow of a brawl. Most matches end up with clearly drawn battle lines at some point. Medium range Tanks will hold a line to keep close range Tanks from getting through. While that deadly dance is going on, Scout can be zipping around and picking off stragglers from the relative safety of the rear.

Using this strategy, you’ll rarely be exposed to danger unless your allies give way or someone decides you’re just too annoying to let live and makes a desperate, futile rush at you. In these situations, you’re plenty quick enough to adapt and reposition yourself. You’ll more or less keep moving around the arena and make the enemy fear your Crossbow. If they’re continually dodging bolts from an enemy that they can’t hit, it won’t be long before they make a fatal mistake.

Dancin’ Queen: Scout/Shotgun

For this combo, we’ve chosen yet another way to leverage Scout’s Speed. Paired with the Shotgun, you can approach enemies easily like with the Flamethrower. Unlike the Flamethrower, however, the Shotgun doesn’t ever slow you down. This lets you be just as graceful while you’re in their face as you were running up on them.

Now the object isn’t to get away as quickly as possible, but instead to make it nearly impossible for them to hit you until you get away. Most enemy Tanks will fire limited rounds in a linear path. So if you’re juking and zig zagging all over the top of them, are they going to be able to make the few shots they get count?

If you get good at dancing around opponents, you can usually tag them enough to destroy them long before they even land a solid shot on you. Once you see an opening to escape, you can back away and they’ll still be dancing with your shadow for a second. This is the perfect opportunity to fill them up with Shotgun shells.

As a quick Shotgunner, you’ll love it when people chase you. Since Shotgun blasts spread out the further they get from you, someone racing towards you while you run away is literally walking into the kill zone. The faster they are relative to you, the faster they walk straight into multiple shells where they normally may have only been hit by one or two.

Scout Out Other Options

Scout is a very adaptable Body. It may not be super tough and may have low Energy recharge, but its raw speed combined with the fact that it doesn’t feel like it’s made of paper are enough to make it work with a multitude of different strategies.

Try out a Scout with a Rocket Artillery or a Brambler to dominate from a distance in an entirely different way than the one we explored above. After your ordinance ruins half the match for your opponents, most of the time they’ll be frantically trying to run you down to no avail. Likewise, a Healing Artillery could make you a nearly unkillable support Tank for your team.

The Snowballer from the Santa’s Slay combo can also be a lot of fun on a Scout. Since its snow trails speed you up and slow down opponents, learning to control the field with the power of ice can boost your already clear Speed advantage.

Playing a Scout with a more straightforward Weapon like Twin Guns, Cannon, or Gatling Gun could be challenging at first for many Pilots. As Speed increases, aiming difficulty increases with it. Still, if you can master these styles, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Good Pilots in fast Tanks using these types of Weapons excel in 1v1 confrontations and singling out and destroying enemy Tanks incredibly effectively.

Scout Skills

Like other faster Tanks, a Scout isn’t for everybody. Mastering this Tank Body may take some practice for Pilots, but for those that do there are TONS of ways to rack up wins with a Scout. Like any Body, there isn’t a wrong build for Scout. The best Build is always the one you enjoy playing the most!

There’s a festive spirit in the air, and next week we’re going to be covering some Christmas carnage. Keep your ears open for jingle bells and your nose sniffing for the smell of egg nog-based rocket fuel, because we’re covering Santa’s Slay!

If you have any favorite ways to play this snowball slinging murder machine, let us know on Discord or in the comments below! You can also tweet us your clips with the hashtag #STShowcase and you may even get your match featured next week!

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Crank up that bass and join us as we spotlight a Hero Tank that brings some serious street cred to the arena.

Welcome back to the Spider Tanks Showcase, the series where every week we do a deep dive into some of the most destructive Tanks in the arena. Today’s showcase we’re looking at a really special Hero Tank that not only can blast through the competition, but do it in style!

Today we’re featuring Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider. This Tank was designed as a tribute to one of the greatest classical composers (often referred to as Dogg) of old Earth after several of his ancient works were only recently uncovered in an archeological dig. This Hero combo rolls around the battlefield literally destroying its opponents with the power of sick beats. It may not be the fastest and toughest around and could take some Pilots awhile to get used to, but once you get in the flow of Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider, it can pack huge power in battle.

The lowrider is a directional Tank, like Santa’s Slay or Nomad. This means it must move forward on its wheels rather than pivoting freely like legged or hovering Tanks. This may be tough for some Pilots to get used to, but once you can master it, it features a lot more speed than the other wheeled Tanks you’ll see in the arena.

Like other directional Tanks, Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider has a ton of Energy to use abilities. Compared to its Santa’s Slay and Nomad cousins, however, it has a lot more Speed at the expense of a bit of Armor. Since the Lowrider can get awkward when turning suddenly, Pilots that learn to leverage the Speed advantage will often keep moving continuously, making them a tough target to pin down.

The Snoop Bounce: Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider/Beat Blaster

As a Hero Tank, Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider comes as a prebuilt combo right away. Though the Weapon and Body can be used separately from each other, they synergize incredibly well together.

The Beat Blaster shoots three blasts of high intensity jams at opponents, staggering them for a split second if it hits them at close range. It has a fairly average range– similar to that of Twin Guns or Cannon. If fired laterally while moving, each beat can spread out into a small buckshot, but it’s most dangerous when firing directly ahead or behind to slam enemies with all 3 beats in succession.

Like other Tanks on wheels, the directional movement of Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider can be tough for some Pilots to master. It can feel awkward to drive until you learn its tendencies. Many Pilots are commonly tripped up by its inability to stop abruptly and change direction without rolling forward before shifting to reverse. After some practice, most Pilots will realize that the way to circumvent this weakness is simply to not stop moving at all, and make any movement possible in smooth turns, circles, or figure 8 patterns.

Pump Up Those Beats

Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider will be tough for those unfamiliar with it to adapt to, but with a true master behind the wheel it can dominate the arena. The firing pattern of beat blaster can be utilized in a ton of ways once you get the hang of its tendencies.

Whereas with a lot of other bodies you’ll want to dart back and forth while firing to be hard to hit, the Lowrider is most adaptable when rolling around in circles. This prevents the delay that can come with changing directions and can confound many enemies… particularly those with linear weapons like Crossbow or Cannon.

With this signature movement pattern, timing your Beat Blaster shots is paramount to get them where you want them. While turning at a sharp angle, your beats will often spread out. While they are more likely to hit your target, hitting with all three can be far more destructive than just grazing an enemy Tank with one or two beats. When your movement is lined up with your enemy’s is when the most deadly shots will be possible.

The combination of the ability to slightly stun opponents and break out of your holding pattern in any direction come in handy when faced with hard hitting opponents with short range. If a Flamethrower or Shotgun is threatening you, some bass to the face will make their head spin for just a split second, but it may be long enough to put some distance between you and finish them off.

Don’t forget about the high Energy of the Lowrider. You can use a lot more abilities than most Tanks, which could provide you a serious edge in mobility, damage or support. Many Snoop Tanks will rely on an affordable Ability like Speed Booster alongside a more costly Ability like Reactive Plating or Repair Zone.

Customize Your Ride

Since you can use both Beat Blaster and Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider independently of each other, there are a ton of cool combos to be made using this Hero Tank. The high Energy and unique movement of the body can work really well with a bunch of different Weapons, while the Beat Blaster adds a totally one-of-a-kind utility to any Body.

If you get really good with the movement of a Lowrider, you can use your dodging skills alongside a more straightforward Weapon so that your offensive tactics don’t rely on your positioning as much as your defense. A single shot Weapon like Finisher or Crossbow takes away the chance of spreading out your beats when you fire on a turn, letting you totally concentrate on your opponents’ destruction as they struggle to hit you and your superior driving skills.

Likewise, Beat Blaster can be a huge asset when used on another Body. Putting it on a heavier Body like Titan could make you an absolutely immovable object. You can cut off bottlenecks and chokepoints effectively with your bulk, while also stunning anyone who comes close to you. Many Pilots, however, will opt to put Beat Blaster on a speedy body to take greater advantage of how damaging it can be for opponents when you land all three hits. A small, agile body like Flea can get positioning better to fire more effective blasts, but as you move faster the tendency for the blasts to spread out will be higher, making it more difficult to control. This will be very, very effective in the hands of Pilots who have fully mastered firing the Beat Blaster though.

Laid Back With the Lowrider

Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider may not be as straightforward as some other Tanks out there, but someone who learns its nuances and tendencies will be a force to be reckoned with in any battle. Just as with any Tank, the best for you is what you can make work. It may take more practice for some to get a winning strategy together with the Lowrider, but putting in that effort can be well worth it.

Unfortunately, there are no Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowriders available in the Spider Tanks Store currently, but they can still be found on the official Spider Tanks OpenSea collection!

That’s all for Snoop’s Bumpin’ Lowrider, but we’ll be back next week to talk about a 3-legged little speedster stalking throughout the arena– Scout!

If you have any strategies or builds for Scout you’d like to share, let us know on Discord or tweet at us with the hashtag #STShowcase and you may end up featured in next week’s Spider Tank Showcase!

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Come one, come all! Who will prove to be the best Pilots in the galaxy?

All across the galaxy, we come together in the arena. The great Tank Olympiad, commonly known as Spider Tanks, is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of humanity. It drives us to achieve greater goals through the crucible of competition, while also bringing each of us closer to each other, despite the vast emptiness of space that separates us.

The Pilots of the Tank Olympiad are the pride of the Planetary Union. Perfecting your Tank through tireless trial and error as you hone your skills and reflexes is one of the most admirable pursuits in the cosmos. We salute each and every one of you.

The Greater Gala Games Community Championship

While many Pilots are hatching plans for future battles during the offseason in the arena, one tournament that is quickly approaching can’t be missed by the most devoted Pilots. The time has finally come to name the Greater Gala Games Community Champions!

The road to the Championship will not be easy. The Gala Games Community Champions are Pilots with skills, adaptability and — above all — guts. The battles will be brutal, and the matches won’t exactly be fair.

A true Champion will have to persist through hardship and unseat the Primarchs… who hold all the advantages. The odds will not be in any challenger’s favor.

The Primarch Exhibition

To determine the first Gala Games Community Champions, Pilots will have to unseat the ruthless Primarchs who have stolen the seat for themselves. Through a loophole in Planetary Union bylaws, these three squatters have setup the tournament to favor them in every way!

Wanting to avoid a costly political battle with the Fabricators Guild by delaying the tournament, the Planetary Union Olympiad Commission has opted to stay silent on the issue, allowing the Primarchs’ tournament to play out. What squad of crack Pilots could possibly have the skill to beat these three terrors of the arena on their own terms?

The Primarchs’ chosen rules:

• No more than 2 matching weapons per team
• No rematches
• Adhere to the Discord rules in all matches
• The Primarchs reserve the right to disqualify players/teams at their discretion

Each week, the Primarchs will face an assault of challengers. Only the survivors from each week will advance to the next tier to fight the Primarchs on more even footing.

Tier 1:

• Challengers may use free Tanks only
• Primarchs decide the game mode and Map

Tier 2:

• Challengers may use any Tank
• No abilities allowed for challengers

Tier 3:

• Equalized levels between all Tanks
• Regular match

More information will be provided about each tier in the week leading up to it. Last Friday the event kicked off with friendly matches and festivities. This week, the real competition begins.

After these thugs are out of the way, the Gala Games Community Championship can once again be a festive time of celebration, rather than a masochistic grind against impossible odds. Once the title is liberated from the Primarchs, the community itself will be able to plan and execute the next Championship. The Community Champion title is a community role. No cheap shots though — it can be transferred only at a tournament approved and recognized by Gala Games.

A team that is able to achieve victory over the Primarchs will be named Greater Gala Games Community Champions. They will have to defend this title from future aspiring Pilots, and they may be called on to represent the community in competitions.

With great power comes great responsibility. We expect the next squad of Community Champions to be far more benevolent than these crass Primarchs. A Community Champion should be someone who lives out the values of Gala Games and Spider Tanks… we’re not just trading one set of dictators for another here! Future Community Champions should respect the responsibility of the title and display the values it embodies throughout the entire community until another Pilot wrestles it from their hands.

The Squad to Beat

These Primarchs are vicious predators in the arena, who delight in the destruction of who they view as lesser Pilots. They will crush their opposition without mercy, and any Pilots who go after them need to be fully prepared for overwhelming defeat.

These cruel tyrants reign over other Pilots from the rank of Deity, but many Pilots think their time in the spotlight is at an end. Though the rules are tilted in their favor, a squad that defeats them could lead the arena community into a new, brighter era!

ChairBandit

“Official” Interview

“All your chair are belong to me.”

ChairBandit would like every Pilot in the community to think he’s helpful. He’ll hang around and rub elbows with the new folks in the arena… make sure they’re getting along just fine. Then, when they’re most comfortable thinking they have a mentor looking out for them, they’ll find every chair they own stolen without a trace.

Death usually comes from two guns with Chair Bandit. Vanquish him with Twin Guns though and who knows, you may see his final Healing Artillery form before you explode.

Deathlicious

“Official” Interview

“Every time I get a triple kill, I think to myself… ‘That’s Deathlicious”

“Many say they aren’t afraid of Death….they just don’t want to be in my game.”

Deathlicious is the mad scientist of the trio. He may seem calm and analytical, but his name is no lie. His polite silence only masks the calculations for how to destroy you happening under the surface.

Deathlicious’s cold, mechanically efficient destruction is complemented by his versatility. Death inevitably comes for any Pilots who face him, whichever brutal methodology he chooses.

Light GG

“Official” Interview

“Look up, lights out, GG.”

You won’t see Light GG coming. He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Then you shake hands, walk away and — BOOM! A cluster of rockets to the back of the head. Light GG can bag a Flea sprinting with Speed Boosters from across the map without even breaking a sweat. You’ll have to find a way to conquer his covering fire to defeat the Primarchs.

Light GG often floats above the battlefield in his Hurricane, with his chosen Rocket Artillery of doom. Don’t count on him being a one trick pony though… that’s just one of many ways to die facing off against him.

Calling All Contenders!

Surely there is a squad of brave Pilots out there who can defeat these monsters! Calibrate your weapons, polish your chrome and get ready to liberate the Gala Games Community Championship from these cruel Primarchs!

Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements on Discord.