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Spider Tanks Showcase: Movement Abilities

October 11, 2023

Time to get a move on! Today we’re focusing on Abilities that let you dominate with positioning and maneuvering.

Hello Pilots, and welcome back to the Spider Tanks Showcase!

Today we wanted to do something a little different than usual. We’ll be zooming in on two Abilities that often feel like two sides of the same coin, yet have far different applications and strategies.

Today we’re focusing on movement Abilities, but we’ll start working our way through other Abilities available to Pilots and hopefully show you new ways to square off against the competition.

So strap in, brace yourself and get ready to go FAST as we zoom through everything about Speed Booster and Relay Drone!

Movement Abilities and Strategy Overview

Obviously, positioning is incredibly important within each and every match. Even on game modes where you aren’t necessarily fighting over an objective location, you are still whirring around in the chaos of battle and trying to defend against three other Tanks. Obstacles, bottlenecks and cover so often decide the match.

Both Speed Booster and Relay Drone get you an extra burst of movement to get where you need to go, and most Pilots will have a favorite between the two.

Many Pilots mistakenly think that Relay Drone is strictly a surprise skill and Speed Booster is for augmenting movement, but that’s not always the case. Each has their own unique advantages and situational dominance.

With any tank larger than Medium-Heavy, Relay Drone probably nets a little more distance than Speed Booster over short distances and very long distances. For the heaviest Tanks with Energy to spare, this is even more pronounced.

Speed Booster only costs 4 Energy, so it can be used pretty frequently… even by little Tanks with very low Energy regeneration. It has a long duration with a steady boost, which can allow you to put some distance between you and a threat or run down a Tank that’s the same Speed or slightly faster than you.

On the negative side, however, it’s very noticeable when you are using it and a skilled enemy will account for it. On larger Tanks, you may not get enough acceleration to change much since they’re so slow to start off. Finally, while you may be cranked up to super speed, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to run all the way around an obstacle if the enemy uses the map to their advantage.

Relay Drone costs 6 Energy, which necessitates it being used far more sparingly than Speed Booster. It will, however, give instant results. Since you can teleport independently of obstacles, you can use this Ability to instantly escape an oncoming threat, or sneak up on a Tank that thought they were safe. For large Tanks that may take 15+ seconds to cross the entire arena, even at high costs a Relay Drone can mean not always being behind the action.

For its drawbacks you obviously have the Energy Cost. For a smaller Tank, six Energy takes a long time to build which will put Relay Drone out of the question if you need readily available utility from your other Ability. Even for medium and large Tanks, six Energy is going to be a sacrifice. Jumping the gun could mean death, so your timing has to be right. To further complicate this balance, you’ll be unable to shoot for a split second after teleporting.

**Even in an all out race, Speed Booster can’t make up for the massive jump of Relay Drone on Heavier Tanks**

It’s not that either ability is overall better, but that they each have situations that they’re superior for. Need to jump away from a flame across a pit of lava? Relay Drone. Need to relentlessly pursue your target? Speed Booster.

Which situations you want to be prepared for depend on the specific battle as well as your skills and preference.

Offense in Motion

Positioning is just as crucial for the other team as it is for yours. Well timed movement can compromise all their planning and wipe their squad quickly if executed well.

Both Speed Booster and Relay Drone can bust up bunkers and do serious damage to the enemy team, but they are separate tools with separate strengths.

**Zip in, zip out, Tanks explode. Simple.**

Speed Booster offers you sustain and consistency. Most Tanks can keep up Speed Booster a good chunk of the match, so if you want to go in fast and stay fast, Speed Booster is probably the answer. What Weapons the enemy is using also can play a big part in this, because you can dodge much more effectively with Speed Booster. If the enemy is using linear Weapons like Cannon or Bouncer and you decide to come up close, you better be able to dodge what they’re going to throw at you!

Relay Drone, on the other hand, offers you a potentially game-changing effect in a one-and-done burst. You can jump right over defenses the enemy is behind and have a quick shot, or you can hop over them as they flee to unexpectedly meet their path. Unlike Speed Booster, Relay Drone only gives brief visual cues to your opponents. If you think you can beat their reaction speed, Relay Drone may be the best way.

Even with typically long range weaponry, Relay Drone can be a powerful offensive tool. For Weapons with a charge like the Railgun, the firing delay after a teleport doesn’t mean you can’t charge up right away!

Beyond each skill’s strengths, it should be mentioned that just having extra movement Abilities around creates a noticeable net benefit for your team, even if only as a deterrent. Once the enemy sees that you’re not afraid to use that Speed Booster to zip away or pop over to their healer with a Relay Drone if they rush, they’re likely to rethink their plans.

Any time that you can create doubt and confusion in the enemy is great. Three and a half minutes isn’t very long. Even a few seconds off balance for a team can totally shift the outcome of the match in your favor.

Mobile Defense

While Relay Drone and Speed Booster are regularly used to put more pressure on an enemy or separate foes to pick off isolated targets, they’re just as valuable defensively. If you’re already in a fast Tank, you shouldn’t just think of your Speed Booster as a ‘zip in for the kill’ tool. It’s also an excellent ‘get the hell out of here’ tool!

Even a Medium Tank can quickly become the fastest on the battlefield with a Speed Booster. Sometimes the best option really is to run away and regroup.

Relay Drone likewise has a pretty impressive array of defensive applications. First, there’s the ability to counter a Relay Drone with a Relay Drone. Flame pops in on you uninvited? Teleport away and gun them down from safety. When using Relay Drone to flee from danger, you can easily put obstacles between yourself and the enemy so they can’t easily catch you with just a second or two of movement. You’ve now turned a moment of disadvantage to advantage.

Wow, this would’ve been so much easier with a Relay Drone!

You don’t always have to be just fleeing from immediate danger to use Relay Drone for extra defense. Think about those moments where all six Tanks are lined up fighting for one bottleneck. You see an enemy moving towards a hole on your team to flank. Relay Drone saves the day again! You can instantly restructure your defensive formation to account for threats.

Move on Out!

This concludes today’s Showcase, but there’s plenty more to explore in the arena!

Next time we’ll be looking into the King of the Hill game mode. Send us your strategic advice or epic clips to @Spider_Tanks on Twitter or Discord for a chance to be featured in the next edition!