We’re back again! This time we’re featuring the dreaded acid wielding assassin of the arena.
Welcome back to another Spider Tanks Showcase! We hope everyone out there is having a happy Tanksgiving, full of explosive victories in the arena for you and your squad.
Today, we’re taking a deep dive into a Hero Tank that skitters around the arena with a low profile, but packs a venomous sting. It may not be flashy, but Pilots beware… this Tank can cause serious damage with its acid projectiles. This Showcase is all about The Scorpion Tank!
Scorpion rides the middle of the road in its stat spread, trending towards a little more bulk than other balanced Tank Bodies. It’s slower and tougher than other Medium Bodies like Bandit, but also packs fairly respectable Energy. Compared to a high Energy Body like Nomad, Scorpion still runs a little behind, but it will definitely get around the arena faster without sacrificing much Armor.
The Acid Sting: Scorpion/Stinger
As a Hero Tank, Scorpion comes as a complete package with its signature weapon– The Stinger. As a medium Body with a pretty unique stat spread, Scorpion can be incredibly versatile in the Weapons it’s combined with and the strategies it uses. A Scorpion combined with its original Stinger, however, is especially deadly.
Stinger will fire single acidic projectiles at an enemy, causing huge amounts of damage followed by a slowing debuff and some moderate damage over time. The acid burn won’t tick away at enemies as much as an ignite from the Flamethrower or Lava Launcher, but if you can hit consistently, the enemy will be taking damage almost constantly.
Stinger only holds one round at a time, so precision is key with this Weapon. With a reload time nearly as fast as the Crossbow though, a deadeye Pilot can keep the short DoT debuff on an enemy perpetually. The arena gets chaotic, and with your high-damage, unassuming projectiles, many Pilots may not even notice they’ve been poisoned in the crossfire until it’s too late for them.
Vicious Venom
A Stinger has decent range, but typically a little shorter than other linear weapons not designed for close range. In a heads up match with a Cannon or Twin Guns, you may find yourself just out of reach at your opponent’s max range. Use the damage over time and the slowing effect of Stinger to your advantage. Take fewer shots and hit with more. Back away between shots while your opponent’s Armor ticks away, then skitter in for another opportunity.
Finding abilities that complement this style is key for many Scorpion Pilots to climb the ranks. An Ability like Speed Booster can give you that extra push you need to dodge , or you could pick Abilities that toughen you up when you need it most, like Reactive Plating or Shield Drone.
Compared to a lot of other Bodies, Scorpion is pretty tough. You’ll be able to take a hit or two, so don’t get too frenzied in the heat of battle. The extra bulk of this Body will let you take your time and line up shots.
While your clip only holds one shot, you’ll reload just before the DoT expires from your enemies. This means that you can keep them constantly taking steady damage if you are persistent and precise with your shots. Even if the massive damage from your initial hit just barely doesn’t destroy the opposing Tank, they still have just over a half second of damage coming. In the meantime, the slow debuff helps you line up the perfect next shot.
Other Carapace Combos
While the Stinger makes a pretty perfect build alongside Scorpion, there may be some times that you want to mix it up with different combos. The Scorpion is a fairly balanced build with higher than average Armor and Energy, which actually makes it quite adaptable.
For Weapons that require precise shots, its steady speed can be an advantage. Tanks that are too fast are only adding to the relative speed of the moving target they’re shooting at. Many Pilots will find that the medium-heavy feel of a Scorpion is the perfect partner for Weapons where every shot counts, like the Cannon or the Blade Spinner.
Just like we discussed previously with the Muzzle Body, bodies that avoid the extremes on any of their stats can be incredibly versatile. Every time you run into them, you could be facing a totally different strategy.
With the right choice of Abilities, your Scorpion could boost up to be one of the fastest in the arena, or pack enough healing to stand toe to toe with the biggest Tanks. The middle is a pretty flexible place to be, and with its high Energy, Scorpion has a lot more chances to use Abilities to customize their playstyle than many other Bodies.
Scorpion Skills
Mastering the Scorpion Tank and Stinger may take some more work for Pilots used to more straightforward combos, but with how much damage this Hero Tank can do, it’s definitely worth the effort.
Stinger is a Weapon with a very unique and deadly playstyle, and the Scorpion Body itself is incredibly versatile– filling a medium/heavy, high Energy niche that many Pilots won’t find an alternative for in their Garage.
Unfortunately no Scorpion Tanks are currently available in the Spider Tanks Store, but they can still be found on the official Spider Tanks OpenSea collection!
Next week, we’ll be diving into the slow and steady terror that launches blades of death all over the arena– Tortoise!
If you have clips of you kicking Tank and taking names with Tortoise, tweet them with the hashtag #STShowcase and we may feature your battle next week!
