Hello all you pilots out there, and welcome back to the Spider Tanks Showcase!
In this edition, we’re diving into a newer tank body in the arena, but one that offers some things no other body can. This mighty body forgoes the legs of most of its competition for a smooth ride over a more traditional tank drive system.
That’s right. This week, we’re talking about Tracks. Tracks is a retro special, sporting an antique track design that was popular on the Canadian subcontinent in the 15th century of Earth’s ancient past. This tank proves why such time-tested designs were popular, as it’s highly efficient and capable of amazing bursts of power when piloted by a skilled technician.
Tracks is big. Not Titan big, but pretty dang big. Usually, Energy is strictly a function of size – not in the case of Tracks. Tracks has the single highest Energy gain of any tank body out there, meaning you can use more abilities more often.
Like the Nomad, Santa’s Sleigh or Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider, Tracks is a directional drive body. This means that it can move on impulse forward and backward but not side to side. You’ll have to adapt to this driving style if you’re not used to it, but the key is to stay in motion at all times if possible. It’ll take a while to accelerate from a stop, and you can’t turn while not moving. Keep agile and keep turning so that you can react quickly.
The Charger: Tracks/Carver
Remember how we said you get more energy than anyone else using Tracks? This combo takes full advantage of that. A Carver requires you to be up close… not a usual choice for a massive tank. With Tracks’ burst ability thanks to its energy though, you can cover a surprising amount of ground fast to chop down the competition.
Speed Boosters cost very little Energy, and with a high level Tracks you can theoretically use them pretty much whenever you need if you’re conservative with your Energy when you don’t need. Throw in a Repair Drone for another low-cost ability to keep you running smooth and you can use more abilities during the match than anyone else.
Opponents will think they’ve got your speed and reach down, then you kick on the afterburners. Make sure that you’re well repaired when you attack and choose your window well. Once you go sprinting after an enemy you’ll be a sitting duck if you turn around, so make sure they end as pieces and not you.
Mobile Triage: Tracks/Repair Artillery
While Tracks’ consistent Energy and toughness are huge assets, for many pilots the drive style of Tracks will often be a disadvantage. We can minimize that liability though by staying on the periphery of the fight when possible, and artillery makes that more possible.
With this, you’ll be playing support most often. You’ll still have the massive Energy gain to scramble and reposition if you need, but you can stay moving on the outside of the conflict, ensuring that your team stays healed and supported.
With Tracks large amount of Energy, Repair Zone could come into play as well here. Usually this ability is only useful in very few situations due to its high cost, but with Tracks you could lay down a repair zone every 20 seconds or so, allowing you to heal both team members at once.
The Burster: Tracks/Bouncer
This combo accepts that Tracks won’t be the fastest around, but it’s a much more traditional way to make a hard-hitting tank that has the chance to put out big bursts of damage when needed.
Bouncer can absolutely tear up an opposing team if you get them at the right time, and Tracks’ ability to utilize excessive amounts of Speed Boosters plays a key role here. With Tracks you can afford to be on full Energy most of the match, which means you can always be ready to make a sprint.
With this combo, you’ll want to get in and unleash your bouncies – then get out and bide your time until your next attack. Don’t boost as soon as you start your approach and give away your position. You want to save that booster until the last possible moment so that you can still use some of it to escape and prepare for your next pass. This opens up your allies to come in and clean up the mess or set you up for another run.
On Track to Victory
Tracks may be a blast from the past, but it has a lot of modern relevance in today’s arena. Don’t be turned off by the directional drive system without hopping in the pilot seat and giving this one a try… it can make big plays happen once you get used to its tendencies!
That’s all for us this week, but we’ll return next week for another Spider Tanks Showcase!
Have a body, weapon, abilities, map or game mode you’d like us to cover that we haven’t gotten to yet? Let us know on Discord and we’ll buckle up and get it ready!
When the outbreak began, billions of peoples’ stories changed drastically overnight. Only a small percentage survived. Some survivors would go on to become heroes of this new world, creating order from chaos and rebuilding from the ruins of the old world.
Tomorrow, the story of a new hero begins. An original character is coming to The Walking Dead: Empires Store – say hello to Eleonore!
Once upon a time, Eleonore was a journalist, chasing leads and finding meaning in the stories of others. Now, she uses those keen instincts and inquisitive nature to navigate the dangers of this world to survive. Your empire is young. Heroes with tenacity like Eleonore can help you grow strong.
Eleonore Sale Details
The Eleonore sale starts on Friday, August 16th at 7am PT. All rarities will be available in this sale.
The sale will continue until the supply has run out, or the card is removed to prepare for new Hero Cards.
All Eleonore Hero Cards will fulfill directly to GalaChain and will be immediately available to use within the game.
Eleonore’s a hardened survivor who wants to regain the sense of purpose she had in her old life. Building your empire could be that purpose.
Build the Future
This weekend starts the Build the Future event. Have you scavenged enough resources to climb to the top of the leaderboard?
Grow Your Empire
An empire isn’t built alone. You need heroes you can trust to fight like their lives depended on it. Eleonore is ready to do more than just survive. She’s ready to help your empire become the beacon the new world needs.
Please note that your Early Access Pass must be bridged to GalaChain in order to unlock gameplay! Prime Character NFTs are playable from your connected Ethereum wallet.
Once you’re grappling for leaderboard position with the best hero hunters in the game, you’ll know you’re among the Superior elite. Ready for Challenges?
All About Speed and Kills
Superior’s Challenge runs are not for the faint of heart, and low level characters should enter at their own peril. Updated weekly, these special runs won’t cut you any slack.
Your Challenge score is determined by two equally weighted components: Your speed and your number of kills throughout the run. Finding the right balance is up to you, but in the words of the Ronin, your mantra should always be “Kill more, kill faster.”
Each Challenge run will cost you a Challenge Key. Challenge Keys are accumulated by saving any level of Earth in normal gameplay mode.
Just like the various Private Lobby “Earth” gameplay modes, a Challenge run goes through a complete sequence of specially assembled stages.
Just like in standard gameplay, players will progress through the sequence above, completing a variety of missions, killing enemies and collecting Juice for new superpowers. Between every stage, you have a chance to take a rest in the bar, spending your Credits on perks or healing, swapping out weapons and injecting new superpower for each Juice canister you’ve collected. But you’ll need all the additional powers and upgrades you can get, because as you progress through the stages toward the boss fight, the levels get more challenging.
For completing Challenge runs, you’ll still collect character XP and level up, but it’s still a good idea to do as much leveling as possible before you start taking on the week’s challenge. Rest assured that competition for the top leaderboard spots will be tight.
Advice for the Resistance
Taking on power-crazed super heroes on multiple timelines of the ruined earth is one thing, but going up against Resistance hunters from other timelines is– well… challenging. Don’t forget that every Challenge run costs a Challenge Key.
We suggest grinding up your skills and XP taking on the different earths in Private Lobby mode. As you do this, you’ll accumulate a nice pile of Challenge Keys for the week. Then once you’re almost ready to upgrade your favorite Prime’s Infamy, spend your Challenge Keys and give yourself the best shot at the Leaderboard. The Bartender is sure to raz you hard if you don’t measure up at the end of a Challenge. For a bucket of bolts, he sure likes to cop an attitude.
Weekly Refresh
The Challenge leaderboard resets weekly, giving you a new opportunity to secure a spot on the leaderboard and get your hands on the week’s awesome prize. Challenges rotate weekly between different objectives, bosses and themes, always keeping you on your toes.
Duos and Trios
Even in Challenge mode, you can team up with your fellow hunters. You’ll find separate Leaderboards in each category (Single, Duos, Trios), each with prizes for the top finishers.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when hunting with friends:
Don’t waste time passing and sharing items, unless you can do it fast.
Share items you don’t need by clicking your mouse wheel in front of them.
Don’t wait for each other, but stay close enough for a revive if needed.
One weak link can end your run in a hurry.
There are more baddies when you have more players… Lots more.
Use gestures and graffiti for voiceless comms in-game.
A Challenge is Waiting
So how about it? Think you have what it takes?
There are two ways to get in the current early access build:
The VOX POPULI have decided that it’s time to start introducing some of the unsung heroes of the VOXVerse!
To start, we decided to sit down with Bolts McWhiffles in the newly created crafting room that is like a second home for her. This is a very capable squirrel, right at home in her trusty self-made robot contraption that helps her and has all sorts of tools and contraptions available on it to help her put things together. Bolts uses this machine as if it were an extension of herself.
She is the creator of almost every recipe that can be crafted in the VOX universe. The Leonardo da Nutci of the VOXverse. You know the creator of the Mona Peanut…
Vox Populi: Hey Bolts! Nice to meet you.
Bolts McWhiffles: Nice to be here.
VP: So where did you come from? How did a squirrel become the master of crafting with the VOX?
Bolts: Ah, my origins are as tangled as a squirrel’s nest! I was once a carefree baby nut collector, frolicking in the dappled sunlight. Then — bam! — I found myself all alone, like a hazelnut forgotten in the back of the pantry. Gala Girl, the kindest VOX you will ever meet, scooped me up and brought me to her workshop. And there it was—the magical moment when I discovered my true calling!
I started playing around with nuts and bolts and putting things together. I figured out I had a real gift for it. Far more than most of the VOX. After a time, I took over the workshop. I created these fancy 3d printing machines and have been teaching VOX on how to craft ever since.
In this real gameplay shot from development of Project Cerberus, we can see Bolts McWhiffles in action alongside VOX !
VP: But how did you become the VOX crafting guru?
Bolts: Well, I invented the Nut-o-Matic 3000 — a 3D printer that churns out widgets faster than a caffeinated chipmunk. And I taught the VOX how to wield those printing machines and little tools. They owe me a lifetime supply of hazelnuts, by the way.
VP: Is there a favorite thing you like to build?
Bolts: Anything that uses nuts of course! [McWhiffles chitters at her own joke] Seriously though, I like to build Idols. They have unique shapes; are a bit more complicated to build. The VOX have figured out how to use those idols to gain power, or to gain knowledge of more advanced items to create.
VP: Do you see anything new going on in the VOXVerse?
Bolts: Well, I have been helping the Vox Populi on creating even more recipes and items to build- and places to store them. I have been supplying specs for rooms, doors, windows and all sorts of exterior items to create to help the VOX create places to live. Its a big, exciting task.
Hot diggity dog! It’s time for Negan to make his appearance in our weekly direct Hero Card sales.
Negan is a force to be reckoned with. Negan’s past actions were distasteful, to say the least… but no one can dispute that his leadership and strength helped The Saviors survive and rise to prominence. Sound like somebody who could help grow your empire?
Sale Details
This sale takes place on Friday, August 9th at 7am PT. Negan Hero Cards will follow a tiered pricing structure based on the remaining supply, with Common Hero Cards staying at one low price throughout the sale.
This sale is not time limited, and Negan will stay available in The Walking Dead: Empires Store until the supply is exhausted or it is taken down to make room for new Heroes in the future.
Like our other direct Hero Card sales, Negans purchased in this sale will fulfill directly to GalaChain and be usable in the game right away!
Survival at Any Cost
The new event cycle for August has begun. Are you ready for this weekend’s Walker Wipeout? Have you scavenged enough this week to climb the leaderboard?
Negan will arrive for direct purchase very soon. Will you add him to your empire? Lucille is thirsty, and Negan is ready to put her to work building your empire.
