Combat & Trampler Tactics

Know Your Cannons

You've got three Trampler cannons, and they do very different jobs:

• 80mm - the heavy hitter. One big, slow round for serious damage. It sits empty by default and takes a moment to reload between shots.
• 40mm - the workhorse. Fires continuously with decent range and no reload pause, but it overheats if you hold the trigger, so fire in short bursts.
• 70mm - the shotgun cannon. Weak against Tramplers, but its wide spread makes it the best tool for killing the enemy crew up close.

A popular all-rounder is a 40mm for sustained pressure and an 80mm for the finishing blow, mounted front and back so you always have a weapon facing the threat. Which goes where is preference. For sidearms, a pair of grey revolvers is reliable in PvP - six rounds each, quick to reload, and if you're caught mid-reload you just swap to the second one.

The Target Priority That Wins Fights

This is the heart of it. There's an order, and it decides fights:

1. Go for the legs first. Cripple their mobility and half the threat is gone - they can't flank, can't escape, and become a slow, predictable target.
2. Take out their cannons next, so even stuck in place they can't punish you back.
3. Destroy the reactor to wreck the ship and stop the enemy respawning.

But that's only half the kill - the captain is still alive and can run for extraction or try to steal your ship, so you have to put them down too. Meanwhile, protect your own reactor by steering it away from the enemy's guns.

Repair or Die

Defence wins these brawls as much as offence. The second your Trampler takes damage, get on the multi-tool and patch it - the pipes, plates, and circuit boxes around the captain's quarters, crew rooms, and the reactor itself. Damaged legs slow you down, so keep those mended too.

Boarding & Stealing Ships

Once you've weakened an enemy, the boldest play is to stop trading shots and physically push your Trampler into theirs. Breach into their captain's cabin and interact with the terminal on the table - that hands you their ship and all its cargo, and instantly denies them the ability to respawn or open doors. From there you only need to kill them once and the fight's over.

Time bombs and C4 are brilliant here for blowing open doors, wheels, or cannons and clearing a path. And don't forget to grab the black box off any wrecked reactor on your way out - it's worth a tidy sum.

Build for How You Play

Your Trampler defines your whole approach, so match it to your style. Solo, go small and fast: mobility is your best defence. A booster paired with a 40mm or 80mm gives you hit-and-run flexibility, and you'll want your wheel, reactor, and cannons clustered close together so one person can manage them all. Move in, deal damage, grab what you can, and vanish.

In a squad the Trampler becomes a mobile base: load up on armour, crew rooms, and turrets to make it a nightmare to bring down, and tuck the reactor away where it's hard to hit, because experienced players aim straight for it. Then split roles - one or two players boarding and invading while another works the cannons. That coordination wins fights before they start.

Use the Terrain

The dunes aren't just scenery. Position well and you can trap bigger Tramplers by forcing them to climb at an awkward angle, turning them into a slow, exposed target while you control the fight. Drive too fast into a steep hill or a rock yourself, though, and you'll take damage and stall - so read the ground.

The PvE Fights

Not every fight is a player. NPC Tramplers go down in roughly four or five 80mm hits and drop a crate of useful bits like fuel rods, alloys, and the occasional repair kit. Ironclad robots spawn when an "eye" beacon appears on the map - they're hard to outrun, so either stay out of range or take the fight. They're clumsy on spawn, so you can land a few free shots before they wake up.

And watch the wrecks: some of the zombies out here carry guns and shoot back, with surprisingly good aim.

Quick Tips

• Legs first, then cannons, then the reactor.
• Fire the 40mm in short bursts so it doesn't overheat.
• Repair constantly - attrition wins these brawls.
• Steal a ship by taking the terminal in the captain's cabin; it kills their respawn.
• Grab the black box from every wrecked reactor.
• Solo: small and fast. Squad: a heavy mobile base with a hidden reactor.
• Use dunes to force enemies into bad, slow angles.