FRONT MISSION 5: SCARS OF WAR
WANZER BUILD FAQ
by Vedran Bozicevic "60yardsMagnum" ([email protected])

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INDEX
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1. INTRODUCTION                          [INTR]
2. JOB BUILDS                            [BLDS]
a. Assault                               [ASLT]
b. Striker                               [STRK]
c. Mechanic                              [MECH]
d. Gunner                                [GUNN]
e. Launcher                              [LNCH]
f. Jammer                                [JAMM]
3. WEAPONS                               [WEAP]
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1. INTRODUCTION                          [INTR]
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This guide deals with 6 classes or Jobs found in the game, and their
builds. Here presented are some of the possibilities on how to set up your
individual wanzers and entire party.  Each Job will have it's basic
description and tactics guide, along with possible builds. Front Mission 5
is a deep game, meaning you can customize your wanzers in many ways. I have
presented major guidelines and kept it short, the small tinkering is up to
you. I have named the builds for easier reference because it would be hard
to refer to them as Gunner build II for example, and this way they sound
cooler.

The second part deals with weaponry and contains compiled stats of all
weapon types, this can help you when comparing overall offense capabilities
of your wanzers.

The FAQ is written for normal mode, but most of the advices apply to hard
mode as well.

If you have any question, suggestions or malicious software, e-mail me.

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What is what:

<Offense>-Job's overall capacity to destroy enemy wanzers, consisting of
raw damage and possible skill boosts (note: Strikers are classified as High
offense. This is because they deal medium damage, but almost always hit the
body and have high offense boosting skills)

<Survivability>- Job's ability to take damage, basically Defense and
defense boosting skills (Mechanics have High survivability because they use
shields by default and can repair themselves, Jammers because they have
high Evasion)

<Support>- Job's ability to aid other team members. Only two Jobs have this
ability - Mechanic (repair), Jammer (repair, armor coating)

<Range>- Job's ability to deal damage from afar.

<Movement>-Job's average movement range, this depends on leg types.

<Link> - How well the Job does in link attacks. (Strikers are classified as
High because their attack uses only 1 AP, and Launchers don't have Link
attacks)

<AoE>-Area of effect. Term borowed from MMORPGs, it means that the weapons
deals damage on more than one square/target. In FM5, 3 weapons have AoE
capabilities:GR,RK and BZ.

<Tank>- another term from MMORPG's. It describes a unit which soaks up most
damage from the enemy, so that other units can act unhindered. There is no
real tanking concept in FM5, but Strikers can usually be refered to as
tanks, since they have high HP and receive much damage on the front lines.
Note: not to be confused with real tanks which appear as enemies in the
game.

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2. JOB BUILDS                              [BLDS]
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ASSAULT                                    [ASLT]
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Offense        <Medium>
Survivability  <Medium>
Support        <Low>
Range          <Medium>
Movement       <High>
Link           <Medium>
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Assault class is the most balanced class stats-wise. Pretty good offensive
power, combined with decent defense and high movement emphasize how this
class should be used-on front lines i.e. in short or medium distance
battles. Weapon of choice is either a Machinegun or a Shotgun (preferably
with a Death Shot skill). Assault pilots rely heavily on skills, and with
good skill sets they can significantly increase their damage.

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Builds
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<Raptor>
Weapons: MGx2 or MG/SG (with longer range or better accuracy)
Skills: Switch, Speed, Terror Shot, Assault Link, Striker Link
Parts: standard Assault parts
Secondary job: Gunner

The advantages of this build are that with two firearms, even if you lose
one hand you can still use the other in same fashion. If you have a MG/SG
you can use them to override enemy resistance defense. Disadvantage is the
weight of the guns, sometimes you won't be able to equip two high level
guns on the same wanzer. You can further tweak this build by using parts
with high Evasion (e.g.Gust set).

<Baneblade>
Weapons: SG+PB/KN/RD
Skills: Double Assault, Boost, Speed, Assault Link, Striker Link
Parts: Assault parts with higher defense and/or HP, and Output
Secondary job: Striker

This build trades the extra gun (or an empty hand) for a Striker weapon of
choice. Its emphasize is on damage, Striker weapons deal high damage so
your Assault wanzer can tear apart enemies much quicker (especially with
skills like Double Assault). There are two disadvantages: Striker weapons
have very limited range so you won't be able to connect with them all the
time (rendering your Double Assault useless), and, if you lose the arm
equipped with Assault weapon your wanzer will be crippled.


Additional info: If you plan to use SGs, get one with Deadshot skill on it.
Shotguns are generally not that useful since they hit all the parts, even
destroyed ones. So, if enemy has only body to be destroyed it you will just
waste your rounds hitting other parts as well. However, Dead Shot transfers
the damage from destroyed parts to active ones, so a SG with Dead Shot
skill can deal more damage than an MG. Also, it makes a certain percent of
the rounds always hit, even if the enemy evades. Backdraw is that you will
most likely need to spend some RP to remodel it.

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STRIKER                                      [STRK]
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Offense        <High>
Survivability  <Medium>
Support        <Low>
Range          <Low>
Movement       <High>
Link           <High>
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Strikers are hard  hitters. Their aim is to close the gap between itself
and the enemy and destroy them quickly with  high damage weapons which tend
to hit the body. They can also take a lot of enemy fire with high HP  and
Defense so you can use them as "tanks". Their weakness is their range -
Striker weapons can  only hit targets one square away, and not diagonally
or if targets are on elevated positions. This also makes them unusable
versus flying targets.

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Builds
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<Devastator>
Weapons: KN/PB/RD (any combination of the two)
Skills: Double Punch, Charge, Tackle, Footwork, Defense +4, Striker Link
Parts: High Defense& HP + Turbo backpack
Secondary job: Mechanic

This build is pure offensive power. With high Defense and HP your Striker
will be able to take tremendous damage and still be operational along with
dealing high damage. Skills are offensive with some added defense bonus
(e.g. Defense I from Mechanic job). Backdraw is the lack of evasion.

<Predator>
Weapons: KN/PB/RD (any combination of the two)
Skills: Double Punch, Charge, Tackle, Footwork, Striker Link, Evasion+2%,
Revenge
Parts: Sriker parts with high evasion + Turbo backpack
Secondary job: Jammer

This build uses less durable Strikers, but with high evasion. Tactics are
the same, but be careful of Launchers, their attacks can't be avoided so
this can cause problems. Get Feint from Jammer.


Additional info: Strikers excel at links. Their attack uses only 1 AP so
get them close to the enemy and let them loose. You can easily rack up
kills with this tactic, especially if you position your Striker between two
or even three (this is rare but possible) enemies.
You can also equip shield on Strikers, although this has it's limitations,
mainly in damage department. On the other hand, use a Devastator type
Striker with a 30% damage cut shield and laugh at the enemies and their
puny attempts to destroy him. You can also equip EMP backpacks on your
Strikers. This will lower their damage capacity but can prove useful on
occasions. It enables them to disable wanzers and then attack them as well
as provide sensor support to your Launchers. It can be a nice alternative
to Jammers.

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MECHANIC                                       [MECH]
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Offense        <Low>
Survivability  <High>
Support        <High>
Range          <Medium>
Movement       <Medium>
Link           <Medium>
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Mechanics are the primary healing class. Their job is to keep other units
alive and running, and sometimes aid in  offense with Assault as their
secondary job class. Although they'll spend most of time healing,
Mechanics can be decent attackers if set up well. This refers to both their
gear and battle  tactics. They have high defense, and since they are
suitable for shield use, this just adds to  their respectable defense,
along with skills like Defense and Block Damage xx. Since their second  job
is Assault they should use MG or SG as a primary weapon. Shields limit
their attacking potency  but this can be solved by equipping a shield with
skill Remove Shield Limit. Although they will never have high damage
output, use them to initiate links.

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Builds
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<Enginseer>
Weapons: MG/SG+SD with Damage cut 20-30%
Skills: Defense, Block Damage xx, Repair AP-2, Slice Shot
Parts: Parts with higher HP&Defense+Repair backpack
Secondary job: Assault

Using a high damage cutting shield and all the Mechanic's defensive skills,
you get yourself a sturdy tank/healer. Main focus is on healing, and with
defensive capabilities, it shouldn't be too hard to survive.

<Secutor>
Weapons: MG/SG+SD with Remove Shield Limit skill
Skills: Defense, Block Damage xx, Repair AP-2, Slice Shot, Weakpoint
Parts: Mechanic parts mixed with Assault parts (especially arms)+Light
Repair backpack
Secondary job: Assault

Get a shield with Remove Shield Limit skill on it. It has lower protection
but it will enable the Mechanic to perform two normal attacks  in one turn.
These shield are typically lighter so use the extra free output to equip a
stronger MG or SG and/or better better arm parts, for example Assault arms
which have better acuracy. You can also get  a weapon with Remove Shield
Limit skill, but I think shield is better because weapons with that ability
usually have lower damage. Light Repair backpack will give you even more
Output.

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GUNNER                                           [GUNN]
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Offense        <High>
Survivability  <Low>
Support        <Low>
Range          <High>
Movement       <Low>
Link           <Medium>
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Gunners, along with Strikers and Launchers are high damage dealing class.
They trade their survivability for range and offensive abilities. Position
them behind Assaults and Strikers but still not too far away from the front
lines. They can deal massive damage but go down easily, so positioning them
is important. A good position is on higher grounds if available, if not
then behind and to the side of front liners (usually 3-4 squares behind).
This way they can deal damage and not worry about damaging allies with
friendly fire, or getting themselves attacked. Some of the skills (Aim,
Snipe) leave them immobile for a turn and they can be easily outmaneuvered,
so be aware of the enemy movements. Gunners have three weapons of choice,
and each weapon is unique. Note that Gunner weapons can be used with one
hand, but then they suffer from accuracy penalties.

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BUILDS
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<Sentinel>
Weapons: RF
Skills: Snipe, Quick Draw, Zoom, Panic Shot , Accuracy+2%, Max AP+1, Gunner
Link
Parts: Standard Gunner parts
Secondary job: Assault

Most common build for a Gunner. Rifles deal good damage, have excellent
range and can have good weapon skills (e.g. Penetration). They hit one part
per attack and are good versus Strikers and Launchers. They can easily pick
of Launchers with a combination of their range and Snipe skill. If you're
fighting a Striker, don't use Aim or Snipe, because they will tear your
Gunner apart.

<Invader>
Weapons: BZ
Skills: Snipe, Quick Draw, Zoom, Accuracy+2%, Max AP+, Gunner Link
Parts: Gunner parts with higher Accuracy
Secondary job: Assault

Bazookas deal even greater damage than rifles and they have AoE damage, so
they can destroy enemies fast. They deal Impact/Fire class damage and the
explosion never misses. However, they have lower range and accuracy, and
minimum range of 3 squares. This means enemies can often get in your blind
spot (too far away or too close). If you use close combat formations, don't
use bazooka Gunners because friendly fire will hurt you more than the
enemy.

<Rhino>
Weapons: GG
Skills: Zoom, Panic Shot , Accuracy+2%, Max AP+1, Gunner Link
Parts: Standard Gunner parts possibly with a mix of Assault parts
Secondary job: Assault

Gunners with Gatling guns act as a hybrid of the Gunner and the Assault
jobs. Tactics are the same as with Raptor Assaults, the only difference is
that Gunners go down more quickly.


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LAUNCHER                                           [LNCH]
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Offense        <High>
Survivability  <Low>
Support        <Low>
Range          <High>
Movement       <Low>
Link             /
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Launchers have the best range in the game, along with high damage and
possibility for best AoE. The sheer damage of their weapons makes them
formidable class and makes up for the lack of Link attacks. They must
remain behind everyone else and deliver their damage from safety. In this,
they are similar to Gunners, however their speciality lies in Area of
Effect (AoE) damage, which they deliver with Grenade and Rocket launchers.
Note that in indoor missions, GR and RK are unusable.

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BUILDS
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<Whirlwind>
Weapons: MSx2
Skills: MS Burst, Inferno, AP cost 0, Max AP+, AP Charge+, Defense+4
Parts: Standard Launcher parts
Secondary job: Striker/Assault

First of the two Launcher builds, this one focuses only on direct damage
instead of AoE. Missiles are the most reliable weapon - they have enormous
range and do not miss. Use them as openers on enemy wanzers. EMP Sensors
backpack are useful if you're planning on having Launchers, since they
increase their range to wherever the carrier of the backpack is.

<Basilisk>
Weapons: MS+GR/RK
Skills: MS Burst, Wildfire/Carnage, AP cost 0, Max AP+, AP Charge+,
Defense+4
Parts: Standard Launcher parts
Secondary job: Striker

The second Launcher build combines Missiles and either a Grenade or Rocket
launcher for AoE. The tactic is obvious - if there are many enemies grouped
together  use your GR/RK, if not, use  your MS. The difference between GR
and RK is that GR hits the specified target for normal damage and
surrounding targets for decreased damage equally on all parts, while RK
hits all targets and their parts in range for a random damage.


Additional info: Launcher's main problems are limited ammo and lack of AP.
Launcher weapons are the only weapons which use ammo, so be sure to bring
ammo items with you. As for the AP problem, of course, first thing to do it
to equip all those Max AP and AP Charge skills. Other than that, watch
where you place your Launchers. If you use too much AP on movement, you
probably won't have enough to do your attack. Considering their low
movement, all Launchers should be equipped with Hover type legs.

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JAMMER                                                [JAMM]
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Offense        <Low>
Survivability  <High>
Support        <High>
Range          <Medium>
Movement       <Medium>
Link           <Medium>
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Jammers are the the most versatile Job of the game. Their standard tactics
include disabling enemy wanzers with EMP backpacks and debuffing them with
skills. They also fit other roles, for example their backpacks also
increase the range of Launchers, or they can equip certain EMP backpacks
that allow them to repair allies or give them additional armor coating for
a limited period. However, this all-round ability means that they don't
excel in any area such as offense or defense. They are useful in normal
group situations, but 1-on-1 they are quickly overwhelmed. They can equip 4
variations of default EMP backpack, but they don't have much gearing
possibilities and so they fall in two different builds.

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BUILDS
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<Hellhound>
Weapons: FT/SG/MG
Skills: Feint, Fix Damage, Minus Shot, Freeze Shot, Hellfire, Evasion+2%
Parts: Standard Jammer parts+EMP or EMP Sensor backpack
Secondary job: Assault

This is a standard Jammer build. Use the EMP backpack to disable enemy
wanzers and then attack them. Use your high Evasion to remain alive.
Flamethrowers are default weapons, and are somewhat good, but MG and SG
beat them in almost every segment. FT are only good for the Hellfire
ability.

<Chimera>
Weapons: FT/SG/MG
Skills: Feint, Fix Damage, Minus Shot, Freeze Shot, Evasion+2%
Parts: Standard Jammer parts+EMP Repair or Repair EMP backpack
Secondary job: Assault

This build utilizes repair functions of certain EMP backpacks and gives
Jammer the ability to become a secondary healer. He will be able to deal
damage, repair allies, give them support through additional armor coatings
and use EMP disabling abilities on enemies. Still, his damage will be low
and the repairs not as good as Mechanic's.

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WEAPONS                                                 [WEAP]
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There are 12 types of weapons in total (not counting the special weapons in
Hard mode), and they all fall in 3 damage categories: Piercing, Impact,
Fire. If you use a weapon of one type (e.g. Impact) and the enemy wanzers
has that resistance (Impact), the damage you deal will be reduced by around
25% so make sure to bring weapons of various types. Weapons can further be
classified as one-shot (e.g. Rifle) or multi-shot weapons (e.g. Machine
gun). That means higher accuracy is more important on one-shot weapons - if
they have low accuracy they will miss completely, where low accuracy for
multi-shot weapons means lower damage, but damage nevertheless.

All weapons attack twice in one turn (this is referred as one attack),
except Launcher weapons, who attack only once (consequently, their damage
is much higher compared to other weapons).

The next list is a list of compiled weapons damage stats. The point rating
is based on maximum damage that a certain weapon type can inflict, and
therefore is not 100% accurate. For example, if a MG's damage is rated as
100, one must take into account that the average accuracy of a MG is around
80% meaning that the real damage would be something like 80-100. Because of
the accuracy oscillations on both weapons and Arm parts it would be
impractical (and hard because I'm no math genius) to calculate them all.
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MG 846
SG 832
FT 712
GG 1092
RF 734
BZ 910
KN 460
PB 532
RD 666
MS 942
GR 1072
RL 1072
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Launcher weapons have the highest damage, followed by Gunner weapons, then
comes Assault and the last are Striker weapons. Once again, this is raw
damage capacity for reference, and it's not completely accurate. For
example, Striker weapons have the lowest damage. However, this is
supplemented by the extra free weight they get from Turbo backpack and the
fact that Striker weapons often hit Body. Gatling guns deal high damage,
but their low accuracy makes this damage much lower.
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JOB COMPARISON

A comparison chart of all 6 Jobs:
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//////// | Assault  Mechanic  Gunner  Launcher Striker  Jammer   |
Offense  | Medium   Low       High    High     High      Low     |
Surviva. | Medium   High      Low     Low      Medium    High    |
Support  | Low      High      Low     Low      Low       High    |
Range    | Medium   Medium    High    High     Low       Low     |
Movement | High     Medium    Low     Low      High      Medium  |
Link     | Medium   Medium    Medium   /       High      Medium  |
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CREDITS
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-Thanks to Gamefaqs for hosting this guide
-Thanks to Square Enix for making an awesome game called Front Mission 5
-Thanks to the fan translation project team

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