Meltdown:
A Guide to Upgrades
By: Alice Kojiro (MotherKojiro(AT)gmail(DOT)com)
Note: This work is mine exclusively. I've spent several hours writing it. If
you don't believe me, try writing one yourself. Anyway, if you need to contact
me, just send me an e-mail. E-mails have 3 main criteria. First of all, they
need a subject line that tells me that the message is about my walkthrough.
Another important criterion is that it needs to be suggestions about the
walkthrough. I don't appreciate invitations to blogs, invites to chat rooms,
flaming, or anything like that. Your suggestions can be anything from spelling
and grammatical errors to new sections you think I should add. The only other
reason you should be writing to me is to ask me to use this guide on your
website. You cannot do so without my consent, as it is illegal. All you need
to do is ask and it is highly unlikely that I will deny you the use of this
guide. You also have to give me credit for writing this. Failure to do so is
plagiarism. I appreciate your cooperation. Thanks for choosing this guide.
~Kojiro
=======
History
=======
Version 1.0 - A guide that tells you what all of the upgrades for your equipment
and level perks are, and what they do.
=================
Table of Contents
=================
I. Intro
II. Thanks
III. Guns
A. Submachine Gun (SMG)
B. Shotgun
C. Revolver
D. Grenade Launcher
E. Flamethrower (Flamer)
F. Heavy Machine Gun
G. Spread Gun
H. Crossbow
I. Rocket Launcher
J. Shocker
IV. Equipment
A. Melee Weapons
B. Body Armor
C. Head Gear
D. Shoulders
E. Face Gear
V. Skills
A. Specialist
B. Soldier
C. Medic
D. Prestige
========
I. Intro
========
I'm part of a neat little website called SteamGifts, where people give out free
Steam games that you can enter to win; the winner is chosen completely at
random from the pool of entrants. I love the site, not just because I give and
get free stuff, but more importantly, because I get to learn about new games.
Let's be real: you know about Diablo, Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, and all that
as soon as it comes out, but there are countless great little games that fly
completely under the radar. Meltdown is one of those games, which I found on
that very site, and while Twin Stick Shooters usually aren't my thing, it looked
interesting, so I put in, and managed to win a copy.
As it turns out, this is a great game, even for those who aren't hardcore fans
of the genre. I absolutely quarter munch my way through Smash TV, but I had no
real difficulty with this. In fact, because of the great design, and the
ability to grow stronger, I managed to solo every mission at least once without
the use of 1-ups, which act as your continues. You have a really nice variety
of weapons, armor, and above all, perks to accommodate numerous playstyles.
The online community is pretty dead, but I even managed to find a few buddies
now and again.
This game has a lot of content. Despite having only 30 short missions, there
are a lot of equipment options; I put 56 hours into this, which is almost as
many as my first playthrough of Yakuza Kiwami 2. It's hard to tell what's
going to be good just at a glance; this guide aims to fix that by be detailing
everything that's available for purchase, what it does, how good it gets, and
how much it all costs. If you're the type that likes to plan out your grind,
this is the guide for you! I decided not to go with a full walkthrough,
because the stages are pretty linear, and from what I've seen from other
players, not many would prefer my more aggressive playstyle, which my students
used to call "melee and pray".
==========
II. Thanks
==========
Phenomenon for making this game.
Steamgifts and all of its staff for maintaining such a great site.
The Steamgifts user, whose name I cannot remember or look up, for this gift.
Everyone who popped in for those 2am "just one more misson" game sessions...
and then again at 7am for an eye-opener before work. I had a blast, guys!
My lady for living with all the Dubstep robot massacre.
=========
III. Guns
=========
I decided to give the guns their own section, because their upgrades are the
most complex. Every gun has 6 different perks, each with 3 levels, and there
are 2 per each of the 3 tiers. For example, the first tier of the Shotgun has
Ammo Belt and Long Barrel; you will need to put 3 points into either of these
perks in order to be able to put points into anything from the next tier:
Focused Sights or Rapid Fire. You can also choose to put 3 points each into
both of the perks from a tier, but be aware that you can only put 9 points
into any gun by default, so choose wisely... Or don't; at any time, you can
reset your gun's upgrades for free, and receive equivalent points that act as
skill vouchers to redistribute as you see fit. Feel free to experiment!
For each gun, I'll give a brief look at what it does, how I like it, and which
upgrades I feel work best. Again, I love my melee attacks, so your mileage may
vary. The price for each gun listed is the price to purchase that gun; the
cost of upgrades is exactly the same for each level of each gun, seen just
below. Note that a capital C after a number is how many chips it costs.
"Level 12, you say!? Madness!" Yes, by default, your guns only reach Level 9,
but every time you gain a prestige level, you can upgrade each gun one level
further. To further complicate things, some guns are unlocked when you reach a
certain level, but the other half are unlocked when their "predecessor" reaches
its maximum level, which is 9 without prestige, but increases by one with each
prestige level. For example, to unlock the spread gun, you have to max out the
upgrades for your shotgun. If this prestige thing makes no sense, don't worry;
it's covered in the last section of the guide.
One last thing is the format; each gun will be laid out as such:
--------
Gun Name
--------
Level at which it is unlocked/gun to max out to unlock
Initial cost (upgrades are all the same)
Total Cost (includes initial purchase and all upgrades)
Perk 1 Tier 1 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk 2 Tier 1 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk 1 Tier 2 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk 2 Tier 2 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk 1 Tier 3 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk 2 Tier 3 - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Stuff about the gun, how I like it, and which perks I think are best
-----------------------
A. Submachine Gun (SMG)
-----------------------
Level 1
N/A (You start with this)
$3500 35C
This is your starter gun, and it's not bad. As expected, it rapidly fires weak
bullets that wear your enemies down. I usually use it to do exactly that, and
then rush in for a melee kill, snagging a nice experience bonus. Because of
its rapid fire rate, Heatsink isn't a terrible investment, so you can keep
on shooting, but Nanite Ammo makes your ammo regenerate, which is very helpful
if you haven't maxed out the Specialist skill tree yet. Heavy Barrel increases
your damage, which is always a wise investment, and Ice Cold Bullets keep your
heat down very effectively. I honestly have no idea what benefits Exploding
Bullets has, other than looking neat.
----------
B. Shotgun
----------
Level 2
$50
$3550 35C
Ammo Belt - Ammo Capacity +20% - 40% - 60%
Long Barrel - Range +3% - 7% - 10%
Focused Sights - Critical Chance +3% - 6% - 9%
Rapid Fire - Fire Rate +15% - 30% - 45%
Knockback Bullets - Knockback Chance +10% - 20% - 30%
Slugs - Damage +6% - 12% - 18%
BUY THIS NOW! The shotgun isn't the best gun, but it's super cheap, and really
effective for the earlier missions; you can go very far with this gun! You can
one shot tougher enemies - those damned missile tanks come to mind - and it's
great for punching through the shields on turrets. If you're really skilled,
you can put yourself at just the right distance to weaken an enemy with this
for a melee kill follow-up. Long Barrel adds much-needed range, Rapid Fire
makes this very quick, and Slugs make you an absolute monster.
-----------
C. Revolver
-----------
Level 9
$600
$4100 35C
Rapid Fire - Fire Rate +15% - 30% - 45%
Ammo Belt - Ammo Capacity +15% - 30% - 45%
Focused Sights - Critical Chance +5% - 10% - 15%
Fast Mags - Reload Speed +16% - 30% - 50%
Piercing Bullets - Penetrate Chance 33% - 66% - 100%
Double Action - Double Fire Chance 33% - 66% - 100%
This weapon isn't great. It's a sniper weapon, which is fine, but not only are
you usually dealing with large crowds, it isn't that strong, so it doesn't even
snipe all that well. It's slow and has low ammo, so either Tier 1 upgrade will
help. I've never gotten much use out of reloading speed, and Focused Sights
will give you a decent chance at being able to snipe enemies. Double Action
fires 2 bullets per shot, which increases damage, but do be aware that this
also consumes 2 bullets from your ammo; it's a good perk once you've maxed out
the Specialist skill tree.
-------------------
D. Grenade Launcher
-------------------
Level 14
$1000
$4500 35C
This is one of my favorite weapons, and from the moment I got it, I never let
go of it. It takes some time to get used to the grenades not exploding on
impact, and I actually hated this when I first got it. Once you do, and you've
upgraded it, you will be capable of absolute devastation at a pretty decent
range. Not only that, but this lobs its shots, meaning that cover won't help
enemies. Long Barrel is nice, but doesn't make as much of a difference as
Rapid Fire, and Blast Radius can pick up some of the range slack, but in all
directions. Shrapnel is great, of course, because who doesn't want extra
damage? Knockback isn't a favorite of mine, because I'd rather take care of
enemies permanently, and the best way to do that is to have them clustered
together. Cluster fires 2 or 3 grenades with each shot, and that eats ammo,
but the damage and range make it more than worthwhile; Blast Radius is a good
supplement if you have prestige levels.
------------------------
E. Flamethrower (Flamer)
------------------------
Level 20
$1600
$5100 35C
This is the only weapon that I found to be completely useless, which is sad,
because flamethrowers are usually a lot of fun. They're usually great DPS
weapons, but this just doesn't hit fast or hard enough to do well at that, and
its short range and thin stream mean that even the Submachine Gun is usually
the better choice. Heatsink is a must, because it heats up (duh) very quickly
- another big fault that it has - and ammo usually isn't a problem; certainly
not as big a problem as overheating. Long Barrel helps with the range problem,
and is probably the better choice for Tier 2, because Afterburn lights enemies
on fire for damage over time, which is not that useful for a game like this.
Definitely go with Napalm, because you'll need all the extra damage you can
get, but Spread Nozzle is an okay addition, if you have prestige.
--------------------
F. Heavy Machine Gun
--------------------
Max out Submachine Gun
$2000
$5500 35C
This is like a better Submachine Gun, though it doesn't have Ice Cold Bullets,
so it will heat up more quickly. Heatsink vs. Nanite Ammo is, again, a
question of whether you have maxed out the Specialist skill tree. Heavy Barrel
is added damage, which is useful, as always. I usually pick Piercing Bullets
in Tier 3, because when your bullets go through enemies and hit others, you can
control an advancing army pretty effectively.
-------------
G. Spread Gun
-------------
Max out Shotgun
$2500
$6000 35C
Ammo Belt - Ammo Capacity +20% - 40% - 60%
Long Barrel - Range +4% - 8% - 12%
Focused Sights - Critical Chance +3% - 6% - 9%
Rapid Fire - Fire Rate +16% - 30% - 50%
Knockback Bullets - Knockback Chance +10% - 20% - 30%
Slugs - Damage +6% - 12% - 18%
While the Shotgun is the letter of a shotgun, this is the spirit; think Contra,
but with a much shorter range. OK, now imagine incredible DPS as each shot
rips through whatever's close to you. This is for close-quarters crowd
control, and is great for bosses, because it deals a lot of damage very
quickly, though not as effective for the final boss because of how it attacks;
getting close is a big mistake. Its biggest flaw is its range, so grab that
Long Barrel right away, and Rapid Fire for even crazier damage. Slugs, of
course, turn this thing into an absolute woodchipper, so grab those, too. If
you have prestige, I'd recommend Ammo Belt, just to keep this thing going even
longer, but with the number of hits you'll be getting, Focused Sights isn't a
terrible choice, either.
-----------
H. Crossbow
-----------
Max out Revolver
$3000
$6500 35C
Heavy Barrel - Damage +11% - 22% - 33%
Ammo Belt - Ammo Capacity +15% - 30% - 45%
Focused Sights - Critical Chance +10% - 20% - 30%
Fast Mags - Reload Speed +16% - 30% - 50%
Piercing Bullets - Penetrate Chance 33% - 66% - 100%
Double Action - Double Fire Chance 33% - 66% - 100%
This gets a little closer to what the Revolver was trying to do, but I don't
like this quite as much as I did its spiritual cousin: the Army Carbine in
Bastion. I did get good with this, but it was more a function of my making it
work than its actual competence. Once again, this is a sniper weapon that just
doesn't quite have the punch to make itself useful. It does have more punch
and better range than the Revolver, though, so I still had some fun with it.
Heavy Barrel is a must for something like this, and Focused Sights gives you a
better chance to kill your target; I never got much use out of reload speed,
espeically with a weapon this slow. Double Action is a great choice for more
damage, but Piercing Bullets is not to be underestimated, especially with range
like this; my favorite thing to do with the Crossbow was to line up trick
shots, and ghost 3 or 4 enemies all stupidly standing in a nice line for me.
With prestige, you can have them both!
------------------
I. Rocket Launcher
------------------
Max out Grenade Launcher
$3500
$7000 35C
Here's your sniper weapon! This has better range than the Grenade Launcher,
but if your enemy is behind cover, the rockets will just sail uselessly over
their heads, so I liked grenades better. It's still a great weapon that's fun
to use, though. It's a toss-up between Long Barrel and Rapid Fire; they're
both helpful, but luckily, if you want to find out for yourself, the game has
that great skill refund system, so you can experiment to find what works for
you. Shrapnel means more damage, so of course, that's the prize of Tier 2.
Like the Grenade Launcher, Cluster and Blast Radius are both great, but the
former is the more useful; it's the kind of 3-Way Shot you'd see in a Scrolling
Shooter from back in the day. With prestige, I'd say to get them both.
----------
J. Shocker
----------
Max out Flamethrower (Flamer)
$5000
$8500 35C
Heatsink - Reduce Heat 15% - 30% - 45%
Ammo Belt - Ammo Capacity +10% - 20% - 30%
Long Barrel - Range +4% - 8% - 12%
Chain Lightning - Extra Bolts 1 - 2 - 3
High Voltage - Damage +6% - 12% - 18%
Electrocute - Electrocution Chance - 15% - 30% - 45%
Imagine a flamethrower, but that shoots chain lightning. This was the last gun
that I picked up, but I never put this down, either. It does better damage
than the Flamethrower, and while that needs almost all of its perks to be
adequate, this is a good weapon that becomes almost broken with its perks; a
true upgrade. For constant stream weapons like this, Heatsink is always your
friend. Long Barrel is helpful, but Chain Lightning means that when you hit an
enemy, electricity will arc to as many as 3 additional nearby enemies; the
crowd control potential with this is just unreal. High Voltage is a damage
boost, so I highly recommend that. Electrocution leaves an enemy stunned (like
those annoying floating spheres do to you all the time), but doesn't work on
bosses, and doesn't reach 100%, so it's up to you whether you'd rather have
this or Long Barrel. Personally, I used Long Barrel instead, and still managed
to solo the final boss without using a 1-up my first time, so you probably
won't need it.
=============
IV. Equipment
=============
Everything else goes here, because upgrades are super simple. In fact, melee
weapons can't even be upgraded, and just do straight damage with no perks. To
understand the armor, it is helpful to understand the difference between shield
and health. There is no "defense" in this game; you have a shield that absorbs
all damage, until it runs out, at which point, you start losing health from
attacks. The shield regenerates after a moment when you're not actively taking
damage, but only health normally has pick-ups to recover it, though with level
perks, you can get shield pick-ups and health regeneration. The format will be
as follows:
Melee Weapon - Level unlocked - Price - Damage Range
Armor Name - Level Unlocked
Puchase Cost - First Upgrade Cost - Second Upgrade Cost
Perk - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
Perk - What it does at 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
My thoughts on this item
Like with guns, a number with a capital C afterwards is how many chips an
upgrade costs. Unlike with guns, however, purchasing a piece of armor will put
it at 1 star, rather than zero, so each item has only 2 upgrades. You will
also see items with a number and a capital P after it in the level requirement;
this denotes the prestige level that must also be reached to unlock the item.
Note that some items are incompatible with each other. I do not have that
information in this guide, but may add it if enough people want it. All you
need is one of the items to figure it out; equip that, and go to purchase the
other item in question, and red text will indicate that these 2 do not go
together.
----------------
A. Melee Weapons
----------------
I use melee weapons pretty heavily, not just because that's my usual playstyle,
but also because you get more experience by killing an enemy with one. You
only have to deal the killing blow with a melee weapon for this bonus. Yes,
the Fire Axe and Battle Wrench have different prices, but the same attack
power; I was not able to find any real differences between them.
-------------
B. Body Armor
-------------
This is your main armor, of course, and most of them have accompanying shoulder
and head gear, which have the same perks, but to a lesser degree. Equipping
all 3 pieces to one of these sets does not give you any additional bonuses, but
in many cases, resistances will add up to 100% with all 3, so you will acquire
an immunity.
Tactical Armor - Level 1
N/A (You start with this) - $50 1C - $100 2C
Ammo Capacity +5% - 10% - 15%
Ammo Regeneration +1% - 1% - 1%
Pretty basic, with no shield or health bonuses, but regenerating ammo is very
helpful, especially in the beginning, before you've maxed out the Specialist
skill tree.
Enforcer Armor - Level 10
$400 - $150 2C - $250 3C
Health +10 - 15 - 25
Shield +5 - 10 - 15
This has pretty decent health and shield bonuses for early in the game.
Carbon Armor - Level 18
$700 - $250 2C - $350 3C
Shield +5 - 10 - 15
Shotgun/Spread Gun Damage +7% - 14% - 20%
Weapon Fire Rate +3% - 6% - 10%
You sacrifice a health bonus for the sake of powering up a gun that's already
strong, and being able to fire more quickly. Honestly, I don't think that's a
great trade-off.
Stealth Armor - Level 25
$1200 - $200 2C - $400 3C
Move Speed +5% - 10% - 15%
Dodge Speed +5% - 10% - 15%
Melee Weapon Damage +8% - 16% - 25%
No health or shield bonuses, but your melee weapons hit a lot harder, and you
become much faster. If you're all about melee and have decent skill and
reflexes, then this is a great choice.
Shadow Armor - Level 31 1P
$2500 - $400 3C - $600 4C
Health +7 - 14 - 20
Gun Damage +3% - 6% - 10%
Poison Resistance +15% - 30% - 50%
Decent if you like guns, but honestly, I've never once encountered anything
that can poison the player, so I don't think that poison resistance actually
does anything.
Company Armor - Level 38
$2000 - $400 2C - $600 3C
Health +10 - 20 - 30
Shield +10 - 20 - 30
Machine Gun Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
This makes the Enforcer Armor obsolete, making it a solid choice, and the
increase to damage done by the Submachine Gun and Heavy Machine Gun is a nice
extra, though you'll likely have moved on by the time you get this.
Hazmat Armor - Level 44
$2000 - $1000 2C - $1200 3C
Electrocution Resistance +20% - 35% - 50%
Shield +10 - 20 - 30
No health bonus, but a shield bonus equal to that of the Company Armor with the
added benefit of resisting electrocution, which is super annoying. If you know
that you're going to be fighting a lot of those floating spheres, this might be
a good choice, but I stuck with the health bonus, myself, as that helps against
all enemies.
Guardian Armor - Level 46 1P
$3500 - $1500 3C - $2000 4C
Shield Regeneration Speed +10% - 20% - 30%
Shield +15 - 30 - 45
Projectile Range +3% - 6% - 10%
This has a very high shield bonus, and also increases your shield regeneration
speed! I used this one almost until the end of the game, and the added range
is great, if you like using things like the Spread Gun or Grenade Launcher.
Nano Armor - Level 41 2P
$4000 - $1200 3C - $2000 5C
Shield +10 - 20 - 30
Critical Chance +1% - 2% - 3%
Revolver/Crossbow Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
Critical chance is always a gamble, especially when it's that low, and even
with the damage bonus, the Revolver and Crossbow still aren't strong enough to
be great sniper weapons. I didn't care much for this one, especially at such a
high price.
Titan Armor - Level 44 2P
$4500 - $2000 3C - $2500 5C
Health +10 - 20 - 30
Fire Rate +5% - 10% - 15%
Flamer/Shocker Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
The health bonus is OK, but it's not super high, and a shield bonus would be
more useful. I used this with the Flamethrower, and it still wasn't a great
weapon, so I don't think it's enough of a boost, though it might be great with
a Shocker. By the time I got the Shocker, I already had something better, so
I didn't care too much for this one.
Juggernaut Armor - Level 50 3P
$5000 - $3000 4C - $4000 6C
Health +15 - 30 - 45
Heavy Hit Resistance +20% - 35% - 50%
Knockback Resistance +20% - 35% - 50%
Great health bonus, and despite the lack of shield bonus, this resists hitstun.
This is so useful, especially to those who favor melee, because your combos
will go uninterrupted unless you get electrocuted or die. I wouldn't bother
with it, unless you're wearing the other Juggernaut items, though, as
inconsistency in hitstun can do more harm than good in the grand scheme of
things. I actually prefer this over the Guardian Armor, because its shield
regeneration speed boost isn't quite enough for it to outweigh the lack of
hitstun.
------------
C. Head Gear
------------
Though these mostly follow the body armor, there are also a number of unique
items here. In fact, this is the largest category in the entire game.
Default - Level 1
N/A (You start with this) - N/A - N/A (Cannot be upgraded)
Experience Gain +10%
Move Speed +6%
For a starting item, this is great; the increased experience is extremely
helpful before you reach Prestige Level 3, and being able to move faster is a
huge help for beginners.
Head Rag - Level 4
$150 - $50 2C - $100 3C
Health +5 - 10 - 15
Health bonuses are always a good investment, and this gives you a lot of bang
for your buck.
Baseball Cap - Level 8
$300 - $100 2C - $200 3C
Coin Drops +10% - 20% - 30%
Most of this game is grinding, so I wore this for most of the game. That said,
you can get an awful lot of money from mystery boxes at the end of a mission,
if they decide to be kind to you.
Carbon Mask - Level 16
$400 - $150 1C - $250 2C
Shield +3 - 6 - 10
Fire Rate +2% - 4% - 6%
Not a bad choice if you prefer guns; this is a decent shield bonus for head
gear, too.
Beret - Level 20 1P
$600 - $350 2C - $500 3C
Health +5 - 10 - 15
Experience Gain +5% - 10% - 15%
This is just about the only thing I wore at Prestige Levels 1 and 2, because it
has the same health bonus as the Head Rag, and experience is the only thing
that really matters before hitting Prestige Level 3. Yes, the game calls it a
Berret; that is not the correct spelling.
Stealth Mask - Level 22
$600 - $200 1C - $300 2C
Move Speed +3% - 6% - 10%
Dodge Speed +3% - 6% - 10%
A great companion to the Stealth Armor, if you prefer using skill to avoid
attacks over using armor to absorb them.
Cowboy Hat - Level 28
$800 - $400 2C - $600 3C
Shotgun/Spread Gun Damage +3% - 6% - 10%
Reload Speed +5% - 10% - 15%
This is a decent choice if you like slower weapons, but I didn't use it too
much; the Shotgun and Spread Gun have plenty of power on their own.
Shadow Helmet - Level 33 1P
$1200 - $500 2C - $700 3C
Health +4 - 8 - 12
Gun Damage +2% - 4% - 6%
Poison Resistance +10% - 20% - 30%
Like with the Shadow Armor, it's okay if you like guns, but I don't think that
the poison status even exists in this game. Also, the only face gear that is
compatible with this is the Headphones.
Shamaugh - Level 40 2P
$1200 - $400 2C - $800 3C
Grenade/Rocket Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
Weapon Cooldown Speed +7% - 14% - 20%
This is a great choice for explosive enthusiasts, as they can overheat quickly.
Hazmat Helmet - Level 47
$1200 - $400 2C - $600 3C
Electrocution Resistance +10% - 20% - 30%
Shield +7 - 14 - 20
Not a bad choice, especially if you hate being electrocuted. Since there is no
Company Helmet to provide both health and shield bonuses, this one's an easier
choice than the Hazmat Armor. The drawback is that it's a full helmet, so all
face gear is incompatible with it.
Guardian Helmet - Level 46 1P
$2000 - $1200 2C - $1400 3C
Shield Regeneration Speed +3% - 6% - 10%
Shield +5 - 10 - 15
The shield and shield regeneration bonus are great, but as a full helmet, you
cannot wear face gear with it, and the Gas Mask provides the exact same
bonuses, so I'd wear that with a different piece of headgear instead.
Nano Helmet - Level 39 2P
$2000 - $800 2C - $1000 3C
Shield +5 - 10 - 15
Revolver/Crossbow Damage +3% - 6% - 10%
Good shield bonus, but all the Nano equipment put together still can't make the
Revolver or Crossbow very powerful. That said, the bottom of the helmet is
open, so you can equip a few items from the face gear category.
Titan Helmet - Level 45 2P
$2500 - $1200 2C - $1500 3C
Health +5 - 10 - 15
Fire Rate +3% - 6% - 10%
The health bonus is good, and the increased fire rate decent, but like with
most other full helmets, all face gear is incompatible with this.
Juggernaut Helmet - Level 49 3P
$3000 - $2000 2C - $2500 3C
Health +8 - 16 - 25
Heavy Hit Resistance +10% - 20% - 30%
Knockback Resistance +10% - 20% - 30%
An excellent health bonus, hitstun resistance, and its face gear compatibility
is pretty good for a big helmet like this. Like with the other Juggernaut
equipment, don't bother unless you have all of them on, because inconsistent
hitstun does more harm than good. I like to pair this with the Gas Mask for
added shield and shield regeneration.
------------
D. Shoulders
------------
These act largely as a companion to the body armor, or a substitute, if you
like to mix and match your perks. In fact, each one of these matches a
corresponding piece of body armor, and vice versa. As an added bonus, they're
all pretty cheap both to purchase and to upgrade.
None - Level 1
N/A (You start with this) - N/A - N/A (Cannot be upgraded)
Move Speed +6%
A pretty decent start, increasing your move speed, which is good for beginners.
Tactical Scarf - Level 2
$100 - $40 1C - $80 2C
Ammo Capacity +2% - 4% - 6%
Having more ammo can be helpful for guns with smaller capacity, but the
Tactical Armor regenerates your ammo over time, which is much more useful.
Enforcer Pads - Level 7
$300 - $50 1C - $100 2C
Health +3 - 6 - 10
Shield +2 - 4 - 6
A great early choice, as it provides both health and shield bonuses. It
doesn't provide anything else, but they're pretty big staples.
Carbon Pads - Level 14
$400 - $50 1C - $100 2C
Shotgun/Spread Gun Damage +3% - 6% - 10%
Fire Rate +1% - 2% - 3%
Without the shield bonus, this isn't great, and the fire rate increase isn't
significant to make it worthwhile, nor is the boost to Shotgun and Spread Gun
damage much of a benefit, since they're already very powerful.
Stealth Pads - Level 20
$450 - $150 1C - $200 2C
Move Speed +2% - 4% - 6%
Dodge Speed +3% - 6% - 10%
Melee Weapon Damage +3% - 6% - 10%
Unlike the mask, these contribute to added melee weapon damage, so they're a
good choice, if speed, skill, and close combat are your thing.
Shadow Pads - Level 34 1P
$800 - $200 2C - $300 3C
Health +2 - 4 - 6
Gun Damage +1% - 2% - 3%
Poison Resistance +10% - 15% - 20%
Like with the other Shadow gear, you get minor bumps to a few things, and that
resistance to a status ailment that I'm not entirely convinced exists. You can
certainly do better.
Company Pads - Level 36
$500 - $200 2C - $300 3C
Health +3 - 6 - 10
Shield +3 - 6 - 10
Machine Gun Damage +1% - 2% - 3%
Slightly better than the Enforcer Pads, but the health bonus is exactly the
same, and the boost to Submachine Gun and Heavy Machine Gun damage is minimal.
Still better, but not by much; at least they're cheap.
Hazmat Kevlar - Level 46
$600 - $200 2C - $300 3C
Electrocution Resistance +10% - 15% - 20%
Shield +10 - 20 - 30
I thought I'd made a typo, but no, that really is the shield bonus for a piece
of shoulder armor, and that makes it a great choice all on its own. It's
likely an oversight, but one that I wish I'd noticed while playing through.
Benefit from my mistake! It is incompatible with the Shadow Armor and
Juggernaut Armor, but since the Shadow Armor isn't great, and the Juggernaut
Armor should be worn only with Juggernaut Pads, this isn't an issue.
Guardian Pads - Level 41 1P
$900 - $300 2C - $400 3C
Shield Regeneration +3% - 6% - 10%
Shield +10% - 15 - 20
Projectile Range +1% - 2% - 3%
A good shield bonus, a slight increase in range, and a boost to shield
regeneration; this is a very solid choice. Once you unlock the Hazmat Kevlar,
the extra shield might be worth it over this, though, as the regeneration rate
isn't going to increase enough to make it worth just having as much as 10 extra
shield, and the added range is very slight.
Nano Pads - Level 37 2P
$1000 - $500 2C - $700 3C
Shield +3 - 6 - 10
Critical Chance +1% - 2% - 2%
Revolver/Crossbow Damage +2% - 4% - 6%
With a small increase to shield (the best is equal to the Guardian Pads'
worst), a likely oversight in the critical bonus, and a very small increase to
guns that won't hit hard enough even with the other Nano equipment added to
this, they're not a great choice.
Titan Pads - Level 42 2P
$1200 - $600 2C - $800 3C
Health +5 - 10 - 15
Fire Rate +5% - 10% - 15%
Flamer/Shocker Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
The health bonus is decent, but the Flamethrower isn't a great weapon, so these
aren't a terribly strong choice, especially for how much you need to unlock
them, and for how much they cost to buy and upgrade versus better choices.
Juggernaut Pads - Level 48 3P
$1500 - $800 2C - $1200 3C
Health +7 - 14 - 20
Heavy Hit Resistance +10% - 15% - 20%
Knockback Resistance +10% - 15% - 20%
An excellent health bonus with hitstun resistance makes these my favorite, but
only when combined with the other Juggernaut equipment. Remember, Kids:
inconsistent hitstun does more harm than good!
------------
E. Face Gear
------------
This is the miscellaneous, etc. of Meltdown; not all of it goes on your face,
but I didn't know what else to call it. These don't correlate to any of the
other equipment, so their effects are a little all over the place. This is
also the category that suffers most from compatibility, particularly with
helmets.
None - Level 1
N/A (You start with this) - N/A - N/A (Cannot be upgraded)
Move Speed +6%
Another good start, adding a helpful speed bonus for new players.
Sunglasses - Level 3
$150 - $100 1C - $150 1C
Experience Gain +2% - 4% - 6%
These are good before you reach Prestige Level 3, as nothing matters but
gaining experience until then. They're also very cheap.
Face Rag - Level 6
$200 - $50 1C - $150 2C
Health +3 - 6 - 10
A nice health bonus, especially for how little it costs; this is a good choice
earlier in the game, unless you're grinding.
Eye Patch - Level 12
$450 - $250 1C - $450 2C
Mystery Box Drops +1% - 2% - 3%
At 3%, I'm not sure how much more often you'll be getting mystery boxes, and
even then, it doesn't guarantee that they won't be empty. Maybe wear this if
you really need money and/or experience, but not chips.
Headphones - Level 17
$400 - $250 1C - $400 2C
Chip Drops +1% - 2% - 3%
I wore these almost the entire time, because chips might be the hardest thing
to get; experience and coins are consistently dropped, but chips are random,
and whether or not this helped much, it brought me peace of mind.
Mustache - Level 24
$800 - $400 1C - $500 2C
Knockback Get up Speed +10% - 20% - 30%
Heavy Hit Recovery Speed +10% - 20% - 30%
Unlike the Juggernaut equipment, this doesn't prevent hitstun, but allows you
to recover from it more quickly. Naturally, this makes it useless if you're
wearing a full set of Juggernaut gear, but it might be helpful for not getting
shot to pieces while you're stuck lying on your back.
Hannibal Muzzle - Level 29
$1000 - $400 2C - $600 3C
Health Regeneration +1% - 2% - 3%
Overall Damage +2% - 4% - 6%
This can be pretty helpful for a number of playstyles, especially if you
haven't been putting a lot of points into the Medic skill tree; the damage
boost is small, but it's for all weapons, so it doesn't force you to use one
thing or another.
Hockey Mask - Level 35 1P
$1500 - $600 2C - $800 3C
Health +5 - 10 - 15
Melee Weapon Damage +5% - 10% - 15%
Great for people who like melee combat, as not only does it increase your melee
damage, it also increase your health, in case you get hit while you're in close
or while approaching the target; this isn't Devil May Cry, you know.
Gas Mask - Level 40 2P
$2500 - $1200 3C - $1500 4C
Shield +5 - 10 - 15
Shield Regeneration Speed +3% - 6% - 10%
The shield boost is great for this category, and the shield regeneration speed
bonus is helpful, too. This cannot be worn with the Guardian Helmet, but has
the exact same bonuses as the Guardian Helmet, so you can combine it with
something even better, and still have the Guardian Helmet's perks. This is
what I use when I'm not grinding.
=========
V. Skills
=========
Skills are little perks that you get for leveling up. With every level, you
get one skill point, which you can spend in any skill tree, but you must put 3
points into a skill until the next tier is unlocked, much like with guns.
Unlike with guns, however, the three paths are completely separate, so you
cannot, for example, unlock Soldier Tier 2 by maxing out Specialist Tier 1. In
the long run, it doesn't matter what you choose, because your level cap is 55,
and 54 skill points will max out everything. If you happen to mess up along
the way, and can't wait, you can reset your skills, and get all of your skill
points back to redistribute, but it costs coins; the more skills you've
purchased, the more it costs. The format is as follows:
Skill Name - What it does with 1 Star - 2 Stars - 3 Stars
-------------
A. Specialist
-------------
The Specialist class is a bit difficult to define, but it focuses mostly on
guns. If you rely heavily upon firearms, this is a good place to start.
Battery Tap is a neat perk, as enemies will start dropping batteries that
will restore your shield when picked up. Nano-Ammo is probably the best skill
here, as it will regenerate ammunition for all guns.
Specialist - Ammo Capacity +5% - 10% - 15%
Cool Run - Overheat Cooldown +10% - 20% - 30%
Hot Metal - Fire Rate +15% - 30% - 45%
Battery Tap - Shield Battery Drops +10% - 20% - 30%
Ice Kill - Heat Decrease (upon kill) 5% - 15% - 20%
Nano-Ammo - Ammo Regeneration +1% - 2% - 3%
----------
B. Soldier
----------
As expected, the Soldier class is all about dealing more damage. Personally, I
found that only the first 2 skills were all that useful, but your mileage may
vary. Last Round deals more damage not on the last bullet that you have, but
the last bullet that you fire before the gun overheats. Fury increases your
critical hit rate when you kill an enemy for a limited time; there is a timer
in the HUD, and yes, it can stack all the way to 100%. Meltdown causes enemies
to explode upon death, damaging all other enemies around them, but only if the
killing blow was a critical hit.
--------
C. Medic
--------
The Medic is my favorite class, since it does a good job of keeping you alive.
Just look at the Surgeon skill: if your melee combo happens to hit twice,
you'll recover a whopping 90% of your maximum health! Vampire regenerates
less, but it heals you no matter how you kill the enemy. Neo sometimes causes
your death to just not happen, throwing the words "THE ONE" onto the screen.
Between all of that, the permanent health and shield bonuses, and the ability
to regenerate health (instead of just shield), not a single skill goes to waste
here.
Medic
Medic - Health +5 - 10 - 15
Extra Juice - Shield +5 - 10 - 15
Nano-Meds - Health Regeneration +3% - 6% - 10%
Surgeon - Regenerate Health (upon melee hit) 15% - 30% - 45%
Vampire - Regenerate Health (upon kill) 5% - 10% - 15%
Neo - Chance to Dodge Fatal Blow +15% - 30% - 45%
-----------
D. Prestige
-----------
Prestige is kind of a strange idea: you shell out a decent amount of coins to
reset your level, reset your mission progress all the way back to 1, and reset
all of the items you've purchased and upgraded. So, why would you ever do
this? You will get a small boost to your stats, you will be able to unlock new
items, and your guns will be able to be upgraded an additional level. There
are 3 Prestige Levels, and before you attain them all, I'd recommend keeping
your purchases to an absolute minimum, because your coins and chips do not
reset. Once I found that out, the only things I bought and upgraded were the
Shotgun, Beret, and Headphones. Once you gain your first Prestige level, your
banner will change its font color, and instead of stars, you will have the
Meltdown logo in a certain color; most of this will be invisible to you, but
other players will see it. The format for each level is as follows:
Level # - Color - Cost - Stat Bonus - Max Gun Level
Items now unlockable at this prestige level
