Strike Face: Trampler Building Pro Tip (and a PSA for the Tech Tree)
The term Strike Face is used by some militaries to describe the side of a vehicle or piece of equipment that is designed to absorb incoming fire. I think it perfectly describes how a Trampler should be built, and it’s a memorable concept for designers.
A lot of Trampler builds I’ve encountered already place most of their weapons on the front of the machine, which is a good start. However, one major mistake keeps showing up: the reactor is often far too easy to hit.
When the game first entered Early Access, one forum post highlighted two excellent design principles that every builder should follow.
Rule #1: Protect Your Reactor While Attacking
Your reactor should never be visible or easily hit while your guns are aimed at the enemy. Your Strike Face is the side where the majority of your weapons are mounted. Directly behind that should be your enclosed compartments, with the primary goal of shielding the reactor from incoming fire.
Rule #2: Protect Your Reactor While Retreating
Your reactor should also be as difficult to hit as possible if you need to fall back. Experienced opponents will immediately target an exposed reactor during a retreat. If it’s easy to hit from the rear, your chances of surviving are very low.
The Problem with Smaller Chassis
Unfortunately, following both rules is difficult with the Base Chassis, Small Chassis, and Middling Chassis. If you can’t satisfy both design principles, prioritize Rule #1. Just understand that doing so often means you need to fully commit to the fight, retreating with an exposed reactor is likely to get you killed.
Example: The Crooked Recluse
My own Trampler, the Crooked Recluse (shown in Image 2), is an example of how these principles can be combined.
The armored reactor already benefits from higher HP and additional armor, but the real advantage is its placement. It is fully enclosed and positioned so that, by keeping the left side of the walker facing the enemy while the reactor remains on the opposite side, enemy teams have a much harder time destroying it.
PSA for the Tech Tree
Once players unlock the Long Reactor and the Middling Chassis, many immediately place the reactor directly down the center of the 4×3 chassis.
Don’t do this.
I made the same mistake and lost four matches because of it.
Image 3 shows an example of this centered Long Reactor layout. While the symmetry looks clean and ergonomic, it’s one of the weakest configurations you can take into combat.
Why a Centered Long Reactor Is a Bad Idea
This layout creates several major problems:
- The reactor is usually easy to hit from the front while you’re engaging the enemy.
- Because of its length, it often remains exposed from the rear, making retreats and ambushes especially dangerous.
- It violates both of the core design principles above.
- Since the reactor runs through the center of the chassis, enemies can simply fire down the middle, damaging both your weapons and your reactor with the same shots.
The result is a build that looks good on paper but performs poorly against anyone with decent aim.
TL;DR
- Point your guns at the enemy.
- Keep non-vital components between your weapons and your reactor whenever possible.
- Angle the reactor away from incoming fire.
- Avoid pairing the Long Reactor with a centered layout on the Middling Chassis unless you’re willing to accept a significant survivability penalty.