Hey ARKS! Here's a guide about how driving the A.I.S suit. ("ARKS Interception Silhouette", aka, the mech combat suit.)

The A.I.S is a combat unit that appears in certain Urgent Quests. And Bonus Content. This guild will prioritize mentioning the NA content currently available and see updates as needed.

Mining base:

Front Palette:

Normal attack: Photon Art: Action: [None]

Rear Palette:

Photon Art 1: Photon Art 2: Action: [None]

Sub-Palette:

1: 2: 3:[None] 4:[None] 5:[None]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 6:[None] 7:[None] 8:[None] 9:[None] 0:

Magatsu: Annihilator's Purification (Phase 2)

Front Palette:

Normal attack: Photon Art: Action:

Rear Palette:

Photon Art 1: Photon Art 2: Action:

Sub-Palette:

1: 2: 3: 4: 5:[None]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 6:[None] 7:[None] 8:[None] 9:[None] 0:![None]

Palette Overview: Front Palette

Solid Vulcan: Basic attack, short rifle bursts.

• Tip: Use PAs (Perfact Attacks) to build PP quicker while doing more damage.

Photon Sword: Slash your sword at enemies. can repeat for a combo. Cost 15 PP.

• Tip: Doing combo is your bread, it's a great cleave and can be combo'd for high damage. More ideal when things are grouped over spread out.

Boost: Dash action. Coast 15 PP.

• Tip: This is generally a waste of PP. But if you really got a long distance to travel, use it and rebuild PP quick with Vulcan.

Palette Overview: Rear Palette

Photon Grenade: Fire a rockets salvo at enemies. Cost 55 PP.

• Tip: Rocket is your butter, while as strong as melee when enemies happens to be grouped up, it does a respectful task. Keep an eyes for enemies out of reach in the skies, this ability is great at handling those!

Photon Rush: Dash at enemies and slash with your Photon Sword. Cost 70 PP.

• Tip: Quick gap closer with an attack. Good for AoE or doing a quick melee burst if the A.I.S needs to engage a group or escape an incoming boss attack.

Boost: Dash action. Cost 15 PP.

• Tip: (See Front Palette.)

Sub-Palette Overview:

Photon Blaster: A.I.S fire a powerful beam of energy through every target. This is the ultimate move of AIS When used, AIS will not be able to move and the speed of rotation is also limited. Cooldown 120s.

• Mining base: Judicious use over the biggest enemies pack if often proffered, placement is, this goes through enemies. Player can elminate quick a bulk of the annoyance. (Truth is this is never ingrained, depends how your group handles defending towers.)

• Annihilator's Purification: Get in a comfortable firing angle. Try being full health, as you may take damage while firing on this encounter. And swap first person mode to have the most optimal control over your laser shot. Bonus damage on Weak Bullet marked area.

Photon Blizzard: Fires a nitrogen bomb that explodes upon contact with the enemies and freeze them. Cooldown 40s.

• Mining base: Try to freeze a pack of enemies when you use it. Stop those Goldrahda packs if needed with it.

Weak Bullet: Inflict Weak Bullet on a target. Cooldown 30s.

• Annihilator's Purification: Best to lock yourself on where you wish to land this when using. It's also leave a mark on the Megatsu you are fighting. Attacking that marked area causes more damage. Avoid using multiple Weak Bullet if there's only 1-2 mark already up, more then that is a waste for the group.

High Boost: Use boosters to quickly ascend. Cooldown 1s.

• Annihilator's Purification: Use if Magatsu is about to attack your location or getting off the ground.

Heal A.I.S: Recovery health points to yourself and your allies in the melee range. The recovered HP will be 1/2 A.I.S health pool.

• Annihilator's Purification: Use it if you need health, or before a Photon Blaster.

Dismount From A.I.S: You exit the A.I.S

• Mining base: It can be good to dismount if you have only a few seconds remaining until the next wave and to pick up crystal for extra points.

Authors Notes: I hope this guide will be helpful to our community. The guide is purely based off my own experiences from JP (some years ago!) and NA combined together. I will update it as NA content roll out, to avoid spoilers and to throw in unnecessary information. Feedback is appreciated. ~Pulp

12/06/2020 ~ Edited first publishing.

13/06/2020 ~ Modified some Photon Art tips.

Reserved.

There's two AIS you can get (at random in Magatsu. They're also differently colored from one another.)

The other one has rockets instead of Weak Bullet, and instead of a laser, it has a stance in slot 1 of the sub-palette. This specific AIS is usually used in content that doesn't have a floor. (IE: Space.)

@coldreactive Damn you beat me to it. Gundams are always cool.

A solid explanation on AIS-in magatsu and in general

@coldreactive Will check on it. There are several encounters using A.I.S after all.

Edit: Ah, I forgot to put rear palette.

Solid guide, hopefully it'll help more people understand it a little better. Great work~

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

@coldreactive Will check on it. There are several encounters using A.I.S after all.

Edit: Ah, I forgot to put rear palette.

So I guess the rear palette is the front palette when you board that second AIS?

@coldreactive Correct the one you may swap to.

"Mining base: Preferably to be use for bosses, in the scenario they are the once who cause most ravage / destroy towers."

This is absolutely the worst advice for anyone doing mine defense, and why Mine defense typically fails.

Photon Blaster is a tool to clear out mobs, not kill bosses. Bosses don't do that much damage compared to a group of 10 enemies repeatedly attacking a tower. The only exception to this are Decol Malluda's rapid fire bullets.

Using A.I.S Saber is a gigantic waste of PP, when you can do damage on the move with Rockets. A single salvo of rockets will kill a Goldrahda running to tower due to weakpoint modifier-- A single slash does half the damage of a single rocket. Not worth the PP.

A.I.S Saber Rush is only useful for when there are enemies already at the tower, not to escape attacks nor initiate a group.

Remember, BOSSES ARE NOT THE ONES DESTROYING TOWERS, MOBS ARE. Grab Boss Aggro, then move on to defend towers from mobs and destroying infections/falspawn towers.

Your job, when in an A.I.S, is to do everything BUT attack bosses. If there is a corrupted airship, fly up and destroy it with a few Blade Rushes. If there is a tower, 4 shots of Solid Vulcan, or 2 shots of Solid Vulcan and 1 Saber Slash will break it. Use missiles to kill Goldrahdas spawning in or running to towers, Saber Rush to kill groups already at towers.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

This is absolutely the worst advice for anyone doing mine defense, and why Mine defense typically fails. Photon Blaster is a tool to clear out mobs, not kill bosses. Bosses don't do that much damage compared to a group of 10 enemies repeatedly attacking a tower. The only exception to this are Decol Malluda's rapid fire bullets.

Bosses distract and kill players of group from the enemies raid. They're a threat. Mobs are easy to deal it when a group is able to do it's job and spreading instead fighting for first place. Sure you can do a 2 for 1 with the laser, es in scenario nobody goes for mobs, the A.I.S driver could focus at mobs. But this does not make it wrong. That sounds more like a personal mindset.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Using A.I.S Saber is a gigantic waste of PP, when you can do damage on the move with Rockets. A single salvo of rockets will kill a Goldrahda running to tower due to weakpoint modifier-- A single slash does half the damage of a single rocket. Not worth the PP.

Nah, sword has the best cleaving option, especially when combo'd, You can rocket, but spaming it the true waste of PP as it cost 55. That is 5 auto normal attack, or 4PAs. Use rocket on moving is good when moving, that's about it. If a group of 12 can't cover different towers, that's a group problem. Not A.I.S efficiency problem.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

A.I.S Saber Rush is only useful for when there are enemies already at the tower, not to escape attacks nor initiate a group.

True you can, can also jump out of Ragne leap. It's quite useful to use on Magatsu as well.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Your job, when in an A.I.S, is to do everything BUT attack bosses. If there is a corrupted airship, fly up and destroy it with a few Blade Rushes. If there is a tower, 4 shots of Solid Vulcan, or 2 shots of Solid Vulcan and 1 Saber Slash will break it. Use missiles to kill Goldrahdas spawning in or running to towers, Saber Rush to kill groups already at towers.

It's everything, depending on when the player is driving one and is going on. This is a general A.I.S guide. Sounds more like you're trying to turn this into a Mining Base guide. Wrong place for it.

If you have bad groups it's not really this guide faults. There is 12 people, remember that. Less fighting for the 1st place, and do more your contribution to the victory.

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Bosses distract and kill group from the enemies raid. They're a threat. Mobs are easy to deal it when a group is able to do it's job and spreading instead fighting for first place. Sure you can do a 2 for 1 with the laser, but that doesn't make it wrong.

The problem with this is that almost every player Tunnel-visions a boss that spawns, leaving the towers undefended. This sort of thing almost always happens in any mine defense, excluding organized runs. In which case, it's the job of the A.I.S to take care of the mobs. Wasting a laser on a boss whose aggro you can easily draw away from tower with two sets of missiles gets rid of an important emergency button.

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Nah, sword has the best cleaving option, especially when combo'd, You can rocket, but spaming it the true waste of PP as it cost 55. That is 5 auto normal attack, or 4PAs. Use rocket on moving is good when moving, that's about it. If a group of 12 can't cover different towers, that's a group problem. Not A.I.S efficiency problem.

Have you ever tried this set of inputs? Vulcan > Missiles > Vulcan >Missiles > Vulcan > Vulcan > Missiles. Swinging the A.I.S Saber will NEVER compete with the DPS of using the standard missile combo. Missiles have AoE, and will also hit adjacent Goldrahdas, so the issue of not having cleave is non-existent.

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

It's everything, depending on when the player is driving one and is going on. This is a general A.I.S guide. Sounds more like you're trying to turn this into a Mining Base guide. Wrong place for it.

Hence why i'm addressing the parts that pertain to Mining Base A.I.S use, as it's equally as important.

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

If you have bad groups it's not really this guide faults. There is 12 people, remember that. Less fighting for the 1st place, and do more your contribution to the victory.

I'm not fighting for first place, i'm carrying 11 other people through a run because i'm the only one doing literally everything. No one breaks towers and infections, no one destroys corrupted airships, people tunnel-vision bosses and completely ignore mobs. You're right, it IS a group problem, but as I said-- THIS IS A COMMON THING FOR ALL RANDOM PARTIES, not an issue for organized runs.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

The problem with this is that almost every player Tunnel-visions a boss that spawns, leaving the towers undefended. This sort of thing almost always happens in any mine defense, excluding organized runs. In which case, it's the job of the A.I.S to take care of the mobs. Wasting a laser on a boss whose aggro you can easily draw away from tower with two sets of missiles gets rid of an important emergency button.

Again group problem does not mean it's the A.I.S problem.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Have you ever tried this set of inputs? Vulcan > Missiles > Vulcan >Missiles > Vulcan > Vulcan > Missiles. Swinging the A.I.S Saber will NEVER compete with the DPS of using the standard missile combo. Missiles have AoE, and will also hit adjacent Goldrahdas, so the issue of not having cleave is non-existent.

Key problem, as I've pointed in guide, this is based of current NA version. That sequence is just terrible as it right now without the A.I.S skill ring. It's a straight out lost of damage. It's doable, but you know that you need to fill normal attacks in between, which is pretty bad on it's own.

Edit: I was wrong, thinking out of my mind. I am fine with integrating this as an option to the guide. Melee always worked out pretty well with me for mobs, still, without much issue.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

Hence why i'm addressing the parts that pertain to Mining Base A.I.S use, as it's equally as important.

While I agree, it's a team effort in every situation. Asking for the A.I.S to be 360 degrees is the same goal for non A.I.S player. As I pointed out, doing judicious uses matters. It's a constant adjust situation with public.

@Lapinoire said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

I'm not fighting for first place, i'm carrying 11 other people through a run because i'm the only one doing literally everything. No one breaks towers and infections, no one destroys corrupted airships, people tunnel-vision bosses and completely ignore mobs. You're right, it IS a group problem, but as I said-- THIS IS A COMMON THING FOR ALL RANDOM PARTIES, not an issue for organized runs.

That sounds a bit entitled. But yes I recognize carrying happen. Windows launch cause the game to be new for many players. A bit of patience and it should get resolved with time. Not always fun, but new players deserves a grace period, too.

P.S: If this the guide does not apply to you, then glad you can do better. But this is a "ABC" type of guide, not really for organized groups.

@Pulptenks said in Guide: Let's talk AIS combat!:

That sequence is just terrible as it right now without the A.I.S skill ring.

As far as I know the main two AIS skill rings to use were Quick Blaster and Early Rise. What skill ring are you referring to?

@GrizzlyTrollton You're so right, I'm actually standing wronged. I honestly was thinking of the normal attack rifle when I typed that, I was certain it was that on the momentum. Apologies for that error.