Originally posted at G4@Syfygames, 8/21/15.

Dear reader: Get ready, because I’m going to tell you about the most fun game in the world, and beyond that, I’m going to teach you how to play it. You’re thinking to yourself: It’s Call Of Duty. No. It’s League of Legends. No, wrong again. Mario Kart? Still wrong. Smash Bros.? Street Fighter? Chess? Wrong, wrong, and crazy wrong. However, chess isn’t a bad analogy, as this game is sort of like chess in its reliance on move and countermove. The only difference is that this game is played at a hundred moves a minute, and they’re all super-easy to do. Are you ready? Are you prepared to learn how to play the most fun game in the world?

I’m ready to teach you. I’m ready to show you the world of Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost.

If you have yet to read the first, second or third installments of this guide series, please do so. It is written with the intent of being foundational as well as sequential, so each entry should logically build upon the previous chapter. Be aware that this chapter will sound like secret code unless you’ve read the previous two chapters. Also, it may help to have them open in case you need to go back and reference previous information.

In this chapter, we’re going to take a look at some of the strongest and most capable suits in the game, as well as a few of my favorites. That doesn’t mean that these suits are objectively better than any other suit — a high degree of player skill with any suit will trump any average player in a strong suit. No character in a fighting game is objectively better than another, although some characters can be set up for an easier path to success, whether due to that character’s relative mobility or their available toolset. The mobile suits in ExVs are no different, except for one major factor: the Cost system.

Please be aware that I can’t list every single suit here, because that would take forever. If you have a favorite suit, say so in the comment section. It might be on this list. It might not. I can’t give shine to everything.

Each suit’s Cost dictates what sort of playstyle you’ll gravitate towards. A 3000 point suit is heavy-duty and expensive, packs lots of Boost capability, high mobility, and normally possesses very strong weaponry options as well as a high amount of individual health. The downside is that they’re often the first machines to be targeted, so a player with a 3000 suit needs to be ready for whatever comes their way. 2500s are usually a good compromise between the raw power of the 3K’s and the versatility of the 2K’s. The 2000 suits are your standards, while the 1000 tier are lighter, faster and far more fragile. This keeps the 1K range suited for experts and those intimately familiar with the game and its mechanics.

 

Let’s dive into the list, starting with the big boys of the 3000 tier:

Sazabi
Man, this suit is just plain old fun. It’s big, it’s red, and it’s mean when used well. It has a beam rifle with a charge function that causes it to fire a scatter shot, a set of funnels (think remote laser pods) that can be launched for distraction fire and easy combo cutting, a gerobi (big cylindrical beam weapon) and a backup assist where he’s flanked by two Jagd Doga that fire addtional shots. Its melee combos aren’t very strong, but they do decent damage. Where it really shines is speed and Boost usage. Also, its Burst Super is a colony drop. Well, the Axis asteroid base, if you really want to get technical.  But it wrecks a good 1/4 of the field, and does abslutely stupid amounts of damage. The only drawback is the area of effect, and the chance you catch your teammate — or worse, yourself — in the blast radius.

Turn A
This is one of the coolest, most unique suits in the game, bar none. Aside from it’s quirkly looks, it’s packed with some very interesting attack options. The coolest thing it’s got going for it is the Gundam Hammer, which is a spiked mace ball with rockets on the backside, attached to a chain. It’s one of the best projectiles in the game when it’s at the right range, and can even stop beam shots in their tracks if fired on the same incoming vector. The suit has plenty of interesting beam saber attacks with lots of priority, too. Some of the charge options are pretty solid as well — the gerobi beam charge is a solid punish on landing and the nuclear grenade is one hell of a conversation ender, but its slow startup after charge makes throwing it an absolute chore. The Turn A also has one of the funkiest supers in the game in the form of the Moonlight Butterfly, as it’s tough to hit with due to the slow startup and beeline trajectory. Hits like a tank, though.

Epyon
Pure melee. It’s a suit that has zero projectile capability, and that is a scary prospect in a game that heavily favors attacking from range. Simply put: you are either ballsy or suicidal to pick this suit. With that said, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to use. Due to having no ranged options, its melee capabilities are through the roof. It possesses a homing dash, lots of flips and twists to stay mobile and the iconic heat whip, capable of stunning at decent range or even knocking down incoming beams. Skilled Epyon users are to be feared, because their damage output and speed at closing distance makes short work of slower opponents.

Nu Gundam
This is the Cadillac of 3000 point suits. This thing is strong all over, from beam weaponry, rocket launcher, melee options, funnel system, decoy rocks that fool enemy assists, even a barrier system. If there’s a tool that can be put to good use, Nu Gundam has it, as well as solid performance overall in terms of health, defense and especially Boost consumption.

Honorable Mentions: Wing Zero (TV), Banshee Norn (DLC), Full Armor Unicorn (DLC), Victory II Gundam 

 

And now, my favorites in the 2500 range:

Full Armor ZZ Gundam
That Double Zeta, man. It’s a beast, plain and simple. Not only is it potentially the strongest proejctile support suit in the game, but it’s able to drop some of its heavy weaponry and become a stronger close-range fighter as well. However, with its armor on, it’s a turtle with a bullseye painted on its back, so staying out of the fray is key for the ZZ’s survival. There’s nothing quite like hitting a target at distance to cut their in-progress melee combo, then switching targets to his incoming partner, then pulling the ZZ’s bear-hug grab to catch them on approach…only to fire the big beam at point-blank range as the grab’s finisher. In the hands of experienced players, that Dubbul Zed is one of the best suits in the game.

Susanowo
It has a few proejctile options, but they’re fairly esoteric — this Bushido-oriented suit is focused almost entirely on melee supremacy. Its big ball stuns opponents, its shot button move acts as a charge for everything, and once its Trans-Am mode becomes available during the match, this suit is hell on wheels. The mode is only available once per life, though. Any more than that, and the suit would be comically overpowered. He also has a seppuku (suicide) move that hurts you and an enemy, but the attack doesn’t give the enemy Burst meter…and it gives you loads of it.

Strike Noir
Listen, it’s a black mobile suit that has two beam pistols, and is essentially John Woo’s version of Gundam. Playing this suit is like playing Dante in Devil May Cry. Seriously, he flips, he flies, he corkscrews, all while lighting targets the hell up. If you’re not having fun playing as the Strike Noir, there’s no helping you.

God Gundam
What the Strike Noir is for guns, God Gundam is for fists. If you like to have fun punching people in an over-the-top way, this is the suit for you. Personally, I have a large love affair with anything that fits the hundred-fists-punch trope, so God Gundam is certainly fun in my book. It’s not the best suit to use, and its melee focus is very risky for people who don’t know how to create openings and capitalize on them, because the cost makes an inexperienced player a definite liability.

Honorable Mentions: Freedom Gundam, Infinite Justice, X Divider, Banshee

 

Onto the 2000s:

 

RX-78-2 Gundam
The O.G. Gundam is one of the strongest suits in the game, in terms of utility. It’s well-rounded in just about every avenue imaginable, with great tools, good mobility and lots of melee options. The Beam Javelin special is a great stun weapon at range, and its parabolic flight arc makes for some really interesting hits, especially when charged up and then timed to hit a landing opponent. The Guntank / Core Fighter summon makes for some good support fire scenarios, and the rocket launcher to beam rifle is a fantastic chunk of damage with very little effort expended. It’s the best starting suit for beginners to use while learning the game’s mechanics.

Sandrock Kai (DLC)
One of my new favorite suits. Its machine gun is quite strong, and has a speedy manual reload. The Heat Shotel swords wreck face and do a ton of damage, and throwing them is speedy and effective in causing a momentary hitstun. He can also activate the Zero System, which gives you a little bit of a speed bost and helps shake beam tracking. Much like the Susanoo’s Trans-Am mode, you can only use it once per life.

Nobel Gundam (DLC)
Take the melee madness of Epyon and drop it by 1000 cost. Seriously, this suit is death incarnate. Granted, you’ll need to know how to use it effectively, but it is a complete demon in the hands of a melee specialist. You have this cute little Beam Ribbon that you use to wreck dudes with, but when you Burst and activate your Super, you permanently go into Berserk mode. Your defense drops and you take more damage, but you bring untold amounts of pain and suffering to any target in your path. Furthermore, if you Burst Super again, you start healing. This makes facing the Nobel a dangerous game.

Honorable Mentions: Gundam Spiegel, Char’s Gelgoog, Char’s Zaku II, Kshatriya, Astray Blue Frame

 

Finally, the scrappy 1000s:

 

Doan’s Zaku II (DLC)
Okay, never let it be said that improvisation isn’t the key to success. This guy has no projectiles, save for rocks. Small rocks, and big rocks. But he still packs, well, a punch. A huge punch, at that. His melee combos are all kumite-flavored, and his Burst Super is a big right lunge punch that sends enemies flying…and sets them on fire. It is glorious.

 

Gouf Custom
One of my favorite suits. Period. The only real drawback to it is the lack of health and the fact that his primary ranged weapon has limited ammo that gets dropped when it runs dry, leaving you with a vastly underwhelming followup gun that does a fraction of the damage. You need good defensive skill and a sense of ammo and Burst management to make the most of this suit. However, I’ve won many, many matches with this guy. Most of them as the frontrunner in terms of score, and thus kills. In fact, the only 1K suit I like more than the Gouf Custom is…

Prototype Gundam “Alex”
Man, this thing is sweet, but only in the hands of a player that is not only experienced, but confident in their defensive skill. This suit is one of the weakest in the game in terms of suit health, but it has a suit of removable armor that can be manually dropped. Furthermore, it recharges, so if you can survive long enough while naked, you can re-armor and keep ignoring hits while stepping in for the beatdown. It has some very interesting tools with good charge options, but the super armor gives this suit the best bang for the buck, in terms of cost.

Honorable Mentions: Efreet Kai, Ez8

 

Thanks for reading, it’s been a pleasure putting this together. I hope I’ve given potential players a reason to pick the game up, given new players a bit of easily-referenced notes and advanced players a solid method of evangelizing the game to friends. I’ll write up a special addendum to this guide that will detail where to buy this game, as well as how to set up a (totally free) Japanese PSN account so you can play online. Look for it next week!