Game River released Mechabellum out of Early Access on 26 September 2024 with Dreamhaven publishing. It is an auto-battler played entirely between rounds: you spend supply on units, place them on a grid, buy tech upgrades and draft reinforcement cards, then watch the battle resolve without touching anything. Around 29 units exist, and almost every one of them is the answer to some other one, so reading your opponent's board matters more than any single strong unit.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawler | S | Overwhelming giants and expensive single-target units with raw count | The cheapest melee swarm unit and consistently rated one of the strongest in the game. |
| Fang | A | Holding a ranged front line cheaply, especially with Portable Shield | Cheap ranged light bots that form a wide firing line. |
| Arclight | A | Flexible mid-cost coverage when you do not yet know what the opponent is building | A medium ground unit whose value comes from its upgrade choices rather than its base statistics. |
| Marksman | B | Killing slow expensive giants from outside their engagement range | A long-range single-target sniper that outranges most of what it shoots at. |
| Fortress | B | Anchoring the centre of your board and forcing the opponent to answer it | A top-tier giant that absorbs a great deal of punishment while contributing steady damage. |
S-Tier: Crawler
The cheapest melee swarm unit and consistently rated one of the strongest in the game. Numbers beat single-target damage, so Crawlers force opponents into buying splash units they would rather have skipped.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Overwhelming giants and expensive single-target units with raw count |
| Key Mechanic | Round-based deployment on a grid |
| Recommended Build | Chaff swarm |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Crawler: Pairs naturally with Chaff swarm thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Fang
Cheap ranged light bots that form a wide firing line. The Portable Shield card gives each one a shield absorbing damage equal to its own health, which turns a fragile line into a genuine wall.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Holding a ranged front line cheaply, especially with Portable Shield |
| Key Mechanic | Unit tech upgrades |
| Recommended Build | Anti-air |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Fang: Pairs naturally with Anti-air thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Arclight
A medium ground unit whose value comes from its upgrade choices rather than its base statistics. Anti-Air lets it cover your sky problem without buying a dedicated unit, while Armor keeps it alive against light attackers.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Flexible mid-cost coverage when you do not yet know what the opponent is building |
| Key Mechanic | Reinforcement card drafts |
| Recommended Build | Artillery |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Arclight: Pairs naturally with Artillery thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Marksman
A long-range single-target sniper that outranges most of what it shoots at. Fragile enough that it needs a screen, and rewarded heavily by the Elite Marksman, Smart Marksman and Extended Range Marksman cards.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Killing slow expensive giants from outside their engagement range |
| Key Mechanic | Starting specialist selection |
| Recommended Build | Giant |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Marksman: Pairs naturally with Giant thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Fortress
A top-tier giant that absorbs a great deal of punishment while contributing steady damage. Improved Fortress, Extended Range Fortress and Assault Fortress cards each push it in a different direction.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Anchoring the centre of your board and forcing the opponent to answer it |
| Key Mechanic | Counter reading between rounds |
| Recommended Build | Air |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Fortress: Pairs naturally with Air thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear 1v1 Ranked
- Fang → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Arclight → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Crawler → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Look at the enemy board before you spend a single point of supply. You get to see what they fielded, and almost every unit in the game has a clean answer, so buying blind throws away the mode's central advantage.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Mechabellum Guides
- Mechabellum Mechabellum Overview
- Mechabellum Best Builds
- Mechabellum Tier List
- Mechabellum Walkthrough
- Mechabellum Beginner's Guide
- Mechabellum Tips & Tricks
- Mechabellum Combat Guide
- Mechabellum Boss Guide
- Mechabellum Maps & Locations
- Mechabellum Crafting Guide
- Mechabellum Classes & Characters
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