Greetings, fellow RCS pilots. We were instructed to provide a quick guide through the expanded arsenal and give you a quick idea of what to expect. But before that, we have an important announcement: as you may have heard, the improvements to our Repair Stations allow you to upgrade your weapons with greater flexibility, allowing you to improve their damage output, accuracy, stability, and range, and also reducing their evasion penalty. We'd like to add that upon reaching a certain level, you will be able to access new fire modes. Now, let's take a look at the weapons issued to our pilots.

Recurring Weapons

First, let's take a look at the familiar combat arsenal issued up to 2074. These weapons are still issued to pilots, albeit with modifications and additions to improve their feel and expand their functionality.

Submachine Gun

MMP-K II 'Spitze' is a spray and pray kind of weapon. Lacks the punch of bigger guns and has limited range, but offers the fastest firing rate and does not hinder evasive maneuvers as much as other guns do. If you want to shower the enemy with bullets, this weapon is the right choice for you.

Laser Rifle

EL-5 'Feuer' offers decent range and firepower, but slow firing rate. Its the weapon of choice when you need to fry armored targets and open damaged doors. As an added bonus, it can use the internal battery of your Robotic Combat Suit as it energy source. With a few upgrades, you can unlock rapid fire and energy blast, making it the universal energy weapon out there.

Assault Rifle

AR-4 'Hoelle' is a universal weapon for any situation with good firepower, range, and firing rate. However, its ammo is expensive, requiring a certain degree of skill to make each shot count. Take good care of it, and you'll be able to make it even more powerful.

Bazooka

BZ-3 'Zerstoerer' offers devastating power, but requires reloading after each shot. The big gun, usually reserved for the big enemy targets. Deals tons of damage, but requires reloading after each shot and makes evasive maneuvers much harder. Upgrades will increase its damage output, making it a dangerous weapon. Just keep your distance and try to not blow yourself up along with your target.

New Weapons

As of 2075, we are issuing 2 new guns and 1 melee weapon to cover common complaints, such as lack of meaningful ways to defend yourself at very close range or shoot enemies from far away.

Shotgun

SF-12 'Bruch' tears through enemies, but burns through available ammo very quickly. Useful at close range, almost impossible to dodge fully, and can be upgraded to increase its firing rate.

Sniper Rifle

SRZ-1 'Horizont' is the long range solution to your problems. Offers good range and firepower, but makes you move like a slug and feels very cumbersome at close range.

Beam Sword

BS-4 'Grunzen' cuts through enemies and delivers tons of damage, but burns through available energy very quickly. Useful as a last resort weapon in case you get cornered.

The End

Thank you for reading this issue of the Pilot's Guide, and expect another one very soon. In the meantime, we have three popular questions for you: [olist]

Do you want to stay on Earth, or do you want to transfer to an off-world colony?

Do you believe that sunlight is actually deadly?

Where's Anne Schaffer now? [/olist] See you next time!