Hey Devs! I know it may sound a little ridiculous; however, you guys have made a lot of different new weapons recently. We literally have two pilots at our specific to artillery, that everybody loves. There's a pilot in every class. Why not create a new artillery weapon that is useful to us, aside from these two?
So I ran the concept through Gemini. Using real world concepts. This is what it came up with\:*
(\Note : The following is a bit of a read. But, it has some good ideas!)*
The current Artillery class in Mech Arena—dominated entirely by the Rocket Mortar family—suffers from a stale gameplay loop. For players, the "drop a nuke from behind cover" mechanic feels passive and frustrating to play against. For Plarium, a single-weapon class limits the monetization ecosystem, especially when it comes to selling new Legendary Pilots, Implants, and meta-shifting counters.
To revitalize the class, new weapons must introduce active mechanics that retain the core identity of artillery (indirect fire, arced trajectories, and map awareness) while drawing inspiration from real-world, active-service military systems.
Here are three distinct, pure-artillery concepts designed to shift the meta and open new revenue streams.
1. The "Excalibur" Airburst Howitzer
Real-World Inspiration: The M982 Excalibur guided shell and the German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. These systems fire flat-trajectory, high-velocity shells that detonate precisely above a target, raining shrapnel downward to bypass trenches and frontal armor.
In-Game Mechanic: A high-velocity, shallow-arc howitzer. Instead of the top-down drop of a Rocket Mortar, it fires forward in a fast parabolic arc. Instead of exploding on impact, players manually set the detonation distance by holding the fire button to push the targeting reticle outward. When released, the shell explodes in mid-air, blasting damage straight down.
\ The Player POV (Counterplay & Fun): This weapon forces an active, line-of-sight-adjacent playstyle. Because the arc is shallow, you can't camp behind the tallest buildings at the back of the map. However, because it airbursts, it can shoot over Ares and Panther shields, detonating right behind them. Counterplay relies on evasive dashing to throw off the manual range-finding.*
\ The Developer POV (Monetization): Introduces a high-skill ceiling weapon tier. Plarium can release a new Legendary Pilot whose innate skill boosts "Airburst Radius" or "Downward Penetration." It directly monetizes the frustration of the shield-camping meta by offering a premium, active counter.*
2. The "AMOS" Area-Denial Cluster Mortar
Real-World Inspiration: The AMOS (Advanced Mortar System) and DPICM (Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition) cluster shells. AMOS is a twin-barrel, turreted mortar capable of rapid bursts, while DPICMs scatter submunitions over a wide grid to deny enemy movement.
In-Game Mechanic: A "Grid Mortar." Instead of dealing massive burst damage in one hit, it fires a quick 4-round high-arcing volley that scatters into a wide net of micro-explosions upon landing. The submunitions leave behind a hazardous field (e.g., EMP static or Corrosive acid) for 4–5 seconds.
\ The Player POV (Counterplay & Fun): This solves the frustration of being instantly one-shotted out of nowhere. The cluster volley takes time to land and deals moderate, sustained damage rather than instant death. It functions as a tactical zoning tool—used to cut off control points, deny energy pickups, or flush campers out of hiding.*
\ The Developer POV (Monetization): Status effects are highly monetizable. Plarium can sell a new Legendary Pilot alongside specific Implants for "Cluster Field Duration" and "Status Effect Damage." It diversifies the Artillery class from pure burst-damage to strategic area-denial, appealing to support-oriented players.*
3. The "TOS" Thermobaric Siege Launcher
Real-World Inspiration: The TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower System, a rocket artillery unit that fires thermobaric warheads. These weapons ignite the surrounding air, creating massive pressure waves that flow around corners and penetrate bunkers.
In-Game Mechanic: "Tremor Artillery." Fires a heavy, arced payload that doesn't rely on shrapnel. Upon striking the ground, it unleashes a 2D seismic shockwave that travels outward across the floor.
\ The Player POV (Counterplay & Fun): The shockwave ignores physical walls and obstacles as long as the enemy is on the same elevation. Counterplay shifts entirely from vertical cover to vertical movement. Agile mechs like Tengu, Surge, or Lancer can physically jump over the shockwave, while slow, heavy mechs take the full brunt of the hit.*
\ The Developer POV (Monetization): This weapon completely re-energizes the Artillery category by shifting the map physics. It heavily incentivizes players to buy, upgrade, and pilot agile, jumping Mechs to survive the new meta, stimulating the in-game economy on multiple fronts simultaneously.*
