This guide is aimed at returning War Robots players who took a break from the game and are now looking for advice about getting back into the game.

Welcome back, Commander! War Robots has grown immensely over the years with new features, robots and play styles. If you feel overwhelmed coming back, this guide should get you back on track.

Claim your freebies (Dec 16-31)

Shell. If you log in between Dec 16 and Dec 31, check the in-game news tab (the "envelope" icon on the Hangar screen). Starting from Dec 16 you will find a free Shell robot inside. On December 24 there will also be a free set of weapons for this robot. This should give you a nice place to start.

Raven Unbound. If the Christmas Event is active, check the Operations tab. Operation E includes Nessa as a free pilot. This pilot will give a significant boost to your Raven. If you don't have Raven in your hangar, you can build it in the Workshop or buy it for Gold.

Getting more equipment

Generally, there are 3 main ways to obtain equipment.

Event Special Deliveries allow you to unlock the latest pieces of equipment.

The Black Market has items from previous events. Both Black Market keys and Special Delivery coins can be obtained during the Operation simply by playing and completing daily tasks or watching ads.

Operations are similar to Battle Passes from other games. They provide you with resources and occasionally with some additional equipment, like weapons, modules, or drones. You can also get item components by getting to the top of Leaderboards or opening Battle Rewards.

Rule of Thumb

Play around with the equipment you already have. Open Special Deliveries and Black Market chests (focus on the bigger ones – they have better equipment). Try out what you receive in the match, and if you enjoy the playstyle — start implementing it in your hangar by building your robots around that item.

Trying out equipment

There are three ways to try out the equipment that you don't have yet.

Firstly, there are weekly Skirmishes which often allow you to test some fresh gear. The stats in Skirmishes may differ from the real fights, but you can get a general feel for the robot or weapon there.

Secondly, there's a Hangar X — the sixth hangar you can use in Custom Games.

And finally, you can visit the Test Server on weekends and test every single item in the game. You can follow the Test Server News either on Facebook or on the War Robots Discord server.

Approaching the new mechanics

If you haven't played War Robots for the past couple of years, it may be challenging to wrap your head around the new game mechanics. Here are some extra notes on how to approach them if you're coming back to the game after a while.

Drones (unlock at Level 27): leave them for last

Drones are your little support buddies that provide your robot with some extra perks that trigger under certain conditions (e.g. getting extra repair over time, or receiving a temporary shield after being hit by a burst from the enemy). They allow you to specialize your playstyle even more.

While they are a fun and complex mechanic, we suggest you leave Drones for later, after you get comfortable with the other layers of the game. A major Drone Overhaul is coming in the first half of 2023, aimed at streamlining the mechanics and making Drones more convenient to use. Stay tuned for the overhaul news!

Titans (Level 21) and Motherships (Level 30): focus on what you have

Titans are like robots but bigger and meaner. Among options that you can obtain relatively easily, Minos, Murometz, Luchador and Indra are all great aggressive Titans. Nodens and Heimdall are excellent supports. Before you can get your hands on them, try to get the most out of some of the starter Titans that you can get for Platinum— a simple Arthur can go a long way until the Black Market or Special Delivery bring you something newer to try.

As for the Motherships, they allow you to use some game-changing ultimate abilities once they are charged. The base mothership, Dreadnought, can help you get a general feel of how Motherships work. We recommend that you focus on robots and Titans first and then explore what Motherships can do.

Pilots (Level 23): check them out once you find a robot setup you like

Legendary Pilots give your robots an extra superpower — one can allow you to pierce an enemy shield, another boosts the robot's ability in some way, and so on. Experimenting with pilot skill synergies is a fun game in itself, but we recommend working out a robot setup that you like. The most rewarding skills usually come with Legendary pilots, and their Legendary skills work with certain robots or weapons exclusively. While you will be able to swap your pilots between different robots, they won't be as effective with equipment they aren't suited for.

It's worth noting, however, that there are certain pilots that can work with different builds — such as Kate O'Donnell, who powers up all lock-down weapons.

Need more advice?

Check out these guides from the War Robots Mentors and feel free to browse their channels. They provide a lot of great gameplay advice.

Feel free to join the War Robots Discord and ask around in the #general chat. There are lots of experienced War Robots players, and they will be glad to help you out. See you there!