Community Robot Destruction strategy

Asteroid

This article is about Community Robot Destruction strategy.

Robot Destruction is a Mann Co. Beta game mode, so strategies may change until the final version is released.

General strategy

• Unlike many game modes that establish clear attack/defense roles for each team, Robot Destruction's rules imply a shift between offense and defense over the course of the game. The more your team is ahead in points, the more attentive you need to be to "Hail Mary" attempts on your Core. At the beginning when there are no points to defend, your team should focus 100% on offense. By the end, when you have enough points in your Core to win, your team should be focused 100% of defense. Attention to this strategy can help a team deploy its limited resources most effectively over the course of the round.

Robots

• Robots will heal over time after a short period of being undamaged, so there is little reason to attack a robot unless you can kill it.
• Each stage of robots rewards approximately twice the points of the previous stage, rewarding clean sweeps through the enemy base much more so than individual hit and run raids on the A robots.
• Having people wait by each level of Robot until they are unprotected can also speed up collecting.
• The Ammo provided by Robot gibs rewards in-close attacks, rapidly recharging Miniguns and Flame Throwers for a sustained, overrunning assault.
• Robots provide 5 health per second to nearby allies (compared to 10 health per second for a Level 1 Dispenser).
  • Hanging around robots is therefore a useful advantage when defending them and a good way to offset afterburn or to top up if you are low, but are not an efficient source for large amounts of health.

The Core

• If the enemy doesn't have many points in their core, there's little point in stealing it. Waiting around it until they have an appropriate amount is may be a better choice, but balance the amount of points to be gained versus the time such an attempt will take you away from the fight.
• As with the intelligence in CTF matches, having a team member nearby can help if you drop the Reactor Core.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• Working in pairs allows Scouts to rapidly destroy Robots behind enemy lines, as well as to relay the Reactor Core if it is dropped.
• Bonk can be particularly useful by allowing Scouts to bypass front line defenders and score points against undefended robots or recover/reset dropped cores.
• When stealing the Core, the Sandman is a useful tool to stun enemies rather than attempting to fight or dodge past them.

 Soldier

• The Beggar's Bazooka burst fire can quickly destroy Robots before the enemy is alerted.
• The Disciplinary Action and the Escape Plan can be useful when escaping with the enemy core.
• As there are no capture points, there is no benefit to equipping the Pain Train.

 Pyro

• Robots are immune to Critical hits, afterburn, Mini-Crits, and airblasts, making Pyro relatively inefficient for destroying these Robots; however, enemy players still need to be dealt with, so the normal roles of building defense, ambushing, airblasting into hazards, etc., still apply.
• The large amount of water in both of Asteroid's bases makes the Neon Annihilator a very good choice of melee weapon, and a Pyro equipping it can guard the submerged areas effectively. Conversely, a Pyro attacking through the enemy's water can make use of it to ambush any enemy players they encounter.

 Demoman

• The delayed detonation of the Scottish Resistance and Sticky Launcher can be used to lay a carpet of stickies that can destroy enemy Robots before the enemy team is alerted.
• The Persian Persuader can pick up the Robot's gibs, restoring any health lost whilst attacking.
• As there are no capture points, there is no benefit to equipping the Pain Train.

 Heavy

• Partnering with a Medic can help increase the amount of damage you do during your time in the enemy base.
• The Gloves of Running Urgently can assist in destroying Robots, then quickly escaping the area if you spot enemy groups too tough to kill by yourself.

 Engineer

• Establishing a Teleporter and other buildings in the opponent's base provides a devastating advantage by maximizing the benefit of the spawn time disparity and setting up constant raids on the enemy robots and core.
• Making a nest in the enemy Reactor Core can be decisive.
• Equipping the Gunslinger as your melee is useful when going offense against the robots since one can quickly build a mini sentry to aid in destroying the robots.

 Medic

• An ÜberCharge lasts long enough to destroy both robots at each station, allowing your team to score points even if you are unable to control the area.

 Sniper

• A Sniper can destroy Robots safely and quickly from a distance with approximately two fully charged shots, permitting nearby teammates to quickly retrieve the power cores or to bypass low-scoring robots altogether.

 Spy

• The major threat of enemy nests in your own base makes such installations a first priority.
• Spies are good for stealing cores due to their Cloak ability.
  • The Cloak can also allow Spies to get to the enemy Robots without being noticed.
• The Dead Ringer can allow you to quickly get behind enemy lines without having to sneak through players strategically.
• Because your Cloak and disguise abilities allow you to remain in the enemy base longer than your teammates, allow a teammate to carry the reactor core if possible. Press L to drop it and follow behind, recovering/resetting it if necessary.
• Just like escaping with the intelligence in CTF games, remember: Scout out, Spy nearby.
• Remember that when infiltrating the enemy base under disguise, you can heal damage you pick up on the way by passing next to their robots.