Pioneer Suits

The Pioneer Suit is the player avatar within the game; a medium-sized mechanized power suit used in a variety of roles.

Initially, the player only has access to the basic Gunhead Pioneer; additional Suits and skins can be unlocked by collecting and spending Artifacts, which are found during the course of Campaign and Rogue Mode gameplay. Unlocking a new suit costs 2 Artifacts, and unlocking a new skin costs 1 Artifact.

Each Pioneer has a unique active ability and starting loadout. Whilst the loadout can be customized during the course of the Campaign and Rogue modes, the unique active ability is fixed and cannot be changed. Certain Pioneers have extra passive abilities as well.

## GUNHEAD

This dependable military combat exosuit has served with distinction for decades. Though replaced by newer models, the Gunhead is still favoured by mercenary and pirate organizations for its modular components and large catalogue of aftermarket parts.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** BOOST JET - Quickly dodge incoming projectiles.
* **Passives:** *None*

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x MMG
* 1x Spike Driver
* 1x Shield Generator
* 1x HE Grenade Launcher
* 1x FIX-5 repair kit

**Strategy/Tips:**

The Gunhead is the only suit available when starting the game. It's a simple suit with a simple but well-rounded loadout ideal for inexperienced pilots, and can be equally effective in the hands of veterans as well since it has no significant strengths or weaknesses. It may not have the uniqueness of the other suits, but that's not always a bad thing.

In the hands of a good pilot and fitted with a solid loadout, the Gunhead is just as ready to take on the Cryptark as any other suit.

## ROOK

This heavy law enforcement exosuit was developed to assist boarding teams in busting armed smuggling ships. After a streak of ill-fated police raids, captured suits started appearing regularly on the black market. In addition to its sturdy frame, the Rook features a powerful shield generator.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** BLOCKADE SHIELD - Full encasement shielding at the cost of mobility.
* **Passives:** Kinetic Buffer (Reduced impact from attacks and explosives)

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Zapper Shotgun
* 1x Tractor Beam
* 1x Burst MMG
* 1x Sticky Grenade Launcher
* 1x FIX-10 repair kit
* 1x EMP Field generator

**Strategy/Tips:**

The Rook is a solid and dependable suit, and probably one of the first alternative suits you'll want to unlock; its Kinetic Buffer reduces the amount of knockback and camera shake from incoming attacks, and its Blockade Shield allows a player to hunker down when in trouble (perhaps long enough to recharge the integrated EMP generator) whilst also leaving all four weapon slots free for offensive weapon choices.

## JENNET

Originally a civilian recreational chassis; this popular suit is easily modified for combat operations and is commonly seen in insurgent forces. While it lacks the weapon hardpoints available on military models, its robust frame is able to carry additional equipment with ease.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** KNOCKBACK PULSE - Push away incoming enemies and projectiles.
* **Passives:**
	+ Extra Baggage (6 Item Slots)
	+ Civilian Chassis (2 Weapon Slots)
	+ Quality Ammo (+20% Weapon Damage)

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Burst HMG
* 1x Mortar
* 2x FIX-5 repair kit
* 2x Remote Nuke
* 2x Boomslang Drones

**Strategy/Tips:**

Whilst the Jennet has significantly less weapon flexibility than other suits, its integrated Quality Ammo upgrade and additional item slots can make up the difference; the item slots in particular allowing Jennet pilots to pack extra repair kits, utility modules (like mines, turrets, EMP generators, etc.), and passive upgrades to further improve the primary weapon systems.

## SALAMANDER

Invented by disgruntled corporate workers, this aggressive suit type was widely used by rioters for its heavy firepower and mobility in labyrinthine asteroid mines. It carries a volatile tank of compressed incendiary ore, which it is able to dump and ignite as a crudely effective afterburner weapon.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** AFTERBURNER - Continuous boost that projects damaging flames.
* **Passives:** Hazard Coating (Immunity to Fire & Slime Damage)

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Flamethrower
* 1x Gauntlet
* 1x Shield
* 1x Mine Rack
* 2x FIX-2 repair kit

**Strategy/Tips:**

The Salamander suit favors a risky, and blatant playstyle. Its Afterburner gives it unrivaled sustained mobility and is further reinforced by being the only active that is capable of dealing damage to enemies. However, very important to recognize is that the Afterburner also generates noise - the Salamander is going to draw attention and going to trip traps often due to its incidental damage, and its combination of mobility, decent durability, and its starting loadout of powerful crowd-control weapons, most notably its mines, are meant to account for that fact. The Salamander excels in leading enemies into both its flames, and any trailing traps it leaves in its wake.

## INTRUDER

This slim infiltration unit has found underground success with warring corporations for its clandestine abilities. Though not armoured for prolonged combat, it is equipped with stealth gadgets and a short ranged teleporter; allowing canny pilots to slip through weak spots in defences.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** TRANSLOCATOR - Launchable short-range teleport beacon.
* **Passives:**
	+ Slight Frame (Max 5 Hull)
	+ Lockpick (Can open locked doors without a key)

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Hushpuppy
* 1x Saw
* 1x Reflector Shield
* 1x Remote Grenade Launcher
* 2x FIX-2 repair kit
* Cloaking Device

**Strategy/Tips:**

The fragile Intruder is a skilful, stealthy suit, ideal for those who prefer to sneak around the wrecks instead of engaging enemy forces head on. Its low maximum health means that avoiding combat is generally a high priority, and its toolkit is well-suited to evasive tactics. The Hushpuppy rifle is slow to fire, but accurate, powerful, and doesn't draw enemy attention. Remote Grenades lend a little extra firepower, too.

One of the Intruder's most useful tools is its Translocator beacon, however; the first activation deploys the beacon, and the second teleports you to the beacon's location. By placing a beacon before getting into a risky situation, you can ensure that you have an escape plan if things go south. The ability to pick locked doors and the free cloaking device further aid in the Intruder's ability to freely navigate derelicts by routing around hazards - or simply stealthing straight past ones that might be otherwise unavoidable.

## PDX-40

This prototype superiority unit never made it to full production due to safety concerns. Housed inside its blocky armoured casing is an advanced cogitational array that feeds combat information directly to the Pilot via neural plugs. In effect, the reflex time of the Pilot is greatly increased, but prolonged usage can lead to temporal dissociation.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** REFLEX ARRAY - Activate to temporarily slow down time.
* **Passives:** *None*

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Cycle Rifle
* 1x Javelin Launcher
* 1x Quick Shield
* 1x HE Rocket Launcher
* 3x FIX-5 repair kits (stacked on same button)

**Strategy/Tips:**

The PDX-40 is a large and chunky powersuit with four arm-mounted weapon slots and a standard utility slot array. What makes it relatively unique is that its Reflex Array can be activated and deactivated at any time; whilst active, time is slowed down (similar to the effect when you're at critical hull strength) and a green bar appears above the PDX, indicating how much time is left before the array automatically turns off. Its default loadout is somewhat average, relying on pilot skill for maximum effect.

## WEEVIL

A favoured chassis for hyperlane racers and bank jackers, this suit features a short range teleportation projector, allowing it to bore small wormholes through realspace. This weaponized model has replaced much of its hot-rodded power plant for weapon bays, trading speed for firepower.

**Abilities:**

* **Active:** PHASE TUNNELER - Activate to jump a short distance, even through walls.
* **Passives:** *None*

**Default Loadout:**

* 1x Pulsar
* 1x Taser
* 1x Rail Cannon
* 1x Frag Grenades
* 3x FIX-2 repair kits

**Strategy/Tips:**

The Weevil, true to its description, has a loadout and ability that aims to minimize mission time and take out ship systems as fast as possible. While tied with the Intruder for being the most fragile suit, its Phase Tunneler allows it to potentially skip massive amounts of obstacles inside ships - traps, locked doors, and dead ends - as well as allowing it to evade attacks. But given that the recharge on its teleport is longer than the cooldown of the Gunhead's dash, more care needs to be taken in when and how to use it. To add to this, the ability also allows you to hold down its activation to see where the teleport will bring you, and how far it can reach.

Its default loadout further emphasizes its intended tactics: the Pulsar providing a strong and inexhaustible, but unsustainable burst of fire that works best in hit-and-run engagements, and its Rail Cannon being perhaps its most important weapon: Lined up properly, this cannon can destroy ship systems, and even ship cores, in as little as two shots, and when used in conjunction with look mode, can be fired at safe distances and lined up to hit multiple targets at once.

## Skins

Skins (aka paint jobs) can be purchased for each suit, at a cost of 1 Artifact each. Every suit comes with a default skin, a free Rental skin, and 2 unlockable skins. In total, it costs 12 Artifacts to unlock all of them.