Into The Breach, the critically acclaimed Roguelike released a free update called Advanced Edition that gives the base game a massive overhaul. Subset Games released an update with the same title for their first game, FTL: Faster Than Light, which introduced a plethora of new content, and this update treats Into the Breach no differently.
The Advanced Edition brings a new lineup of squads to the game, including Mist Eaters, which are cousins to the Rustling Hulks that play around smoke deployment. This major update also brings forth new missions and powerful Vek that can give any pro player a run for their money. This guide will cover the ins and outs of the new Mist Eaters and how to play them to save the world.
Squad Lineup
Thruster Mech
Class: Brute
Best Pilots: Archimedes, Abe Isamu, Mafan
The Thruster Mech is your main source of damage but requires a lot of room to deal with it effectively. Having a high movement speed is imperative to position this Mech properly. Even when you cannot eliminate a unit, leaving a smoke cloud behind will render it ineffective that turn.
Abe Isamu is solid thanks to his ability to nullify the first point of self-damage when attacking with Reverse Thrusters. Mafan is ideal with its self-replenishing shield, and even if your Mech becomes disabled, launch smoke on it for a revival. Lastly, Archimedes can help reposition the Mech after attacking, which helps with crowd control.
Smog Mech
Class: Ranged
Best Pilots: Prospero, Morgan Lejune
Smog Mech is a smoke spreader and should be used to disable Vek from attacking buildings. Smog Mech also has Nanofilter Mending, which is a passive ability that heals any of your Mechs when standing on smoke-filled tiles. Any of your Mechs can equip Nanofilter Mending, so if you find a good ranged weapon like Cryo Launcher, swap it for another Mech.
One thing to be said about this Mech is that it requires several Reactor Cores to be optimal. If you can manage to find a powerful ranged weapon like Gemini Missiles, then focus on increasing smoke output. If not, go for the extra damage.
Control Mech
Class: Science
Best Pilots: Camila Vera, Harold Schmidt, Kazaaakpleth
This Science Mech has a unique effect to move any unit into another position within two tiles. This sounds underwhelming, but this power can go far with additional upgrades. This Mech is a master of repositioning and should be used to move Vek to attack its allies. Sadly, this Mech cannot “walk” Vek into water or lava tiles.
Camila’s ability to ignore webbing and smoke makes her an excellent candidate for Control Mech, as she can move anywhere without restraint. Harold Schmidt’s ability to push all units during repair is amazing and provides plenty of utility.
Strategy
The Mist Eater Mechs, individually, are quite fragile, but together they are a force to be reckoned with. This squad relies on synergy and loads of Reactor Cores. To get this squad going properly, invest your first few Reactor Cores into the Thruster Mech to increase its range/damage and Control Mech to increase the range at which it can shuffle targets. From here, it’s all about movement speed, and not health, since Nanofilter Mending is a reliable way to heal units. The further your Mechs can travel, the more options you have on the board.
Not every squad is best suited for every type of mission, and Mist Eaters are no exception. This squad suffers from a lack of raw damage output in the early stages of the game, so avoid objectives that require eliminating loads of Vek at a time. Instead, prioritize missions such as:
- Do Not Kill the Volatile Vek
- Kill Five of Fewer Enemies
- Knock Mites Off Mechs
- Block Vek Spawning 3 Times
These missions are better suited to Mist Eaters since they excel at stalling enemies. Vek Leaders can have hefty amounts of HP for your squad to deal with, so make sure you find ways to deal damage every turn to soften up the Leader. You can have lots of fun with the Control Mech moving the Vek Leaders to kill off the other Vek on board. It should also be noted that Control Mech is the MVP for the final missions since it can move Vek into tiles with incoming boulders.
Mist Eaters Achievements
Stay With Me!: Heal 12 damage over the course of a single island.
This takes some teamwork as it requires your Mechs to be damaged to receive healing but ultimately comes naturally during gameplay. Have Thruster Mech deal damage while Control Mech plugs Vek spawning points. Once damaged, have Smog Mech launch smoke and heal their comrades.
Let’s Walk: Move Enemies with Control Shot 120 spaces in one game.
Start a new run on Easy, feed all Reactor Cores to your Control Mech, and use Control Shot to move Vek as far as they possibly can. Starting with a max-level pilot with a Reactor Core will ensure you get the first upgrade as soon as the game starts.
On The Backburner: Do 4 damage with the Reverse Thrusters.
Like the strategy above, dump all of your Reactor Cores into Thruster Mech, instead of Control Mech, to increase its weapon’s range, thus amplifying damage. Having a pilot like Kai Miller can give your mech additional damage, but be aware that your Mech will take additional damage.
The Mist Eaters require a significant amount of Core Reactors to hit their stride, but entirely capable of taking on the dreaded Unfair Mode, which is on par with Darkest Dungeon level difficulty. Advanced Mode is a free update and comes automatically with a download of Into The Breach.
