THIS GUIDE IS A BIT OUTDATED

1.4.0 MADE THE SPIRE STRONGER WITH AN ADDED NEW HEAVY GUN.
AND OTHER PATCH CHANGES.

Also this guide is better

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=413239394

The first things you know and people know is that the Spire is fragile and a hard to manage ship.
Know this when you choose the spire.


But people always let the Good sides of the spire go.

When you choose a spire, expect to get killed quick, Or quickly Kill.
This is the ship that is slowest but makes the match the fastest ever

Play by that rule. And expect the worst and the best. No middle ground.
All in or stop trying.

You are going to have to think ahead by miles.


The Spire is WEAK in long range, Close range, and mid range. Do not think that this is just a long range ship. It is all of them and not.

And that starts in the very lobby.
Lets take a look at builds...

To Start off, lets look at the loadout.

I expect you to know what guns exist at the moment. But let me tell you this.

Those 4 heavy weapons make the Spire a completely different ship, and what weapons overall you put in it will change how you pilot and command it entierly. Learn to be communicative when you are handling pub play as you follow the guide here along with your own creativity.

Have a quick sheet of what builds you can choose coming from me,
in the future you can come up with one yourself.

1 = HEAVY WEAPON
2 = FRONT FACING Light
3 = LOWER LEFT Light
4 = UPPER RIGHT Light


Close Range

Take note when you plan a close range approach; come in with a suprise. You have the reaction to be suprised on your front. So always keep your self at low so you can hydrogine on onto ships and make them scared ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ at about what you are going to do to them.

Pilot tools are as follows for close range: Pheonix Claw, Kyrosine, Hydrogine.

Hwacha Double Gat

1 = Hwacha / Carronade (Heavy clip, Burst)
2 = Mortar (Lesmok, Defualt)
3 = Gattling gun (Greased)
4 = Gattling gun (Greased)

1 engineer should be equipped with the buff wrench and anti-fire
Engineer 2 should be equipped with the spanner mallet and anti-fire
Gunner takes heavy-clip, burst, and greased.

This is a starter, very effective.
Get your crew to get the said ammo type, and tell them to not touch the mortar.
Communicate with your crew to be ready on the gattling guns.
Say "Double gattlings fire now!" or something.

The gunner after using the hwacha, he can jump on the gattling gun.
Make sure he disables enemy weapons for maximum offence without offence from enemy.
2 gattlings will be too hard on the enemy then you the pilot can jump on the mortar for the kill.

Turn off the engines. Place it in neutral when facing the enemy and going for the mortar. Practice jumping on and off the helm, youl have to get used to it.

Do not use this versus Junkers (Have a carronade instead of a hwacha instead then)


Carronade Lock Supreme


1 = Twin Carronade (Heavy Clip)
2 = Gattling gun (Greased, Heavyclip)
3 = Artemis or Mortar
4 = Flamer

Much like the above set up, just that the gunner gets, heavy-clip, burst, lochnagar.

You as a pilot do not need to do much here. Simply command.
Get one engineer on the gattling gun while the gunner takes out their baloon.
Then after a while, the gunner can jump on the (3) gun. Make sure you turn slightly right for him to be able to shoot the enemy.

The flamer is defencive purposes mostly. The second engineer can take the flamer and assisst when there isnt much damage surrounding your spire.



Long Range

Long range piloting requiers a heck ton of skill and mind games, as well as Ally ship communication. It is very rewarding when done right.

I wont be able to explain the extention of reacting to close range encounters with a long range build, but i will try my best.

Pilot tools are as follows: Pheonix claw, moonshine or Kyrosine, Chutevent/Hydrogine.


Standard

1 = Lumberjack/Heavy flak (Lesmok, lochnagar)
2 = Mercury/Hades (Charged, Lesmok)
3 = Artemis
4 = Artemis


This is the most known typical build for the spire, and it works. People just dont know how to fly it. They know how to fire it ofcourse.

This build should be occupied with lesmok on almost all weapons (Charged on mercury).
This build pretty much wears down a ship like if 2 ships was hitting it. And it is pretty easy to understand. Most suitable on maps like DUNES or WATER HAZARD.

Keep your guns on arc and circulate and get the beat of jumping on helm and jump on (2) if its a mercury or (4) if (2) is a hades.

Keep firing on a spotted enemy, get a bit closer but not too close.

Make sure you get spots from your ally, you are just a weapon now for him. Be that.
When you encounter a close range encounter, be prepared to use Hydro and have that baloon BUFFED at all times. When going up and over ramming enemies, they will most likely turn. Turn faster yourself and start going backwards. You will get just enough distance to start firing after repairing while outmeneuvering your opponent.

Very bad versus squids


Keep'a'way

1 = Heavy Flak (Lochnagar)
2 = Hades/Merc
3 = Gattling/Artemis
4 = Mine Launcher


This is a standard build where you can handle yourself versus close range. What makes this different is the effect of the minelauncher, you want them to come to you.

Refer to https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=204785926 on how to fire mines.

You as a pilot in opposite to Standard will now take an active role.
Learn to fir the minelauncher that is easy to access from the helm.

When you got that down, you can simply back paddle or stand still as you fire lesmok to default mines. If you really wanna be deadly, get lochnagar. But with lochnagar, you will always need to backpaddle with your spire. Make sure there isnt anything behind you.

Whenever a charging ship goes for you (Mostly goldfish, squid and pyramideons) one minlauncher means death to him. Once he does hit a mine, he will flip out. If not, he will hit the second coming mine On a mine hit, his hull is about to go down. Enough for the hades engineer to take down his hull and the gunner with a Lochnagar loaded heavy flak for a clean one shot kill.

This is more of a Mid range build, but it also works as close range.

An alternative is to get impact bumpers instead of hydrogine if you really expect the worst. But keep to hydrogine or chute vent.

Didnt have enough characters, so i need to make a new section...

But its perfect because mid range is THE best range for spires.
Your gunners have a good time, you are having a good time, you can handle most situations and have least amount of limitations. Problem is, it lacks focus. But the utility is unlike any other ship.


Mid Range

These builds are odd ones and will vary extensively from build to build on how you manage. Pick a favourite and stick with it, unless you have comfortable enough crew.

Pilot tools: Pheonix claw, Moonshine, Hydrogine.

You are going to want to keep hydrogine for the mind game effect versus another hydrogine user.


The Wizard

1 = Hwacha (Heavy Clip, Burst)
2 = Hades (Greased, Lesmok)
3 = Light flak (Greased)
4 = Mines/Light Flak (Lesmok, Greased, Lochnagar)


The gunner uses the light flak and hwacha. He first uses the hwacha to disable, then waits on the light flak for the armor break.

The mines keep ships at range and in arming time of both the hades and the light flak.

Because of the hwacha, the enemy ship has no guns. And hades along with maybe a succesfull mine calls for quick hull break damage and permahull damage. By the second hull down, the hwacha will be ready or close to ready for an optional explosive barrage of killing.

This ship has everything, it combats close range, as well as long range but is superb at fights that last. On a suprise you can call the second engineer to ready on the light flak to fire along with the hwacha.

Mine launcher can be replaced with another light flak versus galleons or mostly mid range ships.
Not good against the junker. But for the junker there is a specialty.


Baloon Killer

1 = LumberJack (Lesmok, Burst, Lochnagar)
2 = Hades (Lesmok)
3 = Light Flak/Mines (Greased)
4 = Light Flak/Mines (Greased, Lesmok)

Same deal just versus baloon heavy ships like the galleon but mostly targeted versus the junker.

The light flak (3) will not be occupied by the gunner so have the second engineer managing that gun. While you the pilot, manage gun (4).

If (3) is a minelauncher, the gunner can use the gun for defencive reasons.

All guns on the junker should aim at the baloon, and the baloon only. And only on the JUNKER. Other ships can be prioritised with the guns specialty.

The reason for this versus the junker is to create a large hull out of his baloon. When the junkers baloon breaks, every damage torwards it acts as hull. So have every gun, hades and light flaks and lumberjack just taking down the baloon, before you know it, you are landing hits on what tranformed into a hull. One light flak is enough to kill a junker so keep a mine if his ally is a goldfish or a pyra or squid.

With this, you will mostly want to keep at low altitudes as all those guns can aim very high. And when you have their baloon down you will also at a low altiude not worry to much about following them as they are coming down to you making things much easier.


"But it only took 2 spanner hits"

Here is a gift.

1 = Heavy flak (Heatsink, Lochnagar )
2 = Mercury/Hades/Mine Launcher (Lochnagar, Lesmok, Charged)
3 = Gattling (Lesmok)
4 = Gattling (Lesmok)


Greased [or Lesmok] on gattling guns and hades. Lochnagar on Heavy flak.

Both engineers are occupied for this build and the gunner.

This is the build that takes out 2 ships within a minute or less. 1 ship within 10 seconds at mid to close range. Prepare to do or Die. With Lesmok gattlings you can strip a bit from a far distance or mid range. So gattling can allready be firing from a big distance.

This build eliminates anything with good execution. Hitting every shot with the hades will result in immidiate death to the enemy ship. This build works well versus all ships especialy when going with ally ship and most especialy having him be the focus.

This build requiers heavy amounts of tactics along with execution. Not a good build to react torwards a suprise at all, so be carefull.

My faveourite build so far and is the build that makes the spire that ship that kills.

You will have to keep atleast one engineer with a buff wrench and anti-fire.

This is extremely important for your ships control in your movement of suprise or tight turns, and survival.


For the engines, it helps to turn faster and make good covers as fast as possible. And for the baloon it is extremely important that it is buffed at all times as you never know when the pilot will use hydrogine to take an opportunity it must take. For most cases, having the baloon buff makes the hull harder to hit as it saves the spire with hydrogine.

The engineer below has enough time to focus on the baloon, buff the main gun, or light gun, run up and maybe do a whack on the hull and jump back down. The spire, has the 2nd quickest route from baloon to hull, where the squid is at first. You can quickly jump down to the baloon, problem is on the way back up. So the buff engineer that starts below, will have to constantly be at a limit of buffing and repairing and shooting.

Its a very cool experience to play as if you treat it in a ballet of engineer skill.

Keep in mind during the lobby what map you are about to play in. Versus what ships.


This is extremly crucial as the spire is specilised.
Have this basic note taken down.


Water hazard and Dunes is Long Range (I dont recommend spire on Dunes)

Dual at dawn, paritian rumble, Mid to Close range

Canyons, Fjords Bit of everything



And for the ships. It is mostly for you to note how the guns fair versus the ships you are against. There is a reason why i restrict the hwacha versus a junker as its hull is very difficult to hit with a hwacha.

Make a choice that is easy for your crew and hard hitting for the enemy.

For ships like the Squid, you are going to need a heavy gun suited for just that. Be it hwacha or Carronade. While the Light guns can be that of a mid to long range combination.

For ships versus junkers and mobulas, dont forget that their baloons is their main weakness. Have something to go against it. Or follow a build.



The biggest thing you have to remember is being that powerhouse for your ally. You are not a ship alone. Your ally uses you like a weapon, you use your ally as a breather for doing your shenanigans.


In the end, it is mostly up to the guns hitting.
Shots that miss, make the spire less whole


Here is why the spire is so great and makes for a unique ship.

A pyramidion can only have 2 deadly combinations on the front.
The spire can have those 2 deadly combinations along with added 2 other guns that combine with those 2 allready deadly guns. Making for a Combo that works.

So for builds that have a passive mine launcher, mostly plays like a pyramidion with a heavy gun.