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Power Through the Game<\/strong><\/p>\n 13 Sentinels<\/em> is about 35 hours long\u2014and it\u2019s a game you\u2019re going to want to power through. The story itself is cut into two parts: the present\u2014i.e., the battle stages\u2014and the past\u2014i.e., the story mode. If that weren\u2019t complex enough, there are 13 characters\u2019 stories to go through\u2014but you can\u2019t just go through them one at a time. Instead, you\u2019ll constantly be switching through all the characters\u2019 stories in a non-linier fashion. While you\u2019ll likely be able to figure out when each characters\u2019 events are happening in regards to each other, if you drop this game for a few weeks and come back, you\u2019re probably going to be pretty lost\u2014and will have to spend an hour or two rewatching various scenes in the game\u2019s timeline viewer to catch back up.<\/p>\n Do as Much of the Story as You Can Before Doing the Battles<\/strong><\/p>\n When the game begins, you\u2019ll alternate between the various characters\u2019 prologues and battles in the present. However, once the prologue is done you\u2019ll have much more freedom. You can move onto more battles or progress through the various characters\u2019 stories.<\/p>\n My recommendation is to do each and every characters\u2019 story until you can no longer progress. Then do the next 5 battles before returning to the story mode and repeating the process. The reason for this is that the battles happen chronologically after the character stories. While the battles aren\u2019t exactly plot-heavy, there are plot scenes before and after each battle that do contain spoilers for the story scenes\u2014and honestly, the story versions handle these reveals far better.<\/p>\n Read the Mystery Files You Unlock<\/strong><\/p>\n By completing battles, special objectives, and by using mystery points, you are able to unlock mystery files. These cover everything from the technology and enemy types to locations and the food our heroes encounter. But the ones you should be sure to unlock right away are those related to the characters\u2014both main and supporting. Not only do they contain details about the characters you may have missed, but they are also continuously updated with new and important information as the story progresses.<\/p>\n Check Out the Timeline Viewer After You Beat the Game<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you beat the game, you get an updated timeline viewer. Not only does it allow you to see the whole story and each main character\u2019s individual story chronologically, but it also does the same for many of the supporting characters. It\u2019s super helpful\u2014especially in a story that plays around with time like 13 Sentinels<\/em>.<\/p>\n Oh… and don\u2019t forget to check out the end of the complete timeline for a secret extra ending of sorts.<\/p>\n You Can Ignore Your Score<\/strong><\/p>\n On the battle side of things, you\u2019ll notice that you have two things you accumulate, score and Meta Chips. Score is useful for getting S-ranks but here\u2019s the thing, you\u2019ll probably have no issues getting an S-rank on every single mission if you do one simple thing: never click the recover button on the mission loadout screen.<\/p>\n Basically, for every two battles a pilot fights in, they\u2019ll need to sit one out. However, as you have 13 characters to choose from, you\u2019ll always have a full team to play with. Sure, you\u2019ll need to rotate your characters so you have a viable team but if you never use recover, you build up an insane score combo that all but guarantees and S-rank\u2014well at least if you follow the other tips in this guide.<\/p>\n Score also allows you to unlock mystery files. You\u2019ll get one or two unlock points per battle naturally\u2014though with score boosting terminal skills you can get 20 a battle. For the majority of the game, this doesn\u2019t really matter. However, once you\u2019re near the end of the game and have unlocked every possible mystery file, mystery points turn into something far more useful: Meta Chips.<\/p>\n Maximize Your Meta Chips Before Upgrading Anything Else<\/strong><\/p>\n While score can be basically ignored if you never reset your combo meter by recovering, meta chips are vital to you winning battles in the first place. Meta chips are the currency used to upgrade your sentinels\u2019 stats, upgrade their special attacks, and teach them new special attacks.<\/p>\n You get some chips just by playing the story but you\u2019ll get the majority of them by killing enemies in battle. You can increase the amount you get by upgrading the Meta Chip Magnification skill in the terminal. It\u2019ll take about 45,000 meta chips total to upgrade it to max (15,000 meta chips to upgrade to level 6 Meta-System and 30,000 for level 6 Meta Chip Magnification). It may seem like a lot at first but it is the gift that keeps on giving so the sooner you do it, the better off you\u2019ll be. (And remember even doing it partway massively increases the Meta Chips you get making it easier to max it out.)<\/p>\n Besides, you won\u2019t really need to upgrade any weapons for the first few battles\u2014not if you remember that…<\/p>\n Sentry Guns Are Your Best Friend<\/strong><\/p>\n Juro, Iori, and Ryoko pilot second-generation sentinels. While these are the \u201call-rounder\u201d type sentinels, you won\u2019t be using them as anything but factories to pop out automated railgun turrets turn after turn. These turrets are the key to victory and they only get more powerful as you level them\u2014which should be one of your top priorities.<\/p>\n You should always have at least one second-generation sentinel in every battle (unless the special mission objectives don\u2019t allow it). As you go through the game, it\u2019s best to launch Juro and Iori together. Then, when they are on cooldown after two battles, use Ryoko as she has the unique ability to launch 2 sentry guns at once thanks to her Hyper Condenser (which you should unlock ASAP). If you can, try to stagger their usage so that all 3 can go destroy the boss together every five battles.<\/p>\n For best effect, when on defense, put your turrets at the cardinal points around the terminal. Once that\u2019s done, fill in the intercardinal points. This will get you maximum coverage. When on offensive missions\u2014i.e., boss battles\u2014put the first few turrets around the terminal but then start placing them in forward positions so that they can hit the boss themselves. Just don\u2019t clump them up when on the attack as the bosses love their ultra-powerful AOE attacks that can kill a turret in one hit.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that Renya, Shu, Megumi, and Yuki can pop out autonomous interceptors. However, while helpful, they don\u2019t hold a candle in power to the sentry turrets\u2014and honestly, the fourth-generation sentinels have more useful things to do than pop out interceptors constantly.<\/p>\n Nenji and Yuki Are Your Boss Killers<\/strong><\/p>\n In many levels, there are bosses, factories that pump out an endless stream of enemy units, or both. While railguns can do the job eventually, it\u2019s far easier to rely on the melee masters: Nenji and Yuki.<\/p>\n Nenji, in his first-generation sentinel, can do more damage in a single turn than any other character. His skills are built around using (and abusing) Demolish Blade which both bypasses armor and does a ton of damage. His Hyper Condenser ability (which you should unlock ASAP) powers up Demolish Blade even more\u2014enough so that most factories go down in a single hit. But in the rare case where that\u2019s not enough damage, he can release his limiter to double his damage (and movement) for a short period of time. It\u2019s truly insane.<\/p>\n Nenji\u2019s only weak point is that his mecha needs to use roads to get where he\u2019s going. Yuki\u2019s fourth-generation sentinel, on the other hand, does not. While her flying mecha is supposed to be for support, her skills include Counter and Chobham armor\u2014which means she takes no damage from small fry enemies and kills them automatically when they try. For bosses, all she needs to do is fly up to them and use her leg spikes. Most factories will go down to a pair of these attacks.<\/p>\n Keitaro and Tomi Are Your Shield Killers<\/strong><\/p>\n Eventually, enemies start building shield towers which make all enemies in range a lot harder to kill\u2014even sentry turret spam won\u2019t be enough. These shield towers are usually positioned at the back of the enemy formation. Sure, you can send Yuki to take them out but it\u2019s kind of a waste of her single-target attack skills.<\/p>\n The better option is your railgun users. In their third-generation sentinels, Keitaro and Tomi can take out shield towers almost anywhere on the map without moving using their rail guns. \u00a0But what makes them better than Natsuno is that their rail guns are far stronger. Miura has access to the mega railgun which does about double the damage per shot. Tomi, on the other hand, has an unlockable Hyper Condenser which lets her fire two shots per turn. Of course, these don\u2019t just wreak shield towers\u2014almost everything other than factories will go down in a single shot. So they are useful in nearly all situations.<\/p>\n Anti-air Defense Flares Are Your First and Last Line of Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n All the first-generation sentinels can use anti-air defense flares. These do two important things: 1) instantly destroy any missile that enters their area of effect and 2) do damage over time to flying enemies. The further you get into the game, the more important it is to always have a layer of anti-air defense flares over the terminal\u2014as well as the turrets\/sentinels surrounding it. In truth, there are some later battles where you might want a first-generation sentinel (other than Nenji as he has better things to do) to simply camp at base doing nothing but putting out flares and defending to restore EP.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Forget Your Flare Torpedoes\/Gravity Missiles<\/strong><\/p>\n All fourth-generation sentinels have the ability to launch flare missiles, gravity missiles, or both. Flare Torpedoes create a wide area inside which all enemies take damage continuously\u2014be they on the ground or in the air. Popping one of these on an enemy spawn point will make everyone else\u2019s job much easier. Gravity Missiles, on the other hand, do two things: 1) stop enemy movement for a limited amount of time and 2) group them all up into a nice bundle for missiles or railguns. Both are devastating throughout the entire game.<\/p>\n A Mix of Sentinel Types is Important<\/strong><\/p>\n If it\u2019s not obvious yet, 90% of the time you\u2019re going to want a team that includes at least one of each type of sentinel. The only time you don\u2019t want this mix is when the special mission objectives ask for something else. If your curious, my anti-boss team is generally Nenji, Iori, Ryoko, Tomi, Yuki, and Shu.<\/p>\n Character Relationships Effect Battle<\/strong><\/p>\n While you may have a favorite team (like mine above), you\u2019re going to be using every character\u2014both because of special objectives and brain overload. While you should try to take at least one of each sentinel type, you should also consider their pilots. As you play through the story, you\u2019re going to notice that certain characters are friends with\/in love with other characters. Most of the time these characters get special abilities when paired together\u2014with more abilities unlocking the higher level the pilot becomes. So if at all possible, pair your pilots with those they care about.<\/p>\n Embrace the Nostalgia<\/strong><\/p>\n 13 Sentinels<\/em> is a love letter to 80s\/90s sci-fi. From American films like Robot Jox and E.T. to anime like Sailor Moon<\/em> and Macross<\/em>, there\u2019s an insane amount of references to other works. Half the fun of this game is picking them all out. So revel in that nostalgia\u2014embrace it and enjoy all the little ways it is twisted to create this new and entertaining story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biggestinjapan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/13-Sentinels-02.jpg?resize=960%2C540\")
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