Contender/Strategy

Contender

Strategy

Quotes

Live2D

Contender Placements in the Echelon

Combating Armored Enemies

Being the only Handgun in the game that can equip AP Rounds, Contender can prove useful in night battles against Armored Units especially her skill as it can help determine what Enemy should be eliminated first. (Contender's tile placement in battle determines what unit's she'll target with her skill) If placed correctly would help the Echelon prioritize the most threatening enemy in the battle and minimizing the losses of the Echelon.

Combating Bosses

Due to her skill and ability to equip AP Rounds, Contender is a great choice for Boss killing setups (Armored or not) and the skill itself can do reliable damage to Bosses, But the real benefit of her skill here is on Max Level as it will mark the target as well as amplify the damage received to said target by 40% form all sources. This is beneficial for Echelons which have a high priority on DPS such as ROF focused RFHG echelons and Burst or Active Skill MGSG echelons and even standard ARSMG echelons. One thing to note about Contender's skill is that the marked target will be the target of focus, causing all your T-dolls to prioritize said target, this is incredibly effective at making sure your echelon can take out the boss ASAP.

Combating Standard Enemies

Possessing one of the highest base DMG stats of all HG's, Contender can reliably take out enemies herself assuming she's equipped with HP Rounds not AP Rounds, however you should not solely rely on her taking out everything, pair her well with certain echelons so that they can compensate for Contenders poor ROF stat and lack of supporting buffs, remember Contender's skill will only affect ONE TARGET, make sure she targets the right one and doesn't overkill something instead, otherwise you're wasting her skill.

Formation

Tile Bonuses

Being a Handgun, Contender's tile buffs are very offensive oriented, granting +30% DMG and +20% Crit rate and covering a large amount of tiles, 8 Tiles total assuming you've placed her in tile 5 (the center). This gives Contender a flexible tile placement and can support all her allies if placed correctly, however as her tile buffs are primarily offensive oriented, if put in an echelon, one must consider who will benefit off these tiles.

T-dolls who can achieve high crit rates will benefit greatly from Contenders tiles such as AR's RFs and Non-Hunting Impulse MG's, while Evasive T-dolls will not benefit from these tiles.

Tiles

Affects all guns

Increases Damage by

15%_(x1) / 18%_(x2) / 22%_(x3) / 26%_(x4) / 30%_(x5)

Increases Critical rate by

10%_(x1) / 12%_(x2) / 15%_(x3) / 17%_(x4) / 20%_(x5)

Skill Usage

In battle, it is very important to make sure you know where Contender is standing to make the most out of her skill, as her skill is dependent on where she is currently standing on the battlefield.

If she is currently in the back column, Her skill will target the furthest enemy on the battlefield. This is ideal in taking care of backline enemies such as Jaeger's and Jaguar's.

If she is currently in the middle column, She will target the enemy with the highest HP. This is ideal in taking care of mini-bosses such as Manticore's, Dragoon's and some incredibly late game units.

If she is currently in the front column, She will Target the Closest Enemy. While this is certainly risky, its not advised to have Contender standing anywhere near the frontline.

And lastly, If at any point a boss is present in the battlefield, Contender will always prioritize the boss with her skill, so no matter where she is currently placed in the field, she will always target the boss with her skill.

Equipment

Slot 1

AC4 Suppressor

Standard equipment for HG's and SMG' grants the user a slight boost to their critical hit rate as well as slightly increase their EVA, This is a must for all HG's to maximize their evasive properties or DPS potential if they're a damaging HG like Contender.

PEQ-16A

Standard night battle equipment for AR's, HG's, SMG's and SG's, negates the -90% night battle ACC penalty by a percentage. Although not necessarily needed, as Contender's skill bypasses accuracy checks and will not miss, you may consider equipping Contender with a PEQ in the event you're going up against evasive enemies and or bosses, otherwise just keep Contender with a standard silencer.

Slot 2

ILM Hollow Point Ammo

Standard equipment for HG's and SMG's, grants a moderate DMG increase at the cost of AP. A Must for all HG's if they're a damaging HG like Contender, make sure to equip Contender with this to maximize the damage from her skill.

Mk211 High-Explosive Armor-Piercing Ammo

Standard equipment for RF's and MG's, Grants an increased AP stat to the users, allowing them to subtract the enemies armour value. Although this is the standard equipment for RF's and MG's, Contender is amongst the few T-dolls (the other 2 being AR 6P626P626P62 and SMG C-MSC-MSC-MS) who is fully capable of equipping AP rounds allowing her the ability to punch through armoured units, now be warned, as AP ammo only increases the users base AP stat, that doesn't mean it increases their DMG stat, so only use AP rounds on Contender if you're fully expecting the echelon to combat armoured units and or bosses.

Slot 3

IOP T4 Exoskeleton

Standard Exoskeleton used by all classes except MG's and SG's, Grants a high amount of EVA at the cost of base damage. If you wanna maximize Contender's survivability, this is a must, though you must acknowledge that this Exoskeleton will slightly lower the damage done by Contender's skill, so it is entirely up to you on whether you want her to survive longer or deal more overall damage. If you just want Contender to have higher survivability, Equip her with this T-series exoskeleton.

IOP X4 Exoskeleton

Standard Exoskeleton used by all classes except MG's and SG's, Grants a moderate about of EVA with no penalties. Standard Exoskeleon which grants nothing but positives, if you wanna maximize Contender's skill damage without hindering her base DMG, you may consider equipping Contender with these X-series exoskeletons.