Mechabellum: Complete Guide

A strategy guide to Mechabellum, the round-based autobattler with RTS roots. It covers how rounds, supply, positioning, techs, Specialists, and Reinforcements work, the core counter relationships, and what changed with Update 2.0 (Star Expedition, the Centurion, and the new Free Edition).

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 2.0 (Sept 21, 2026) and Update 2.0.0.1 (Sept 23, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

You don't control units in battle. Each round you buy, place, upgrade, and rotate units. Then the fight plays out on its own. Winning is about predicting the enemy.
Surviving units damage the enemy commander. Everyone starts with 4,000 base HP, adjusted by the Specialist and starting pack you pick. Units left alive at the end of a round deal damage roughly in line with their supply cost.
You see the enemy's last deployment. Their army stays on the board between rounds. Counter what they have and what they're likely to add.
The first choice of the game is a Specialist plus a unit pack. You get four options and 25 seconds. The HP modifier tells you how strong the combo is thought to be: strong combos cost HP, weak ones grant it.
Reinforcements start in round 2. Every round you pick one of four random cards (spells, unit drops, items, unit variants) or skip for supply. Both players see the same four.
Chaff wins early fights. Cheap swarm units (Crawler, Fang) soak shots so your expensive units survive. Almost every army needs some.
Unlocking a unit type costs extra the first time. Don't spread across six unit types early. Commit to a few and upgrade them.
New players can start in the Free Edition (added in 2.0) and try the new solo/co-op Star Expedition mode before touching Ranked.

Editions: Free vs. Full Game (Update 2.0)

Update 2.0 added Mechabellum Free Edition. Update 2.0.0.1 (Sept 23, 2026) lists these Full Game benefits over it:

Full Game benefit	Free Edition limit
Account leveling speed +300% (tech points unlock faster)	Normal leveling speed
Full Standard Battle Contract rewards	50% of rewards locked
No credit cap	Capped at 40,000 credits
Extra Depot capacity (+5)	Base capacity
No public chat cooldown	Chat cooldown
Exclusive avatar, frame, Mountain skin, loading screen	None

If you enjoy the Free Edition, the faster account leveling is the upgrade that actually affects gameplay, because it unlocks tech options sooner.

How a Match Works

Round flow

Deploy phase:
- Receive supply for the round.
- Pick a Reinforcement (from round 2).
- Buy or unlock units, upgrade techs, level units, and position everything.
Battle phase: both armies fight automatically.
Damage: each surviving unit deals damage to the losing commander. A 100-supply pack deals about 100 damage and a 500-supply unit about 400, with exceptions. Crawlers, for example, deal 4 damage each.
Repeat until one commander hits 0 HP. Tournament games are capped at 13 rounds.

Supply decisions each round

Spend on	When
New unit type (unlock plus purchase)	When you need a counter you don't have
More of an existing unit	When your composition works and just needs mass
Tech upgrades	When a unit is core to your army. Techs change how a unit plays.
Unit levels	On units that will stay alive and relevant. Levels multiply stats.
Reinforcement cards	Free each round, or skip for supply

Specialists

You pick one Specialist at the start. The wiki lists these (numbers may be out of date after 2.0):

Specialist	Effect (summary)
Aerial	Cheaper air unlocks, air units get more ATK/HP
Amplify	Free Small Amplifying Cores on round 1
Cost Control	Extra supply every round, but all units have less ATK/HP
Elite	Extra round-1 supply, recruit units at Rank 2
Fire Badger	Cheaper Fire Badger techs plus a free Fire Badger
Fortified	+HP to all units
Giant	Cheaper Giant/Titan unlocks
Marksman	A free Rank 3 Marksman in round 2
Missile	Free Missile Strikes in round 2 (the 2.0 test server changed this to one free Heavy Missile in round 3; check in game)
Quick Supply	Big round-1 supply boost
Rhino	A free Rank 2 Rhino in round 4
Sabertooth	Cheaper Sabertooth techs plus a free Sabertooth
Speed	+movement speed for all units
Supply	Extra supply every round
Training	Extra round-1 supply plus a free Intensive Training
Typhoon	A free Typhoon in round 4

The 2.0 test server added more Specialists, and they're still being tuned. For example, one grants a piece of random Small Equipment every round. Check the in-game list.

Beginner-friendly picks: economy Specialists (Supply, Quick Supply) and plain stat Specialists (Fortified) are forgiving. Unit-specific ones (Marksman, Rhino, Typhoon) push you toward a plan, which is good once you know that unit.

Units and Counters

Units come in supply tiers: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and larger giants. Roughly, there are chaff swarms, mid-size ground units, air units, and giants.

Unit (examples)	Role	Good against	Weak against
Crawler, Fang	Chaff swarm	Absorbing fire from big single-target units	Splash and anti-swarm units (Arclight, Fire Badger, Vulcan)
Arclight	Chain-lightning splash	Chaff	Long-range and heavy units
Marksman	Long-range single-target	Giants and big mechs	Chaff and fast divers
Steel Ball	Close-range beam	Heavy units	Chaff, long range
Wasp, Phoenix	Air	Ground-only armies	Dedicated anti-air (Mustang, anti-air techs)
Mustang	Anti-air / anti-small	Air and swarms	Heavy armor
Sledgehammer, Rhino, Fortress	Frontline tanks and bruisers	Holding the line, charging backlines	Focused anti-heavy (Steel Ball, Marksman)
Stormcaller	Long-range rockets	Slow clumped ground armies	Fast units and air
Vulcan, Fire Badger	Flamethrowers	Chaff and small units	Long range
Overlord, Melting Point, and other giants	Late-game power	Whatever they're teched for	Mass anti-heavy
Centurion (new in 2.0)	Versatile mech that fires at range, then switches to melee after enough attacks (20 on the final test build), fully healing when it switches	Flexible frontline and damage	Being focused down before it switches

The Centurion in 2.0.0.1: it was buffed shortly after release (ATK 1401 to 1500, and one tech's cost lowered from 200 to 100). The developers said early data showed it slightly underperforming. Expect further tuning.

Counter-play principles

Big single-target damage against your giants? Add chaff in front so it wastes shots.
Swarms against you? Add splash (Arclight, flamethrower units).
Air against you? Add anti-air before it snowballs. Air armies scale fast if you ignore them.
Long-range artillery against you? Use fast flankers or air to reach it, or spread your formation.

Positioning Fundamentals

Frontline, then damage, then support. Tanks and chaff in front, damage dealers behind.
Flanks matter. Units deployed on the sides take different paths. A flank group can hit the enemy's backline artillery.
Counter-position. Place your anti-giant units opposite the enemy's giants and your splash opposite their swarm.
Stagger chaff. Spreading it wastes more enemy shots than one clump does.
Rotate the whole army sometimes. If the enemy has hard-countered your left side, mirror it.

Game Modes

Mode	Notes
Standard Versus (1v1)	Ranked and casual. The core competitive mode, with weekly in-game tournaments.
2v2	Team play
Brawl / free-for-all	Chaotic multiplayer
Survival (solo/co-op)	Waves of AI enemies
Rift Mode	Rotating rule modifiers
Star Expedition (new in 2.0)	Rogue-lite run through 9 planets, solo or 2-player co-op

Star Expedition (Update 2.0)

Conquer 9 planets in a run. Battles include random variables and mirrored builds from real players at a similar Star Expedition rating (asynchronous PvP).
Runs earn Star Expedition rewards that change later runs.
Co-op: each commander leads their own army on a merged battlefield. You can invite friends or players from public chat.
There's no time pressure, so it's the best place to learn units and techs.
It has its own balance, separate from Standard Versus. For example, the Experimental Death Knell has Star Expedition-specific tuning.

Beginner Game Plan (1v1)

Pick a Specialist and pack you understand. Balanced starts (100-cost chaff plus 200-cost frontline) are easiest.
Rounds 1–3:
- Chaff plus one core damage unit.
- Take economy or free-unit Reinforcements.
- Don't unlock more than two or three unit types.
Rounds 4–6:
- Read their army and add the counter they're weakest to.
- Start teching your core unit.
Mid game: level units that consistently survive, and decide whether to go for a giant.
Late game:
- Keep refreshing chaff every round.
- Hold supply-heavy counters for the round the enemy commits to a giant or air transition.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

No chaff. Your expensive units die to focused fire.
Unlocking too many unit types. Unlock costs add up, and a spread army is weak everywhere.
Ignoring enemy air until round 6.
Leveling units that die every round. Levels pay off only on survivors.
Copying pro builds without reading the matchup. Mechabellum is counter-driven.
Skipping Reinforcement evaluation. Sometimes skipping for supply is best. Compare the card's value to the supply.
Clumping everything. It invites splash and artillery wipes.

Advanced Tips

Think one round ahead. The enemy sees your army too. If you win the current round with a hard counter, expect them to counter-counter next round.
Bait placements. Chaff on one flank with the real army on the other can pull enemy giants out of position.
Tech > quantity on your core unit. Many units become different tools after their key tech (for example, the Centurion's ranged and melee tech paths).
Watch the patch notes. 2.0's balance is still moving. The 2.0 test server changed Vortex, Void Eye, Fang, Phantom Ray, and Crawler numbers, and 2.0.0.1 buffed the Centurion.
Use the Public Test Server (Steam > Properties > Game Versions & Betas > public_test) to try upcoming changes early.

FAQ

Is Mechabellum free now? Update 2.0 (September 2026) added a Free Edition. The Full Game adds faster account leveling, full contract rewards, no credit cap, and cosmetics.

What's Star Expedition? A rogue-lite mode added in 2.0. You fight across 9 planets against mirrored real-player builds, solo or in 2-player co-op.

What's the newest unit? The Centurion, added in 2.0: a mech that fights at range and switches to melee.

How much HP do I start with? 4,000 base, adjusted up or down by your Specialist and starting pack.

Is it pay-to-win? No. Units and techs aren't sold. Purchases are the Full Game upgrade and cosmetics.

Who publishes it now? Game River develops it, and the Steam store now lists Dreamhaven as publisher. Paradox Interactive published it at its early-access launch.