Cogmind New Player Strategy Guide

Documentation is good

This guide is not a replacement for reading the manual that comes with the game. The entire thing is available inside the game itself, or offline in .txt format. It explains everything in meticulous detail. Read the manual online here.

Stop shooting everything

There is a background stat in the game called "alert influence". Killing bots and blowing stuff up raises alert. When alert levels increase, the complex will start sending out more enemies to your location, causing you to fight more bots, causing the alert level to increase even more. Eventually you die from "alert spiral". Avoid alert spirals by avoiding unnecessary combat and not triggering investigations from tampering with machines too much. There are also ways to specifically lower alert levels by hacking terminals or by simply leaving the floor.

Run!

The object of the game is to escape, not to shoot everything. A heavy combat approach is more difficult than simply avoiding combat. New players often stand in place and fight to the death when they could just as easily walk away! You'll have an easier time if you spec into faster propulsion types (flight/hover) and avoid combat when possible. Use an ECM Suite to make enemy bots lose your trail faster when you run away.

Know before you go

A major hangup for new players is not being able to find an exit. You can get help by hacking terminals and looking for "Access Branch Locations" and "Access Main Exits". Terrain scanning and processors can help you map the floor as you go. Sending drones out with the "explore" command can very quickly locate exits. Hacking watchers with RIF and a datajack can get you their map data. Hacking terminals for Zone Layouts can reveal exits you may be right next to without knowing it. Picking up derelict logs in caves can instantly show you exits as soon as you enter the map. You may also deduce exit locations by watching bot traffic. Many enemies come from and path to exits. Sentries and Heavies often camp on top of exits, so look for them with sensors.

Help from our little green friends

They're a nuisance, but they will also provide you with many basic level parts in emergencies: wheels, engines, sensors, storage, etc. If you find yourself in dire straights, whack some green bots. Recyclers also carry matter, Tunnelers carry terrain scanners, Watchers provide sensors, and Operators have hackware and corruption utilities.

Use doorways to your advantage

Don't fight out in the open and let everyone shoot you at once. Instead funnel groups of enemies into narrow corridors or fight them in a doorway. Bots will clog the doorway while they take shots at you in a nice, orderly, single-file way. Read the more in-depth article on combat tactics here.

Storage defines your build

Your first order of business at the beginning of the game should be to find adequate storage utilities for the kind of build you aim to go with. Don't leave Materials until you have the storage you need. Small, Medium, and Large options are found in standard stocking rooms on the first 2 levels. High-Capacity storage or larger units are frequently found on the floor.

The anti-swarmer weapon

Try to find a launcher weapon as soon as possible. This helps you quickly dispatch swarmers and groups of enemies.

Emergency propulsion

Consider carrying a backup wheel in inventory. If you find yourself in a situation where all of your propulsion is lost and you can't move, a single wheel can carry you to safety.

Knowing is half the battle

Many utilities give you information which helps you find exits, find loot, avoid enemies, and hack machines. The more you know about your environment, the more effectively you can make progress, and less need you will have for weapons. Sensors + Signal Interpreters detect robots out of visual range, Structural Scanners, Terrain Scanners, and Terrain Scan Processors reveal the map, and Machine Analyzers reveal nearby machines. Also try out 0b10 Decoder Chips to find nearby points of interest, Seismic Detectors to see movement, and visual sensors that improve visible range.

Make mischief with machines

All of the interactive (colored) machines are available for hacking. This lets you do all kinds of fun stuff: download info, map the room, build parts, build robots, uncover traps, lower alert levels, etc. Machines display a number of randomized direct options you can try for. There are also manual commands you can enter with the 'z' option if you know any. Manual hacks can be discovered by exploring the game. Most will work for every game after you find them. Increase your chances of success by equipping hacking suites (offense) and system shields (defense), by enlisting Operators as allies, or by smashing Operators and stealing their data cores. Equipping silly numbers of hacking utilities lets you cause maximum mischief.

Programmers are coming...

Starting with the first Factory floor (-7), you will periodically be targeted by Extermination Squads (AKA "Programmers"). These enemies can pinpoint your location regardless of what utilities you are using. You can't avoid them, but you can hack terminals to get them recalled ("Recall Exterminations"). Programmers are weak to kinetic weapons if you need to end the encounter quickly.

Don't fight near garrisons!

Garrisons are where the bad guys come from. If you cause a disturbance in the vicinity of a garrison, local bots can ping the garrison for help and reinforcements will be dispatched. This means you should avoid fights near garrisons at all costs. They will send a never ending stream of reinforcements. You can prevent this by sealing the garrison door or by simply smashing the garrison.

Armor protects your squishy parts

To protect your vital parts, wear armor! Armor is a big chunk of steel with high coverage. It soaks up hits instead of letting your "good parts" get hit. Shields use energy to block damage directly. If you're wondering around without armor or shields, then you're basically a piece of tissue paper waiting to get shredded. Armor is also a great item to get repaired at repair stations. This effectively gives you free hit points.

Grab new loot, dump old junk

Each level of the complex you move up, the available technology gets better. Eventually you will need to let go of your old gear and look for newer parts to deal with more difficult enemies. Make a goal of keeping your build as cutting-edge as possible before leaving the floor. Otherwise you will be unprepared to handle the next floor.

Avoid getting spotted by taddle-tells

These are the reconnaissance bots of the complex. Watchers will ping any nearby combat bots for help if you get spotted (as evidenced by a flashing circle). Operators are assigned to specific terminals and will report you if you are spotted. They will run back, lock the terminal, and call for immediate backup. You can attempt to shoot them or shoot the terminal before it is locked down.

Literally make friends

Cogmind can be assisted by various allies. You can find allies by accident, manufacture allies in fabricators, reboot combat bots as allies with RIF and a datajack, and rewire bots that have been shut down by EM weapons. Some bots can be found shut down heading to waste chutes for disposal, or put away in storage rooms.

Make your own shortcuts

Avoid getting spotted by digging through walls instead of walking down broad hallways like an idiot. Use a melee weapon (Shift-Ctrl-Arrow) or cannon to cut through walls and earth. Destroying wall tiles raises the alert a small amount, but not nearly as much as making a scene out in the open. Some walls and barriers are extra strength to resist digging. Beware that digging through multiple tiles risks cave-ins which can be extremely damaging.

Fast and light mischief maker

Runs on flight and sometimes hover. Focuses on propulsion and utility slots. Flight hackers equip an unusual number of hacking utilities to be able to milk interactive machines for any value they can provide. Flight hackers will hack terminals for part schematics, build parts at fabricators, find exits at terminals, and make an easy game for themselves by lowering alert and dismissing investigation squads. Flight hackers also make extensive use of sensors to avoid detection and get maximum intel.

Energy weapon specialist

Combat bot focused on energy weapons. Energy weapons require additional cooling systems and benefit from batteries and sometimes additional engines. Blasters work well in short to medium combat engagements, but have trouble when the energy runs out. Hover, legs, or treads work well with this build.

Kinetic gun specialist

Combat bot focused on kinetic guns and high weapon slots. Fires volleys of ONLY guns to enable "gunslinging" which can retarget weapons when a target is destroyed. Good for protracted combat engagements and killing things very fast and at long range. Gunslinger builds depend on matter to fight, so need matter pods or tractor beams to keep supplies up. Hover, legs, or treads work well with this build, but treads work especially well because of their innate recoil reduction against kinetic weapons and siege mode capability. Gunslingers greatly benefit from weapon cyclers and targeting computers to maximize damage. Energy guns can also be used for gunslinging, but kinetics tend to stack better.

Cargo carrying general purpose build

A semi-combat build that focuses on wheels and overweight storage. Haulers survive by carrying backups of backups of everything. They are generally slow and inefficient, but can last a long time. This is also a good defensive build when heavily laden with armor.

Stealth assassin

A stealth build with quick-kill capabilities. Ninjas will usually run on hover or advanced flight units. They prefer not to get into unnecessary combat, but can quickly disable a few enemies by using either focused melee attacks or high-critical kinetic weapons. Ninjas equip infowar utilities to avoid combat. Ninjas cannot sustain prolonged combat and will prefer to run away if possible, using an ECM Suite to give enemies the slip.

Long-range kite

Similar to Ninja but focused on long-range attacks and kiting maneuvers. Snipers will prefer to shoot bots out of their own attack range to prevent opponents from being able to return fire. Specialty snipers may use kinetic and long-range energy cannons for maximum kiting potential. Snipers are more focused on combat utilities to put down enemies fast: targetting computers, armor analyzers, target analyzers, and core analyzers. Vision utilities are also helpful to see enemies before they can see you.

EM weapon specialist

A semi-combat bot that focuses on EM weapons. Runs almost any type of propulsion. Equips batteries, heat sinks, and 3-4 EM weapons to be able to corrupt bots at range. Bots that are not destroyed are significantly disabled and have difficulty fighting back. Programmers may also carry a datajack to reboot bots that have been shut down by EM disruption.

RIF specialist

A RIF-enabled build that hijacks and reprograms other robots. This build specs almost entirely into RIF couplers, data jacks, and ally-assist utilities. Bot hackers may repeatedly enter garrisons to acquire more RIF abilities and couplers. Remote shields and tactical coordination suites are especially useful on this build. Weapons and speed are a low priority for the Bot Hacker because allies will do most of the fighting for you.

The all-out-war build

Focuses on treads, armor, and weapons, but especially launchers. This is the most obvious and appealing build for new players, but also the most misleading and difficult to sustain. Tank builds are slow and cannot run from fights. This summons endless enemy reinforcements. Tank builds need to carry ample storage and backups and be ready to overcome overwhelming odds to survive.

• Don't evolve a second power slot until mid-game.
• Generating more power than you need is wasteful and won't help you do anything.
• Most players end the game with 2 and sometimes 3 power slots.

• Early propulsion slots help you move faster and carry more stuff.
• Flight/hover players should focus on propulsion slots. Every additional flight unit makes you go faster!
• Use wheels if you want to avoid taking early propulsion slots.
• Treads players benefit from having slots in multiples of two (later treads are mostly two slot parts).
• Most players will have 4-8 propulsion slots by the end of the game. Flight players may have even more.

• Utilities are the most in-demand slot type. Focus on utilities!
• Stealth and infowar players should lean heavily on utility slots.

• An extra weapon or two makes the early game much easier.
• Don't take more weapons slots than you can support with matter, energy, and heat sinks.
• Most players take at least a third weapon slot by mid game.
• Combat-oriented players will end the game with 4-6 slots. Stealth players will stick to 2-3.

High speed minimalism

• Fastest.
• Can hop over other bots.
• Extremely fragile.
• Can't carry much.

Strategy: Avoid all combat. Focus on hacking machines. Evolve many propulsion slots. Don't mix propulsion types or go overweight. Can outrun most bots. Difficult early game propulsion. Limited early game availability.

High performance maneuverability

• Fast.
• Limited availability.
• Low integrity.
• Low-medium support

Strategy: Handles light to medium combat, but prefers to avoid fights. Don't mix propulsion types or go overweight. More versatile than flight units due to higher carrying capacity and structural integrity. Can outrun most bots except swarmers. Relative scarcity means players need to protect their hover units. Combat hover units offer speed and durability at the cost of heat and energy. Difficult early game propulsion.

The all-purpose propulsion

• Easily replaced parts.
• Dodging bonus while running.
• Good integrity.
• Kick bots out of the way.
• Medium speed.
• Medium support.

Strategy: Great all-purpose propulsion. Recommended for beginners. Allows you to reposition yourself in a fight. You get a dodging advantage while running underweight. Can outrun slow bots. Grunts are the most common bot in the game and they run on legs, so you will never run out.

For heavy combat

• Tough.
• Siege mode.
• Run bots over.
• Maximum carrying capacity
• Recoil reduction
• Very slow.
• You get stuck fighting everything.

Strategy: Used for protracted heavy combat. Use siege mode on higher end treads to get targeting and armor bonuses. Great for kinetic weapons and cannons. Treads are good early game propulsion if you want to focus on storage and weapons. It becomes increasingly tempting but dangerous later in the game when combat tends to spiral out of control because you cannot run away.

For big loads

• Low overweight penalty allows you to carry anything.
• Easily replaced.
• Medium speed.
• Very low integrity.

Strategy: Used for extreme overweight builds with high storage. Combines well with treads to "half-track" (drive on wheels for speed, switch to treads during combat). Good alternative early game propulsion.

When all else fails

• Fast
• Always available
• Virtually no carrying capacity.
• Extremely vulnerable.

Strategy: Core hover is the default cogmind locomotion when no propulsion is activated. Press SHIFT-ALT-P at any time to instantly drop all parts and "go naked". Used for emergencies when regular propulsion is too slow to run away. Attached but deactivated propulsion does not count against your mass, so it can be used for "propulsion armor" to soak up hits without slowing you down.

• Long range
• Low heat
• More critical hits
• Weapons last longer
• Higher level kinetic weapons shoot through walls
• Requires ammo (matter)
• Recoil messes up your aim.
• Highly variable damage output
• Lower salvage potential from targets

Pairs with: targeting computers, matter pods, matter filter, tractor beam, recoil nullifier, kinecellerator

• Reliable damage output
• Uses energy which magically recharges
• Targets can overheat, effecting their aim.
• Higher salvage potential from targets
• Energy takes time to recharge
• Generates self-damaging heat
• Weapons are destroyed easier.

Pairs with: batteries, heat sinks, particle charger, energy filter, quantum capacitor, fusion compressor, multiple engines

• Messes up robots: tracking, targeting, engines, corruption.
• Targets can die to corruption.
• Targets can shut down and be rebooted as allies.
• Causes engines to explode.
• Causes corruption on salvaged parts.
• Massive heat output.
• High energy requirements.
• Weapons easily destroyed.
• Causes engines to explode.

Pairs with: corruption management utilities, batteries, heat sinks, particle charger, energy filter, quantum capacitor, fusion compressor, multiple engines, remote datajack

• Massive amount of damage.
• Area-of-Effect damage good for attacking groups
• Easy to hit yourself

Pairs with: matter pods, launcher loader, launcher guidance computer

• Gunslinging lets you hit multiple targets if you fire ONLY guns in your volley.
• Easily replaced.
• Less damage than cannons.
• Easily destroyed.

Pairs with: weapon cycler, high weapon slots

• Massive damage.
• Lasts a long time.
• Kinetic cannons can knock back enemies.
• Useful for digging through walls.
• Can only aim at one target.
• Very heavy.
• Resource hungry.
• Wasteful due to overkill.
• Kinetic cannons have low accuracy.
• Energy cannons produce extreme heat levels.

Pairs with: treads, quantum capacitor (for energy cannons), recoil nullifier (for kinetic cannons), low weapon slots

• Great for fighting groups, especially swarmers.
• Messy. Easy to hurt yourself and allies.
• Literally blows your cover.
• Resource intensive.

Pairs with: anything. Always carry a launcher for emergencies!

• Fast
• Lightweight
• Strong damage in a single hit.
• Increased damage from momentum.
• Ideal for digging through walls to sneak around.
• Little or no resource requirements to use. Great for backup.
• Can only swing one weapon at a time.
• Bad when fighting groups.

Pairs with: flight/hover, melee analysis suite, force booster, actuators

There are a number of other colorful characters you can meet out on the fringes of the complex. They can greatly influence your run, but this is just a beginner's guide. Go find them yourself!