Dreadnought Gundam (X Astray)

Model Number:YMF-X000A Pilot: Prayer Reverie
Cost: 2000 Hp: 580 Transform: X Form Change: X

A trial Gundam developed by ZAFT. It had a DRAGOON Pod equipped to its back by Lowe, earning it the nickname X Astray. One of its pilots included Prayer Reverie, who possessed heightened spatial awareness that allowed him to take full advantage of the complex DRAGOON system.    

Ability Summary

Ranged Armament Ammo Damage Notes
Main Beam Rifle 7 70 Average BR.
Charged Main Beam Rifle (High Output) _ 110 One-hit down.
Sub Pristis Beam Reamer

(Self)

100 30~60 Beam Reamers are deployed that fire beams on command.
Follow up: Beam Reamer Assault 30~126 Sub input when Beam Reamers are deployed. The Beam Reamers chase the enemy firing multiple times.
Directional Sub Pristis Beam Reamer (Ally) 7~14 Attach the Beam Reamers to your ally. 
Special Shooting Astray Red Frame Summon: Gerbera Straight 1 75 Red Frame throws his Gerbera Straight which stuns on hit.
Astray Red Frame Summon: Charge 15~111 Red Frame charges forward.
Special Melee DRAGOON System: Four 1 25~180 Shotgun-like beam spread from both pods.
DRAGOON System: Two  30~146 Shotgun-like beam spread from either left or right pods.
Burst Attack DRAGOON System 

Siege

_ 289(F)/268(E & S) Melee combo.
Input Melee Damage Notes
5B 5BBB 170 Average 3-hit melee combo
8B 8BB 90 Has a shooting guard
4/6B 4/6BB 125 2-hit combo
2B 2B 80 Launches the enemy into an untechable state
CC8B CC8BB 136 Top-class priority

Cancel Routes:

A: AC, BC

CSA: BC

BC: AC

Overview

Dreadnought is an all-rounder 2000 cost MS with a heavier preference for shooting. It specializes in firing multiple beams covering a wider area, using its Pristis Beam Reamers and its DRAGOON Pod. Its melee capabilities is also better than most 2000 cost shooting-type all-rounders, especially its CC8B that has a great hitbox.

Other than its Sub and Special Melee, Dreadnought has a good one-hit down Charged Main, and a relatively useful assist. It can also hold its own in self defense situations relatively well. However, it doesn’t have any high-power moves, and it can be hard to find the opportunity to land melee hits. Also, it hurts to not have access to any freefall cancel routes, which are so useful they can be deemed meta-defining. 

Having said that, Dreadnought can spam beams like few others, and can be a presence that enemies can’t ignore in the mid-range. It can take its beam spam abilities to the next level during Shooting Burst, providing enemies with no chance of escape.

Ability Details

Ranged Weapons

Main: Beam Rifle

Average BR. You want to keep a high ammo count for when you activate your Sub, so try to use your CSA or other attacks more frequently until your Sub gauge is full.

Charged Main: Beam Rifle (High Output)

One-hit down, large beam projectile. 2-second charge time. The startup is pretty fast and the tracking is not bad. For a 2000 cost it’s a pretty great one-shot down CSA, and you should be using it often. Second Impact is a great technique to use with this, and you can also use it to stop super armor suits and as a melee combo finisher. 

Sub: Pristis Beam Reamer 

Deploys two Beam Reamers either on yourself or on an ally. The Beam Reamers fire one beam each and will remain deployed for 10 seconds (or if you end it early with a second Sub input while its deployed around yourself). After which it goes into a 3 second cooldown before taking another 15 seconds to reload.

5AB: Self

Attach the Beam Reamers to yourself. They fire every time you fire your Main, similar to Hambrabi with its assists deployed. This greatly increases your odds of hitting an enemy in the mid to close-range, and your ticket to go slightly harder on the offensive. When activating S Burst your goal is to either use this together with your S Burst, or reload this weapon faster. 

Only when deployed to yourself, you can input AB while the Beam Reamers are active to cut their cables and make them fire repeatedly on the enemy while advancing forward. This has good muzzle correction and tracking, but it will instantly force your Beam Reamers into cooldown. It’s a good idea to use this towards the end of the 100-count active time, or when you have run out of Main ammo and you have nothing else to throw at the enemy.

*AB: Ally

Beam Reamers are attached to your ally. In the same vein they fire when your ally fires its Main, but also when your ally uses any melee. Here are the key differences between the two moves:

  • AB while the Beam Reamers are attached to your ally will retract the Beam Reamers, no detach assault available 
  • Damage is much lower (30 to 7), no damage proration
  • Does not cause stagger, zero down value
  • Fires much less frequently than the 5AB version

There are very few reasons to attach the Beam Reamers to the enemy instead of yourself. Maybe in situations where an extra 14 damage could come in handy. But for the most part, you want to be attaching the Beam Reamers to yourself nearly every single time.

Special Shooting: Astray Gundam Red Frame Assist

Summons the Red Frame to attack the enemy in one of two ways. Reloads 1 ammo in 6 seconds.

5AB: Red Frame throws its Gerbera Straight. Causes a weak stun on hit. Just like the original Red Frame’s CSA, this has great vertical tracking. However, this projectile is even faster than the original’s. You can use this to catch landings, or to setup opportunities to get behind a guarding opponent.

*AB: Red Frame charges at the enemy while spinning its BuCUE Head Beam Saber. Strong tracking, but slow. This is a good intercept against enemies trying to hit you with a melee attack. The Red Frame can also take quite a good amount of punishment, being able to block a few shots or even a gerobi for a short duration. 

Special Shooting: DRAGOON System

Fires the DRAGOONs mounted on the Dreadnought’s back. Has two firing variations depending on your directional input. Reloads in 7 seconds. Overall the DRAGOON System is a powerful and key tool for Dreadnought.

5AB: Fires all 4 DRAGOONs, covering the area in front of you with a wide shotgun spread of beams. Similar to 00 Gundam’s CSA. Hitting everything will net you a one-hit down. You can use this after a hit-confirmed Main, or to cover a wide area in the mid to close-range. This is also a good tool to face down enemies with Super Armor thanks to its high down value.

This has good vertical muzzle correction, so it can be a good tool against pesky enemies spamming their pyonkaku. The full range of this move is slightly further than your max red lock range.

4/6AB: Fires two DRAGOONs on either the left or right of the Dreadnought. Why would you want to fire two instead of you, you ask? This version has a much faster startup, so much faster it’s worth using. This move is most similar to Kshatriya’s 4/6AB, forming a pseudo beam fence that enemies will have to get around. If you can read your opponent’s dash trajectory, you can use this to catch horizontal movement. However, you cannot follow up on a Main shot with this so use the 5BC for that. 

This is good for self defense and okizeme, and you can use CSA as a follow-up to rack up some decent damage.  

Melee Set

5BBB: Beam Saber Combo

Standard 3-hit combo. Has a forced PoV change on the final hit. As always, this is best used as a combo part for bigger damage.

8B: Slash-through

One hit slash with the beam saber. This has an average hitbox and startup, but the real and perhaps only value of this move is its shooting guard property when charging at the enemy. To follow-up on a hit, fuwastep forward and fire a Main shot.

4/6BB: Launch and Slash

Good wraparound. You can only follow-up from the second hit with a forward/backward fuwastep Main, or CC8B. 

2B: Upward Slash

Leaves the opponent in an untechable down state on hit. 

CC8B: Slash-through

Stuns on the first hit. This has the best hitbox out of all your melee attacks, and you can come out on top in many melee clashes with this move. This also has a good travel distance and consumes little boost.

This has a forced PoV change on the second hit, and it’s very difficult to follow-up on it. It’s advised that you cancel out after the first hit and go into a different combo.  

Burst Attack

DRAGOON System Siege

A melee combo that ends with a very cool encasing of the enemy within the DRAGOON system, followed by an explosion. Super armor on startup. You can use it as a melee combo finisher, although you will be focusing primarily on spamming beams during your Burst. Aesthetically though, this is very cool. 

Strategies

  • Dreadnought does its best work in the mid-range, pressuring the enemy with wide-hitting beams. 
  • Aim for catching landings with the Red Frame Gerbera Straight assist and your CSA.
  • Alternate between playing passive in the neutral when your Beam Reamers are on cooldown, and go *slightly* more aggressive when you have it available. If possible, coordinate with your teammate so that you can launch a joint attack together.
  • If enemies are not paying attention to you or if they wander too close, CC8B is a good melee option. However it is not something you can charge at enemies with and expect to hit. Focus more on hitting your beam shots and break out the CC8B when the opportunity presents itself.
  • The Beam Reamer reloads very quickly but you want to make sure you have it active during your Burst whenever possible. The difference in your potency during Burst with and without the Beam Reamers active is like Heaven and Earth. 
  • S Burst is the best choice. Dreadnought has low damage output and S Burst with Beam Reamers is your best comeback chance. E Burst is stable but once you’re behind in the damage race you’re not coming back on top. F Burst is just not as good as S. 
  • As always, you want a 3000 cost partner wherever possible. Dreadnought fulfills the support role well. Just be careful not to accidentally send the Beam Reamers to your partner instead of yourself.