Kampfer

Model Number: MS-18E	Pilot: Mikhail Kaminsky
Cost: 1500 Hp: 450 Transform: X Form Change: X

Actually spelt “Kämpfer”, this assault Mobile Suit was created during the One Year War. It boasts high maneuverability at the cost of being less heavily armored, and uses physical projectiles over beams to help reduce drain on its generator. The “E” in its model number stands for “einhaun”, which translates to “one strike”.

Ability Summary

Ranged	Armament	Ammo	DMG	Notes
Main	Jagdgewehr 192mm Shotgun	5	14-144 [17-184]	Does more damage when fired while dashing with BC.
Sub	360mm Giant Bazooka II	3	124/114 [118/108]	Fires two rockets simultaneously. Directional input available.
Special Shooting	Sturm Faust	1	108(80) 143	Causes flame stun on hit. Does 80 damage if you hit only the explosion and not the projectile. When fired while dashing with BC, fires 2 shots consecutively for 143 damage total.
Special Melee	Dash	–	–	Main and AC get special versions when fired while dashing.
Burst Attack	For the Fallen!		233 (F&E), 275 (S)

Melee	Input	DMG	Notes
5B	5BBB	173
8B	8B	75	Can be cancelled into from Main
4/6B	4/6BBB	168
2B	2B	208	Chain Mine. Has 1 ammo, has to be reloaded with 2B after use
CC8B	CC8BB	137	Untechable Down

Cancel Routes:

A: AB, BC, 8B, 2B

5AB: BC

BC: A, AB, AC, All melee except 2B and CC8B

BC~A: AB, BC, 8B, 2B

5B, 4/6B, CC8B (before the last hit): 2B

8B: AB

Overview

Kampfer is an all-rounder high-mobility unit that is designed for mid to close-range combat. Given its backstory of having less armor, it sports a very average 450hp for a close-range unit. Despite that, it is armed with an array of wide-hitting physical projectiles that are easy to catch enemies in the close range. It also possesses many cancel routes and moves that behave differently when fired from its BC dash. And of course, you can’t talk about Kampfer without mentioning its notorious, high-damage Chain Mine which is a source of trauma for many of those who have faced Kampfer as an opponent. 

Ranged Weapons

Main: Jagdgewehr 192mm Shotgun

Fires a shotgun that does not cause vernier when fired in angle. Although this has a short range, the pellet spread is wide, making it easy to catch enemies in the close range. It also has a wide assortment of cancel routes that allow you to use it as a jab to potentially start your offense.

After firing all 5 shots the weapon reloads automatically, taking 4.5 seconds to fully reload. This is actually considered very fast considering your average beam rifle takes 3 seconds to reload a single ammo, but in the close range this can feel excruciatingly long. Fortunately, Kampfer has a wide variety of other strong projectiles to use to tide you over until the reload is done.

You need to hit 4 pellets to cause the enemy to stagger, which is not particularly difficult. If you hit an enemy at point-blank range before the pellets fully expand, you do 95 damage and instantly down the enemy, beating out super armor moves. It’s also relatively easy to beat out super armor even at longer distances, especially when cancelled into your Sub for a sure down.

Overall this weapon is excellent, and fits perfectly into Kampfer’s kit and playstyle. For information on how this move is improved while dashing, check out the Special Melee: Dash section below.

Sub: 360mm Giant Bazooka II

Kampfer fires two rockets simultaneously. Reloads when empty, takes 8 seconds to reload all 3 ammo. 5AB makes Kampfer stand still while firing the rockets quickly, while *AB makes Kampfer spin left or right while rising slightly before firing the rockets. It’s preferable to use 4 or 6 with the AB input if you want to spin, as you get to choose whether you spin left or right. Note that only 5AB can be cancelled into your BC Dash.

Each rocket has a down value of 2.0, meaning that if you hit both rockets you score an instant down. More often than not you do hit both rockets, since they are fired simultaneously. 

The projectile speed and tracking on this weapon are excellent, and it’s your main tool for hitting enemies outside of your shotgun’s effective range. This is also a great weapon during firefights, as the 4/6AB version allows you to stay mobile and dodge projectiles while firing. This is yet another excellent move in Kampfer’s kit.

Special Shooting: Sturm Faust

Kampfer stands still to fire 2 rockets that cause a small AOE explosion. Causes a flame stun to those who enter the explosion. Unlike your Main and Sub, this has no cancel routes (outside of BC~AC) making it slightly harder to use as part of your offense. It also has a relatively longer reload time of 5 seconds for a single projectile.

Having said that, the AOE explosion is large enough to cause an active disturbance, and can be used for breaking an enemy’s guard. 

This can be used to start your offense, or prevent enemies from getting closer to you. 

Special Melee: Dash

Kampfer dashes at the enemy at high speed. 5BC makes you dash straight at the enemy, while 4/6BC makes you dash towards the enemy at a curved angle, potentially allowing you to dodge incoming projectiles. This cannot be used in overheat, but can be rainbow stepped. Takes about 30% of your boost gauge to use this.

When used on enemies in your green lock range you will still dash towards them. There is also very little rigidity after dashing. Kampfer also goes almost horizontal while dashing, reducing the size of your vertical hitbox. This could potentially allow you to slip past smaller projectiles like a beam rifle shot, but don’t count on it.

You can cancel your dash into any melee attack (except 2B and CC8B) or shooting attack. Kampfer’s shooting attacks are modified when fired while dashing.

BC~A: Your shotgun now causes vernier, but fires even more pellets in a wider spread. Even 1 pellet causes stagger now, and has a lower down value. Hitting the enemy before the pellets spread now does 120 damage. You can chain this into itself: [BC~A~BC~A~BC~A..]. 

BC~AB: This actually behaves in the exact same way as your regular Sub, but does 10 less damage. 

BC~AC: The move that changes the most. Kampfer now hops while firing the Sturm Faust shots one by one. The first hit causes flame stun, hitting both instantly downs the enemy. If you want to do big damage, you can cancel out after the first hit stuns the enemy and go for a combo that does good damage thanks to its low damage proration.

Melee Set

5BBB: 3-Stage Beam Saber Combo

Standard 3 slash combo. The last hit does not down the enemy, so if you land this raw ensure that you end with a proper finisher than downs the enemy, e.g. 2B.

8B: Shoulder Tackle

Hits with the spiky part of the shoulder armor. Can be cancelled into from Main, and on hit you can cancel this into your Sub for a quick down. This has a good hitbox for a tackle, and in overheat you can use this as a melee interrupt and safely cancel this into your Sub.

4/6B: Dual-Wield Beam Saber Combo

For an all-rounder type unit this is a rather average move, but Kampfer can still find lots of opportunities to use this as it spends a lot of time in the right ranges. However you should not get too carried away as it still has only average range and chase speed.

CC8B: Stab

A two-hit combo that leaves the enemy in a special down state which allows you to follow-up on easily. Very useful as a combo part. It also has a good hitbox that allows you to intercept incoming melees, but it’s more of a last resort than an option you can repeatedly rely on.

2B: Chain Mine

Kampfer’s signature move. Kampfer wraps the chain mine around the enemy, before detonating them and sending the enemy sky high in a forced down state. This does very good damage very quickly.

The initial dash and startup to attach the Chain Mine to the enemy is average, but you can still use it as an opener to catch enemies off guard in the close range. It’s still best used as a combo finisher for a big damage finish. 

As soon as you input 2B and Kampfer takes out the Chain Mine, regardless of whether you hit the enemy or not you lose 1 ammo count, and the next time you input 2B a truck magically appears out of nowhere, and Kampfer will reach into the truck to reload with a new set of Chain Mines. This means that you only have one shot each time with this, and you can’t chase an enemy with rainbow steps like [2B>2B>2B]. Note that the Chain Mines are considered a shooting attack, so if you use this against enemies with an active shooting guard it can be blocked.

It’s pretty hard to land this raw, partially due to the fact that you cannot cancel from your BC Dash into this move. Try staggering the enemy with a Main shot or starting a melee combo before cancelling into this. 

Burst Attack

For the Fallen!

Kampfer pulls out two Giant Bazookas and fires 13 shots in rapid succession at the enemy. This has no super armor like most Burst Attacks, but excellent muzzle correction plus each shot tracks individually, meaning even if the enemy sidesteps in the middle of this attack you will simply track them again with the next shot.

This is one of the more useful Burst Attacks in the game that you can try to use every time you Burst. Especially in the close range this is very easy to hit, and there are even instances where the enemy cannot block it because of the bazooka explosions that break guard. This is something you can try to hit with at the end of your Burst, but do ensure that you are in a safe spot where you won’t get punished by your target’s teammate as you stand completely still while performing this move.

Recommended Combos

Ranged Weapons
Input	DMG	Notes
A(4 hits)~AB	122
A(4 hits)~2B	202
BC~AC(1 hit)>>CC8BB~2B	256	Best damage off the BC~AC stun
Melee
5BB>5BBB	220
5BBB>2B	265
8B~5AB	147	Fast down, good priority
4/6BB~2B	237	Standard combo
CC8BB>2B	258
CC8BB>(N)NN>2B	277	Whiff combo. The (N) is meant to whiff. You can connect this by sidestepping left immediately after the CC8BB connects.
CC8BB>ABC	322 (S)	Burst Attack combo. Very high damage off a CC8B.

Strategies

• Kampfer has high mobility for a 1500 cost unit, but it has very short range on all its ranged attacks which makes it difficult to survive in your ideal range. Aside from your Sub all your ranged attacks have a limited range, so playing Kampfer as a rear guard support is close to impossible. It also has relatively low HP for a unit that is meant to be played in the close range.
• As such, the best playstyle for Kampfer is one that takes advantage of its mobility, moving in and out of combat as per required. When the enemy shows a lull in its offense, Kampfer and its teammate can launch a strong counter-offense together.
• If the enemy instead goes on the offensive, Kampfer can easily intercept melee attacks with its Shotgun, Sub, and AC that beat super armor and shooting guards. Constantly going back and forth between launching harsh offenses and keeping enemies at bay with a strong defense is the rhythm you want to keep enemies trapped in.
• Kampfer’s Chain Mine is a key tool for racking up damage. Ending combos with it or comboing into it from a staggering Main hit really helps you win the damage race. Just be careful about remembering to reload it after use.
• Kampfer’s weapons reload pretty quickly, but the only one that is usable at a range is your Sub, which means you will need to preserve your ammo carefully. Be aware of your teammate’s position- if he is in a good position to follow-up on your openings, let him score downs on your shotgun staggers or stuns with Sturm Faust. 
• Be careful of enemies that have strong beam weaponry, like FAZZ that can erase all your shots with a single gerobi. Enemies like Xi and Penelope also pose a threat as they can keep you locked down with a constant barrage. Let your partner pick a character that can deal with these enemies to cover your weaknesses.
• F Burst lets you do 107% melee damage, and you take 80% damage for the duration. Kampfer can use this Burst relatively well, but S is just amazing on Kampfer making it the mainstay.
• E Burst: take 65% damage for the duration. Does nothing for your offense, but can be useful if you have problems surviving.
• S Burst is godlike on Kampfer. You do 112% damage on shooting attacks, and take 80% damage. Being able to rapidly fire your Main or repeatedly swerve while firing your Sub is amazing. You can now freefall and fire your potent weapons as much as you want, and take full advantage of your great Burst Attack. This is the Burst of choice for most Kampfer players and it gives you a strong comeback factor that you will often need to turn the tides.
• Although not the best cost teammates, 3000 cost partners like Nu or Seven Sword can protect themselves well while Kampfer goes in deep. Or you can go the other way and pick a partner that draws a lot of attention to itself, giving you opportunities to sneak in. Such MSes include God, Master, and Epyon.
• 2500 cost partners are the most recommended for Kampfer. Arche, Barbatos Lupus, and Avalanche Exia can take the front role for Kampfer, while suits like Dark Hound and Atlas can provide support.