Beginner’s Guide: How to Win at Bot Warz
Bot Warz fights are short, chaotic and decided as often by position as by damage. Here’s everything you need for your first wins.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Phone / tablet |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | Arrow keys or WASD | Drag anywhere on the left half |
| Front weapon | X or Space | X button |
| Back weapon | Z | Z button |
| Turret weapon | C | C button |
| Defense | V | V button |
| Rear view | R or Shift | ◐ button |
Gamepads work too: left stick or triggers to drive, A front, B back, Y turret, X defense.
The three ways to win
- Destroy them. Knock their armour to zero.
- Ring them out. Shove them off an open edge or into a pit. This wins instantly, whatever their armour.
- Win on points. If the clock runs out (two minutes in a duel, three in a brawl), the robot with the most armour left wins.
Ring-outs are the fastest way to win, and the easiest way to lose.
Know the arena
The arena is shown on screen as each fight starts. On every arena, yellow-and-black stripes mark a drop: an open edge or a pit. Drive past one and you’re out.
- Rooftop: the middle of each edge is open, the corners have low walls, and a pit sits in the centre. Vents and AC units are cover; grenades arc over them.
- Parking Deck: take a ramp up to the raised deck, then shove robots off its sides. The fall to the lower level hurts.
- Scrapyard: fully walled, so no ring-outs. Keep out from under the crusher in the middle when its light flashes.
- Factory Floor: the conveyor belts carry you toward the shredder, and the floor grates erupt in flame on a timer.
- Frozen Lake: the ice barely grips, so brake early. Tank tracks hold on much better than wheels.
More detail on the arenas page.
The screen glows red as you near a drop, and a red arrow at the edge of the screen points to your opponent when they’re out of view.
Fighting tips
- Ram, back off and ram again. Damage from impacts like the Dagger lands on fresh hits, not while you’re pushing.
- Spinning weapons (Saw, Drill, Rolling Pin) toggle on and off, so switch them on as you close in.
- Hit them from the side: their weapons usually point forward.
- Stay between your opponent and the middle of the roof, so they’re the one near the edge.
- Use the rear view to check what’s chasing you.
What to buy first
You start with a Scrapper chassis, standard wheels and a Dagger, plus 100 credits. Good first purchases:
- A Saw (70 credits): steady damage that doesn’t rely on ramming.
- An Oil Spreader on the back: turns the open edges into traps.
- The Brawler chassis (150 credits): more armour, more weight and more slots.
Then work up the solo ladder. Ladder wins pay more against higher-ranked robots, and solo brawls pay by placement plus a bonus for every knockout. When you’re ready, try online play.