Solo Ladder Walkthrough: How to Beat Every Robot

The solo ladder pits you against 11 CPU robots in 1v1 duels, each tougher than the last. Beating a robot ranked above you pays more credits and ladder points, so it’s the fastest way to fund upgrades. Here’s every opponent in order, with what it fields and how to beat it.

1. Rusty

0 ptsSkill ●○○○○ScrapperStandard Wheels

Weapons: Dagger.

A starter robot with one dagger. Hit it from the side, where the dagger can’t reach, or simply ram it toward an open edge. A good fight to practise ring-outs.

2. Clank

120 ptsSkill ●●○○○ScrapperStandard Wheels

Weapons: Power Axe, Oil Spreader.

Its Power Axe only hits a narrow arc straight ahead, so circle to the side and strike while the axe resets. Watch for oil behind it near the edges.

3. Wedgie

220 ptsSkill ●●○○○BrawlerStandard Wheels

Weapons: Plow, Nail Spreader.

A Brawler with a Plow and nails. It’s a pusher: keep the middle of the roof behind you, stay off its nail patches, and hit it from the side.

4. Buzzkill

350 ptsSkill ●●○○○BrawlerStandard Wheels

Weapons: Saw, Glue Spreader.

Don’t trade blows head-on with a spinning saw. Bait it into chasing you, but don’t follow it through its own glue.

5. Grinder

520 ptsSkill ●●●○○BrawlerRacing Wheels

Weapons: Rolling Pin, Dagger.

Racing wheels and a Rolling Pin that flings robots. Fight near the middle so a fling can’t send you over the edge. Its racing wheels slide badly on oil if you have some.

6. Sparky

800 ptsSkill ●●●○○BrawlerStandard Wheels

Weapons: Drill, Laser Cannon.

A laser sniper with a drill. Each laser shot needs a 1.6-second recharge and a chunk of battery: zig-zag, use the tall vents as cover, and close in between shots.

7. Pincher

1150 ptsSkill ●●●○○JuggernautTank Tracks

Weapons: The Claw, Oil Spreader, Armour Regenerator.

A tracked Juggernaut with The Claw. If it grabs you, drive straight away from it to slow the carry, and stay away from the edges. Its Armour Regenerator undoes chip damage, so go for a ring-out.

8. Torchy

1500 ptsSkill ●●●●○JuggernautStandard Wheels

Weapons: Saw, Land Mines, Flame Thrower.

A heavy saw-and-flamethrower brawler that drops mines when it retreats. Never chase it; the flame only reaches a few metres, so ranged weapons win.

9. Hailstorm

2100 ptsSkill ●●●●○BrawlerRacing Wheels

Weapons: Power Axe, Grenade Launcher, Force Field.

Grenades land about six metres ahead, so fight very close or very far. Its Force Field drains its battery fast: bait the shield, then strike once it drops.

10. Nemesis

2900 ptsSkill ●●●●○JuggernautTank Tracks

Weapons: Drill, Land Mines, Heat-Seeking Missiles, Cloaking Device.

Tracks, a drill, heat-seeking missiles, mines and a cloak. Missiles lose lock when it can’t see you, so use cover. Don’t follow it over its mines.

11. Overlord

4300 ptsSkill ●●●●●JuggernautStandard Wheels

Weapons: Saw, Oil Spreader, Laser Cannon, Force Field.

The final boss: a Juggernaut with a fusion-powered laser, a saw, oil and a Force Field. Stay behind cover against the laser, wait for the shield’s battery to run out, and use its own oil to push it toward an edge.

General tips

• Ring-outs ignore armour: even Overlord falls off the roof.
• Upgrade your chassis before your weapons. Weight and armour matter more than damage early on. See the best builds for every budget.
• CPU robots avoid edges, but they still get pushed off when you hit them from the inside of the roof.

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