M2

M2 is the newest Heavy Ordnance Corps (HOC) units that will be available in Intelligence Analysis when she is added to the game. Her most important stats are Reload and Lethality.

With her 3 range and a Lethality-oriented stat spread with little Pierce to speak of, M2 fills a similar role as 2B14 as a DPS-oriented HOC. There are some notable differences between the two, however:

• M2 doesn't have 2B14's massive upfront AoE burst. Instead, she only gets some additional shots every once in a while. 
• M2's kit includes a stackable Evasion/Accuracy buff for the player's T-Dolls.

For enemies that need additional damage, 2B14's upfront damage is generally preferable. For highly shielded enemies, M2 can't break their shield effectively. Therefore, M2's use cases are fairly limited and she will not be as important to invest in compared to the three starter HOCs or AT4. 

Since M2's circuit board is blue, she will not be competing against 2B14 for chips. High Lethality low Pierce chips that can't be used effectively on AT4 would work well for M2, assuming the shape works out. 

For more information, check out the Full Analysis section.

Initial Stats → Level 100 → Theoretical Max*

*Includes maximum Iteration and Chip bonuses

Minimum Enhancement Capsules to max: x174

• Lethality: 113 - 38 = x75
• Pierce: (49 - 17) / 3 = x11
• Precision: (119 - 40) / 3 = x27
• Reload: (182 - 61) / 2 = x61

• 1★
• 2★
• 3★
• 4★
• 5★

Should I use Data Patches to iterate this HOC? 

See the Iteration Priority Recommendations section. 

M2 is a HOC with relatively low Pierce stat but very high potential Lethality. Compared to 2B14, M2 has slightly more Reload and slightly less Lethality.

Interestingly, M2's circuit board is much easier to cap out than most HOCs - the same color bonus caps out at 32 tiles and lets her max it at 4★ rarity, and the stat cap is low enough that she can even max everything out with a tile missing or with an orange chip. This makes M2's circuit very flexible and she can be used as a "dump HOC" for slightly suboptimal high Lethality chips that are not quite good enough to go onto your other HOCs.

When the player is done all of their other HOCs to Level 60 and has spare resources, M2 can be raised to 60 so that she can equip 5★ Chips to raise her two most important stats, Lethality and Reload.

• Raising Lethality is important for M2's damage output, while raising Reload helps her proc buffs more frequently. 
  • The same color bonus and circuit stats comprise the vast majority of M2's potential Lethality. Therefore, giving her appropriate chips will help her damage output a lot more than raising her level. 
• M2 will mostly see use when the player needs her AoE support but 2B14 is already occupied elsewhere (or when the player wants to use both at once for extra oomph).

Each of M2's regular shots is a single mortar hit dealing 1x Lethality and Pierce in a 2 radius AoE. This is the same as 2B14. 

M2 prioritizes the most densely-packed area with her regular attacks, increasing the odds that she'll hit as many enemies as possible every shot.

Note that M2's Skill 1 specifically targets the backline, which can let her hit enemies that might not be targeted by 2B14. 

Since M2's Pierce stat isn't high, and she doesn't have the luxury of an extremely damaging first salvo like 2B14, M2 will not be the primary HOC choice for players who need firepower support. Nevertheless, if you want as much damage as possible, deploying M2 and 2B14 at the same time can be an expensive albeit effective method of using overkill to attain a sense of pride and accomplishment. 

GFL KR video from StarByeor 스타별자리 demonstrating M2's performance alongside other Heavy Ordnance Corps units. 

(While it is untranslated, damage numbers transcend the language barrier and the video should be self-explanatory.)

The M2 mortar is an American infantry mortar that has been used since the mid-20th century. While it has been largely superceded by other modern mortar units in the United States, the M2 remains in service in many armies across the world. 

• With the right chips, M2 can actually max out her stats and same color bonus even with a square missing in her circuit board. 
• Thanks to the extra margin, optimal M2 circuit configurations can make use of otherwise suboptimal chip shapes like the size 4 pieces that have decent stat distributions.