• Home
• Computing
• Linux
• Misc
• Music
• Religion
• Psychology

Other Info

• Links
• Site Map
• Contact
• 
• 
• 
  
• About Ads
• Donate

SuperMechs

Navigation

• Module Selection
• Iron Plating Versus Savior Resistance
• Who You Encounter In The Arena (Resistance)
• F2P Mech Builds
• Emulating the META
  

Introduction

    I used to play the SuperMechs game.  At first, I didn't like this game when I saw it.  My heritage of playing mech-related games goes back to the Battle Tech board game and some of the first computer games for mechs such as The Crescent Hawks Revenge and Mechwarrior Mercenaries, way back in the day.  I didn't like SuperMechs at first because I felt like they were "dumbing-down" some of the weapons and concepts.  But I began to like this game.

    Now I love it!  I guess I had to get used to it.  So let me introduce you to some things I've learned while playing this game.  Keep in mind that this page is a work in progress, so refresh the page.  And if it doesn't change, delete your cache and try again.

Basic Concept

    The basic concept is a game where you build and fight your mechs.  Strategy comes into play, but in my opinion, not as much.  The game seems to be primarily how upgraded your mechs are, then secondarily your skills.  Some have said that to reach arena rank 1, you merely need to upgrade all your items to max.

Mech Design

    The main emphasis in this game seems to be mech design.  Mech design is not a simple subject, so keep reading.  Starting off, you don't have a lot of good items, but if you study the stats of items and make your best choices, you can improve.  You're upgrading items as you go to become stronger.

    My advice, from the beginning, is try to "read ahead" by knowing what you want your mech to eventually look like, so that you don't spend money and items upgrading items that "have no future."  The levels are common (gray), rare (blue), epic (purple), legendary (yellow), mythic (orange) or divine (white).  My advice is, as much as possible, don't waste money and items upgrading items that do not have the capability to be upgraded to divine.  For example, compare the item description in the workshop for a Redwall versus a Magma Recoiler:

 

    You can clearly see that the Magma Recoiler can be upgraded to divine, but the Redwall can't.  This means the Redwall "has no future."  When you first start the game, you're going to have to rely on lots of items that have no future.  But this image should help you understand which items deserve to be upgraded (i.e. "have a future") and which ones do not.  This should help you save time and resources, and help you identify truly good items.

    Another note: you should never get rid of premium items.  Some rare exceptions exist, like if you have more than one of this premium item, but that's only for premium items that are not worth having.  Premium items are items that start at legendary level.  Here are some examples of premium items. Always ask on the SuperMechs Forum, or SuperMechs Discord, before getting rid of a premium item.

 

    This isn't easy to do, and your mech might become a bit unbalanced, but I still say put a priority on upgrading the items with a future.  Ignore what weapons look like: your mech might look cool, but if it can't beat campaign levels or win in the arena, what's the point?  For example, you might think the Scalpel looks cooler than the Viking Hammer (I did), but the Viking Hammer has a future and becomes easily twice as powerful.

    Starting off, I would recommend having a melee weapon on every one of your mechs, but I can't say you "must."  This is to push your enemy back if they get too close, mainly.  But there are also weapons like the recoiler family of weapons, Last Words and Mercy, that can push enemies back.  I also recommend having a grappling hook and a teleporter, and especially if you have The Claw legs.  Some people use a "sword and ax" combo so that they can jump forward if their enemy is 2 spaces away, then hit with the hammer to knock their enemy 3 spaces away.  This is a useful combo, but could limit your long range because of using up weight.

    More advice from my own opinion: stick to ONE element and philosophy.  Either heat mech, energy mech, or physical mech (more on this later).  Either heat boiler (focuses on overheating enemies) or heat damage (focuses on causing damage), but not both.  I have encountered many hybrid mechs in the arena and beat them all, even the ones with Divine weapons.  In my opinion, hybrid mechs are only useful up to arena rank 10 or so. Even if you have a divine Malice Beam and Corrupt Light, most mechs by arena rank 10 have 500 heat/energy capacity and 300 regeneration/cool at a minimum, so you won't be able to shut them down fast enough.  For beginners, an energy or heat mech combo that works great is Malice Beam plus Hysteria (energy) or Corrupt Light plus Savagery (heat).  Then add whatever else you want.

    As you are designing your mech, always try to have at least one good weapon that can work without energy.  That way when the enemy energy breaks you in the arena, you can still fight.  Some people prefer the Annihilation (a physical weapon) for this.  I can't argue with them, but I like keeping my elements separate on my mechs.

    The game is currently slightly unbalanced towards physical mechs.  However, the CEO of Gato Games is changing this.  So don't be afraid to use a heat or energy mech.

    Please see below for the Modules section.

Making Money & Getting Gear

    I have some recommendations for how to upgrade things faster in terms of money and components.  I don't pay to play this game, but I've come to figure out how to do pretty good for myself.

1. Auto-play ("farm") the campaigns once your mechs are powerful enough.  My advice is if you want items, farm the most difficult (i.e. "boss") levels within the various regions of the map, or the final boss, if you need items and/or gold.  But when you level up, you stand to get a platinum armor plating (level 200) or a Max Protector (level 250), so if you need those specific items, farm the mission right before a "boss" level (or the mission right before the final boss on the 1v1 campaign).  Sure, these levels take longer to farm, but the rewards are greater.  Be as efficient with fuel as you can if you want to upgrade your mechs faster.
   
2. Get the base: the CEO of Gato Games has improved the cost of items in the base, so now the base is more efficient than the old "silver box" purchase system.  My advice on how to upgrade the base the fastest: upgrade only the Headquarters and the Gold Mines until you get them all to level 15, then upgrade only one factory to level 15 so you can build Power Kits.
   
3. The mechs in the shop are only worth buying if you want specific items on them that are harder to get (if you were to spend tokens on premium packs trying to get a specific item).  Also, they make a nice "starter" mech.  But they're not efficient at all if you don't need any of the items they have.  Here's a breakdown:
1. Rock Demolisher, if you want Nightfall (but Nightfall isn't rare).
2. Angry Blacksmith if you want Terror Cry (but it's not rare).
3. Lumberjack if you want Night Eagle (but it's not rare).
4. Gushing Flame if you want Savagery (but it's not rare).
5. Heating Master if you want Heat Bomb or Supreme Cannon (they're not rare).
6. Molten Lava if you want Crimson Rapture (a premium rare item) or Nemo (not rare).
   
7. Lightning Slicer if you want EMP or Hysteria (not rare).
8. Power Shortage if you want Torment or Last Words or Naga (not rare).
9. Fierce Plasma if you want Grim Cobra or Ultra Bright (not rare).
   
4. If the item isn't one you want to have on that max'd out divine mech you plan to eventually build, don't upgrade it past legendary.  In fact, if possible, leave it at level 1 legendary.  Once mythical, it can't be used for anything except upgrading another item (which is very wasteful).  For example, upgrade your Grim Reaper torso to level 1 legendary but don't go mythical: wait for a Rusty Energy Armor.  Save mythical and divine level status for what you want on your dream mech.
   

Tactics

    Other people have written about tactics, so I'm only going to give my opinion about this.  The basic concepts are here.  But I'd like to add my own advice.

1. Think two turns ahead.  You can't think ahead of everything, but at least know what to do when you get stuck.
   
2. Don't always pull out your drone on the first turn.  For instance, if my enemy has about 200 energy, I will probably fire Hysteria and Malice Beam to instantly drain them first.
   
3. Pull out your drone at the first available opportunity.  It's like having an extra shot at your enemy.
4. Watch and inspect your opponent.  Look for weaknesses and take advantage of them.
5. More weapons is not always more damage.  Better to have 4 mythical weapons than 6 legendary if it means you have more modules: you'll get shut down or energy broken easier if you don't have enough modules to keep you energized and cool.
   
6. There are different kinds of mech builds.  Know their strengths and weaknesses.  Also, if your enemy switches mechs in a match, they probably did that because they think their mech is weak to yours.  Switch to your other mech if they do this, and if they switch again, switch again.
7. Switching mechs in an arena battle is usually a wasted turn.  This is why I do not run counters, i.e. mech builds that only work well against one or two other kinds.  I run rounded, which means my mechs have good heat and energy stats, and good HP.  Counters might defeat you sometimes, but not always, and ultimately rounded is better in my opinion.
   
8. Focus on weapons that are good at their job, not at things that look cool.  I've met plenty of mechs with all jump weapons that look cool, until I beat them.
9. In the higher ranks, resistance becomes an issue, as more people have higher amounts of resistance.  Know that eventually you're going to need resistance drainers, so don't get rid of them.  You should probably keep 2 of every kind of epic or premium type.
   

Arena Notes

    Here are my general opinions on fighting in the Arena.

1. I ran a comparison of 45 fights on the Arena and I would like to point out that matching is fair.  It tends to match you with someone that is your rank or only 1 rank higher or lower.  On average, their rank is equal to yours or just barely higher.
   
2. This more my pet peeve, but don't "run away" when someone uses (for example) an EMP or Heat Bomb by switching to your other mech.  Usually, this is a waste of turn.  If your energy mech keeps getting shut down by heat mechs, in my opinion that's a sign you need to get better cooling, not keep switching to your other mechs.  Stand and fight.  Continue to learn.  All mechs have weaknesses.  I've beat people when energy broken by jumping and stomping.  Also, the type of "running away" which involves moving to the edge of the arena is usually also a waste of time because grappling hooks are unlimited range.
   
3. Don't curse or swear.  The game censors your chat, so you only sound like a pissed of 10 year old.  Be a good sportsman.
4. When you first start off, you fight 1 on 1 in the arena, so make your one mech as good as you can.  Then when you get to level 15 (I think) it switches to 2v2, so divide up your good items equally between two mechs.  When you get to the top ranks (1-5), it rotates 3v3, 2v2, and 1v1.  This is why I usually recommend having 3 mechs at all times, just focusing on the ones you're using in the arena.  But there's also 3v3 campaigns.
   
5. The chat on this game is very well filtered, so it seems mostly safe.  Just check someone's profile before you accept their battle invitation.
   

Builds

    First, see SuperMechs Workshop Unlimited.  Also, go to the arena, look at the leaders in the top ranks, pick two of their mechs and build them.  Then make your third mech the configuration you're testing so that you can then battle against them and see if your ideas are worth it.

    These are some configurations I've tested that I personally like, but I can't guarantee they'll work for you.  Always make sure to put enough dual engines & overload protectors, or whatever other modules, to get your energy and heat capacity to 500, then your cooling and regeneration to 300, at least.

    Keep in mind tactics with resist drain mechs (like Triple Blizzard Dissolver) sometimes require you to use a physical weapon.  I also have not tested any of these in real arena combat, just in the workshop unlimited.  The Tactisoft Gato Games Forum is a good place to find more builds.  All of my builds below are using the "monkey" torsos (Rusty Energy, Fractured Heat, Hollow Spectral) and the Massive Legs appropriate (I don't like The Claw).

Iron Plating Versus Savior Resistance

    If you're a lower-ranking player with fewer premium items, you may have wondered whether you should use a Savior Resistance module or an Iron Plating.  At the time I was learning, people gave me conflicting advice, so I ran my own tests in Workshop Unlimited.

    First, I analyzed it using the campaigns.  As you may be aware, mission 7 in the overlord's den on the 1V1 campaign is a frequent level that people "farm" to essentially convert fuel into gold (and sometimes items).  I noticed that typically I took damage 5 times from energy mechs, twice by tanks, and once by buggies.

    This means I was hit by enemy fire about 21 hits.  Some of the enemy's weapons reduced my resistance.  When using a max'd savior resistance, on average my resistance was 13 (i.e. began at 19, reduced to 8 by enemies on average, etc).  So on average, my resistance reduced the enemy's damage by 273 per campaign mission.

   The difference between arena matches and campaign missions is that, in each fight with an enemy in the campaign, your resistance is reset.  It's like your resistance acts like regenerating armor.  In the arena nothing gets reset: if you beat your opponent's first mech with yours and they reduced your resistance to -50 heat, for example, their next mech will already have that -50 advantage.

    Therefore, my advice is for campaign missions, get yourself a lot of resistance.  For the arena, resistance is nice, but if you can only choose between iron plating and a savior resistance module, pick the iron plating.

    If the choice is between Max Protector and Platinum Plating, it's about the same: Max Protector for campaigns, Platinum Plating for the arena.  However, the Defense Matrix is a better choice than both because it combines resistance with HP.  The ultimate configuration, however, is to have all three fortresses (physical, heat, and energy) if you can.

When Do I Have Enough Resistance?

     Someone I respect on the SuperMechs discord recently ran an experiment where they tested how much resistance you need to survive longer in the arena.  Their test was not strictly scientific, but it explains something I've noticed.  I've usually told people they need 100+ resistance to make certain torso and module combinations viable in the arena.

    This basically shows the logarythmic relationship between how much resistance you have and how strong your mech is (i.e. survivability).

    This seems confirmed by the current META in the game: nearly all mechs are "3 x fortresses" and either Molten Platinum Vest or Lightning Platinum Vest.  This puts all three resistance values, physical, heat, and energy, above 100, and especially physical resistance at 179.

    So my advice is this: until you have premium resistance modules, you should probably use Fractured Heat Armor, Rusty Energy Armor, or Hollow Spectral Armor.  Then after you get some premium resistance modules you can switch to a Molten Platinum Vest or Lightning Platinum vest.  In my opinion, the minimum premium resistance you should run for one of those vests is a Defense Matrix, or a Max Protector plus a Platinum Plating, which should put you at 148 physical resistance and about 80+ heat and/or energy resistance.

Module Selection

    Recently, I did a lot of math to try to figure out the best modules to use on my mechs.  My mechs include energy, heat, and physical types.  I came to the conclusion that it depends on what torso you want to use.  But I'll try to explain it the best I can in here.

    First, I like to refer to the META listing that CleverName puts out.  I took the average values from his list and found that the average top rank build has stats like this:

1. Physical: 319 energy capacity, 250 regeneration, 465 heat capacity, and 333 cooling.
2. Heat: 571 energy capacity, 301 regeneration, 632 heat capacity, and 336 cooling.
3. Energy: 646 energy capacity, 329 regeneration, 655 heat capacity, and 348 cooling.
4. Average of all: 529 energy capacity, 295 regeneration, 598 heat capacity, and 338 cooling.

    These figures seem high, but remember, these are from the META listing.  But they are useful figures to plan module configurations and your future builds.

    Here's what I do.  First, I try to have at least 330 cooling and over 600 in heat capacity.  Then I try to have at least 960 in energy capacity and energy regeneration combined.  This is so you can survive high-drain energy enemies.  I try to have 640 or higher in energy capacity and 320 or higher in regeneration.

    Why do you want such high heat stats?  Mainly because, through research, I've noticed that at least half the enemies you will face in the arena will be heat.  Second, because CleverName has declared that heat is currently the strongest element in the game, which is a dramatic change.  And finally, another good reason to have high capacity is that you can fire your weapons for a long time before you are forced to run shutdown cycles to cool them off.

    So now we know what to try to get for stats, right?  Well, it depends on the torso.  Some torsos, like Windigo, have great heat stats, which should require fewer modules.  And some torsos have either horrible stats (like the energy stats of Energy Free Armor) or weird stats (like the battery armor torsos, which have lots of capacity but almost no regen or cooling).  So when I start my build plan in Workshop Unlimited, here's how I configure the modules first:

    Yep, that's right.  I start with that.  Then from there I add, remove, or change modules based on how the torso is working for me.  Also, I normally do not use Combined Storage Units unless they result in a better config.  Finally, if this mech is going to be equipped with an EMP or Heat Bomb, this is the configuration I use (or four Quad Core Boosters) because I'll need lots of capacity.

    Here are some "omni" configs you might find helpful.  These are "with Arena buffs."  The legs don't matter for these pictures.  These are the top 7 torsos in terms of efficiency, in no particular order, using "F2P" or "Free To Play" modules.  Beside them are examples similar to the META.  Basically, you can use the "omni" configs below for planning purposes.  Energy Free Armor is included as an extra torso from the top 7 torsos for planning energy-free builds.  Click any image for full size.

Who You End Up Encountering In The Arena

    It has been said by a rank 1 player that you should tailor the resistance on your mech to what you face in the arena.  This makes sense: you should be stronger in areas that you're more likely to get tested.

    If that's the case, here's a report about what you end up facing in the area.  First, at rank 9-10, I recorded 51 arena encounters.  Heat was 52.9%, energy 11.7%, hybrids 7.8%, and physical 27.9%.  So at rank 9-10, heat was half of the mechs I fought.

    I then ran the study again at rank 7-8 and again, heat was roughly 50%, with physical being the second most prevalent type.

    So what does this mean?  First, it suggests that if you have only a premium heat and a premium physical resistance module (or fortress), that should be sufficient for the majority of fights.

    Second, it suggests that torsos with the best heat and physical resistances are best.  So this is why torsos like Molten Platinum Vest, Lightning Platinum Vest, Energy Free Armor, and Windigo are so valuable.

    Now it's worth pointing out that the "monkey" torsos, such as Fractured Heat Armor, Rusty Energy Armor, and Hollow Spectral Armor are among the most efficient in the game.  But this is because of their high HP.  As you get to top ranks, if you are going to use a "monkey" torso, you should probably have at least a max protector, as top ranks players often have lots of resistance points.

F2P Builds

    The following are my personal opinion on some good mech builds to start off with.  F2P means "Free to Play", or basically people who do not spend money on this game.  So the following are some good non-premium mech builds for low and middle ranks.

    Understand that these are completely non-premium.  This means I'm sure you can probably find a better configuration than I've given here.  But these are just my opinions, and I will give a few comments for each.

    This is probably the best current weapons config of energy.  You can substitute Hot Flash for any of the Malice Beams.

    This is basically the same build I used to get to rank 9, and I only switched items because I got some cool things in Fortune Boxes and Premium Packs.  Last words is a good weapon.  This one may not drain as much energy as the first, but I like having a Viking Hammer for the campaigns.  And hammer's advantage is getting you right into Hysteria's range.  You can substitute Piercing Fox for Last Words (a definite upgrade).

    This is basically the best F2P build to the META-listed boiler config.  I prefer having both Flaminator and Corrupt Light because Flaminator could be a liability if you're fighting energy, but it's an advantage when fighting other heat mechs.  You can substitute Corrupt Light for Flaminator and vice versa.  Also, you could substitute Flaming Hammer for the Magma Recoiler if you want.

    This is my personal favorite F2P heat damage build, and I'm using something very similar on my alternate SM account.  You can substitute Dawn Blaze for Heat Bomb if you want to be completely "heat damage", but I like having Heat Bomb so that's how I run this build.  Sometimes starting off with a Heat Bomb shot, even if the enemy has the cooling to handle it, can "load up" their heat: if they don't manage their heat, it will catch up to them during the match.

    This is basically what I used in low to mid ranks: Nightfall, Annihilation, Frantic Brute, and Reckless Beam.  I like this more than the one below because Annihilation is great for energy-free use.  The resistance drainers are optional, but recommended when you get to mid ranks.  In mid ranks, I substituted Rusty Energy Armor for Windigo when I got a lucky fortune box.  You can substitute a Night Eagle for Reckless Beam if you want range control, though this will sacrifice long range capabilities.

    I am only including a Claw build because I probably should, but I do not like The Claw at all.  Still, I can't deny that The Claw works.  Just make sure you have all three utilities (charge, teleport, and grappling hook).  Like the previous build, you can substitute Night Eagle for Reckless Beam if you want range control.

    You may notice that I did not include "Frantic Cancer" builds (i.e. dual Frantic Brute with a Rock Recoiler and maybe a Sacrifice Cannon).  Users call this build "Frantic Cancer" because they accuse such players of not understanding tactics ("all Frantic and no skill").  I can't really agree here, but I just think the reader should know why I didn't include it.  It's a valid and powerful build, but you're probably going to get teased.  But I will also say that some of this aversion to dual Frantic Brute builds is justified: I've met plenty in top ranks who got there because Frantic Brute deals lots of damage, but can't get above rank 5 because they don't have skill.

Emulating the META

    So let's say you want to get close to META builds without having, necessarily, the exact same weapons.  This is totally possible, and could in theory save you time and resources as you upgrade the items you have that are on META builds without wasting time upgrading other items you don't really need.  Also, it allows you to use some of the concepts in how META mechs are built.

    Here are some common builds I've used this method with.  You could call them "ghetto" or "cheap."  Understand that I am using Fractured Heat Armor in these builds because, while they are premium, if you've been playing SuperMechs for at least a month, you're bound to get at least one.

Wanna-Be Clever Jumper

    The standard "CleverJumper" that was the #1 build in the game for a very long time is pretty well-known in the game.

    But what if you could emulate it?  Here is one way you can emulate the META.  Understand that it isn't going to be as good as the META, but these are as many non-premium items as you can use and still make this build work for you as you collect the parts necessary to make the full version:

    Some things you need to know about this approximation.  First, while Annihilation does only 60 less average damage than Mercy, it does not push back, which might limit your tactics.  Second, Distance Shredder is absolutely necessary to make this build work.  Third, you need to use both resistance drainers on your enemy to maximize your damage output.  Finally, you need superb charge eventually, because its high damage lets it act like a weapon.  This is vital to be able to use this build.

    In my opinion, I would not use this, however, until you have at least Molten Platinum Vest, a Max Protector (with at least 1 Platinum Plating), and/or a Defense Matrix.  The goal of this build is to put as many platinum plating armors as you can: this is essentially a tank build.  I am running mine with Molten Platinum Vest, Defense Matrix, 3 Platinum Plates, a Quad Core and 2 Overload Preventors, Mercy, the resistance drainers above (DADs) and Selfish Protector and I am able to achieve rank 2 in 1v1 season.  Your mileage may vary.

Claw Energy

    This build is an interesting combination.  It is not itself "META" but it's on the META listing CleverName puts out.

    So how could you emulate this build?  Not easily, but there are ways to do it.  Here's an idea, but it requires a few premium items.

    I know this doesn't look very good, but it can work in middle ranks.  Hysteria is a poor substitute for valiant sniper.  Grim Cobra isn't a premium.  Big Daddy substitutes for Bright Roar, sort of, and Ash Creator substitutes for Unstable Power Cell.  Obviously, when you don't have premium resistance, Fractured Heat Armor is best so that you have lots of hit points.  But eventually you want to run premium resistance.

    I am running this build in top ranks but mine has a Molten Platinum Vest, max protector, 3 quad cores, 1 heat engine, and 1 energy engine.  The highest I have reached with this mech in 3v3 season in top ranks is rank 4.  It works well, but it could really use a Valiant Sniper.  I am also not a fan of The Claw because of its limits (i.e. you need to run good utilities to be able to move).  If you get drained, this build is basically toast, so be sure you max out your modules.

Avatar Boiler

    This is the boiler mech in the META listing that I am told Avatar runs, or used to.  It's really good, but it's not the top heat build.  Still, having it in top ranks gives me hope for the traditional boiler mech.

    This is a nice build, but not everyone has these weapons and items.  And to be fair, this build is difficult to do because of the weight of five weapons in one mech.  But here's a non-premium rendition of it:

    This is basically the most non-premium you can get, short of using a Windigo torso.  But keep in mind that with Windigo, you'd substitute one heat engine for an iron plate or platinum, etc.

    Here, Flaminator substitutes (poorly) for Hybrid Heat Cannon, and Nemo for Swoop.  Nemo is probably the best drone for a boiler mech if you don't have Swoop.  This build works well in my opinion, but it has an obvious range 2 hole.  You can substitute Corrupt Light for Flaminator if you wish, and that can sometimes help you in fighting energy mechs because it uses less energy.  But you can use your heat bomb if you get drained, etc.

    The one I am using in 3v3 season has Molten Platinum Vest, a Defense Matrix, some Quad Cores, and uses 1 Flaminator and 1 Corrupt light rather than 2 Flaminators.  I have the premium heat bomb, but I am actually working on upgrading the non-premium heat bomb because I don't like having so much backfire without enough modules to put some Platinum Armor Platings on it.  Honestly, in my opinion, running backfire items on Molten Platinum Vest with a Defense Matrix is possible, but you need to try to limit it to only one such weapon due to a lack of hit points.  In the META listed build, that one item is the Overheated Heat Bomb.

    In this build, the choice of using Flaming Hammer or Magma Recoiler is yours to make.  I think I will be able to run this build with Flaming Hammer (and that combos really well with the Vandal Rage).  However, I currently run it with Magma Recoiler in top ranks because the range 2 hole can be a liability.  Also, keep in mind that you need a lot of heat capacity in order to use heat bombs.  If you end up overheating or shutting yourself down, you need better heat stats.

Substitution Chart

    Here's a basic substitution chart for weapons that are on the META listing.  Obviously, if you're substituting, that's because you don't have the premium weapon, so you're going to get weaker results.  But it's worth listing here.

• Bright Roar: Big Daddy
• Guardian Drones: Protector Drones
• Lightning Cutter: Big Daddy
• Unreliable Power Cell: Ash Creator
• Premium resistance annihilators: non-premium resistance dissolvers
• Bunker Shell: no substitute
• Valiant Sniper: Hysteria (poor substitute)
• Heronmark: Chaos Bringer (poor substitute)
• Terror Blade: Crimson Rapture (poor substitute)
• Swoop: Nemo
• Magma Blast: no substitute
• Distance Shredder: no substitute
• Party Crasher: no substitute
• Space Invader: no substitute
• Mercy: Annihilation (situational)
  
• Piercing Fox: Last Words (poor substitute)
• Red Rain: no substitute
• Burning Shower: no substitute
• Shadow Wolf: Abomination (poor substitute)
  
• Sorrow: no substitute
• Ejection Blast: no substitute
• Advanced Repulsor: Repulsor
• Dark Eagle: Terror Cry (poor substitute)
• Lightning Scope: Electrocuted Scope (situational)
• Falcon: Lazy Falcon (situational)
• Flaming Scope: Half-Burnt Scope (situational)
• Advanced Teleport: common Teleport
• Premium grappling hooks: common grappling hooks
• Superb Charge: normal Charge Engine (poor substitute)
• Hammers: recoilers (situational)
  

    A word about scopes: the ones proposed above are the same range, but the replacements (such as Lazy Falcon) are unlimited use.  But their backfire is high, and so unless you are running a build that has lots of hit points (usually this means Fractured Heat Armor or Rusty Energy Armor, etc.), you probably don't want to substitute a backfire scope.

    As for items that say no substitute, there are reasons.  First, the 2-4 range recoilers such as Shadow Wolf and Piercing Fox increase your range to target by two, and do a lot of damage.  This means Terror Cry and Last Words, etc., will give you only one, and may not be helpful enough for the build.  Another thing I don't think you can substitute for is Magma Blast and Bunker Shell.  Some people have called Broken Devourer and Drunk Lightning (i.e. range 2-4 single shot backfire weapons) to be the "poor man's Bunker Shell," etc., but I do not agree.  The Sacrifice Cannon family of weapons is not really for the same purpose as the Bunker Shell family of weapons, so I would recommend you don't try to substitute them.

    Finally, hammers versus recoilers is an interesting topic.  Recoilers have the advantage when your enemy is at range 2, as hammers are only for range 1.  However, hammers push your enemy back much farther.  This is why the Viking Hammer and Piercing Fox combination does so well with dual Valiant Sniper, for example.  I would say it depends on your build and your experience.  I substitute Magma Recoiler on my version of the Avatar Boiler due to people "range bullying" me with the hammer, but I also honestly prefer the hammer because of its unlimited uses.  So it just depends.  Recoilers do have a disadvantage for energy and heat: they do almost no drain/heat, but the hammers do a lot more.  So I recommend that you use a grappling hook with hammer builds.