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Eri Kasamoto is one of your starting team members in Metal Slug Tactics, and chances are good that by the time you have more troops unlocked you’ll want to keep her around. Her explosive expertise and vertical mobility make her one of the game’s most versatile squad members, and an asset to any mission.
Bombs, by definition, can blow up in your face if you aren’t careful, so it might take a little trial and error to fine-tune your strategy without catching the rest of your squad in Eri’s fiery blasts. Once that’s done, though, you’ll be gleefully hurling grenades all over the battlefield.
Eri’s Core Ability – Mad Bomber
No matter which loadout you bring into battle, Eri’s strategy centers around her Mad Bomber Passive. It allows her to get a Bonus Move whenever she participates in an attack that results in at least one enemy being defeated. If she gets multiple kills across a turn thanks to Sync Attacks with her allies, she gets more moves!
If a single attack eliminates multiple enemies, Eri only gets one Bonus Move from it.
Not only does Eri get a Bonus Move for every kill, but she also gains Bounce, allowing her to move freely with no regard for elevation. This means she can quite literally leap tall buildings in a single bound, making her perfect for dropping grenades from above or rooting out enemies in hard-to-reach places.
If one of Eri’s allies can set up a Sync Attack with her before she takes her normal move for the turn, she can make use of Bounce during her opening sprint!
Eri’s Special Actions
Eri boasts an impressive array of attacks that let her hit multiple enemies at once, spreading out damage and setting up Sync Attacks easily.
|
Name |
Cost |
Range |
Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Close-Range Blast |
3 |
1-2 |
Deals 3 damage to one target. Ignores Cover. If the target dies, Eri gets a Bonus Action. |
|
Distant Blast |
5 |
4-6 |
Deals 4 damage to all units in an X shape. If at least two targets die, Eri gets a Bonus Action. |
|
Enemy Chaser |
6 |
1-4 |
Deals 3 damage each to a maximum of three different targets. |
|
Explosive Decoy |
5 |
1-5 |
Places a Decoy on a tile within range. When the Decoy is destroyed, everything adjacent to it takes 5 damage. |
|
Explosive Jump |
5 |
3-5 |
Everything orthogonally adjacent to Eri takes 4 damage. Eri teleports to an unoccupied tile within range. Everything orthogonally adjacent to Eri’s new location takes 4 damage. |
|
Grenade Juggler |
6 |
3-4 |
Deals 4 damage to everything in a cross shape. Target another area measured from the center of the first blast; it takes an identical blast. |
|
Slicing Rush |
4 |
1-4 |
Eri charges a target within range and deals 5 damage to them, ignoring Cover. |
|
Trampoline |
4 |
1-4 |
Eri deploys a Trampoline to a space within range, destroying any existing Trampolines. Trampolines can be used twice before breaking. Eri gets a Bonus Action. |
Upgrading Special Actions when Eri levels up will improve their base stats.
Eri Classic Loadout
Eri’s standard build uses Grenades and a Grenade Launcher to deal area damage, often triggering or joining Sync Attacks. By frequently using the Bonus Moves from Mad Bomber, you can adjust her position to make sure she’s always able to add a few extra points of damage to her teammate’s shots. Alternately, you can use the extra movement to get to Cover at the end of a round.
The real standout of Eri Classic, though, is that it starts with Grenade Juggler. Not only is this great for clearing out spread-out groups of enemy infantry, but it’s absolutely stellar against bosses. Since they’re so big, most bosses can be hit by both grenades from this attack, doubling the damage you deal!
Recommended Passives
- Step Lively gets even more movement out of the Bonus Moves granted by Mad Bomber.
- Dynamo increases Eri’s damage output every time she gets a Bonus Move.
- Deputy Commander gives Grenade Juggler and Eri’s other Special Actions Instigator, increasing the damage her allies do with Sync Attacks.
- Raptor increases the damage Eri deals to targets at a different elevation, and combos well with the Grenades’ Predator mod.
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Hurricane Loadout
Once you’ve defeated Morden at least once with Eri on your team, you’ll be able to use her melee-focused Hurricane loadout. It fills a similar role to Trevor Classic, albeit with a lot more AoE damage and fewer targeted strikes.
Hurricane Eri trades in her Grenades for the Tatsumaki, a katana that lets her hit every target, friend or foe, that’s adjacent to her, including diagonally. Her secondary weapon, the Double-S, has a zig-zagging blast pattern that takes some getting used to, but allows for unique tactical options.
If the S-shaped blast pattern isn’t working out for you, you can always look for a weapon mod that changes the AoE shape. They appear frequently after battles where crates are offered as rewards.
This version of Eri starts with Explosive Jump, giving her extra mobility beyond what Mad Bomber gives her. You’ll often find yourself having to choose between the Tatsumaki and Explosive Jump, so consider all your options when deciding how best to deploy Eri’s close-quarters fury.
Recommended Passives
- Daredevil helps keep Eri’s Dodge up as long as she changes elevation at least once during her turn – a must when she’s closer to the front lines.
- Smoke Bomb ensures that any foes that survive Eri’s onslaught will be hard-pressed to do any damage back.
Anticipation is practically a must-pick with Explosive Jump; it increases Eri’s weapon damage after being moved by a Special Action, setting her up for a devastating Sync Attack with the Tatsumaki.
- Multi-Frag offers lots of opportunities for bonus actions, considering how many targets Eri will have on a given turn. Just bear in mind that she needs to contribute to at least three frags on a single attack for it to work!
Multi-Frag must be unlocked at the base for 24 Credits before it will appear on runs.
Close Quarters Loadout
Close Quarters trades in most of Eri’s area attacks for pure mobility and melee-range devastation. If you haven’t quite mastered getting the most out of Mad Bomber, a run or two with this loadout will get you up to speed in no time.
Both of Eri’s weapons in Close Quarters – a respectable four-damage Tonfa and the Spill Shotgun – have the Dash keyword, which increases the distance of Bonus Moves granted by them by three. This means that every time Eri triggers Mad Bomber with one of her weapons (but not her Special Actions), she’ll get three extra spaces to zip around the battlefield.
If that weren’t enough, Close Quarters Eri starts with Slicing Rush. A good strategy is to open each round by charging into a crowd with Slicing Rush, dispatching one enemy, then having an ally trigger a Sync Attack with Eri’s Tonfa, which will let her either run out of danger or move into position for yet another Sync.
Recommended Passives
- Step Lively gets even more movement out of Eri’s Bonus Moves, making this one of the most mobile builds in the game.
- Dynamo and Reflexes ensure that with each Sync and the ensuing Bonus Move, Eri hits even harder with her Tonfa.
- Smoke Bomb helps keep Eri safe if a charge doesn’t pan out.
Fire Starter Loadout
Fire Starter is best thought of as a variation of Eri Classic, one which allows you to control the battlefield by setting it on fire rather than dealing damage directly. The Molotov Cocktail and Inferno Flamethrower don’t have a high base damage, but used correctly they can make up for it on the back end by placing fire tiles and allowing Eri to use more Special Actions.
Pay special attention to the Inferno’s Max Sync ability. As long as both of Eri’s allies participate in a sync that she triggers with it, her next Special Action has its Adrenaline cost refunded!
Fire Starter Eri starts with Close-Range Blast, which is fine, but if you get the opportunity to live the dream with Grenade Juggler, go for it. This lets you combine the best of both Fire Starter and the Classic build, and do so even more efficiently with the Adrenaline refund from Max Sync.
Recommended Passives
- Team Player and Stylish help ensure that Eri always has the Adrenaline she needs to use her Special Actions, which are vital with this build.
- Dynamo helps make up for the lower damage on this build’s weapons.
- Multi-Frag is harder to make use of with this loadout, so you’ll need to rely on your teammates to get it to work, but getting Eri a Bonus Action to use Multi Sync right away makes her a force to be reckoned with.
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