Drive carts on AIR types?

I've about adapted to everything new to the game and tuned most of the bots I can use (albeit they're like... five.), now I'm just doing the finishing touches on my AIR type bots and I've come to the question I'm sure some people have had but I'm feeling too lazy (and tired) to bother doing and in-depth search so I'll create this thread anyway!

Basically, I'm indecisive between the Drives I should go for on certain AIR bots, namely Theia, Amlim and my alpha Rosso, out of which only Theia is fully leveled.

Theia currently has level 5 Armor Drive and she was actually the first Drive I fully leveled. She currently has +100 HP from the two carts, Stun Recovery, Wonder Repair and Ablative Plating. I figured having more HP is always good, as this put her on 700 HP flat. Ablative plating from my understanding halves the damage bonus she takes from blast weapons, so she should take less damage from them, and Wonder Repair is a nice +30 HP the first time she uses her WB, which usually is while I'm flying above the enemy and I already took some damage. Stun Recovery I just heard makes stuns slightly less noticeable and I figured that she could use it as everything blast-type hardstuns her anyway.

I'm contemplating giving it up for boost drive instead, so I can fly at the height limit even after getting randomly stunned, using her boost refill to stay up there as needed, and I figure her sonic impact cannon already has 390 range, and her laser sure feels like it has just as much, too. Could even slap an H.shooter on the thing or something for even more range, and 630 HP may be enough if I manage to stop getting hit so much, which would happen if I used her more but I really just use her whenever I simply cannot do much with any of my other bots.

Amlim I was leaning for Armor Drive, too, though she's not yet fully eveled as I've been lazy to get her last level. My reasoning is that she has rather crap range on her weapons anyway, so it's not like she'll be flying far from her targets and more HP is nice, as opposed to the mobility boost drive would give her.

Rosso I'm also on the edge with. I know I should slap G.reach on my steel burn AM3 and overrange the crap out of him but I lack materials for H.Capa and he's already tight on it, so I'm using him without weapon tunes for no (And even then he has pretty long range at 350...). I could give him more defense or better mobility. I'm leaning for the mobility as he runs out of ammo fast anyway, but he is also my bot with lowest HP (out of these, anyway), sitting at a little over 500.

I am also hoping to roll Stella off the tickets this campaign gives, another AIR for my collection and hopefully a good one. I'd probably go with boost drive on her.

Anyway, any opinions on these choices are greatly appreciated, I just want to know which of the two drives would work better on these bots, mainly Theia and Rosso. Thanks in advance!

Theia has no boost management outside of using her precious barrier+reboost of which you have, what, 5? Give her Boost Drive. Edit: Never mind she is dumb and gets to restore ammo of that crap. Still stands.

P.S. she's bullshit with the Perilous Flyer core tune. Glide Boost cost nothing in terms of boost with that buff active.

If you do not have crystas arm on Ross, use boost drive.



In general, I recommend Boost Drive over Armor Drive on AIRs. I think the extra mobility is worth trading for the durability. I tried Armor Drive vs Boost Drive on my Valiant Axeler several times. You are just at a disadvantage when you fight other AIRs when you're running Armor Drive. And let's face it, AIR bots are the anti-AIR. ARTs are inadequate for the job.

Wait, you can ammo refill Theia's barriers? I thought a weapon needed at least 10 ammo for shell supply items to work?

I also realized that if I want to slap an H.Shooter on Theia, I'd need to either H.Capa her or sacrifice like 40 HP. Sadlife.

And I'm iffy on the perilous anything tunes as they never seemed too useful to me. I guess I can give one a try and see what happens. Also seeing how the one thing that ever kills me are either Homuras or Nebel, and the thing I usually hunt on Theia are ARTS... I'm tempted to believe ARTs nowadays really aren't all that good at anti-air, that or that I suck at using Theia to fight other AIRs, maybe the lack of augmented thrusters and eco boost has something to do with it.

Edit: Holy crap I just tested it and yes, shell supply recovers her barrier dash ammo. I usually have her missile sub up and E-change to her barrier dash, which is probably why I had never noticed. I must now farm tons of shell supplies.

Also, assuming I did replace armor for boost drive, I'm guessing I should go for +30 HP, Augmented Thrusters, Eco-Boost, Stun Recovery and Propellant Armor? Or should I replace one of the last two with Fall Charge or Stun Propellant? Fall charge seems useful if I ever get hard stunned and forced to fall and I'm low on boost, though I have never used it, and stun propellant is nice because propellant effect is nice, I just don't quite know how long it would last and 10% is a pretty low chance...

Stun proppellant is just like that stun jamming cart from armor drive: very short buff with a very low proc rate. It ends while you realise it activated l0l Just enough to do a single air dash.

Either drop Stun Recovery fot Fall Charge or drop the HP Up for it.

Makes sense. Guess I'll reset her drive and go boost on Rosso as well. It'll be a while to level her up again, and a pain, but we'll see how it goes. Now if only delight gara were to give me that Stella I'd be a happy duck with a full freakin' AIR moe commando. I may have chances as this game does not want me to play anything else.

Thanks everyone for your replies!