Hey, all. As I’ve made customary, here’s a guide for Super Robot Wars J (SRWJ or J).
Super Robot Wars J is a very easy game, even by SRW standards. Enemies don’t hit that hard, and your resources are abundant. Nevertheless, some players may be inexperienced, or still desire more efficient, optimized play. This page will help both those groups and more.
If you’re completely new to SRW, it might be a good idea to check out my general guide first, as it will share some basic principles I won’t mention in this guide, just to avoid redundancy. For example, I’m not going to get into how cheap yet valuable EN is again. I will assume you know that much.
Want me to cover a specific mech and/or pilot? Just let me know in the comments or contact me with this form!
Favorite Series
Explanation (click to expand)
When starting a new playthrough, you will be prompted to select three favorite series featured within SRWJ (including Banpresto’s original units). The selected series’ mechs can be upgraded an extra five times for each stat, and they will receive a bonus to earned EXP and Funds. For the sake of fairness, the bonus’ value is relative to how many units that series has.
For example, Voltes V is a series with only one playable unit, and it receives 1.5x the normal amount of EXP and Funds. Martian Successor Nadesico has about seven playable units, so they only receive a bonus of 1.1x, even if you personally only choose to regularly deploy one of those units during your playthrough.
Recommendation(s) (click to expand)
If you ask me, SRWJ is an easy-enough game to make this decision not worth fretting over. I think you should pick whatever you like for any reason. However, if you really want to optimize, you ought to consider which units you know you’re going to deploy as much as possible. This might be hard to decide if you’re a new player, as you’ll lack information on which units are in the game or how they play.
So, going in completely blind with no preference whatsoever, I would probably recommend these three series first:
- Martian Successor Nadesico: While the bonus is slight, the Nadesico itself is such an overwhelmingly powerful unit that it’s likely to shoot down more enemies than your other units. Considering that, even a 10% bonus will add up. Also, the Nadesico is available immediately and makes good use of the extra EN upgrades.
- Mobile Fighter G Gundam: A relatively high number of playable units for its boost amount, and most of its units are pretty good. The “main” crew join relatively late, but there’s still a ton of time to take advantage of this bonus.
- Banpresto Originals: Your original unit is deployable for nearly every Scenario, and it’s quite powerful. Since you only have one of these units, it receives the maximum 1.5x bonus. It’s recommended to have at least one unit with the 1.5x bonus so you can receive the biggest Funds payout from having them destroy bosses. 1.5x bonus series also benefit from having MAP weapons, which makes Dancouga and Zeorymer solid picks, as well. Do not select Zeorymer if you intend to get Great Zeorymer, as that requires you not deploy Zeorymer for most of the game.
After finishing the game and carrying your save data over on a New Game+, you will be allowed to select three more series in addition to retaining your previous selections. Once all series have been selected (requiring multiple playthroughs), the maximum boost of 1.5x is permanently applied to every unit in the game. Have fun!
Pilot Building
PP
Explanation (click to expand)
Every time a pilot levels up, they’ll receive 1 PP (yeah, laugh it up). Each point can be allocated to one of a pilot’s stats. Depending on which option the player sets, these points can either be distributed after each level up, or in the Intermission Menu. While the former is technically better due to its immediate advantage, it gets annoying fast, so I’d recommend doing it the latter way (the default). It could be worth temporarily turning the former option on if a pilot joins in the middle of a map, as they’ll have a significant amount of pilot points to spend. Of course, you’d have to level them up ASAP. Your call.
Recommended PP Allocation
Overview (click to expand)
All stats have their uses, but I would recommend dumping most, if not all, of your PP into Hit. It’s universally helpful and cuts down on unlucky misses, as well as the need to spend SP on Strike, Focus, and Scan. Dumping it into Evade could make a lot of your units unkillable, but J’s weak enemies already have you hard to beat, and enemies will eventually stop targeting your units they have a 0% hit rate on, so it works against your ability to quickly finish Scenarios.
While it takes a very long time to get your natural hit rate to 100% against the game’s most evasive enemies, once you do, you’ll have more flexibility in your spending. Going for raw damage by raising Melee and Ranged is fine, but you should consider Skill, as well. It boosts your chance of critical hits, making it a broader source of increased damage, and it also affects your odds of activating certain pilot Skills and mech Abilities.
Modules
Explanation (click to expand)
Modules are essentially Parts, but for pilots instead of mechs. Most Modules increase your stats by set amounts: +5, +10, +15. Rarer Modules can bestow your pilots Skills, or increase the level of Skills they already have. Because Modules can be equipped and unequipped freely, there’s no need to worry about making permanent “mistakes” while assigning them.
Recommended Module Allocation
Overview (click to expand)
Allocating the stat Modules is as obvious as you might expect. Give +Hit to mechs struggling to land hits without Spirits, and give +Melee to mechs with mostly melee attacks, etc. Skill Modules have more nuance.
Module(s): Hit & Away
Overview (click to expand)
Hit & Away Modules are extremely valuable, as there is no shortage of mechs that benefit from this Skill. Anything with a non-post-move finisher likes it in order to keep up with your army, as does any unit with an MAPW, as it allows for easier positioning to line up subsequent MAPWs. The Nadesico, Rose Gundam, and Tekkaman Blade are just some examples of units that can really take advantage of Hit & Away.
Module(s): Counter
Overview (click to expand)
Counter is excellent for units desperate to avoid taking hits. Because J “punishes” you for having a 100% dodge rate, it’s especially useful, as you should rarely be completely safe from damage. You might assume Counter is best on more fragile units, but that’s not necessarily true. It can be just as valid an option, if not more so, for frontline units that can’t reliably dodge and are expected to take numerous hits. A unit like Dancougar might qualify, as it’s a Super Robot that isn’t as sturdy as some others. Counter also works well on something like the Nadesico, as it can save it a usage of the Distortion Barrier, reducing its EN costs.
Counter is also great on initially fragile hybrid-defensive units like those from G Gundam or Full Metal Panic!. Mao, for instance, will be less in need of her expensive Guard Spirit.
Module(s): Support Attack / Defend
Overview (click to expand)
Support Skills are often best on your units with relatively high Movement, as they want to be reliably adjacent to other units. Support Attack should be given to units with decent weapon ranges so that they can support even long-range attackers. Support Defend is great on anything with a Barrier, including otherwise frail units, as the damage reduction from both Support Defend and the Barrier will result in minimal damage. It’s perfect on the Aestivalis units, for example.
Otherwise, consider using Support Modules on units that have a difficult time building Will, as the increased number of attacks and hits can allow them to accrue some extra Will. Shining Gundam (likely with a Booster Part equipped, mind) might go well with Support Defend, as it can help it reach its Super Mode faster.
Module(s): SP Boosters
Overview (click to expand)
Modules that decrease SP costs are exceptionally rare and valuable. They’re percentage-based, so the more expensive a Spirit is to begin with, the more you save from the Module. Support Spirits such as Rouse and Enable tend to be the most expensive, so pilots with them are prime targets for these Modules. I personally like to get additional usages of Bless. If you’re particularly attentive to how your pilots’ SP changes from leveling up, you can manage your +SP and SP cost reduction Modules so that you’re always mathematically capable of squeezing in just one extra use of an important Spirit.
Battleships Are Nuts in SRWJ
While these units are capable of being liabilities in other entries, J is very much an exception. Both battleships (but especially the Nadesico) are extraordinarily powerful and have a slew of other helpful applications beyond combat.
Recovery at a Reduced “Cost”
When a unit is docked, some SRW games deduct 10 Will from that unit, placing a heavy cost on this method of recovering HP, EN, and Ammo. In J, you are only penalized by 5 Will, meaning it’s worth considering docking more than you normally might.
The unit’s Will deduction does not take place until the next turn. You can, theoretically, dock a unit, move that battleship, use the Enable Spirit on the docked unit, then have it exit the battleship to effectively give it a huge movement boost with no Will reduction. Also, the Will reduction happens regardless of whether or not your unit is missing any HP, EN, or Ammo. If a unit’s Will is 100 or less, they will not receive a Will penalty from docking.
Battleships as a Taxi
J is notorious for having tedious map design, and this time-saving trick will make those elements much easier to tolerate. During a map (at the start, even), place all units onto a battleship, then have one of your battleship’s pilots use Accel to tear across the map. Once at your location, simply spit out all of your docked units to fight the enemy.
This is so convenient that I would recommend equipping your battleships entirely with Movement-boosting Parts. Doing this, any additional Movement on your battleships is essentially additional Movement for every other unit on your team, as well. For most maps, there is literally no good reason not to dock every unit immediately, then move 14 or so spaces straight to your enemy. This is much quicker than moving your entire army for multiple turns straight.
Because units start at 100 Will, there’s initially no reason to not use this time-saving strategy. However, when a pilot reaches 50 and 100 Kills, they will launch with an additional 5 Will for each benchmark. This will mean that you’re losing Will by docking your ace pilots on the first turn, but in my opinion, this still speeds up map completion far more than the added offense from keeping that extra Will.
Exploiting Battleships’ “Swap”
When upgrading your units, you may notice that your battleships have a unique stat called “Swap.” Once this stat is raised, that battleship will be able to swap a docked unit out with an undeployed unit equal to the number of times the “swap” stat has been upgraded. This stat caps at three bars for your two battleships, giving you a total of six swaps per Scenario.
On the face of things, this is as if you’re being given six extra units. If you have a unit that’s nearly destroyed, has exhausted its SP, or otherwise isn’t expected to contribute much, you can consider swapping it out. Units that have been swapped out can be swapped back in, but this counts towards your limit, of course.
Notably, swapped-in units start with 100 Will, which can make them difficult to use if brought late into a Scenario. Because this compromises fighting ability, it’s typically best to use your swaps for utilitarian purposes, such as Spirit commands. Here, I’ll go over some basic ways to exploit swap.
“True” Extra Units
Swapping normally requires you to replace one unit with another, so you technically never have more than the max number of units allowed for a Scenario. However, there’s a way to get around this. Certain units, such as Dancougar Final and Tekkaman Blade + Pegas, deploy as Combined units. For these, it’s possible to Split them, dock one of the component units, and Swap it for something else entirely.
While you’re still technically giving up a unit for another unit, this is a particularly favorable example. The component mechs described, Black Wing and Pegas, aren’t designed to function well solo. The idea is that you’re replacing these lackluster component units with higher-power “main” units. Yes, the remaining mechs will be weaker than their Combined form, but Dancougar and Tekkaman Blade are already powerful by themselves.
If it helps to understand the logic, Dancougar and, say, Voltes V are worth more to your team than Dancougar F by himself, or Dancougar and Black Wing. The unit you’re replacing the component with simply needs to provide more value than what’s lost by these mechs going down to their Split, basic forms. It’s very easy to make this Swap work in your favor.
Spirit “Banks”
Swapping makes it even more viable to deploy units just for their Spirits. To continue from the above, you could have Alan use up all of his SP while combined, Split, then dock him to Swap with another unit. You can also do things like deploying someone with Rouse, having them exhaust their SP at the map’s start (remember to reposition your units before deploying), then Swap them for a more long-term unit. Because this is at the start of a map, the unit being Swapped in starting at 100 Will is of no concern.
This extends to other support Spirits too, and it’s especially helpful for Luck and Bless. Keep in mind which of your reserve units have these Spirits, and count the number of times you can use these Spirits among your deployed units. Leave enough worthwhile enemies remaining so that you can Swap in reserve pilots with Luck and Bless to finish them off. If you weaken said enemies first, then your Swapped units won’t need more than 100 Will to get the kill. If you don’t use the Swap command, you’re at the bare minimum leaving extra Funds on the table.
Mech Assessments
Because J’s difficulty and meta is overall much simpler than something like Alpha Gaiden, I’m opting to do a more general, series-wide unit analysis. The nuances between units matter less and aren’t as pronounced as in that game. In many cases, nuance barely exists, as multiple units are essentially clones of another.
Martian Successor Nadesico
Aestivalis (click to expand)
The Aestivalis units are essentially all copies each other, other than cosmetic differences such as their head shape and color. The single exception is Akatsuki’s Aestivalis Mk. II, which has a slightly higher base Mobility stat. In practice, this somewhat offsets Akatsuki lacking any Relationship bonuses to his Hit/Evade.
What distinguishes the Aestivalis are their pilot and their individual traits, as well as whatever Frame they’re equipped with (if any). You can equip Frames in any combination—there is no limit on them, unlike the Strike Gundam’s various Packs.
While these units aren’t very strong, they attempt to make up for it via the utility of their Frames, a powerful Distortion Barrier, several Relationship bonuses between their pilots, and their bevy of Combo Attacks. Also, while in close-enough range to the Nadesico (represented by a yellow grid), they will receive a full EN restore at the start of their turn. Conversely, they will lose a significant chunk of EN each turn they are outside of that range, making them at risk of quickly running dry if they stray too far.
To be perfectly honest, the Aestivalis… aren’t great. Using them to their full potential requires you to spend several valuable deployment slots on them, which most people aren’t going to be willing to do, and is of questionable diminishing returns once you have to start excluding better units. Their Frames are more of a liability than an asset, as they heavily compromise each Frame’s terrain ranks based on where that Frame is “meant” to be used, further cutting into their mediocre base stats and weapon power. Rather than feeling equipped for any scenario, you’re more likely to find yourself lacking basic fundamentals for the situation at hand, whether that be in regards to movement, terrain ranks, weapon ranges, or otherwise.
While the infinite EN is nice in theory, it’s so easy to manage EN costs in J that this is only particularly relevant for spamming their Combo Attacks. The Distortion Barrier only makes them a little less fragile, and admittedly solid Support Defenders, but that isn’t a particularly important niche. If you’re set on using just one Aestivalis, I would recommend using Parts to fix its terrain ranks, maxing out its EN and Mobility, and using the Air Frame due to its balanced mix of weapon ranges and higher base Movement.
Pilot(s):
While I’m biased because she’s my favorite of the bunch, I do believe Ryoko is definitively the best Aestivalis pilot. She gets the most Skills out of any of them (a whopping 9), and these include the ever-useful Command and Counter, the latter of which helps her stay alive. Certain pilots have an extra level of Support Attack/Defend or Combo on her, but that’s inconsequential when compared to her benefits, and Modules to raise those Skills aren’t in especially high demand. Ryoko also gets Valor relatively early, and she can immediately use Spirit to raise her Will and access Distortion Punch. Her final Spirit, Rouse, pairs nicely with her Command aura and the Aestivalis’ affinity for Support Defend.
Nadesico (click to expand)
The Nadesico itself is on J’s shortlist of the best units in the entire game. If factoring in its near-constant availability, there’s basically no debate as to it holding the crown. This absolute behemoth of a unit laughs in the face of damage with its Distortion Barrier, and delivers enormous punishment with its shockingly EN-efficient Gravity Cannon. Add in its five pilots and their exhaustive Spirit list, as well as two MAP weapons, and you have a nigh-unkillable weapon of mass destruction.
While its EN reserves are extremely high when maxed out (which should be done ASAP when considering the low cost of EN upgrades), you should still take some care to make sure it has even more EN. Enemies love to target the Nadesico, and its Distortion Barrier and counterattack will wear even its generous EN out after 30-some exchanges.
The lunatics who developed J decided to give the Nadesico four Part slots, despite it probably not needing a single one. Solar Panels, EN Chips, etc. are all justifiable options, but I think most, if not all of its slots, should be occupied with Boosters to make it a more effective taxi for your units (see previous section). Consider equipping the Nadesico’s pilot with a Counter Module, as it may occasionally save an activation of the Distortion Barrier, conserving EN and HP.
Though the Nadesico has two potential main pilots, Yurika and Ruri, I highly recommend keeping Yurika in the pilot’s seat. Ruri has the unfortunate trait of losing Will whenever she is hit, and a gigantic battleship does not make the most reliable dodger in the world. This further cuts into the availability of your MAPWs, and generally decreases the Nadesico’s damage and endurance.
It’s possible to solo the game with the Nadesico. It’s that good.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Overview (click to expand)
G Gundam‘s mechs are unusual in that their stats are evenly distributed, unlike most units which favor either Mobility or Armor. At first, it may seem that they’re flimsy and prone to getting shot down. However, remember that mech upgrades in SRW are based on a percentage of your mech’s stat at the time it’s raised. Mechs with high base stats grow exponentially stronger, and with enough upgrades, G Gundam mechs will become great at both dodging and tanking. They’re “late bloomers” in this respect, and whether or not you want to invest Funds in them is up to you.
Shining Gundam:
Okay, the Shining Gundam is pretty damn awful in J. At base, it has a pathetic 5 Movement, a maximum attack range of 3 (the Vulcans are a joke), and it takes an unreasonably high amount of Will to unlock its Super Mode and access its strongest attacks, which still have limited range. It lacks the durability needed to tussle with enemies and build Will (if it can even reach them) without massive Funds investment.
It might be worth shelving the Shining Gundam until receiving its God Gundam upgrade, which is genuinely a great unit. It’s sad to say, but the Shining Gundam is unequivocally the worst of the G Gundam units.
Gundam Maxter:
Maxter is the most well-rounded of its colleagues, as it fully covers fundamental weapon ranges: a 7-range max, and a 4-range max for a post-move weapon. It’s an easy unit to use, though it does lack a bit in the power department, so upgrade its weapons routinely. Chibodee has the Wall Spirit, so it could be worth investing in Mobility over other stats.
Rose Gundam:
Rose is similar to Maxter, except it swaps some post-move range for additional max range. More notably, it has one of the best MAPWs in Rose Screamer. The range on the thing is massive, but George can struggle to acquire enough Will to use it. While he does gain Spirit eventually, this cuts into SP for Bless and Valor. It’s a good idea to give him an SP-boosting Module and Hit & Away so he can meet his needs while keeping up with your army.
Dragon Gundam:
The Dragon Gundam is a bit of an outlier among the crew for its greater emphasis on Mobility. You might be best off focusing on that stat over HP and Armor. With Double Image, it doesn’t need a perfect dodge chance to reliably do so. Its weapon ranges are modest, but its base finisher does good damage for not requiring any Will. Dragon Fire halves the attack power of anything it hits for two turns, and using it against bosses can save you SP on Alert and Wall, so it’s kind of nifty. Throw a range and Mobility-boosting Part on this thing.
Bolt Gundam:
Bolt is the inverse of Dragon, with a preference for Armor over Mobility, and the same logic applies to upgrading, but in reverse. Bolt is just ahead of Shining in terms of usefulness, which isn’t great for it. Its weapons’ power is nowhere near enough to justify their handicapped range, and its role as a tank lacks a practical niche in J.
Useful Bugs/Glitches
J has a fair amount of minor bugs/glitches, but many of them are beneficial. Whether or not you want to use these up to you. Some people will want a more “pure” or “intended” experience, while others might not mind exploiting these bugs.
“Absorbed” Part Effects
Potentially the most useful of all these bugs concerns Parts equipped to units that are permanently replaced with upgraded forms. When a unit’s upgrade has less Part slots than its previous form, the Parts equipped in the slots that end up being removed will have their effects permanently applied to that unit. Ordinarily, this would just work as if the upgraded unit had more Part slots, but it’s better than that. The Parts previously equipped still return to your inventory, effectively doubling the number of times you can benefit from that Part’s effect! It’s pretty amazing.
There are three units in the game that can use this exploit:
- Mazinger → Mazinkaiser (Scenario 15, Part slot 2)
- Yuu Brain → Nelly Brain (Scenario 28, Part slot 3)
- Layzner → Layzner Mk. II (Scenario 32, Part slots 2 and 3)
Mazinkaiser is received on Scenario 15, but if you pick the Archangel route, you will need to make sure not to unequip the Part in Mazinger Z’s second slot. This means that players on the Archangel route will not be able to use that Part until the routes converge and Mazinkaiser joins your party.
Nelly Brain is received on a combined route, so just make sure its third Part slot has something in it when the time comes.
Getting the Layzner Mk. II requires you to choose the North America route following Scenario 31, then choosing “Speed” when asked during Scenario 32’s cutscene. Selecting “Power” gives you the Enhanced Layzner, which has the same number of Part slots as the basic form, so this glitch can’t be used with it. Likewise, if you take the “Stay” route, the game defaults to giving you Enhanced Layzner, so you must take the North America route to use this glitch at all.
What to Copy
While I don’t know offhand which Parts the player can have access to at each of these junctions, you’re generally safe equating a Part’s rarity to its effect’s usefulness. The S-Adapter is one of the best Parts in the game, for example, but you definitely can’t have one before getting Mazinkaiser.
For Mazinkaiser, you have some interesting options. Before receiving its Kaiser Scrander upgrade, the Mazinkaiser is stuck on land, which can be annoying for maps with dense terrain or water. Copying a Flight Unit or Water Jet would be helpful here. A Solar Panel, Generator, or EN Chip are also fine choices, as is anything to raise weapon range or Movement.
Nelly Brain isn’t super in need of any Parts, in my opinion. I would advise similar Parts as for Mazinkaiser, though obviously you don’t need a Flight Module. A Water Jet is mostly redundant as well, but it does get rid of the Missile Launcher’s somewhat annoying C rank in water. A Part to raise Crit or weapon range are also fine choices, if you can’t decide.
For the Layzner Mk-II, you should put on something that helps with EN consumption. On the other slot, you might want to consider equipping a strong Barrier Part. The reason for this is that pumping Layzner’s Mobility stat too high may cause enemies to not target him, but a Barrier could prevent a stray hit at low hit percentages from destroying Layzner outright. It makes Layzer more safe as an Enemy Phase, counterattack-heavy unit, which the Mk-II is especially good at doing thanks to its extremely high Movement.
Less Useful Bugs/Glitches
Prevail Doesn’t Work Right
Instead of multiplying a mech’s Armor stat like it should, Prevail adds 105-145 to a mech’s Armor stat, instead. This is only beneficial for units with very low base Armor to the point where the small addition would be higher than if it were a fraction of their low Armor stat. Once any unit has received enough Armor boosts, this bug is strictly detrimental (unless it’s an enemy with Prevail, I suppose). This doesn’t make Prevail worthless, as it raises other things as well, but for Armor, it pretty much is.
Shield Defense Doesn’t Work At All
Shield Defense in J can “activate;” you’ll see the text for it pop up, and the unit will bring out a shield during their animation, but it doesn’t actually do anything. What it should do is reduce damage taken by 10%. So yeah, completely pointless “benefit.”
There has since been a patch to fix this bug circulating around the internet, and it should be compatible with the English translation patch. From personal experience, it doesn’t have that much of an impact on the game’s balance, but it’s nice to know it’s giving a slight boost to units that need it, such as the G Gundam crew before they’ve received many upgrades.
Missing Bonuses
Greimkaiser
If the secret unit, Greimkaiser (Gale’s unit), is not received during the first playthrough, it will not receive its built-in upgrades on later playthroughs. They can still be purchased, mind, but you lose any Funds you would have saved from skipping those first few upgrade bars. The Greimkaiser and Bloodykaiser are mutually exclusive secret units, so you should get the former on your first playthrough if you have no preference/aim to completely upgrade everything eventually.
Gai
Another secret unit, Gaim has the opposite quirk where he receives bonuses because of a bug. Again, on the first playthrough only, acquiring Gai has him rejoin with double the automatic upgrade bonus that he should: 8 bars instead of 4. He’ll only be four upgrades off from maxing out his default upgrades. Since upgrades carry over between playthroughs, it’s best to obtain Gai on a first playthrough. So technically, Gai missing this bonus is intended, but I’m going to put it in this section anyway.
Soft Reset
To return to the title screen at any time, hold down START + SELECT + B + A, then you may continue holding only START to instantly load your last quick save (instead of doing so via the title screen). Note that the timing for holding START is very precise.
Leave a Reply