Mechatalk Final Gear: Afra - Clang Clang

 8th Final Gear Mechatalk here! this time I will be doing a simpler one considering Viorate's was quite a heavy duty one. This time I will be covering the Battlepass Unit of Final Gear and the only one I have maxed so far, Afra's Clang Clang. Just like its name, Afra's unit design is quite unique among Final Gear's mech perhaps even the top contender for this category. Compared to other Final Gear's mechatalk post before, I will make this one technically a bit shorter than usual while also covering the Battlepass units.

 Afra is a SSR Defender Pilot who is loosely aligned with Arita Faction. Final Gear have no shortage of Waifu Pilots with Tragic past but Afra's probably is one that got the most messed up character background. Being a victim of the battlefield since her childhood losing her parents and then got herself trafficked as a slave. Since her early life, Afra suffered some of the worst possible fate for a woman as she become the outlet of low ranking soldiers lust causing her to develop a submissive personality and fear towards men. Afra continued to suffer her fate until one day being abandoned on battlefield and rescued by Agnes. Since then on Afra for once had an opportunity for peaceful life and opened some sort of orphanage to take care orphaned kids.

In Battle, Afra wielded mecha called Clang Clang, a peculiar Steampunk Train mecha that bludgeons its foe to death with its pair of arms that can transform into Shovel and Hook then finishing off with some sort of energy cannon that pop out from the torso. At the first glance, Afra's mecha is perhaps a homage to Megaman series Chargeman  For her High Gear, Afra is capable of summoning a locomotive creature that look like creepy version of Thomas to run through its opponent.

 Despite her low DPS, Afra is probably the one best contender for the Top-3 Non UR Defender Class as extra evasion in her survivability kit allows her to hold the formation long enough against enemy units. Leangle and Outsider perhaps are more useful in PVP but Afra is a good substitute if you don't have those 2 with her robust Defender Statline all around. Then again with Zero and Ruby enters the equation she just gets easily shredded like any defender class units.

 While not particularly noticable among the meta, Afra is lucky enough to get a summer skin that is a good fanservice but also reveals her past as the slave who is forced to serve men's pleasure. To be honest with her waifu Character design is wasted. 

 In Afra's Mechatalk, I would also the opportunity discuss about Final Gear Battlepass units. Throughout the brief 2 years of Final Gear Global server, There are roughly around 9 Mecha units in which 5 of them are exclusive units which can be obtained through 20 USD Battlepass. The Pilots that had their mechs obtainable from Battlepass are: Flavia, PN72 Yogui, Sariel, Murasaki, Afra, Solar, Imperia, Pandora Vlamir and Minazuki. All in all you got 3 Striker, 2 Defenders, 3 Shooters and One Bomber Class SSR Pilots as Battlepass units, no Demolishers or any Snipers. Among these Battlepass units, the exclusive units are Sariel, Afra, Imperia, Pandora and Minazuki. Technically Imperia still kinda count as one since her mech parts still required gacha roll and cannot be farmed regularly. Also I won't be including Murasaki's unit in this post since she will get her own Mechatalk Post in near future.

Of all Battlepass exclusive units, Afra is probably the best deal as she can be upgraded straightaway to make herself useful. Pandora could be a contender but she requires UR upgrade and it is still not the best DPS Around. For the non Exclusive unit, Flavia and Murasaki probably could provide higher mileage if you are able to invest UR Resources on them.

 Lastly I would use Afra's Mechatalk to briefly talk about Agnes who is Afra's Benefactor and also the probably the Last UR unit in Final Gear. From what it looks, Agnes seems to be a mad scientist type character who serve as Natural UR Demolisher Class. She seems to be able to deal respectable amount of  DPS while having some self recovery skill. Given the imminent closure of Final Gear, it is kinda difficult to predict if Flashwing willing to include her in Global server.

 Personally I think Final Gear Battlepass units are not exactly the best value for money as Flashwing and Komoe never bother to optimise them for players to be enticed to spend on them but they are still worth to get as collectors considering some of them never obtainable outside the battlepass. With Afra's Mechatalk done, I will be covering the long awaited Hexel's Leader, the Steel Witch Noctris for the next Final Gear Mechatalk.