Pilots (Front Mission 1)#
You will be alone first but many characters will join you later, some automatically, some by manual recruitment. You can finish the game without any recruitable characters but it would be easier and more enjoyable to have a diversified lineup.
Pilots get exps when attacking and defending. There is not one exp data but 4, Melee, Short, Long and Agility. The exp type you get would depend on the action you took in battle. Even if you lose a wanzer, you will still receive the experience points for the actions you have taken up to that point. Except yourself of cause, losing yourself would most likely be game over.
Pilot levels up when reaching a certain value of total EXP. When level up, the skills the pilot can learn will be displayed. Each pilot has certain thresholds for skills to appear. Once a skill has been learned, it cannot be changed, be careful of your selection.
Generally speaking the earlier joined the better in terms of overall skill set and attributes, the later joined are either too specialized (limited skill set except in one area) or weak, some even with skill slot shortage. You want to actively hold your aces back if you trained them too much, as everyone will be eventually useful and any exp beyond 9999 is wasted.
In the pilot status window, the password is the data you would enter in the VS play menu of your friend’s game. In this way you can battle your wanzer with your friend.
M=Melee, S=Short, L=Long, A=Agility G=Generic, T=Tank
Number in the skill column denotes the exp requirement to obtain a new skill. Once the exp requirement is met, the character can choose one of the skills available to the character in the exp category on the next level up bonus screen, unless the skill slots are full or you hacked too many skills in the category.
15=D+, 20=C, 25=C+, 30=B, 35=B+, 40=A,45=A+, 50=S, 55=S+
Call Sign |
Type |
Melee |
Short |
Long |
Agility |
1st Melee |
2nd |
3rd |
1st Short |
2nd |
3rd |
Long |
Skill slot |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royd/Lloyd |
G |
B |
B |
B |
B |
700 |
1900 |
3500 |
2000 |
5000 |
7000 |
1500 |
5 |
||
Sakata |
S |
D+ |
S+ |
C+ |
C |
1000 |
2300 |
2500 |
5500 |
8500 |
2000 |
5 |
|||
Natalie |
S/L |
C+ |
A |
B+ |
C |
1000 |
2200 |
3100 |
5000 |
7000 |
1900 |
5 |
|||
Keith |
S/L |
B |
A |
B+ |
D+ |
1200 |
2000 |
5000 |
7000 |
2500 |
5 |
||||
J.J. |
S |
D |
A+ |
B+ |
D |
2000 |
2000 |
5000 |
7000 |
2500 |
5 |
||||
Frederick |
T |
C+ |
C |
C+ |
S+ |
3000 |
9000 |
5000 |
7000 |
6000 |
4 |
||||
Yang |
M/S |
A+ |
B+ |
D+ |
C+ |
1800 |
2800 |
3000 |
5000 |
7000 |
2200 |
3 |
|||
Paul |
L |
C |
C |
S+ |
C+ |
3000 |
3000 |
5000 |
1500 |
5 |
|||||
Alder |
M/S |
A |
A |
C+ |
D+ |
1500 |
4000 |
7000 |
1700 |
3 |
|||||
Peewie |
S/T |
D+ |
B+ |
D+ |
B+ |
2000 |
1 |
||||||||
Hans |
L |
C+ |
C |
A+ |
B |
2900 |
5900 |
7900 |
900 |
3 |
|||||
Gregorio |
M |
S+ |
C+ |
D+ |
C+ |
1800 |
3000 |
3 |
|||||||
Maury |
T |
C+ |
C |
C |
A |
1200 |
5500 |
4000 |
6000 |
4 |
|||||
Bobby |
S/L |
C |
A |
A |
C |
1300 |
2000 |
1500 |
3 |
||||||
Porunga |
T |
B |
B |
C+ |
B+ |
900 |
2200 |
3000 |
5 |
||||||
Yeehin |
S/L |
C+ |
A |
B+ |
C |
2000 |
3500 |
4000 |
2600 |
4 |
|||||
Ralph |
M |
A+ |
B+ |
C+ |
D+ |
2000 |
3 |
||||||||
Gentz |
G |
B |
B |
B |
B |
3000 |
2500 |
2 |
|||||||
Kevin |
G |
B |
B |
B |
B |
1000 |
2200 |
3500 |
1800 |
4800 |
7000 |
2000 |
5 |
||
Johnny |
S |
C+ |
A+ |
C+ |
C |
1100 |
2300 |
3800 |
1600 |
4500 |
6500 |
2000 |
5 |
||
Matthew |
M/S |
A+ |
B+ |
C+ |
C |
700 |
1900 |
3500 |
2100 |
5100 |
8000 |
2000 |
5 |
||
Halle |
T |
B |
C+ |
C+ |
A |
1000 |
2200 |
3100 |
5000 |
1900 |
4 |
||||
Wong |
L |
B |
C |
A+ |
D+ |
800 |
2000 |
3500 |
1500 |
4 |
|||||
Gina |
S |
D+ |
S+ |
C |
C |
3000 |
4800 |
6500 |
3000 |
3 |
|||||
Ghetta |
M/T |
B |
C |
C |
B |
2200 |
3500 |
5000 |
3000 |
3 |
Royd Clive#
Although an average Short, learning skills early means more damage in early game. Get surpassed in damage output when specialists learnt their skills though.
Can also get Guide fairly early. Although can learn all 3 skills in Melee, better not waste too many skill slots on them. Can take a Double because he has 5 skill slots.
If you die, the game is most likely over (except OCU first mission), so build up your agility exp despite being an average tank.
Joins Mission 1.
Ryuji Sakata#
Short specialist, good for not much else. Somehow can learn 2 Melee skills despite being one of the worse Melee in the game. You should make room for Short and Long skills and only take one Melee skill.
Joins Mission 1.
Natalie F. Blakewood#
Ace Short and OK Long. First Short skill comes slowly but normal after that.
You should make room for Short and Long skills and only take one Melee skill.
Joins mission 2. Leaves at mission 22. Rejoins mission 25. If you want to kill Olson max her short exp and skills as much as you can.
It would be fun to destroy General Blakewood’s wanzer with his daughter. The game is scripted to revive him for the story, so why not take the extra money. Need hover leg and Long weapons for the mission though.
Keith Carabell#
Melee placeholder until Yang Meihua joins. Short and OK Long afterwards. Can get Double early but that’s all he can learn in Melee. His portrait is kind of deceiving. He’s better in Short and Long.
Joins mission 2. Leaves at mission 22. Rejoins mission 25.
Joynas Jeriaska#
Second best Short at the OCU side. Also good at Long. Pretty much like Keith, except learning some skills slower and can learn all melee skills. Not that you should convert him to melee, though. He’s the worst Melee in the OCU lineup. You should make room for Short and Long skills and only take one Melee skill.
Joins mission 2. Leaves at mission 22. Rejoins mission 25.
Frederick Lancaster#
Best tank in the game and the others are not even close. Gain skills very slowly (especially for Melee). Good bait for enemy missileers.
Better convert to Short, despite being the worse talent for him, and he has the worst Short damage in the game, but he can learn 2 Short skills which is better than some ace Shorts (I am looking at you Bobby). Besides his Melee and Long are just slightly better. With Short so overpowered in the game, even the worst Short in the game gets a nod over Melee or Long. Can take one Melee skill because he can only learn Short skills twice.
Joins after Mission 3. Leaves Mission 20 (remember to upgrade his wanzer for more awards). Enemy Mission 22. Returns after Mission 22.
Yang Meihua#
To recruit, talk in military office after Mission 4, then talk & fight in colosseum. Leaves Mission 14. Returns after Mission 14.
Melee placeholder until Gregorio joins. Short afterwards. If Gregorio and Ralph can do Short, then they will also be converted. Too bad they don’t have the potential in Short skills like Yang.
Best at Melee, but better convert to Short as in this game Short rules. She comes with Double, leaving only 2 open skill slots. Her Long damage is the lowest in the game, may not be a good idea to aim for the guide skill. So Switch and Speed it is.
Her First, if learnt, will start at level 2.
Paul C. Grieber#
To recruit, talk in bar after mission 5.
The best Long in the game. Also double as Short because free talent slots and you want to level up further after maxing Long exp. Frederick level Short though.
Alder Weiss#
To recruit, talk in bar after mission 5, then move to city Menasa, talk in bar and fight in colosseum.
Starts with Stun. Better train as Short because of the Short being overpowered in the game. Can’t learn Speed (and other melee skills in the original SNES version). I prefer to learn Dual and Switch instead of Guide or other Melee skills as anyone with the two Short skills can disarm an enemy in one turn.
Peewie Richburg Jr.#
No other weapons but short. Supply truck is too important to send to the front line. If money is not an issue (colosseum fight income) then train after battle is decided with the help of flash grenades/acid. if you have to throw a chaff on him you are in trouble. In the original SNES ROM somehow can learn Speed LV3, probably a bug as it cannot be activated and is removed in later releases. Joins mission 6.
Hans Goldwin#
Second best Long in the game. Also doubles as Short because free talent slots and you want to level up further after maxing Long exp. Frederick level Short though. Can’t learn melee skills. And somehow an average tank, don’t be afraid to close up. Joins after mission 8.
Gregorio Maias#
To recruit, fight in colosseum after mission 8.
Best Melee in the game, not good for much else. Can’t learn Short or Long skills. Starts with Stun. Skills start at lv2.
Maury Odonnell#
Useful tank in the stage that Frederick joins the enemy or when you need to split. A weak version of Frederick (purple is a sign of weakness) but a useful backup tank.
Can’t learn Speed or Guide. Joins after mission 9, Leaves mission 10. Rejoins after mission 10.
Maury’s strength is her weakness. She gets the best odds in arena. After learning Dual with the secret weapon, ransack the arena for profits.
Bobby Hopkins#
To recruit, go to military office after mission 11, stop fight.
Rare double ace in Short and Long. Can’t learn First is inconsequential, but can’t earn Dual and Speed hurts. Have to take a Melee skill for some reason.
From the skill slot and number of short skill thresholds, he was initially designed to have more short skills.
Porunga#
Go to military office after mission 11, stop fight.
A tank that wants to be attacker, and good at neither. Can’t learn Dual, Switch or Guide. Joins with Bobby.
In the last stage everyone can join the fight so you may want to train him a little.
Somehow he has 5 skill slots, but can only learn skill 3 times. Probably an oversight for the designer. From the skill slot and number of short skill thresholds, he was initially designed to have more short skills.
Yang Yeehin#
Good missileer and Short, too bad not much Short skills. Late to join the party and have to play catchup. Worth the training though.
Can’t learn First, Dual or Switch. Joins mission 14.
He’s a deserter from the USN. I was expecting him at the USN arc but he didn’t show up.
Ralph Dian#
To recruit, fight in colosseum after mission 16.
Third best Melee in the OCU side. Starts with Stun and Double. No First hurts. Cannot learn Short skills but can learn Guide after the DS port.
Yang is a better Melee but she’s too good in Short to not abuse the game imbalance. Ralph would be the second best Melee and the last.
Gentz Weizer#
Another Lloyd if not for the serious shortage of skill slots. Starts with Stun and only 2 skill slots, which means you need to choose between a Short skill and Guide, the choice is obvious. Joins mission 23.
Kevin Greenfield#
Almost identical to Lloyd at the OCU side, he is also B on everything, flexible and acquire skills fast.
He would be an average Long if at the OCU side, but here he is the second best.
Johnny Sandars#
A nice Short. Somehow can learn Melee skills 3 times (you don’t really want to do that). Leaves mission 18 and returns mission 19.
Matthew D. Lorenzo#
A nice Melee but more talented than Yang Meihua in OCU in skill slots, which means he can learn all Short skills and can be converted to Short. Problem is he’s the best Melee at the USN side. Maybe you want others to take up the Melee role? I don’t know.
Joins Mission 1. Leaves mission 18 and returns mission 19.
Halle Fiennes#
Joining early and least talented in Short or Long means he would be carrying the Riff and act as a healer/supplier.
Average Melee but cannot learn First is fatal flaw for him to work as a fighter in late game, so just level up in Short and Agility.
Joins mission 4.
Howard Wong#
The only good long at the USN side. He’s at Hans level, not Paul’s, and unlike the OCU Longs, his agility is the lowest in the game.
He’s also an average Melee but the same can be said for half of the team.
Cannot learn Dual or Switch (yikes). Joins Mission 4. Leaves Mission 18. Returns after Mission 19.
Gina#
A Short specialist like Ryuji in OCU, comes with Duel. Cannot learn Stun or First. Joins mission 12. Leaves mission 18 and returns mission 20.
Ghetta Cedric#
Backup tank and fighter. Cannot learn Switch or Speed. Comes with Stun. Join after mission 16.