MENACE Heavy Tank Guide: Weapons, Gear, and Tactics

How to Get the MENACE Heavy Tank

The MENACE heavy tank brings Marine armor into your force through loot and the black market. Getting one matters because your vehicle lineup determines how you spend limited supplies and tackle enemy hardware. Build your MENACE heavy tank around a clear battlefield job, then support it with infantry that can handle the threats your weapons leave standing.

The Heavy Tank arrived alongside the Battle Tank in Patch #10, v0.7.3+18395. They are separate chassis, and that update made both obtainable through loot and the black market. Patch #10 also worked with existing saves, so acquiring the new armor did not require restarting your campaign.

Heavy Tank detail	What to know
Introduction	Patch #10, v0.7.3+18395
Acquisition	Loot and the black market
Marine vehicle additions	Heavy Tank and Battle Tank
Existing campaigns	Patch #10 supported existing saves

Check black market stock and examine your loot before committing to another vehicle purchase. Keep enough flexibility in your supplies to equip the chassis once you acquire it: owning armor and fielding an effective weapon package are separate decisions.

MENACE uses modular vehicle equipment. A chassis provides characteristics such as armor, hit points, and weapon slots; those slots determine which weapon combinations it can carry. Match equipment to the actual slot sizes before planning the rest of your force.

For a MENACE heavy tank, start with the enemy you need it to defeat. Separate anti-vehicle firepower, infantry suppression, and ammunition endurance when weighing equipment. Avoid spending your entire vehicle budget on overlapping weapons while leaving another battlefield threat unanswered.

Official page: MENACE (menacegame.com)

Choose Weapons Around the Current Balance Changes

Tank cannons, heavy mortars, and twin-linked weapon variants belong to the heavy vehicle weapon category. Medium weapons include options such as the Laser Lance, Rocket Launcher, and Heavy Flamethrower. Light vehicle weapons include infantry-style support weapons.

Image: Steam / Overhype Studios

Patch #10 expanded compatibility by allowing light vehicle weapons in medium slots. Keep that change in mind when comparing builds with older equipment advice.

The v0.7.16 balancing update changed several weapons relevant to armored forces:

Weapon or weapon group	v0.7.16 change
Long Barreled Tank Gun	Trade value increased from 80 to 90; supply cost increased from 60 to 70
Short Barreled Tank Gun	Elements hit increased from 1+40% to 2+40%; attacks always hit, with a 25% chance to scatter up to one tile
Twin Griffin Dynamics Rotary Barrel Machinegun	Salvo costs 30 AP with 40 repetitions; Strafing costs 50 AP with 120 repetitions
Twin Heavy MG	Supply cost reduced from 90 to 80
Twin-linked weapons	Additional accuracy penalty removed
120mm Mortar	Range changed to 10–22 tiles; all fire modes cost 40 AP; ammunition increased to 14

Budget for the Long Barreled Tank Gun

The Long Barreled Tank Gun features in late-game armored builds, but its increased supply cost changes the commitment. Budget 70 supply for the weapon, then account for the chassis and remaining equipment.

Pair an anti-hardware main weapon with infantry suppression where compatible. A grenade launcher can damage poorly armored squads and suppress tougher infantry, giving your force another way to manage targets that do not need a tank cannon shot.

Avoid choosing a weapon solely because its individual cost looks manageable. Add the complete deployment package before cutting supporting squads.

Respect the Short Barreled Tank Gun’s Scatter

The Short Barreled Tank Gun now always produces a hit, but its 25% scatter chance means the impact can land up to one tile from your selected location.

Allow space around friendly units when choosing the target tile. Use its increased elements-hit value when evaluating attacks against infantry, while accounting for the possible displacement.

For your MENACE heavy tank, distinguish a reliable impact from an exact impact. Plan around the scatter area rather than assuming the selected tile will always take the hit.

Reconsider Heavy Mortar Support

The 120mm Mortar received substantial changes beyond its range and ammunition. At the center of its area of effect, damage increased to 100, armor penetration to 100, and armor damage to 80. Its scatter chance decreased from 70% to 60%.

Keep mortar platforms behind the direct-fire battle and respect the 10-tile minimum range. Compare the current mortar with rocket artillery using these updated values.

Equip Accessories for Ammo, Heat, and Protection

Build your MENACE heavy tank accessory package around what interrupts its work. A conventional gun needs ammunition endurance. The Laser Lance does not require ammunition. Compare protective effects, detection benefits, and listed supply costs when choosing accessories.

Accessory	Supported effect or balance change
Vehicle ammo case	Adds ammunition support for vehicle weapons
Advanced sensors	Improves view and detection range
Camo net	Increases concealment
Heatsink	Increases maximum heat capacity by 50%
Electromagnetic Armor	Damage reduction increased to 50%; supply cost reduced to 20
Canister Shot	Costs 10 AP; three uses; increased area of effect
Anti Personnel Mine Launchers	Costs 10 AP; three uses
Exploding Reactive Armor	Supply cost increased to 15

Prioritize the vehicle ammo case when ammunition limits your conventional weapons. Extend the usefulness of the guns you already paid to deploy before adding another attack option.

Compare ammunition support and increased heat capacity as separate accessory benefits. The Laser Lance does not require ammunition, and the Heatsink expands maximum heat capacity by 50%. Evaluate that extra capacity against your other accessory needs.

Revisit defensive equipment after v0.7.16. Electromagnetic Armor received stronger damage reduction and a lower supply cost, while Canister Shot and Anti Personnel Mine Launchers became cheaper to activate and gained additional uses.

Choose close-range accessories deliberately. Canister Shot provides an option against nearby infantry, but keep infantry support involved rather than advancing solely to use an accessory.

Also account for the 90% damage-reduction cap introduced in v0.7.16. Evaluate defensive combinations within that limit instead of assuming every additional bonus can keep increasing protection.

Use Your Heavy Tank Without Overextending

A MENACE heavy tank still needs support against enemies carrying anti-tank weapons. Prioritize those threats before chasing infantry that poses less danger to your armor.

Image: Steam / Overhype Studios

Use this sequence to organize an engagement:

1. Identify enemy anti-tank units. Look for vehicles and infantry with weapons capable of threatening your armor.
2. Assign your anti-hardware attacks. Focus the relevant weapons on those threats before spending them elsewhere.
3. Suppress supporting infantry. Use machine guns or grenade launchers to reduce pressure from enemy squads.
4. Advance with infantry support. Keep your squads involved as the vehicle moves forward.
5. Review ammunition and heat. Plan the next engagement around the resources remaining.

Keep each weapon working on an appropriate target. Use suppression weapons to control infantry while your anti-vehicle firepower handles hostile hardware. Avoid spending scarce ammunition on a target another squad can finish.

Plan Movement Before Spending AP

Movement consumes the same action-point budget you need for attacks. MENACE’s v0.7.16 update established a minimum movement cost of 4 AP per tile.

Check the movement cost shown when hovering over a destination. Compare the destination with the attack you want afterward, then shorten the move if it would consume the action points needed to fire.

Keep your MENACE heavy tank within reach of its supporting force. Overextending can expose the vehicle to anti-tank infantry before your other units can deal with them.

Avoid Wasteful Blind Fire

Firing blindly onto a tile carries a -60% accuracy penalty in v0.7.16.

Establish visibility before spending an important direct-fire attack whenever possible. Use detection equipment and supporting units to help locate threats, then commit the weapon suited to the target.

For an ATGM support platform, use a target designator or a target-marking perk. Marked targets can be attacked indirectly even after moving out of sight, provided they remain within the weapon’s range.

Reassign Promotions After the Balance Update

The v0.7.16 update refunded promotion points and required promotions to be assigned again. Revisit your leaders before deploying an existing campaign.

Check perks that interact with your vehicle role. Sharpshooter now reduces enemy cover level by two for special weapons and vehicle weapons. Hotwire lets its unit survive the first otherwise-destroying event with 10% hit points, alongside its existing effect.

Build a Supporting Force Around the Tank

Avoid making your MENACE heavy tank responsible for transportation, suppression, anti-armor attacks, and artillery at the same time. Distribute those jobs across your available vehicles and infantry.

Supporting platform	Loadout or mechanic
Troop carrier	Machine gun and embarked infantry with Mobile Infantry
Troop carrier with medium weapon	Laser Lance allows the carrier to retain troop transport
Light walker	ATGM paired with target designation or marking
Medium walker	Two matching medium weapons provide a twin-fire skill
Pirate rocket platform	Rocket Organ delivers a wide-area volley for suppression

Use a troop carrier and Mobile Infantry squad to bring infantry into the fight. Suppress an enemy squad with the carrier’s machine gun, then unload infantry to finish the engagement.

Keep the transport tradeoff visible when changing equipment. Equipping a heavy weapon removes a vehicle’s transport capacity if it has any. A carrier fitted with a tank cannon therefore changes jobs. Medium weapons, including the Laser Lance, preserve the carrier’s transport role.

Give a light walker carrying an ATGM room to operate behind the front line. Pair it with target marking, and assign infantry protection elsewhere in the force.

For a medium walker, compare matching weapons with mixed equipment. Two matching medium weapons unlock twin fire; dual autocannons offer attacks against infantry and vehicles, while laser and rocket combinations provide other ways to concentrate firepower.

Before deploying, check the complete force:

• Assign an answer to enemy anti-tank infantry.
• Account for the heavy tank’s weapon supply costs.
• Equip ammunition or heat support around the selected weapons.
• Preserve transport capacity where your infantry plan requires it.
• Reassign refunded promotions.

Build the supporting force around those requirements, then spend remaining supplies on additional capabilities.

FAQ

How do you get the MENACE heavy tank?

Acquire the Heavy Tank through loot or the black market. It entered the game alongside the Battle Tank in Patch #10, v0.7.3+18395.

Are the Heavy Tank and Battle Tank separate vehicles?

Yes. Patch #10 introduced the Heavy Tank and Battle Tank as separate vehicle additions.

Does putting a tank cannon on a carrier remove troop transport?

Yes. Heavy weapons remove transport capacity from vehicles that have it. Tank cannons are heavy weapons; the Laser Lance is a medium weapon and preserves a carrier’s transport capability.

What changed for tank equipment in v0.7.16?

The Long Barreled Tank Gun became more expensive, the Short Barreled Tank Gun gained additional elements hit and revised scatter behavior, and twin-linked weapons lost their additional accuracy penalty. The update also improved the 120mm Mortar, added the Heatsink, and adjusted several vehicle accessories.