Airframe Ultra Combat Guide
Arenas are not a break from the race. KOs score, slots matter, and the plasma pistol will cook itself.
Every Airframe Ultra track is willing to stop being a racetrack. The line opens into an arena, the timer asks for a fight, and knocking someone out pays like a race leg. You can dismount whenever you want, but the useful dismount is the one that starts a brawl you meant to take. This page is that fight: slots, melee on the bike versus on foot, guns that overheat, and why body type is a combat choice. Rank the toys on the weapons tier list and read body types before you add difficulty stars for fun.
If you came here from a pure racing habit, unlearn one thing. Sitting on the airframe in an arena with full coolant and no melee is how you donate points. The bike is your entry and your exit. The rider is the scorer.
Dismount brawls and KO scoring
Circuits are three races with points carrying over. Checkpoints still matter, and so do KOs. When the arena is live, hop off, spend the timer hitting people, then remount when the clock wants the next leg. Lingering on a highway on foot is how you meet a Cruiser at 200 km/h. Leaving early to “get a head start” misses the scoring window.
You can KO a rider or explode their bike. Bike HP is independent. A wrecked airframe respawns after a wait, which strands the pilot with no exit. The same rule applies to you: a panic dry-boost before a fight dumps you into the arena with no chassis. Save real fights for Storm Drain, Quarry, Night Ride, Chasm, Ocean Drive, and Estate — context on tracks — not for Warehouse brick comedy.
Four slots, not a loadout screen
You carry one melee, one ranged, one throwable, and one special. Pickups are piles on the floor. Know what you are holding before the arena opens.
Melee pool in the betas: Bat, Pipe, Machete, Crowbar, Chain, Sledgehammer, Traffic sign, Riot stick, Chainsaw, Beam cutter, Katana. Bat and Pipe are the first-hour tools. Crowbar teaches with extra bite and a disarm special. Traffic sign is a lance that wants speed. Chainsaw and beam cutter ignore polite blocks. Sledge and chain want Heavy’s patience.
Ranged pool: Blaster, SMG, Rebar fastener, Shotgun, Revolver, Plasma pistol, Kalashnikov, Minigun. Beta 2 numbers are a warning, not a launch promise: rebar fastener sat around 0.46 kills per minute, plasma pistol around 2.01. Shotgun and SMG are the arena workhorses. Minigun is a commitment. If you only grab guns because they look like guns, you will lose to a pipe.
Throwables: Bricks, Molotovs, Cherry bombs, Flashbangs, Jerrycan, Frag grenades, Caltrops, Shurikens, EMP grenades. Flashbang sets a melee. Caltrops and EMP hate airframes. Special slot is the Riot shield: it crosses a Minigun cone, it does not win a fistfight forever.
Plasma pistol and other heat
The plasma pistol looks like the ranged answer. In beta 2 it led gun KOs, and it overheats if you spam it. Expect a dump somewhere in an 18–50 shot window, and respect the alt-fire lock. Burst, move, burst. Rebar fastener is the opposite lesson: weak, easy to overvalue because it is a gun. Shotgun wants dismount range. SMG wants strafe. None replace melee in the last two meters. The weapons tier list exists because “I found a Minigun” is not a plan.
Melee on the bike versus on foot
Mounted melee is a drive-by: one swing, a traffic-sign joust, or a riot-stick sting that can stall throttle. Ducking on the bike, as of beta 0.31, does not resist damage and prevents the swing. Stand up to hit. Kick is the spin-out tool, not a combo.
On foot, the language is jump, punch, kick, flip, and the weapon special. Standard is the baseline. Light swings faster, takes more damage, and can chain flip. Heavy hits harder, swings slower, can trip, and has no jumping forward kick. Tall lengthens melee and grows the hurtbox. Full star math is on body types: Light and Heavy add a star, specialist bikes add a star, skipping the Rider Suit (15% less damage) adds a star. Block by walking backward if your body can; Heavy cannot. Do not sprint-tap into a swing. Learn punch-boosted jumps in the tutorial, not on Estate’s stairs.
A simple arena plan
Enter mounted if the pack is still arriving. Dismount when two or more riders are in melee range or when you have a shotgun angle. Spend throwables on clumps. When the timer is dying, leave. A live rider on a live bike at the next checkpoint beats a highlight-reel KO that makes you last into the following leg.
First-hour kit: Bat or Pipe, a shotgun or SMG you actually hit with, bricks or flashbangs, shield if you see a minigun. First-hour body: Standard plus Rider Suit, Bluntnose. Open How to Play if that sentence is still a debate, and controls if dismount, kick, and duck still feel like the same button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for racers still learning Megacity West.
Do knockouts actually score, or is the race all that matters?
KOs score alongside race legs. Arenas exist so you will fight. A circuit is three races with those points carrying over, so a timid racer can still lose the warehouse vote math.
How many weapons can I hold?
One melee, one ranged, one throwable, and one special (Riot shield). Grab with intent. See the weapons tier list before you hoard a rebar fastener.
Why does the plasma pistol stop shooting?
It overheats if you spam it, somewhere in an 18–50 shot window in the betas, and it has an alt-fire lock. Burst. It led beta 2 gun KOs at about 2.01 kpm because people who paced it got paid.
Should I melee from the bike or on foot?
Bike melee is a joust or a slap. Real strings happen on foot. Ducking on the bike blocks swings and, as of beta 0.31, does not resist damage. Kick to spin mounted riders, then dismount.
Does body type change combat, or is it cosmetic?
It changes stamina, hurtbox, melee, and stars. Read body types. First hour is Standard with the Rider Suit.
What if I explode the bike in the fight?
You wait for a respawn while the arena continues. Bike HP is independent. Do not dry-boost into a brawl; that rule lives on boosting.