Theturn-based genreofSteamWorld Heist 2’s combat all but necessitates a large cast of playable characters, and in their pursuit of a dynamic and believable world, Thunderful has created a unique cast of customizable crewmates. Complete with their own unique abilities and personalities, they are all vastly different from one another in a narrative and gameplay sense. Yet, some ofSteamWorld Heist 2’s crew are more suited to combat than others.
While classes can be changed, some characters' unique abilities are almost custom-built to be used in tandem with certain gameplay styles. From stackable damage buffs and cross-map teleporting, to indestructible physical barriers and bullet-dodging percentage boosts, these are the best crewmates to bring into combat inSteamWorld Heist 2.
11Captain Leeway - The Self-Conscious Submarine Driver
The Playable Protagonist Guiding The Adventure
While Captain Leeway acts as theavatar for the playerto inhabit throughSteamWorld Heist 2’s turn-based seafaring journey, he takes a minimal role in combat. However, he is instead the captain of the central hub and transport of the submarine and is playable when docking and exploring a variety of taverns and hideouts on the Great Shard’s islands.
As such, he has no specialist skills to speak of, yet it is through his steambot eyes that players see the world of the title, and his personal growth as a character is a driving force of the narrative.
10Rosa “Chimney” Rivet - “The Boisterous Brawler”
A Competent Combatant Who Struggles To Set Herself Apart
A ‘Brawler’ by default, Rosa Rivet is a more than competent fighter in Leeway’s crew. However, she struggles to set herself apart from her more dynamic crewmates as her unique abilities do not drastically change the flow of gameplay.
Her ‘Tit for Tat’ ability — which hurts her attacker with two points of damage when she is attacked — seems to be a unique trait worth exploring. However, without purposefully sending her into the depths of battle, where she will most likely be scrapped regardless, her defining passive ability sees very little conscious use.
9Daisy Clutch - “The Orphaned Adventurer”
A Stellar Sharpshooter Who Is Usurped By Other Sniper Crewmates
As the first bot players will control inSteamWorld Heist 2, Daisy Clutch is a perky and dynamic entry point for players new to Thunderful’s turn-based combat and unique style.
However, despite being areliable sniper by default, the usefulness of her ‘Stun Gun’ active ability — which can stun enemies for one turn — is trounced by the powerful nature of some of her crew’s more bombastic traits. Although a competent choice for any excursion, Daisy is seemingly not the most useful possible sniper of the group.
8Sola “Sol” Fathom - “The Mystical Aquanaut”
A Unique Take On Steam World Heist 2’s Narrative, But A Floundering Fighter
One of only two engineers by default in Leeway’s crew, Sola Fathom is a unique addition from a lore perspective, as their inclusion alludes to thedepths below the surfaceof the Great Sea.
Yet, while her position as an engineer is useful, her unique abilities do not balance the fact thatSteamWorld Heist 2allows any crewmate to pick up any class at any point. As a result, their ‘Eldritch Beam’ ability — while it can heal and dynamically lower its own cooldown after being upgraded — is somewhat lackluster in its appeal.
7Tristan Torque - “The Hype Bot”
An All-Round Team Player With Varied Capabilities
Arguably the most useful default engineer of Leeway’s crew, Tristan Torque is the epitome of a team player (making him anexcellent choice for beginners toSteamWorld Heist 2).
As a result of his ‘Always Prepared’ passive ability, Torque can use healing items as a free action on his turn, and when used on another of his crewmates, he is healed by one damage point. This makes Tristan avaluable team healer,who can fashion defenses due to his native engineer class and keep the team running while they defend their position.
6Dame Judy Wrench - “The Seasoned Master”
A Potent Powerhouse Damaging Across The Battlefield
Themost comedically namedof all Leeway’s crew, Dame Judy Wrench is not only a Boomer class by default, but she can create dynamic explosive and burning damage due to her upgradeable ability.
Upgrading Wrench’s ‘Harsh Language’ active ability — which can inflict three points of damage to any enemy in the discovered area with additional splash damage — turns it into ‘Sick Burn.’ ‘Sick Burn’ not only boosts the damage of her ability but turns it into a free action and provides the aforementioned burning effect to damaged enemies. Pile onto that its additional capacity to spread between enemies, and Wrench is a one-woman destructive force.
5Beacon Potts - “The Nervous Triggerbot”
A Cautious Killer With A Knack For Guerrilla Warfare
Arguably the most versatile and useful of Leeway’s default snipers, Beacon Potts' nervous demeanor hides a lethal accuracy and a knack for dieselbot destruction.
Not only can he fire across the map due to his default sniper proficiency, but his abilities allow him to maneuver around the battlefield and stay hidden to pick off enemies from a distance. ‘Scram’ — Beacon’s passive ability to instantly teleport to any previously explored tile — can be upgraded to ‘Sneakstrike.’ This expands the bot’s ability to escape danger and reposition himself, as he can now use it as a free action and turns temporarily invisible after use.
4Poe Phroggi - “The Conbot’s Daughter”
A Sneaky Crewmate Who Can Dodge Enemy Fire On A Whim
A Flanker by default, Poe Phroggi can not only move vast distances and strike from behind enemy lines, but she can dodge incoming fire if her position becomes too hot.
Both of Poe’s unique abilities are passive yet are just as dynamic as her other crewmates' active ones. She has a buffed movement distance due to her ‘Hasty’ ability, yet her most unique trait is her ability, ‘Slippery.’ Passively being able to dodge 50% of all enemy projectiles allows Poe to not only strike hard at enemy flanks but survive potentially deadly confrontations.
3Wesley Hotchkiss - “The Honorable Gentlebot”
An Early-Game Addition Who Can Squash Squadrons In A Single Turn
If players choose to playSteamWorld Heist 2’s tutorial, they will encounter Wesley Hotchkiss as he comes to their rescue. In this rescue, Wesley rains bullets against a host of multiple dieselbots, showcasing his Reaper class' unique trait.
Wesley can scrap multiple enemies in a single turn — as long as he destroys them. This is bolstered by his ‘Grenadier’ ability (which allows him to use a grenade item for free every turn) and his ‘Veteran Wardog’ ability, which bestows a stackable plus one point of damage for every enemy scrapped in the turn.
2Cornelius “Hightower” Column - “The Poetic Colossus”
A Stoic Soldier Who Can Soak Up Damage To Protect His Allies
Seemingly in line with hisnewfound pacifist outlook, Cornelius Column’s abilities are wholly unique among the somewhat offensive options available to the rest of his crewmates.
Not only is he a brawler by default, with a higher base health that allows him to take more hits than most, but his ‘Abs of Steel’ defensive ability is upgradeable. In its original form, ‘Abs of Steel’ makes Cornelius invulnerable to any enemy attacks and taunts enemies to fire at him — creating some breathing room for some of his crewmates. Upgraded as ‘Body Butter,’ this powerful ability is made all the more useful, as it is altered to be a free action and is now able to be used alongside other actions on your turn.
