After a long hiatus, Z2 has brought back the P-79 Spectre, one of the best agility class planes that they've ever produced. At +6% Damage, the Spectre is second in class only to the Reaper (Reaper is +7%). Similar with Agility - the Spectre is second in class only to the Reaper (Reaper is +15%). Agility class planes are always a bit low on energy, but the Spectre compensates with +12% which is second only to the Zephyr and is quite a bit higher than most other agility class planes. Speed is at +12% for the Spectre which is again second in class to the Reaper.
So - should you buy the Spectre? At 228 coins, it is expensive. The closest equivalent plane that is comparable is, as mentioned, the Reaper. The Spectre has significant more energy than the Reaper which will help when you are doing all those rolls and accelerations although Reaper has an edge in damage, agility and the +5% armor which is invaluable for the thin-skinned agility class. Before the Reaper was released, the Spectre ruled the agility class, but now I have to If I had to choose between the two, I would have to go with the Reaper. Make no mistakes though, the Spectre is no slouch and if you think that extra bit of energy will help your fighting style, then the Spectre might be for you.
See PLANE COMPARISON TABLES for detailed assessment of all the planes performance ratings including the Spectre!
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| P-79 Spectre |
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| Reaper shown here for comparison |
I was so excited when I heard the Spectre would be re-released last week and jumped at the opportunity to buy one today. I know the Reaper and Thresher are both better value for money for agility planes, and the Reaper might even be marginally better performance-wise, but I love Russian planes, and the Spectre is not only kick-ass, but also looks kick-ass... which could be said for the Reaper. In addition, as you point out, it does have a handy energy bonus, which suits my style of play quite well as I've always relied on energy moves a lot.
ReplyDeleteUpgrading the Spectre cost more than I expected and such was my eagerness to take it to the skies in versus mode, I even spent some real cash to buy some coins (Was it always more expensive to upgrade agility class planes? I remember my Sentinel cost about 60 blue coins to upgrade, but the Spectre cost over 100!). Anyway fully tooled up with Lancers, I flew into the lethal skies of versus mode with my first agility plane since the Annihilator... it showed.
I would go on to lose or draw (mostly lose) my first 5 matches, against Hawkens, Wraiths, Red Widows and even a Dragon! It was especially embarrassing as 3 of my opponents had only RAMs and only 1 one them had a higher skill rating than me (12,700+ before those defeats). I won my 6th match against the same Dragon player, before having a 5 match sequence against somebody with marginally lower SR and flying a Hawken with RAMS... I lost 3 matches, won 1 and drew 1. All in all, my first dozen or so matches with the Spectre were pretty disastrous...
I can't blame the plane though... I've mostly been a defense specialist (well... Dragon specialist) ever since I got quite serious about the game back in Jan, and the Dragon is virtually the polar opposite of the Spectre in terms of playing style, so perhaps it is no surprise I am struggling to adapt. I remember the Spectre was the one plane I feared the most for quite a while because I never defeated it in versus mode until my SR was over 8,000.
I cannot compare the Spectre with other agility class planes cos I never upgraded my Annihilator much, and I don't own anything else agility class. But compared with the Dragon, it sure is fast and agile... I can now dodge missiles I never even bothered trying to dodge before, and I can 'out-turn' anyone not flying an agility class. However I've found the Spectre, perhaps like all agility class planes, is totally unforgiving of mistakes... mistime your turn or move by a split second and just 2 Lancers can blow you outta the sky. What I am struggling with especially is the fact that I don't know how to get clean shots at my enemy without exposing myself also... this is a particularly big problem against Weapons Class opponents cos they lock on quicker and tend to get to shoot before I can, and of course, trading missiles with a Hawken is always a bad idea...
Anyways that's my rather long-winded Spectre experience/review so far... if somebody could give me some advice on how to fly agility class, it would be much appreciated... anyone know any good videos on youtube or something??
Heindrich1988
I think Yebisu1980 channel has P-79 Spectre but he doesn't upload anymore videos on metalstorm he's now in to sky gamblers he's on Youtube
DeleteNo such thing as a Dragon specialist. Unless you equip coin weapons and get lucky hits, EVERY single Dragon/Green Eagle/Raven players I've ever had the misfortune to play just roll around like the idiots they are until the 2 and a half minutes are over and YAY! I've survived the match! ^.^ +25SK, I'm so kick-a$$!!
DeleteAnd if you really want to fly agility class well, you'd better start with losing the Lancers. Go for credit or even stock weapons.
DeleteI think the best type of planes are agility mostly because i like speed so much i upgraded my annihilator to the point where the speed was 3780!!!
Deleteto the person three above me:
Deletenot 'kick a$$', pompous a$$.
I'm a Dragon specialist, and I only use standard issue, and I don't roll like a pig in a mud wallow. I give a good effort to kicking my opponent in his/her rear.
Isn't this a Sukhoi T-50 PAK?
DeleteLOL if you think 3780 speed is good try the reaper i can go 5400 in the reaper
DeleteSukhoi T50 PAK FA
Deletemost aces used the c101 annihilator. no
ReplyDeletematter what plane they encounter. most of them underestimate the c101. I for one use the c101 all the time w/ raam and valkyrie. C101 FTW!
I am guilty of the same enthusiasm...I WANTED this plane...with absolutely no regard for the fact that I am a fast rising NOOB that pilots WEAPONS planes...eagle x, sentinel, and of course the hawken. I got waxxed too by my planes of choice...Hawkens and eagles mostly...an arbiter got me too...I was able to draw a reaper and a thrasher...licking my wounds I did the unthinkable and took out my hawken and waxxed 2 specters...did I just waste a bunch of coins and credits?!?!? Will I ever be able to make the switch...7K SR ... 60 % win rate with weapons planes...how do you AGILITY ACES approach a dog fight? Cause my thinking is way off!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBecause most of you people who use weapon class plane only knows how to spam missile in head to head, and backflip for 30 times in the whole match after head to head, and know NOTHING about dogfighting. This is the reason why agility aces can't beat you, coz you're not DOGFIGHTING!!
DeleteIf you're not the person I mentioned above, I'm sorry. But I'm not happy at all that you underestimate agility class. Go and join the MetalStorm fan club on Facebook, shout out "I'm beast with weapon class". 50 people will be happy to pawn you. WITH agility class.
I know that you said sorry, but I happen to be a great dogfighter and can pwon most players in my skill range (1000). Guess what I fly? A Fully upgraded F-113 Eagle ATTACK type. I would like to fight you, lets see how good you really are. Game center nickname: blazingangles
DeleteI err... pwn people in my skill range (>3000) having 47K myself.... with a fully upgraded F-7 Wraith.... Provided that you're not using coin weapon, I'd love to take your challenge
Deleteill beat both you with my tigris
Deletelast comment:I bet you are a missile spammer
Delete2nd comment 1000 skill rating sucks ass
3rd and 1st comment: So TRUE!!!
hah! I could beat you all with my wraith too.
DeleteI hate it when ignorrant peopkle think that weapons/defense class specialist just backflip 30 times, and spam missiles. I always try to dogfight with my weaspons/defense class. It's what I'm good at, so go stick it up yours!
The reason why they think that is because weapons class is way too overpowered
DeleteI agree with the comments that spectre is the very opponent I don't like to encounter in versus mode... I used Black Eagle an dare to hoot against Hawken and other weapon classmates, but just can't locate Spectre and was shoot down quite a times... my Dragon rarely be beaten, but Spectre is among the few one to threaten me...
ReplyDeleteBut it's just hard to control agility class well... so... I took my "upgraded Black Eagle" and practing now...
It's just an art to fly killing Spectre and I believe once you take control of it, you are dangerous to everyone... Best hope for you!
Stats are one thing, the look and feel of the airplane is another.
ReplyDeleteThe Spectre gives you the impression to roam the skies with what is one of the most modern and mighty fighter aircraft in the world. With the Reaper in its essence you fly a tuned F-4 Phantom old-timer.
This said, I just accomplishd the first versus match with my new Spectre to and I love its look and feel.
But do not misunderstand me, taking a Reaper to the MSW skies for sure should have a (retro) charme of its own. Plus, for my taste the paint scheme of the Reaper is the coolest in the whole MSW fleet. Thus, if I would have enough coins, I would get both. But since I just spent my last coin for aquiring the naked Spectre and now will have to save every coin for the lengthy 100-coins upgrade process, I hope the Reaper stays in the standard inventory long enough to get it later.
If you are interested to take a look on the real thing, there are two videos about the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA I recommend:
http://youtu.be/6y88vWjjwYM (MAKS 2011 demo flight, full 1080p HD resolution)
http://youtu.be/8n-as2sooJU (flight test impressions)
Full upgrading does cost 162 coins, doesn't it? Why do you say 100 coins then? Or is it changed again?
DeleteYou are correct, it is still 162 coins, just a typing error on my part.
DeleteI heard reports that the Spectre's 'fat' size makes it a much larger target to hit (thus more vulnerable) than the Reaper, anyone can confirm this?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I have never heard that before (until now :))
DeleteMake sure your Spectre fully upgraded and always dodge incoming missiles at full speed. I think Reaper with +5% Armor can take 1 hit more than Spectre do, but that's not a big difference.
Actually, 5% armor is nothing. It can only take about 10 more bullets from a weapon class provided that you have fully upgraded your plane
DeleteSo you're saying that without the damage resist the arbiter with +6 armor (1 more than the reaper) can only take 10 bullets -_- if you had a reaper and a spectre you would know that that armor is about a hit from RAAMs and a few bullets not just 10
DeleteDefense class has a different upgrade tree, which gives the arbiter way more than 10 bullet resist... Do your research...
DeleteJust wanna ask... how long have you played this game? And how many planes you have? You sure you know more than a player who have played for a year?
DeleteWell I also have the red widow but that's all and I only got the spectre for comparison I have been playing since version 3.1.0 but I stopped because that was the time when green eagles were roaming everywhere and I had only a wraith and I wasn't really looking into what I said about the arbiter but your right exept that the reaper can take more than 10 bullets have a nice day
Delete=.=
DeleteMy only plane is wraith as well... but I can pwn green eagles back then using standard weaopns....
japanese guy with the wierd gay picture i rule the skies with my hawken and if the hawken cant dogfight then i dont care what you say so shut up
Deletenot all manga 'Art' lovers are gay Japanese, sadly enough some of them are Americans that have stooped to the asian 'art' level.
DeleteJust bought it, never knew the feeling that dodging missiles was that fun now (compared to my previous Hawken)
ReplyDeleteIs the spectre worth it just for some energy when you can get the reaper for a cheaper price and have some armor you're paying an extra 23 coins for the energy
ReplyDeleteIT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!! I bought one for myself and armed with good weapons, it is a great plane. Never faced a green eagle, although I would want to, but the energy really helps if you like to after burn, or if you like flips and other maneuvers to get a better shooting position.
DeleteAgain, always utilize your advantage and not try to compete with your weakness...
ReplyDeleteFor agility class, weak armor +5% from a small base makes no difference, not even one more missle from fully upgraded weapon class...
On the contrary, energy is crucial for them to trace opponents with lots of manuver... higher base +12%... no wonder I can't locate them all the time~
~Thoughts from being-shot-down experience~
The Spectre is obviously better, as the difference of a mere 1% in Top Speed and Agility and also Damage are nothing. It's energy you need to do more manoeuvres and that 5% Armor is useless. In my opinion too, the P-79 Spectre looks better compared to the Reaper, as it's one of it's kind, while to Reaper is a re-skinned Wraith with a few adjustments...Although the Spectre cost 23 more blue coins, it's worth every cent.
ReplyDeleteHi, I just bought the reaper and I must say that it is insane. I made half of the upgrades on this plane and it is critically powerful. The armor bonus is significant but not outstanding. Still, it definitely gives you the edge against the Specter. Some might say that the Reaper isn't has good as the Specter since it has less energy. Probably. However, someone that is skilled with agility class aircraft will be satisfied with either of these planes. In the end, there is no point in trying to identify the best plane. Actually, it all comes down to one thing: practice ( and not buying coins missiles, which make you lazy). As for me, I will stick with the reaper and kick some ass.
DeleteHmmmm....interesting. Have fun with the Reaper! What does make it special is that it's always available in the catalogue, whilst the Spectre is LIMITED. Anyway, both planes are astounding, yet do you find the additional armor helpful? Just curious.
DeleteOn one hand, the additional armor gives you a slight margin of error which is, in all cases, very appreciated. Yes, I know. It doesn't make any difference when you eat two bisnovats right into your face. Nonetheless, it can save you from a certain death in some occasions. For instance, I have played with many agility planes and the Reaper is definitely the plane to choose if you tend to make bad or risky moves in a match. That is my opinion.
DeleteOn the other hand, if you are an irreproachable player I advise you to take the Specter which will allow you to annihilate your opponents far more quickly(especially since it has more energy).
The_4venger
15K rating
you're wrong two hits from Bosnia don't put down the reaper that's the whole point in the armor plus no one is just gonna fly into them and the reaper has damage resistance while maneuvering
DeleteNo. Spectre is not staying. It'll go away after the week ends
ReplyDeleteapology ... I agree with no point to identify best plane... it's right back to find your style ... both are hard for me to beat with weapon class...
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these posts I revisited the Annhilator I got when I got first got the game but haven't really used, specced it up and having a lot of fun. Got beat a lot at first but it's mad how many weapons class players give up if they don't take you out with the first exchange. Get behind them and they're gone handing you +25 victories without hardly firing a shot!
ReplyDeleteI have both fully upgraded but I think the reaper is a better choice because in dogfights I spin around my opponent a bit more than in the spectre but when a weapons class tries bull runs and I need to go full throttle I don't have enough energy left to maneuver while in my specter I don't get that problem the only other thing is when the match start head to head and I'm facing someone with coin missiles depending on how well I time my maneuver my specter gets blown while that litte extra armor on my reaper lets me survive till the dogfighting phase
ReplyDeleteI have the c-101, Reaper and Spectre all fully upgraded. Right now I prefer the Spectre. I never run out of energy, I feel more stable with cannons and leading with missile shots, and I really don't notice the missing armor. All that being said I think the Reaper has potential for being the harder plane to beat with the right person flying it. It is noticeably faster, but also more twitchy or sensitive imo. If I had to do it all over again though I would take the Spectre.
ReplyDeleteSame comment. Spectre is more stable than Reaper and energy is more important for me. It is the best plane according to my taste.
DeleteWhat's ur game centre name I'm .pacman. but I might not add u unless I know u so what's ur game centre name? I really want to verse my reaper against another. P.S I posted the comment above
ReplyDeleteQuestion: if you play MSW on a new device (eg you buy a new iPhone or an iPad), do you still own the planes and upgrades that you bought previously? I think that your coins and credits are saved in Game Center and you should be able to use your GC account whatever the device, right? But is this true for planes and upgrades as well as for coins credits?
ReplyDeleteI'm saving coin after coin and I hope that they will give us a new opportunity to by the Red Widow and the Green Eagle. Does anybody have any information about the planes to come?
Green eagle ain't coming back too unfair and the red widow was already out within like 3months (not sure but) so far they have only brought back favorites from MS online and z2live I probably making new planes and once you use the same account on your new device it will save ps I've done it from iPhone to iPad
DeleteThe Sentinel and the Spectre were - I think - the only planes really interesting among those released the last few months. The other planes might hardly compete as best in their class. The plane of the week is the Liberty, it's not very exciting... Unless you have your pockets full of blue coins, most of the recent plane are not worth your savings, considering that you will pay through the nose the plane + the upgrades.
ReplyDeleteI have already a good Agility plane a good Weapon plane and I am waiting for a good defense plane to buy... which means with extra-armor regeneration for me. You are right that it might be wise from z2Live that they do not make the Green Eagle available again. But maybe the Dragon or a new one?
Sometimes, when I try to use this app, it just says 'please wait' or 'connecting' but doesn't do anything even though I am connected to the internet. When it finally stopped loading and I started playing, it was lagging a lot. When I tried to go on versus mode, it said,'error: local opponent not authenticated.' When I surrendered and tried to go to the menu, the same thing happened.
ReplyDeleteAfter many weeks of using my recently purchased P-79 Spectre I have almost mastered it: I can dodge bisnos in long range, I finally achieved a speed of exactly 5000( I fly downwards with full acceleration; I used to get 4990!) and I have a good win ratio!
ReplyDeleteAgility class planes are fast and agile so therefore use your speed and agility fly in fast Close and stay close outturned them don't try and trade you will lose
ReplyDeleteThis is a Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA in real life
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rt.com/news/t50-pak-fa-maks/ Website with a video of the T-50.
DeleteThe spectre looks extremely badass.
ReplyDeleteIts back as the plane of the week, I might get it!
ReplyDeleteJust got and upgraded it, it's amazing! I'm more into weapon planes usually but I also previously experienced flying with a Zephyr. It just does not compare. It might be a long road now to become really efficient with that plane but guys... The first time I felt like I was playing a new video game! It's so fast, so maneuvrable!
ReplyDeleteJust got it... for mistake! Well now I'll be able to compare it with my Reaper, although I won't upgrade it at the moment because I'm going to buy the Warlock this weekend. Fortunatly I have enough money to buy this last one, too. What can I say about it for now? It is huge compared with my Reaper (not "fat" but very large) and it seem me down when I fly it: you don't see it from behind, but from up/behind, and the cannon sight is down too. I will have more informations when I'll upgrade it.
ReplyDelete