Guide [Issue 35] Dissected: Top Tier Paints

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Dissected: Top Tier Paints

After writing my more general guide to how to choose a paint, I thought I would extend this further to analyse in-depth the top tier paints in the game, and give my personal thoughts on their effectiveness, and usefulness. By top tier paints, I mean paints that unlock at the rank of Brigadier and above. My personal opinion on the lower paints is to avoid them in general, though opinion vary. Once you buy a top tier paint it is unlikely you'll be using the cheaper ones in the future!

Anyway, let's get into the paints... I will go through each and every one of the 21 top tier paints, and put them each in a band: green, yellow or red. If green, I believe this paint to be almost essential in a top level garage. If yellow, I believe this paint can be useful to have, but would not invest heavily into microupgrading it, and would not buy it unless I had the crystals to spare. If red, it is a reasonable paint, but I would avoid it altogether until your garage is complete enough as it is.

Bear in mind that these are just my personal opinions - it is inevitable that we will disagree on some aspects. But discussion is a healthy thing, so I welcome all feedback below the article.

For detailed statistics and microupgrades, click here.



____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There are two main classes of paints, and this is indicated in their descriptions also. There are the specialist paints - paints that protect from a group of weapons that are similar in range and thus usability in particular situations. And there are the non-specialist paints - paints that protect from more of a diverse range of weapons that allow the user to, quoting from Raccoon's desciption, "help you in any situation".

It's logical that if one paint tries to do it all, and perform great in every possible situation, then it is likely to be outclassed by the specialist paints in their respective niches. Thus, personally I believe that if you have the crystals to purchase a range of paints, it's better to invest in the more specialist paints, rather than non-specialist paints, but I will have a look at them regardless.

Non-specialist Paints


Graffiti is a newly introduced paint, with a distinctive look that might attract some. However, let's have a look at its protections.

A 50% Vulcan protection is certainly welcome to any combination, considering Vulcan is a weapon that can be used relatively effectively anywhere. However, I don't see how the combination of Twins and Shaft protection can possibly marry together well. Shaft is one of the weapon protections that you will find less useful - it is not nearly as common as some of the other turrets. But when will you find both Twins and Shaft a serious threat? Shaft thrives on large maps, and Twins really does not belong there, with its limited range and projectile speed. I find it extremely difficult to think of a single situation where this paint thrives.

Overall, I think the quality of this paint is poor, and I would place this paint in the red band.


Picasso has been around for a long time, and is a nice looking paint with four different protections.

Thunder, Railgun and Shaft are all devastating weapons at longer range, however Freeze is a limited range weapon. True, Freeze can be annoying, but let's just think about the alternative options out there. If you are wanting to use this paint at long ranges, since it protects against Thunder, Railgun and Shaft, why not use Prodigi? It has similar, if not better, long range protective capabilities. If you are wanting to use this weapon at medium ranges, perhaps Clay is a better pick, having a huge Ricochet protection, which in my opinion will help you more times than not compared to the Freeze/Shaft combination.

Furthermore, for an all-round multipurpose paint that Picasso is, Shaft is a dubious weapon to have protections from - being the scarcely seen weapon that it is these days.

I think this paint is a reasonable paint, however it wouldn't be on my list of future purchases until I own most of the garage, and so I would place it in the yellow band.


This paint will "help you in any situation", and truly possesses versatility, protecting from the short-ranged Isida to the Railgun.

It's true this paint is diverse, but it does indeed have very useful protections, unlike some of the other paints mentioned (yes, Shaft). Isida and Railgun are very versatile weapons, and can be found on a huge range of maps, and the same goes for Vulcan and Hammer. On small, large, flat and layered maps, these weapons can all be very much usable.

So, personally I rate this paint. Purely because it protects from weapons that are worth protecting against. I would still favour more specialist paints, but there are worse paints than Raccoon, and so I would place it in the yellow band.


Jade is not that common, and probably for good reason. Shaft is not that large of a threat, and at longer ranges, I can only see Prodigi outperforming this paint - Railgun protection is probably more useful than the Smoky and small amount of Hammer protection this paint brings. If this paint can be outclassed by Prodigi at long ranges, where does it thrive? I suppose if you are playing against a team of Shafts... but how often does that happen?

In my opinion, it is far more worthwhile to pump crystals to microupgrade Prodigi's Shaft protection than buy this paint, and I can't see this paint being amazing in many situations. So, I would place it in the red band.


Tiger is an interesting paint, and honestly I'm not sure what to make of it exactly. Hammer protection makes this paint quite a strong shorter ranged paint. Smoky and Railgun are definitely useful protections to own a bit of, but it's not substantial enough to give the user real stability at longer ranges anyway, with the likes of Thunder still out there also.

I'm not 100% sure where the niche of this paint lies. Shorter ranges... You have better specialist paints. And the same goes for the longer ranges. But overall Tiger is a reasonable paint with some good protections, so I would place it in the yellow band.


Needle is relatively common, having previously been in the Light M3 kit, and also being a common clan paint. However, is it actually that useful a paint in the normal game?

My personal opinion is to avoid this paint completely, and this is because it is, for me, dominated by the cheaper Savanna. Savanna too protects from Smoky and Ricochet, both very annoying medium-range weapons, but the key difference is the Railgun protection instead of Shaft. In my opinion, Railgun protection is far more useful than Shaft protection, since Railgun is so much more of a versatile and common weapon.

Honestly, I believe you'll get more for your money buying Savanna and giving it some MUs compared to investing into this paint, so I would place this paint in the red band.

Speaking of Savanna, let's have a look at the more specialised paints.

Specialist Paints

For me, there are three distinct range categories: short, medium and long. Let's begin with medium, since we are on the topic of Savanna.

Medium Rangers


Savanna, as mentioned above, protects against Smoky, Ricochet and Railgun. Not substantial amounts, being a cheaper paint unlocked at Brigadier, but these three weapons can both be nightmares at medium range.

This paint can be a useful asset for medium-range fights, and it has a good combination of protections. A good garage must have some kind of protection against Smoky, and for me Savanna is the one to have. I would place this paint in the green band.

The new Cherry paint is also a very reasonable investment:


Vulcan, Twins and Thunder, all being very strong currently, means Cherry is a very useful paint to own, but I still would avoid it, simply because Africa is a better paint:


Africa is the most expensive paint in the game, and is newly introduced, protecting from four different paints including Hammer and Vulcan, which are very strong right now. Combined with Thunder and Twins protection, this makes Africa a very good medium-range paint.

Africa has essentially the same protections as Cherry, but with Hammer protection. So, if in the future if plan to get Africa, Cherry might be worth avoiding.

Vulcan protection is very nice to have in a garage, and I think Africa is the way to go. It has a great total protection, and protects against a useful combination of turrets of similar ranges. I would place Africa in the green band, and Cherry in the red band simply because Africa outcompetes it completely.

Although classified in the decription as a close-medium ranged paint, personally I think the combination of protections merits Nano being a borderline medium-ranged paint:


A nice looking and distinguishable paint, and protecting against four fairly strong turrets (Firebird, Smoky, Ricochet, Hammer), I think Nano is not a bad investment for a shorter-ranged medium paint. All four of these paints are very versatile, and can be used on a huge variety of maps and modes. Nano is almost a non-specialist paint for me, even though the turrets it protects against are of similar ranges.

Interestingly, it does not share very similar protections with many other turrets at all. I think Nano is a very good paint, and I would almost place it in the green band. But, I still don't see it as a necessity for a complete garage, so I would place it in the yellow band.


Vulcan, Freeze, Ricochet. Hive protects well against all three of these annoying and versatile turrets, that you will find on a very wide variety of maps and modes. However, its total protection isn't anything special, and in many cases I believe something like Nano or Africa will probably be better for the situation, and so I would place Hive in the yellow band. It's a nice paint to have, but not essential.

Leaning towards the longer ranged end of paints is Emerald:


A very attractive paint, and with a very useful Thunder protection. However, I wonder about its usability. I feel that Clay should be stronger than this paint, with a few MUs. And is MUs are off, perhaps Africa might be a more versatile choice, though you can never complain about 42% Thunder protection. I think it's a nice asset to have, but I wouldn't spend anything microupgrading it in favour of other paints like Clay. Let's not forget that if microupgrades are off, Thunder is weakened dramatically. I would place this paint in the yellow band.


Ricochet, Thunder and Railgun. The three turrets that can dominate longer medium range battles. Clay offers substantial protections against them all, and when microupgraded halves the damage of all three. Perfect for a combination like Thunder-Viking, as it gives self-protection also.

At medium-long range, I honestly think this paint is an essential. The protections it carries are so useful, and I would definitely place this paint in the green band.

Long Rangers

The only real true long-ranged paint is Prodigi, protecting against the three longest ranged weapons in the game that are Thunder, Railgun and Shaft:


At long ranges, there really is no match for Prodigi. If you like large maps like Serpuhov, Lost Temple... Prodigi is a garage essential in my opinion, and I would place this paint in the green band.

On the other end of the range spectrum, the short-ranged paints, there is a surprisingly wide variety to pick from.

Short Rangers


The cheapest of the bunch, I don't see the need for this paint in favour of Rock. Rock outclasses this paint, especially when microupgraded, and provides a far more useful combination of protections in my opinion. Any crystals that would be spent buying this paint, I would prefer to spend investing into microupgrades for Rock.

Thus, I don't see this paint as a garage essential at all. When micrupgrades are off, perhaps it is more useful, but in that case, neither Freeze nor Isida are nearly as potent without microupgrades. Personally, there are worse paints to invest in, but I would still place this paint in the red band.


Twins is a more devastating weapon at shorter ranges, and I can easily see this paint being useful in certain situations, especially small-map CTF, Twins, Isida and Freeze all being powerful turrets in defence and attack. Microupgraded, this paint is immensely useful, and also carries a small Hammer protection as a bonus. For me, it is in the green band.



In a similar way, I feel that out of Zeus and Inferno, only one is really needed, especially if you choose to microupgrade. I would favour Zeus, although Twins can be more of a threat than Smoky at short ranges. I feel owning one diminishes the need for the other massively.

However, are either of them really necessary? Let's briefly compare both of these paints to Lumberjack. Is Isida protection more useful than Smoky/Twins protection? Personally, I think that in more cases than not, the Isida protection might be more useful. Furthermore, the nice Vulcan protection bonus is always welcome.

Thus, I would place both of these paints in the yellow band. And if I got one, I wouldn't invest in the other. I'd rather spend those crystals on microupgrading the purchased paint.


Taiga is also a nice short-ranged paint, protecting against four weapons that are strong at close-ranged combat. A very, very nice paint in my opinion, especially in the more dynamic TDMs where Freeze is not nearly as potent. But, not a garage essential by any means, and so I would place this paint in the yellow band.

Also good paint in my opinion, is Mars, giving reasonable protections against similar weapons. Again, I can see this paint being useful, but is by no means a garage essential, and so I would place it too in the yellow band.



Lumberjack is the king of short-ranged paints, protecting against the three shortest-ranged weapons in the game. If I had to pick one short-ranged paint, this would be my practical pick for sure. On small map games, Lumberjack effectively neutralises the worst the enemy could bring, and if the enemies are forced to change into something else, they'll be at a disadvantage in the battle. I think this paint merits being in the green band.

Overall:

• Green band paints: Lumberjack, Rock, Africa, Savanna, Clay, Prodigi
• Yellow band paints: Inferno, Zeus, Mars, Taiga, Hive, Nano, Tiger, Raccoon, Emerald, Picasso
• Red band paints: Irbis, Graffiti, Cherry, Needle, Jade

So, owning those six green band paints in my opinion would provide you are pretty comprehensive garage.




Further microupgrading allows you to have a paint handy against any weapon.

Of course, this is not a definitive set of paints - it's just what I personally would buy. The following table can help you to select your own combination of paints. Interestingly, if we draw out a table for the more specialised paints, as well as the turrets ordered using their range, we can roughly see how the ranges of the specialised paints are distributed. X marks a significant protection. When choosing paints with a budget, my advice is to select specialised paints that cover a wide range.



Thanks for reading! Discussion is welcome below.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Hexed

[deadtoyou 2,502]

Thanks for the pro advice! (PS, planned XP paint: Africa. :wub:)

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Nice Article, I wanna buy Zeus when I reach Generalissimo  :D.

[asghar-1 15]

Nice :D

[Quarks 2,255]

Very well written, good job. :lol:

[T.O.T.A.L.W.A.R 581]

Nice article was very much needed.

 

Although i think nano should be green cuz of it's looks alone  :D .

[crackgold2 399]

ok so i only need the green paints but it takes quite some crystals :lol:

[Pathfinder 1,690]

ok so i only need the green paints but it takes quite some crystals :lol:

That's just from my standpoint, you can go with a whole range, it's up to you :P

 

But yaa it's expensive.

[ajitvik 231]

thanks kirby.lovely article..

 

i will buy lumberjack as I play lot of short maps and fire,isi are really everywhere..

 

i have africa on erasermaj but still not on ajitvik...-> africa is extrmely costly to upgrade...but a great paint...

 

i still find prodigi very useless though as long range maps are very limited now..the times have changed to smallish maps..if you look at RU1-> you will see lot more camps and sandbox in xp...yea prodigi is good for sale but i wonder if you have savanna.do you really need prodigi still?

 

i own a savanna-very good paint though am yet to microupgrade it..find the rico protect bit  of a let down but still very good.

 

clay is really good but tell me if i have emerald should I buy clay?

 

africa is better than rock in my opinion..yea its a specialist paint but the last 2 turets except isi and twins are useless..210k for a paint only with twins and isi?

 

nano and racoon are the paints i will have to make up my mind on!!

though you put them in yellow band but..its more like a choice..

what do yous ee more in game vulcan or rico?

[Pathfinder 1,690]

thanks kirby.lovely article..

 

i will buy lumberjack as I play lot of short maps and fire,isi are really everywhere..

 

i have africa on erasermaj but still not on ajitvik...-> africa is extrmely costly to upgrade...but a great paint...

 

i still find prodigi very useless though as long range maps are very limited now..the times have changed to smallish maps..if you look at RU1-> you will see lot more camps and sandbox in xp...yea prodigi is good for sale but i wonder if you have savanna.do you really need prodigi still?

 

i own a savanna-very good paint though am yet to microupgrade it..find the rico protect bit  of a let down but still very good.

 

clay is really good but tell me if i have emerald should I buy clay?

 

africa is better than rock in my opinion..yea its a specialist paint but the last 2 turets except isi and twins are useless..210k for a paint only with twins and isi?

 

nano and racoon are the paints i will have to make up my mind on!!

though you put them in yellow band but..its more like a choice..

what do yous ee more in game vulcan or rico?

You're right about prodigi - I don't play in many large maps that much myself, but if you do, Prodigi is just the best there is, which is why I placed it in the green band. Clay would be my pick before Prodigi for sure.

 

In my opinion, get Clay anyway, and MU it - that's exactly what I'm doing, and I have emerald already. It's worth it i believe

 

Rock, when microupgraded, protects against freeze, Isida and twins, carries the highest total protection of all the paints in the game :) I find the protections quite nice - the first three are relatively common CTF turrets, especially on smaller maps, and that 15% Hammer is just enough to allow my Viking survive one more Hammer shot, meaning I can't be killed in one clip.mi think Africa is much more of a medium range turret, Rock more short range :)

 

Nano and raccoon are both decent paints for me, though I would still invest in one of the green band paints. I think I see Hammer more often than Vulcan, though both are quite powerful when you meet one

[Extatic 68]

Fascinating review! I find this artical of yours very helpful and informative, i would most likely lean on it when being question about paints in the future and spread it's link. Although i somewhat disagree  with some things you said, i think you did a steller job :)

[danteinfernus 15]

What do you recommend for a Twins/Titian M3 user on Polygon CP?

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Fascinating review! I find this artical of yours very helpful and informative, i would most likely lean on it when being question about paints in the future and spread it's link. Although i somewhat disagree  with some things you said, i think you did a steller job :)

  

 

Good to hear, and thanks for your kind words!

 

What do you recommend for a Twins/Titian M3 user on Polygon CP?

Depends on what people are using! ive seen games where thunders, ricos, twins, firebirds, freezes, Vulcans, smokys, have all dominated the game :)

[dilsharox 2,395]

nice

[Ben 644]

Great work Kirb. I couldn't decide between Zues and Lumberjack for the upcoming sale, and you may have just made my choice for me. However, I still might go with Zues, as I already have taiga (which overlaps with lumberjack on isida and fire). Smoky protection is always a usefull thing to have, and vulcans are getting rarer and rarer. It will probably be a last second choice :P

 

Anyway, thx for a great article, and I look forward to more in the future!

Edited May 31, 2015 by Ben

[liverpoolaum 811]

nice

[r_qw1212qw1 14]

Good article from kirby2008. Quite interesting.

But I want to stress: it is Genus point of view.

If you are not Genus (and still want to fight competitive) - you will have totally other story.

[r_BLASTOY0 32]

Nice article.But why keep zeus in yellow band.It has protection against to OP weapon like freeze and fire.When fully MUd its a beast.I use my Zeus 50 Fire,49 Freeze,39 Smoky wit 420 HP Titan and it can survive even thunders.Nothing,not even 2 firebirds together can kill it.

[fluctuation123 3,435]

wow, just wow! and came in the nick of time for me. thanks!

[fluctuation123 3,435]

after reading the article twice, yes twice, I wonder how much time you put into writing it! kudos! and I always loved the look of savanna, thank you for providing good reasons to have it!

[ajitvik 231]

You're right about prodigi - I don't play in many large maps that much myself, but if you do, Prodigi is just the best there is, which is why I placed it in the green band. Clay would be my pick before Prodigi for sure.

 

In my opinion, get Clay anyway, and MU it - that's exactly what I'm doing, and I have emerald already. It's worth it i believe

 

Rock, when microupgraded, protects against freeze, Isida and twins, carries the highest total protection of all the paints in the game :) I find the protections quite nice - the first three are relatively common CTF turrets, especially on smaller maps, and that 15% Hammer is just enough to allow my Viking survive one more Hammer shot, meaning I can't be killed in one clip.mi think Africa is much more of a medium range turret, Rock more short range :)

 

Nano and raccoon are both decent paints for me, though I would still invest in one of the green band paints. I think I see Hammer more often than Vulcan, though both are quite powerful when you meet one

well i guess i was wrong about rock because i saw the microupgrades for rock ..though freeze starts at 15..the first two steps when microupgraded gives +6 protection agaisnt freeze. for just 5k which means now freeze stands at 21,isida at 30 and twins at 48..thats pretty solid really!

though only issue one could say with what you have said is that it gives one extra shot with hammer.well thats only true if your opponents hammer is either not mued or not on drugs.secondly the hammer upgrade form 10-15 is extremely costly!but nevertheless.its a top paint.thanks for letting me know!

ps: i would rate lumberjack which you also have voted in green band over rock because its a serious short range paint..

 

 

my question to you kirby is that what paint will you suggest for hammer? a paint not on its own but a good combination of hammer and other turrets...!!

thanks and a wonderful article!

[TipuG 62]

Mars is good for island, Arena CP. one Mars and one lumberjack in a team will prove beneficial in game-play. So i am going to Buy MARS, but i already have Zeus so i prefer buying AFRICA rather than LUMBERJACK :)

Edited June 3, 2015 by TipuG

[Pathfinder 1,690]

well i guess i was wrong about rock because i saw the microupgrades for rock ..though freeze starts at 15..the first two steps when microupgraded gives +6 protection agaisnt freeze. for just 5k which means now freeze stands at 21,isida at 30 and twins at 48..thats pretty solid really!

though only issue one could say with what you have said is that it gives one extra shot with hammer.well thats only true if your opponents hammer is either not mued or not on drugs.secondly the hammer upgrade form 10-15 is extremely costly!but nevertheless.its a top paint.thanks for letting me know!

ps: i would rate lumberjack which you also have voted in green band over rock because its a serious short range paint..

 

 

my question to you kirby is that what paint will you suggest for hammer? a paint not on its own but a good combination of hammer and other turrets...!!

thanks and a wonderful article!

I would suggest Africa, as a solid medium range paint :) honestly I don't see hammer as a short range weapon. You hit and keep distance to recharge, it seems more medium range to me, and sits nicely in a medium range paint like africa

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice guide, thought this really only works if your a Generalissimo.

 

For lower ranks Inferno, Emerald can be great paints. I used Emerald from Major-General to Generalissimo, its a great paint no regrets.

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Nice article.But why keep zeus in yellow band.It has protection against to OP weapon like freeze and fire.When fully MUd its a beast.I use my Zeus 50 Fire,49 Freeze,39 Smoky wit 420 HP Titan and it can survive even thunders.Nothing,not even 2 firebirds together can kill it.

You're right, Zeus is a very strong paint, especially when microupgraded. Personally I would rather take some Isida protection over the Smoky protection however, I don't quite appreciate where Smoky belongs with those two protections, but yeah it's a good protection to have!

 

So, I placed it in Yellow in favour of lumberjack :)