Boa

US$ "The most durable robot in its class. Perfect for close combat"

Introduction
The Boa is a medium robot with a heavy and medium hardpoint.

Strategy
The speed and durability of the Boa gives it a slight advantage on the battlefield. At level 9 it reaches its maximum speed of 42 km/h, allowing it to quickly close in or sneak up on slower enemies. The Boa’s health rivals that of most of the heavy robots, and it has the highest health out of all of the medium robots.

The Boa is often seen equipped with a maxed Thunder and Orkan in order to do lethal damage in a short amount of time, making this robot and weapon set popular. It is also commonly seen equipped with a Taran in place of an Orkan.

Although the Boa only has 2 hardpoints, many pilots (experienced and inexperienced) believe that this flaw is overshadowed by all of its advantages. Only having 2 hardpoints is also an advantage when upgrading weapons and the robot itself, as it takes less time and costs less than having several hardpoints. This robot performs well in low to middle leagues, however it is usually not seen in higher leagues, as it is outperformed by many robots.

Possible Setups
These are effective setups for the Boa:

Note: When "Opt." is next to a slot type, it refers to one of the multiple options that can be used in combination with the other weapon(s) slot type(s).

Overview
The Boa is most effective as a close-range brawler, where it can make the most of its high durability and firepower. It is much less effective as a mid-ranger, and there are a lack of effective builds for long-range, as most robots will outclass the Boa in mid-long range combat where health isn't as important as firepower. The Boa is usually outgunned and outclassed as a mid-ranger, and players are advised only to use it as a brawler.

Boas equipped with a Thunder and Orkan can deal devastating damage in a very short amount of time, with enough firepower to destroy most enemies before they can retaliate effectively. Using a Taran instead of an Orkan offers more firepower over a more sustained period of time, excelling against opponents with more firepower but less health, where the Boa can use its incredible health to great effect.

The Thunder/Storm setup has great synergy, as both weapons are the same type and deal similar damage. This build is particularly effective as a shield-breaker, as it does double damage to physical shields along with other kinetic weapons. Even at ranges of 400 metres where shotgun weapons are usually less effective, the bullet spread means that the fired bullets will still hit Anciles, due to the large surface area.

Finally, using a Thunder and Punisher T provides decent and cost-effective firepower while players have yet to purchase Tarans, Orkans or Storms.

Not Recommended

 * Mid-range and long range weaponry, due to low damage output, and they don't fit the Boa's role very well, as a brawling unit.
 * The use of more valuable equipment, as there are better platforms to equip higher-tier weapons to.

Poll
What Do You Think Is The Best Armament For The Boa? Thunder and Orkan Thunder and Taran Thunder and Tulumbas Thunder and Punisher T Something else

Trivia

 * With a max health of 204,000, the Boa is third only to the Leo and Raijin in health.
 * Before British bots and WP bots were added to the game, this bot was often considered one of the best knife fighters in the game.
 * Adrian Chong has included it in his “Top 5 Robots You Should Buy” Mini-series on YouTube.
 * This bot's previous design strongly resembled a toaster when its weapons got blown off and was very popular with the player base. This led to the new design being highly controversial and unpopular
 * The name Boa comes from the common Boa-constrictor, or known as the red-tailed Boa.