Category:Kai (retrofit)

The Kai/Kai1 (stemming from the kanji "改," [pronounced "gǎi" in Mandarin Chinese] meaning "to reform/remake" or "to retrofit" and spelled "改一" in kanji [pronounced "gǎi yī" in Mandarin Chinese] for Kai1 meaning "to remake once") of certain mechs/aircrafts/tanks are even more powerful versions of their predecessors, and to be able to retrofit even one mech/aircraft/tank that is retrofittable is a huge feat for any IS player. The list of all Kai mechs/aircrafts/tanks can be visible through the "Retrofit" subsection of the "Develop" section from the home screen, provided that you have a player level of Lvl. 28 or higher.

On this wiki, mechas with retrofits will explicitly mean their Kai1/Kai2/Kai3 counterparts unless stated otherwise.

Most of the mechs/aircrafts/tanks that are able to be Kai'ed/retrofitted usually are of the SSS-class, an already resourcefully expensive category, and rarely able for a mech/aircraft/tank belonging to any class lower than that. To be able to retrofit, a player must perform three steps, and this is true for higher Kais, including Kai2s and Kai3s.

The first step is ensuring that the predecessor/non-Kai mech/aircraft/tank is already maxed out at 9-stars. This will usually be the hardest step, as a player would need to either grind to either get shards or spend a large pile of diamonds pulling the gacha.

The second step is unlocking the Kai, and is usually the harder process to achieve, given that the predecessor mech/aircraft/tank is already maxed out. To unlock, a player must have a certain amount of Research Points (which can be collected through the completion of Research Quests), and a certain number of shards from a combination of parts (of any quality) listed, and sometimes even the full parts themselves. Some mechs/aircrafts/tanks may even require another mech/aircraft/tank (or shards of them), even Superalloy Z (whenever you pull the gacha), or even affection gifts as unlocking material. Some mechs/aircrafts/tanks may require a set a amount of ruby mineral to unlock.

The last step, when unlocking is over, is actually retrofitting into the Kai, and that incurs a cost consisting of a set amount of Gold, Superalloy, and Primal Energy. On rare occasions, another mech/aircraft/tank may be needed, as it is the case when you need a Black Wing to get the Kai mech FINAL Dancouga. At other times, some may require a specific retrofitting material (most of them found from the completion of a specific quest or the acquisition of a Retrofit Cube, the latter available at the Apex Market [when you have a player level of Lvl. 85 or higher and some 900 Apex Tokens from end-of-season or battle rewards]) along with all previously stated resources to retrofit. The only Kai1 needing this is the Kai mech Tsukikage · Swallow, which needs the retrofit material called "Tsubaki Katana" to unlock.

All of the retrofitting can take anywhere from a half-day (12-hours, as with most Kai1s), to a full-day (24-hours, as with Vassago · Awakened), but can be finished right away with the use of diamonds.

When the mech being Kai-ed is a collaboration mech, then there might need to be the use of collaboration-specific battle data to unlock and retrofit in lieu of parts or shards of parts.

When all is said and done, the Kai will be treated as another upgrade, raising the max-star-cap from 9-stars to 10-stars. Some may even change form when fully Kai'ed. Qiong Qi|Gai, for example, is a mech while its predecessor, Qiong Qi, is a tank.

Note that if you reverse-retrofit, then you won't ever have to unlock the retrofit again. '''However, you will need to hand over the same amount of resources (the same retrofit cost) if you then wish to retrofit back. Just like Vassago's or Vassago G's modification process, the resources already taken up by attaining a previous retrofit won't be refunded when you go back, so choose WISELY!!!'''

Almost all Kai mechs/aircrafts/tanks have a Health upgrade, with some even gaining velocity upgrades, and even fewer getting slightly heavier/lighter in weight. Most Kai mechs/aircrafts/tanks have an additional chassis ability and/or the addition of one or two new weapons and/or the addition of one or two new unique abilities. It is generally observed and known that the cost to unlock and retrofit a Kai becomes significiantly greater the more and more the Kai mech differs from its predecessor. A prime example demonstrating this trend is the Kai mech Vassago · Awakened, which boasts a complete rework of the weaponry and the unique abilities plus the usual HP and velocity upgrades, thus costing some 500 research points and a single shard from some six different purple/S-class parts just to unlock.

Whatever the case may be, a Kai mech is WAY, WAY stronger than its predecessor. Most players would say they are worth the grinding effort. Happy retrofitting, everyone!