Pilot Affinities

Affinity bonuses are gained when a pilot has completed 5, 10, and 15 missions in the same 'mech. Affinity will begin to decay after three missions spent in a different 'mech so it is possible to juggle two or sometimes even three on the same pilot if you can keep track of things.

At 5 missions the pilot gains the "Comfortable" bonus, giving them a +1 to their Piloting stat.

At 10 missions the pilot gains the "Attuned" bonus, giving them a +1 to all skills (Gunnery/Piloting/Guts/Tactics).

At 15 you unlock the good stuff: Special effects that vary depending on the 'mech your pilot is attuned to.

More Info

Missions Before Decay: 3

Missions Before Decay defines how many contracts a pilot can go on before prior affinities start to decay. Affinities decay only when you take a contract in a different mech. Example: Joe has 10 affinity for a Penetrator. He then does 4 missions in a Dire Wolf. He would gain 4 affinity for the Dire Wolf and lose 1 affinity for the Penetrator (because the first three missions do not cause decay).

Missions Before Total Affinity Loss: 13

After 13 missions out of a 'mech, a pilot loses any and all affinity for that mech, no matter what it used to be at.

Max Possible Affinity With A Mech: 18

A pilot cannot have more than 18 affinity in any specific 'mech. Benefits stop after 15, the extra three are padding to resist decay.

Lowest Possible Decay: 2

A pilot will not decay past 2 affinity in a 'mech, regardless of missions outside of that mech (as long as 13 missions are not reached, at which point all affinity is permanently lost).

Additional notes:

• Pilot affinities can be seen in several places. In the Barracks, hovering over the pilot in the pilot list will show you their affinities. Additionally, clicking on the Biography of a selected pilot and scrolling to the bottom will show their affinities as well as the benefits granted. Finally, on the contract deployment screen hovering over a pilot will also show their affinities.
• The rank 15 affinities are all chassis-specific and are listed on that chassis's tooltip in the Mechbay (hover over that mech in the bay to see the affinity) or can be found in the Full List of Mechs or on the individual 'mech's page on the wiki.
• Affinities are by chassis not by variant. All Shadow Hawks for example have the same affinity and you can swap a pilot between Shadow Hawks without decay setting in.

Affinities

The following is the list of the tier 3 affinities and their effects as found in BTA. Most of them mimic one of the quirks which 'mechs come with. Unlike quirks, which we can think of as innate bonuses, affinities can be seen as the realised potential of committing to a specific 'mech. The effectiveness of tier 3 affinities can also be dependent on the baseline capabilities of the 'mechs; some affinities significantly change the effectiveness of certain 'mechs, while others do very little and can even be a chore to get, as the mechs themselves are pretty bad. They have the ability to save a 'mech from being total rubbish, to complement their strengths, or to make them fantastic.

Pilot Affinity: Agile

Gains 1 bonus evasion from movement

Pilot Affinity: Armor Block

Gains 35% damage reduction at all times

Pilot Affinity: Brawler

Kicks, punches, and physical weapon attacks deal 15% more damage

Pilot Affinity: Command Unit

Gains +1 initiative

Pilot Affinity: Cool Running

Adds 6 bonus heat sinking

Pilot Affinity: Encouraging

+2 resolve whenever resolve is gained

Pilot Affinity: Evasive

+2 bonus against being hit

Pilot Affinity: Goomba Stomper

Takes 20% less self stability damage and deals 20% more damage when performing a DFA

Pilot Affinity: Ice Cold

Adds 9 bonus heat sinking

Pilot Affinity: Keen Eyed

15% boost to sensor and sight range

Pilot Affinity: Long-Range Specialist

+4 accuracy at extreme range, +1 accuracy at long range, -2 accuracy at short range, -3 accuracy at minimum range

Pilot Affinity: Nimble

15% more jumping distance

Pilot Affinity: Precise Shot

+1 bonus on weapon attacks

Pilot Affinity: Resistant

50% less chance to suffer critical hits

Pilot Affinity: Sharpshooter

Ignores 1 enemy evasion

Pilot Affinity: Squirrely Bastard

Gains +2 defense and +1 evasion at all times

Pilot Affinity: Stabilized

Reduces stability taken by 50%

Pilot Affinity: Sturdy

Gains 2 extra pilot hits

Pilot Affinity: Unlimited Power

Energy, ballistic, and missile weapons do 10% more damage

Pilot Affinity: Zippy

15% boost to sprint speed!