Overview

SPP-1 finds the most use as part of MG Echelons due to her Evasion debuff Skill and strong Accuracy buff, which can greatly increase the efficiency of MGs against enemies with higher Evasion.

Full analysis

SPP-1’s stats are relatively unimpressive, with above average Accuracy and Damage but below average HP and Evasion, which generally forces her into a backline position. Her formation buff, on the other hand, provides a substantial 90% Accuracy increase and a modest 12% Damage increase, which is enough to make SPP-1 stand out as a unit. Although this Accuracy buff may make SPP-1 seem like an obvious choice for use in night battles, she is actually not as effective as HGs who provide additional Damage to the team -- The Accuracy buff does not efficiently offset the night Accuracy penalty for ARs due to the nature of Accuracy calculation (night penalty applies before Formation buffs), and PEQ sights are generally enough for most ARs to reach reasonable Accuracy levels. This does limit SPP-1’s utility more than may appear at first glance.

For the same Accuracy calculation reason, SPP-1 is not effective as a part of MG Echelons in night battles since MGs cannot equip PEQs. As a result, their already low base Accuracy gets lowered further to the point where even a 90% Accuracy increase is relatively inconsequential. During day battles, however, MGs can still benefit from SPP-1’s formation buff in order to have an easier time against high Evasion enemies such as Scouts.

SPP-1’s Skill is Cover Suppression, which at max level decreases the Evasion of all enemies by 55% for 8 seconds. This Skill synergizes nicely with the Accuracy boost she provides with her formation buff, but its Initial Cooldown of 6 seconds means its utility is limited in MG Echelons -- since battles will most often be over in one volley, her Skill won’t have a chance to activate. Cover Suppression also provides no defensive benefits for the tank(s) in the Echelons SPP-1 is part of, and as such it is generally recommended to use high DPS units (such as powerful MGs) with SPP-1 to avoid taking damage.

Overall, SPP-1 has a more limited scope of use than more well-rounded support HGs such as Welrod or SAA, but is relatively effective in situations where Accuracy is a main concern. Although her lack of defensive utility severely limits her use as a general purpose HG, SPP-1 can still find some use as part of MG Echelons.