My Highly Recommended and Spectacular Assault Guide: Because I’m bored…
So I said the hell with it, and started collecting notes about how to be a true infantry player. Most maps, yes, there are plenty of vehicles to go around. Look at Shuhia Taiba, and you'll see what I mean: literally, a dozen tanks on the map at any given time, on the Conquest mode. But for City maps and some other medium-range maps, Vehicles aren't so plentiful, and the majority of the combat is done by Assault/Medic Classes. These guys are the bread and butter of every offensive, they take the most damage, and they can take the most punishment, courtesy of Magical Defib kits and Cure-all pale white Medic hubs. (Now where's a whole bunch of Fenix down when *I* need it badly?) Assault are the cannon fodder, they are expendable--and often enough, very critical for capturing, attacking, and holding points. The result: my Assault guide, covering tactics from basic 'one man to take on an army' to squad-based tactics. I believe we need to get our arsenal in order, however. This is from my lengthy time as Assault/Support/Recon kits, and credits to other people who’ve done similar ‘which gun is better’ guides and the like.
Guns, Ammo, and Plenty of Victims
Krylov (base attack 27): The basic gun for PAC, this is arguably one of the best weapons in the game. Low Recoil, ridiculous ROF (Rate Of Fire for future reference), and moderate damage ensures most foes go down with five hits to the body (more if you hit their arms and or legs), or two headshots. I swear it fires magic bullets half the time--plus, with rifle rockets, you can dominate almost any range. I seem to run out of ammo for it very fast, however.
Voss L-AR(base attack 25): Medic-Tree Unlock for Assault, this gun is like the Krylov in many ways. It has a high ROF but is controllable, has low recoil, and is very good for suppressive firepower and prolonged firefights. Again like the Krylov, you will dominate almost any range with burst fire or rockets at those hard to reach targets; against distant targets (past 80 meters) its’ more viable to use your rockets, don’t be stingy. The Voss has a weakness at long range, as it loses a lot of damage potential and is not spot-on past seventy or eighty meters.
Note: the key to using both the Krylov and the Voss is the burst fire—2, 3, or 4 round bursts are often enough to take down an enemy very rapidly, provided you get the first shot in. The key is knowing when to take your shots; targets running perpendicular to your line of sight are sometimes difficult to hit, don’t waste your ammo if you don’t think you can take them down, as I find they’ll just turn and waste you when you inadvertently reload. But to see the true power of these guns, switch to 1-round fire mode and be amazed by their suppressive capabilities. Three, four, sometimes five enemies can fall to one clip of ammunition if you’re a dead-on shot.
Baur H-AR(base attack 34): This is a highly accurate gun when in single or two shot bursts, and has a moderate ROF but suffers from high, but predictable recoil. Shots past 100 meters are viable. This guns' power is to be feared, even at long range; a shot to the face followed by a body shot may often be enough to kill another infantry. This is truly a marksman rifle, and is one of my favorites, along with the Rocket attachment; I can drop whole squads with this gun at times with the proper positioning. Even at close range it’s lethal (four shots will kill most targets; Voss typically takes six, and Krylov/Scar take five.
SCAR 11(base attack 29): Moderate damage and on-par ROF with Baur; more damage than the Krylov but more recoil, and doesn’t work as well for burst fire; I have never trusted my life to this gun, ever; The other guns are superior in terms of stopping power/overall effectiveness.
Note: Both the SCAR and the Baur have massive damage potential, but I always prefer the Baur H-AR. Baur is what I call a ‘pro’ gun, hard to master because it does have some weaknesses (small clip and large recoil), but these become negligible when you can kill three or four guys per clip—extremely efficient killing. A single headshot sends a player down to critical health levels with the Baur, and a second headshot will always finish them off—use this to your advantage, the gun is accurate enough to pull this off even to long distances. The faster reload than any other rifle also helps out tremendously, and with six clips in reserve, don’t be too stingy with the ammo; once you go below eight rounds or so, don’t be hesitant to reload. Single shot and small bursts are the key here—these guns aren’t like the Krylov or the Voss at all.
[color=orange]Tis’ Just a scratch!
A scratch? Your arms’ off!
I’ll start off with the dedicated medic branch of unlocks, and some basic stuff about how to truly use them…effectively, anyhow. It still amazes me how people do not do even the simplest things such as healing outside of combat; the game is oriented around teamwork, and by helping out your fellow buddies, your odds of victory jump dramatically.
Medic hub: when you get in combat, unless you’re exceptionally good or have many opportunities to flank the enemy, you will take damage; its as simple as that. When you’re low on health, grab one of these, and hold it, preferably in a secure position; when you drop it on the ground, it gives away your position…unless you need to heal faster, in which case you drop one, and pull out another medic hub almost immediately. Keeping your health topped off, I find, is essential to living longer as an Assault class. So if you’re not doing anything constructive, or moving between point A or B, heal yourself and your teammates. It nets you points, heals them, and guarantees you won’t run out of allies when your squad/team comes under heavy enemy fire. Plus, they’ll be grateful—positive karma always helps. Advanced medic hub accelerates healing rate, and you can use any vehicle as a mobile ambulance…keep this in mind.
Remember, if someone screams “Medic needed!” that isn’t an invitation to watch them bleed to death: it means they need a medic, so attempt to get to them if you can; sometimes I’ll find that guy will get me out of a pinch when *I* need help, so its all good. Don’t run out in front of an enemy battle walker, however, as you will probably get yourself, AND your ally killed…and he won’t be happy about it; think smart, avoid enemy contact if you’re playing dedicated medic healing.
AED-6 Defibrillator: One of my more personal favorites of the medic class. This was an unlock early on for me, because of the amount of points you can get for reviving teammates. Plus, when you revive eight guys, you’ll get a pin worth another five career points—so extremely useful for people who are in lower rank and want to give Assault a try.
Main point is, you can revive teammates with this: not only does this save you ticket loss, your ally is extremely thankful, and they can help turn the tide in a tight battle if you keep them alive, much like healing. And, you get a revive point. Couple of points I have to make about this: Unless you’re planning on going all gung-ho against the enemy and grab rockets and smoke grenades, bring this tool with you at all times. Most of the time, you *will* need it. I cannot stand it when I am surrounded by ten medics, and not a single one of them will revive me; this is the stupidity that loses games. So if you see one of your buddies (especially squad mates), assess if the enemy is watching/moved on, and attempt to revive. Obviously if there’s a tank hovering nearby, not only is this stupid, but the tank driver will grin as soon as you revive him, and net himself two kills…one of them being your splattered corpse. Don’t do this…especially if gives away the position of your other teammates.
Being a dedicated medic means you should be somewhat stealthy, and remain in the back row while your teammates fight it out; you have a gun too, and you can be just as effective as them, but you have a role to fill, mainly as a fire base; this is a good position to support them with some rifle rockets or grenades, so they can rush in once the explosions clear. Also, in the back of your formation, you’re not noticed as much, and shot at less-frequently: I’ve seen squads decimated, and revived thereafter, when a medic waits a few seconds and then rushes up to his buddies, revives them, and proceeds to kick the sh*t out of the unsuspecting enemy. This is how it’s supposed to work, in any case; two medics are preferable, if only to keep one or the other alive, along with the squad leader.
I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed
So you’ve decided that you’re going for all-out assault and take the brunt of the punishment? Good luck on that avenue—some players find it a hindrance when all they do is sit in back and play a supportive role, and are ready to get up close and personal. There are several unlocks up the Baur H-AR Tree to help you out in that situation.
Herzog AR Shotgun: This is your basic shotgun attachment for Assault; most of the time, I don’t even bother with it, unless I’m expecting to be point-blank for a lot of the time. This attachment has three rounds, and I find it usually takes two to kill an enemy, even at close range—so don’t rely on it. If you don’t have the rocket unlock yet, wait until you get close, then unload all three shots on your enemy. These can be rapid-fired unlike the Clark 15B Shotgun, but you’ll often find yourself out of ammo. Don’t use it unless you really love it.
Assault Netbat System: This useful permanent unlock distinguishes enemy infantry types, and can often give you valuable intelligence on how to combat your enemies. If you spot a sniper, obviously don’t sit there and wait for him to shoot you—point him out, then duck for cover. If someone is support and is sitting all comfy in close-quarters, lob a grenade or two in his way, to minimize your own exposure to enemy fire, and guarantee a kill—half the time they’ll never see it coming until its too late.
Spot as often as you can: Most people don’t know this, but if you target an enemy and someone in your squad kills him, you can get a squad targeting assist point. Plus, it relays information to other teammates, who may have a better shot lined up. Spot in order of priority and threat level—generally, Walkers will chew you up a lot faster than Tanks or APC’s, and Snipers obviously are further away and are a bigger threat to a squad than a single lone infantry.
1. Battle Walkers
2. Tanks and APC’s
3. Gunships
4. Transports and FAV’s
5. Snipers
6. Any other Infantry
Spot whenever you can; the more information your team has, the better. This doesn’t just apply to Assault-cored players, but every infantry player.
PK-74 AR Rockets: These have to be the deadliest unlock in the Assault kit, and grant you the versatility to take out bunkered infantry and other enemies in well-defended positions. 99% of the time when I go Assault, I have rockets and the Defibrillator, maximizing both my supportive and my killing efficiency, and here’s why. One barrage of rockets (three per clip) can take out multiple infantry if they’re too close together, and with the airburst option when zoomed in, you can quickly take out infantry behind cover. Most people don’t expect it, and there’s very few ways to defend against it, other than running and praying they can escape in time.
AR rockets take some practice: They have a built-in minimum distance of 20 meters to avoid Rocket spamming (think of the Grenade Launcher Whores of BF2), and they really are meant to be a long range weapon anyways. The rockets are subject to gravity, and if you fire all three in rapid succession, your aim will get thrown to the shitter. Most of the time, anything below 50 to 60 meters, you don’t really have to take rocket drop into effect; aim slightly above your target. My best recommendation is that you land them all as close to the enemy as possible, so they go down with two rockets and the third ensures that the medic stupid enough to revive them gets a nice explosive landed right on top of his head. The Baur and Voss have relatively fast reload times for Rockets, so keep this in mind—you can spam them very easily and keep up a suppressive firepower if a squad is on top of a building and raining down hell on your team. When you airburst, keep a few things in mind…
1. Is the target behind something you can use as a range-finder? Adjust your aim with the mouse wheel and hope you hit him—two, four, or six meters is often enough, depending on what they’re behind (walls, objects, trucks, vehicles, etc.)
2. When a target is moving towards you, don’t bother with adjusting the airburst distance: the rocket detonates automatically with the first thing it hits (beyond 20 Meters) or the preset distance. Just aim at their projected path and hope for the best.
3. When a target is running away, you really have to be good to hit them; set the detonation distance several meters back and time it so hopefully you’ll nail them square-on.
4. Have a feeling a corner is being camped? Fire a couple rockets ahead and find out—with twelve rockets total, there’s no need to be conservative unless you plan on using them a lot. Titan corridors are a good place for this tactic, and I’ve netted many kills on would-be ambushers. Combined with the Support Dystek Pulse Meter, you can truly mess up any viable defense if you have sufficient distance—just watch out for counter-attacks from another direction.
Smoke Grenades: These are one of the less-used unlocks in the game, sadly, and I think more people would use them if they realized how powerful they are. Sniper bugging you? Throw down some smoke, obscure his view, and get close enough to launch a rocket barrage at his position. Enemy walker watching the street? Lay down a string of these (hopefully other Assault players will take the initiative and use them as well) and buy yourself some concealment; its better than nothing. You can also use them as signals, letting another squad know you’re ready to attack…or make an enemy hesitant to launch their own assault, since they’ll be going in blind. The number of uses for these grenades is limited merely by your imagination. For instance, you can pop these off at an enemy camping a spot, and then follow up with regular grenades since they won’t be able to see them coming…easily, anyhow. Or you can use them as cover while you revive fallen teammates; anything that keeps you from being shot.
Being a dedicated Assault means you shouldn’t be hesitant to rush in first—you’re probably the impatient type anyways, but don’t rush in blindly either. Think. Plan your attack; if you’re assaulting, for instance, the Refugee Camp on Camp Gibraltar, clear the immediate threats out first, namely entrenched Support and Assault troops. Typically you’ll want to take out whoever is closest, which is a good rule of thumb. Remember, when you take damage, you still have a medic hub to rely on, but not when the enemy is looking right at you. If you can, take out a few troops, then back off—if you’re lucky, a stupid medic will rush in and try to revive; this is your cue to shoot him while he’s concentrating on the revive, or anyone who comes to their aid. Corpse Camping, while sometimes a cheap shot, is still very, very effective; sometimes, if you’ll wait and just toss a grenade, you’ll get two kills (the reviver and the revivee).
So, all in all, be aggressive. But don’t be stupid either—too many times I’ve rushed in, killed a few guys, then two more squads appear out of nowhere and all level their guns at me, leaving me say ‘oh shit’ before I bite the dust from about 200 bullets heading my way. Kill fast, and move on—if you linger, the pile of corpses near you is definitely going to draw attention sooner or later.
So what do you need…besides a miracle?
Guns. Lots of guns.
I think I’ll start off by referring to the Squad play videos I’ve seen Orca create (give the karma to him, please), and the links below; Karma to him, I’m just relaying the message.
Here
Here
And Here
*Note: There are more of them, but I thought I’d give just a couple. You can also try www.Squadplay.com , I believe.
As you can see, they’re all using VOIP, they’re all pointing out enemy positions, and they have dedicated medics most of the time—everything a well balanced squad needs. A full six-man squad should have two Assault players, one or two Support, and a mix of either Engineer or Recon. These can be subject to change, but I believe it’s ideal for most purposes, and capable of taking out any general threat (infantry, aircraft, armor, etc.) Mix and match capabilities so you’re never left lacking, if at all possible—again, VOIP is your friend here, as well as your squad screen (CAPS lock) which displays who has what.
Colonel, This is Snake…I hear you Loud and Clear
So, on to solo tactics: obviously if you’re Assault, you’re bound to get your hands dirty eventually—the key to kicking ass and taking names is mobility, and stealth. What the enemy can’t see, they can’t kill—I don’t know how many times people rush out, and get popped by a sniper, or a random explosive or some entrenched Support class. Because Assault always ends up as a bullet magnet, I feel it’s a good idea to limit the amount of directions the enemy can hit you from—and the fewer, the better.
Cover is pretty much everywhere, on every map: buildings, walls, bushes, cars, small barricades, anything that keeps you from getting shot. Never allow yourself to be caught in the open, if possible, because you’re that much easier to spot, and kill; and if you’re in a squad, try to tell the others to keep to cover as well, so that you don’t attract attention. As Assault, don’t take your shots standing; I highly recommend crouch, because it’s the new prone in 2142; Going prone results in a high accuracy penalty for a few seconds, and this will kill you at close range. If the target is long-range, however, go prone because the offset of being harder to hit more than makes up for that two second gap of firing. And, if you have the Baur, you shouldn’t have too much trouble taking out that pesky infantry if you have steady hand.
Basically, my strategy is simple: Dodge, dip, duck, dive and…Dodge! Once you eliminate a target, keep moving if at all possible, unless you have superior cover or spot more hostiles; always keep your objective in mind, keep working for it unless you know it’s impossible to get from point A to point B. If your teammate is moving up, give him covering fire if at all possible; nothing worse than having to rush and revive his lifeless corpse after he gets himself killed by some sniper. So, general rule: use cover as your friend; you extend your life as a soldier considerably, and you’ll probably get more kills. High ground is also favorable, if you aren’t exposed on all sides (like a catwalk… *grimaces*).
This is my Boom Stick!
So you have to kill people as Assault—the question is, how do you do it quickly and efficiently, while not taking lethal damage yourself? My first recommendation, if you’re in an awful hurry and your squad is scrambling for a hard to cap flag, Rifle rockets. Hands-down, when you do this right, you’ll clear out enemies in no time, and there’s very little they can do except run or hope you miss—which simply doesn’t happen when I’m around. The fast reload of rifle rockets on the Voss and Baur ensures you can keep a steady stream going—keep an eye on the reload bar on the bottom right of your screen to know when it’s ready, the reload animation is longer than the actual reload.
If you’re getting up close and dirty, use short bursts on unsuspecting enemies. You conserve ammo, ensure all your bullets hit, and run less risk of running empty at an inopportune moment. Avoid full automatic (Krylov and Voss in particular) because you’ll hit nothing but air if you’re un-scoped. Typically if you have a steady hand, you’ll win most firefights if you act as the aggressor, aim for mid-chest and torso at close range because headshots are too dicey, unless they’re running right at you. In that case, pop two to their face.
For medium to long range, you have to master the headshot. I cannot emphasize enough how fast these kill opponents. Lazy players go for body shots because they’re easier. When I have the Baur, I will line up two to the face against most opponents who are standing still or crouching/prone, as this kills them the fastest, and takes less time than four to six body shots, depending on your weapon and distance.
Yeah, this guy had it right. I dunno if this derails my own thread, however. lol
With his Howling and your Blasting, it’s a Wonder the Whole Station Doesn’t Know We’re Here
So you’ve decided to go for the flag, finally—after dismantling two vicious squads in your path, your squad has finally started capping, all around that funky 22nd century flagpole…wait, what’s that at your feet, some sort of child’s’ toy? *BLAM* No, that was a FRG-1 Grenade. You’re all toasted, all that effort for nothing. Good job making yourself a target. So to avoid that messy scene again, lets’ think tactics, with you filling in the Assault soldier role. From here on, I’ll specify whether you’re playing as a squad leader, or a member, as tactics can and will change.
Obviously grouping around the flag is unavoidable at times—hell knows half my squad gets Rifle-rockets in the arse when we take the EU main base on Cerbere Landing, as it is a very small capture zone. Whenever possible, spread out, anticipate where threats can and probably will spawn in. If anything, keep half the squad capping, the other half defending from a distance. If you’re on Fall of Berlin and capping the Square, keep yourself positioned on the buildings, where you can use your rockets or your primary weapons to deal with any threats. You’ll have a better field of view, and more defensive cover. Plus, if things go south and your teammates bite the dust, you can jump into the fray and revive them, and possibly finish off the job; its not all about points, its also about playing smart.
Not all captures are that clear-cut: with a dozen players all shooting in your direction, it can get hellish in larger servers. Prioritize targets if you have the time, but don’t take too long. Think. Plan. Which enemy is closest? Which represents a bigger threat, the Sniper with the Lambert Carbine that is over 70 meters away, or the Support class opening up on your position? Always save your own ass first, obviously, and then think about your teammates. If the flag cappers are taking grenades, find the source and try to take him out with your own grenade volley, because if you have yourself positioned well (say a rooftop) you’ll have a clearer line of sight then they might. Spot whenever there’s a threat they haven’t noticed; nothing worse than watching as your whole squad gets GANKED by a couple of knife-happy Snipers, and you can’t afford to launch a rifle rocket because they’re too close. Use VOIP whenever you can, but don’t spam it.
More importantly, if you’re Squad leader, and you sit nearby while your teammates try to cap, your number one goal (in the absence of a spawn beacon) is to stay alive. If your squad blows it, obviously more enemies will spawn in, and you’ll need all the firepower you can get. Towers aren’t too bad a choice, as are darkened alleys or behind buildings—just make sure you have enough room. If you’re a member, you are expendable, don’t be too afraid to take one for the squad if you know it can buy them time to secure the flag and repel a counter-attack.
Other squad leader objectives might be less subtle, such as moving to a more secure position. Those move orders are actually useful, if you plan on camping a flag or silo until more reinforcements arrive. I find that if I have three guys with me, I’ll be balsy enough to take the flag if we’ve managed to sneak around the enemy defenses; less than that, I might wait for UAV confirmation. Plus, as Assault class, I can keep myself healed and not have to rely on other members to stay alive, simple as that.
Hold the Line n00bs! Hoooold the liiiine!!!
Obviously as Assault, you are versatile enough to defend as you are to…well, assault a position. The rules change somewhat, depending on whether you are squad leader or not. When your back is to the wall, Squad leaders can afford to take more risks (i.e. putting down a spawn beacon) and jump into the fray more often, since on a friendly flag, you have the advantage. As squad members, remember that dying sucks a lot more than having to retreat. When it’s too hot and the enemy is spamming grenades or other high-yield ordinance (or worse, the Battle Walker is stalking you), your best option is to fall back and wait for a clear shot. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to know when you can’t hold a position. Throwing your life away means unnecessary ticket loss, and can in the long run, cost your team the victory. If your enemy is throwing everything they’ve got into an offensive, you can hold a position with the proper planning and inflict mass casualties on them, with a little luck.
So how do you defend successfully? Find a good covered position and dig in, and use the biggest weapons in your arsenal (grenades, rockets, or base defenses) to take out the enemy as they approach. Choke points are abundant in Camp Gibraltar, Berlin, Cerbere Landing…where infantry fighting is the tightest, and most critical role. Camp one particular entrance, and have your squad mates nearby with pulse meters or supplies to detect incoming hostiles, but keep an eye out for other ones too. When done right, you can keep the enemy from progressing into this so-called death zone of grenades and explosives. On the defense, medics are extremely useful, as they are typically more free to do their duties while behind cover. Don’t hesitate to revive fallen comrades unless the area is swarming with hostiles.
Against most vehicles on the defensive line, Assault players don’t stand much of a chance, even with rifle rockets. They are useful against light recon buggies, so smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Against heavier armor, you really should leave the fighting to Engineers, and Recon as well…Assault should either concentrate on keeping these guys alive, or hopping into a base defense. Aim for the enemy flank if possible, or their rear—this is where armor is thinnest, so keep this in mind. When in doubt, run, and live to fight another day…There’s really no need to run up and make yourself a giant target if there is nothing you can do against a vehicle. Stay hidden if possible, and wait for the enemy to clear out. Sometimes you can get lucky and recap the flag before they realize what just happened, more-so if you’re squad leader and you instruct your members not to spawn until you say so.
So there we have it, a basic offense and defense tactics set…along with some general survival tactics for Assault players. I can post more when necessary, but I think this is a good place to leave off for now. Good luck out there on the Battlefield!!!
So I said the hell with it, and started collecting notes about how to be a true infantry player. Most maps, yes, there are plenty of vehicles to go around. Look at Shuhia Taiba, and you'll see what I mean: literally, a dozen tanks on the map at any given time, on the Conquest mode. But for City maps and some other medium-range maps, Vehicles aren't so plentiful, and the majority of the combat is done by Assault/Medic Classes. These guys are the bread and butter of every offensive, they take the most damage, and they can take the most punishment, courtesy of Magical Defib kits and Cure-all pale white Medic hubs. (Now where's a whole bunch of Fenix down when *I* need it badly?) Assault are the cannon fodder, they are expendable--and often enough, very critical for capturing, attacking, and holding points. The result: my Assault guide, covering tactics from basic 'one man to take on an army' to squad-based tactics. I believe we need to get our arsenal in order, however. This is from my lengthy time as Assault/Support/Recon kits, and credits to other people who’ve done similar ‘which gun is better’ guides and the like.
Guns, Ammo, and Plenty of Victims
Krylov (base attack 27): The basic gun for PAC, this is arguably one of the best weapons in the game. Low Recoil, ridiculous ROF (Rate Of Fire for future reference), and moderate damage ensures most foes go down with five hits to the body (more if you hit their arms and or legs), or two headshots. I swear it fires magic bullets half the time--plus, with rifle rockets, you can dominate almost any range. I seem to run out of ammo for it very fast, however.
Voss L-AR(base attack 25): Medic-Tree Unlock for Assault, this gun is like the Krylov in many ways. It has a high ROF but is controllable, has low recoil, and is very good for suppressive firepower and prolonged firefights. Again like the Krylov, you will dominate almost any range with burst fire or rockets at those hard to reach targets; against distant targets (past 80 meters) its’ more viable to use your rockets, don’t be stingy. The Voss has a weakness at long range, as it loses a lot of damage potential and is not spot-on past seventy or eighty meters.
Note: the key to using both the Krylov and the Voss is the burst fire—2, 3, or 4 round bursts are often enough to take down an enemy very rapidly, provided you get the first shot in. The key is knowing when to take your shots; targets running perpendicular to your line of sight are sometimes difficult to hit, don’t waste your ammo if you don’t think you can take them down, as I find they’ll just turn and waste you when you inadvertently reload. But to see the true power of these guns, switch to 1-round fire mode and be amazed by their suppressive capabilities. Three, four, sometimes five enemies can fall to one clip of ammunition if you’re a dead-on shot.
Baur H-AR(base attack 34): This is a highly accurate gun when in single or two shot bursts, and has a moderate ROF but suffers from high, but predictable recoil. Shots past 100 meters are viable. This guns' power is to be feared, even at long range; a shot to the face followed by a body shot may often be enough to kill another infantry. This is truly a marksman rifle, and is one of my favorites, along with the Rocket attachment; I can drop whole squads with this gun at times with the proper positioning. Even at close range it’s lethal (four shots will kill most targets; Voss typically takes six, and Krylov/Scar take five.
SCAR 11(base attack 29): Moderate damage and on-par ROF with Baur; more damage than the Krylov but more recoil, and doesn’t work as well for burst fire; I have never trusted my life to this gun, ever; The other guns are superior in terms of stopping power/overall effectiveness.
Note: Both the SCAR and the Baur have massive damage potential, but I always prefer the Baur H-AR. Baur is what I call a ‘pro’ gun, hard to master because it does have some weaknesses (small clip and large recoil), but these become negligible when you can kill three or four guys per clip—extremely efficient killing. A single headshot sends a player down to critical health levels with the Baur, and a second headshot will always finish them off—use this to your advantage, the gun is accurate enough to pull this off even to long distances. The faster reload than any other rifle also helps out tremendously, and with six clips in reserve, don’t be too stingy with the ammo; once you go below eight rounds or so, don’t be hesitant to reload. Single shot and small bursts are the key here—these guns aren’t like the Krylov or the Voss at all.
[color=orange]Tis’ Just a scratch!
A scratch? Your arms’ off!
I’ll start off with the dedicated medic branch of unlocks, and some basic stuff about how to truly use them…effectively, anyhow. It still amazes me how people do not do even the simplest things such as healing outside of combat; the game is oriented around teamwork, and by helping out your fellow buddies, your odds of victory jump dramatically.
Medic hub: when you get in combat, unless you’re exceptionally good or have many opportunities to flank the enemy, you will take damage; its as simple as that. When you’re low on health, grab one of these, and hold it, preferably in a secure position; when you drop it on the ground, it gives away your position…unless you need to heal faster, in which case you drop one, and pull out another medic hub almost immediately. Keeping your health topped off, I find, is essential to living longer as an Assault class. So if you’re not doing anything constructive, or moving between point A or B, heal yourself and your teammates. It nets you points, heals them, and guarantees you won’t run out of allies when your squad/team comes under heavy enemy fire. Plus, they’ll be grateful—positive karma always helps. Advanced medic hub accelerates healing rate, and you can use any vehicle as a mobile ambulance…keep this in mind.
Remember, if someone screams “Medic needed!” that isn’t an invitation to watch them bleed to death: it means they need a medic, so attempt to get to them if you can; sometimes I’ll find that guy will get me out of a pinch when *I* need help, so its all good. Don’t run out in front of an enemy battle walker, however, as you will probably get yourself, AND your ally killed…and he won’t be happy about it; think smart, avoid enemy contact if you’re playing dedicated medic healing.
AED-6 Defibrillator: One of my more personal favorites of the medic class. This was an unlock early on for me, because of the amount of points you can get for reviving teammates. Plus, when you revive eight guys, you’ll get a pin worth another five career points—so extremely useful for people who are in lower rank and want to give Assault a try.
Main point is, you can revive teammates with this: not only does this save you ticket loss, your ally is extremely thankful, and they can help turn the tide in a tight battle if you keep them alive, much like healing. And, you get a revive point. Couple of points I have to make about this: Unless you’re planning on going all gung-ho against the enemy and grab rockets and smoke grenades, bring this tool with you at all times. Most of the time, you *will* need it. I cannot stand it when I am surrounded by ten medics, and not a single one of them will revive me; this is the stupidity that loses games. So if you see one of your buddies (especially squad mates), assess if the enemy is watching/moved on, and attempt to revive. Obviously if there’s a tank hovering nearby, not only is this stupid, but the tank driver will grin as soon as you revive him, and net himself two kills…one of them being your splattered corpse. Don’t do this…especially if gives away the position of your other teammates.
Being a dedicated medic means you should be somewhat stealthy, and remain in the back row while your teammates fight it out; you have a gun too, and you can be just as effective as them, but you have a role to fill, mainly as a fire base; this is a good position to support them with some rifle rockets or grenades, so they can rush in once the explosions clear. Also, in the back of your formation, you’re not noticed as much, and shot at less-frequently: I’ve seen squads decimated, and revived thereafter, when a medic waits a few seconds and then rushes up to his buddies, revives them, and proceeds to kick the sh*t out of the unsuspecting enemy. This is how it’s supposed to work, in any case; two medics are preferable, if only to keep one or the other alive, along with the squad leader.
I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed
So you’ve decided that you’re going for all-out assault and take the brunt of the punishment? Good luck on that avenue—some players find it a hindrance when all they do is sit in back and play a supportive role, and are ready to get up close and personal. There are several unlocks up the Baur H-AR Tree to help you out in that situation.
Herzog AR Shotgun: This is your basic shotgun attachment for Assault; most of the time, I don’t even bother with it, unless I’m expecting to be point-blank for a lot of the time. This attachment has three rounds, and I find it usually takes two to kill an enemy, even at close range—so don’t rely on it. If you don’t have the rocket unlock yet, wait until you get close, then unload all three shots on your enemy. These can be rapid-fired unlike the Clark 15B Shotgun, but you’ll often find yourself out of ammo. Don’t use it unless you really love it.
Assault Netbat System: This useful permanent unlock distinguishes enemy infantry types, and can often give you valuable intelligence on how to combat your enemies. If you spot a sniper, obviously don’t sit there and wait for him to shoot you—point him out, then duck for cover. If someone is support and is sitting all comfy in close-quarters, lob a grenade or two in his way, to minimize your own exposure to enemy fire, and guarantee a kill—half the time they’ll never see it coming until its too late.
Spot as often as you can: Most people don’t know this, but if you target an enemy and someone in your squad kills him, you can get a squad targeting assist point. Plus, it relays information to other teammates, who may have a better shot lined up. Spot in order of priority and threat level—generally, Walkers will chew you up a lot faster than Tanks or APC’s, and Snipers obviously are further away and are a bigger threat to a squad than a single lone infantry.
1. Battle Walkers
2. Tanks and APC’s
3. Gunships
4. Transports and FAV’s
5. Snipers
6. Any other Infantry
Spot whenever you can; the more information your team has, the better. This doesn’t just apply to Assault-cored players, but every infantry player.
PK-74 AR Rockets: These have to be the deadliest unlock in the Assault kit, and grant you the versatility to take out bunkered infantry and other enemies in well-defended positions. 99% of the time when I go Assault, I have rockets and the Defibrillator, maximizing both my supportive and my killing efficiency, and here’s why. One barrage of rockets (three per clip) can take out multiple infantry if they’re too close together, and with the airburst option when zoomed in, you can quickly take out infantry behind cover. Most people don’t expect it, and there’s very few ways to defend against it, other than running and praying they can escape in time.
AR rockets take some practice: They have a built-in minimum distance of 20 meters to avoid Rocket spamming (think of the Grenade Launcher Whores of BF2), and they really are meant to be a long range weapon anyways. The rockets are subject to gravity, and if you fire all three in rapid succession, your aim will get thrown to the shitter. Most of the time, anything below 50 to 60 meters, you don’t really have to take rocket drop into effect; aim slightly above your target. My best recommendation is that you land them all as close to the enemy as possible, so they go down with two rockets and the third ensures that the medic stupid enough to revive them gets a nice explosive landed right on top of his head. The Baur and Voss have relatively fast reload times for Rockets, so keep this in mind—you can spam them very easily and keep up a suppressive firepower if a squad is on top of a building and raining down hell on your team. When you airburst, keep a few things in mind…
1. Is the target behind something you can use as a range-finder? Adjust your aim with the mouse wheel and hope you hit him—two, four, or six meters is often enough, depending on what they’re behind (walls, objects, trucks, vehicles, etc.)
2. When a target is moving towards you, don’t bother with adjusting the airburst distance: the rocket detonates automatically with the first thing it hits (beyond 20 Meters) or the preset distance. Just aim at their projected path and hope for the best.
3. When a target is running away, you really have to be good to hit them; set the detonation distance several meters back and time it so hopefully you’ll nail them square-on.
4. Have a feeling a corner is being camped? Fire a couple rockets ahead and find out—with twelve rockets total, there’s no need to be conservative unless you plan on using them a lot. Titan corridors are a good place for this tactic, and I’ve netted many kills on would-be ambushers. Combined with the Support Dystek Pulse Meter, you can truly mess up any viable defense if you have sufficient distance—just watch out for counter-attacks from another direction.
Smoke Grenades: These are one of the less-used unlocks in the game, sadly, and I think more people would use them if they realized how powerful they are. Sniper bugging you? Throw down some smoke, obscure his view, and get close enough to launch a rocket barrage at his position. Enemy walker watching the street? Lay down a string of these (hopefully other Assault players will take the initiative and use them as well) and buy yourself some concealment; its better than nothing. You can also use them as signals, letting another squad know you’re ready to attack…or make an enemy hesitant to launch their own assault, since they’ll be going in blind. The number of uses for these grenades is limited merely by your imagination. For instance, you can pop these off at an enemy camping a spot, and then follow up with regular grenades since they won’t be able to see them coming…easily, anyhow. Or you can use them as cover while you revive fallen teammates; anything that keeps you from being shot.
Being a dedicated Assault means you shouldn’t be hesitant to rush in first—you’re probably the impatient type anyways, but don’t rush in blindly either. Think. Plan your attack; if you’re assaulting, for instance, the Refugee Camp on Camp Gibraltar, clear the immediate threats out first, namely entrenched Support and Assault troops. Typically you’ll want to take out whoever is closest, which is a good rule of thumb. Remember, when you take damage, you still have a medic hub to rely on, but not when the enemy is looking right at you. If you can, take out a few troops, then back off—if you’re lucky, a stupid medic will rush in and try to revive; this is your cue to shoot him while he’s concentrating on the revive, or anyone who comes to their aid. Corpse Camping, while sometimes a cheap shot, is still very, very effective; sometimes, if you’ll wait and just toss a grenade, you’ll get two kills (the reviver and the revivee).
So, all in all, be aggressive. But don’t be stupid either—too many times I’ve rushed in, killed a few guys, then two more squads appear out of nowhere and all level their guns at me, leaving me say ‘oh shit’ before I bite the dust from about 200 bullets heading my way. Kill fast, and move on—if you linger, the pile of corpses near you is definitely going to draw attention sooner or later.
So what do you need…besides a miracle?
Guns. Lots of guns.
I think I’ll start off by referring to the Squad play videos I’ve seen Orca create (give the karma to him, please), and the links below; Karma to him, I’m just relaying the message.
Here
Here
And Here
*Note: There are more of them, but I thought I’d give just a couple. You can also try www.Squadplay.com , I believe.
As you can see, they’re all using VOIP, they’re all pointing out enemy positions, and they have dedicated medics most of the time—everything a well balanced squad needs. A full six-man squad should have two Assault players, one or two Support, and a mix of either Engineer or Recon. These can be subject to change, but I believe it’s ideal for most purposes, and capable of taking out any general threat (infantry, aircraft, armor, etc.) Mix and match capabilities so you’re never left lacking, if at all possible—again, VOIP is your friend here, as well as your squad screen (CAPS lock) which displays who has what.
Colonel, This is Snake…I hear you Loud and Clear
So, on to solo tactics: obviously if you’re Assault, you’re bound to get your hands dirty eventually—the key to kicking ass and taking names is mobility, and stealth. What the enemy can’t see, they can’t kill—I don’t know how many times people rush out, and get popped by a sniper, or a random explosive or some entrenched Support class. Because Assault always ends up as a bullet magnet, I feel it’s a good idea to limit the amount of directions the enemy can hit you from—and the fewer, the better.
Cover is pretty much everywhere, on every map: buildings, walls, bushes, cars, small barricades, anything that keeps you from getting shot. Never allow yourself to be caught in the open, if possible, because you’re that much easier to spot, and kill; and if you’re in a squad, try to tell the others to keep to cover as well, so that you don’t attract attention. As Assault, don’t take your shots standing; I highly recommend crouch, because it’s the new prone in 2142; Going prone results in a high accuracy penalty for a few seconds, and this will kill you at close range. If the target is long-range, however, go prone because the offset of being harder to hit more than makes up for that two second gap of firing. And, if you have the Baur, you shouldn’t have too much trouble taking out that pesky infantry if you have steady hand.
Basically, my strategy is simple: Dodge, dip, duck, dive and…Dodge! Once you eliminate a target, keep moving if at all possible, unless you have superior cover or spot more hostiles; always keep your objective in mind, keep working for it unless you know it’s impossible to get from point A to point B. If your teammate is moving up, give him covering fire if at all possible; nothing worse than having to rush and revive his lifeless corpse after he gets himself killed by some sniper. So, general rule: use cover as your friend; you extend your life as a soldier considerably, and you’ll probably get more kills. High ground is also favorable, if you aren’t exposed on all sides (like a catwalk… *grimaces*).
This is my Boom Stick!
So you have to kill people as Assault—the question is, how do you do it quickly and efficiently, while not taking lethal damage yourself? My first recommendation, if you’re in an awful hurry and your squad is scrambling for a hard to cap flag, Rifle rockets. Hands-down, when you do this right, you’ll clear out enemies in no time, and there’s very little they can do except run or hope you miss—which simply doesn’t happen when I’m around. The fast reload of rifle rockets on the Voss and Baur ensures you can keep a steady stream going—keep an eye on the reload bar on the bottom right of your screen to know when it’s ready, the reload animation is longer than the actual reload.
If you’re getting up close and dirty, use short bursts on unsuspecting enemies. You conserve ammo, ensure all your bullets hit, and run less risk of running empty at an inopportune moment. Avoid full automatic (Krylov and Voss in particular) because you’ll hit nothing but air if you’re un-scoped. Typically if you have a steady hand, you’ll win most firefights if you act as the aggressor, aim for mid-chest and torso at close range because headshots are too dicey, unless they’re running right at you. In that case, pop two to their face.
For medium to long range, you have to master the headshot. I cannot emphasize enough how fast these kill opponents. Lazy players go for body shots because they’re easier. When I have the Baur, I will line up two to the face against most opponents who are standing still or crouching/prone, as this kills them the fastest, and takes less time than four to six body shots, depending on your weapon and distance.
Yeah, this guy had it right. I dunno if this derails my own thread, however. lol
With his Howling and your Blasting, it’s a Wonder the Whole Station Doesn’t Know We’re Here
So you’ve decided to go for the flag, finally—after dismantling two vicious squads in your path, your squad has finally started capping, all around that funky 22nd century flagpole…wait, what’s that at your feet, some sort of child’s’ toy? *BLAM* No, that was a FRG-1 Grenade. You’re all toasted, all that effort for nothing. Good job making yourself a target. So to avoid that messy scene again, lets’ think tactics, with you filling in the Assault soldier role. From here on, I’ll specify whether you’re playing as a squad leader, or a member, as tactics can and will change.
Obviously grouping around the flag is unavoidable at times—hell knows half my squad gets Rifle-rockets in the arse when we take the EU main base on Cerbere Landing, as it is a very small capture zone. Whenever possible, spread out, anticipate where threats can and probably will spawn in. If anything, keep half the squad capping, the other half defending from a distance. If you’re on Fall of Berlin and capping the Square, keep yourself positioned on the buildings, where you can use your rockets or your primary weapons to deal with any threats. You’ll have a better field of view, and more defensive cover. Plus, if things go south and your teammates bite the dust, you can jump into the fray and revive them, and possibly finish off the job; its not all about points, its also about playing smart.
Not all captures are that clear-cut: with a dozen players all shooting in your direction, it can get hellish in larger servers. Prioritize targets if you have the time, but don’t take too long. Think. Plan. Which enemy is closest? Which represents a bigger threat, the Sniper with the Lambert Carbine that is over 70 meters away, or the Support class opening up on your position? Always save your own ass first, obviously, and then think about your teammates. If the flag cappers are taking grenades, find the source and try to take him out with your own grenade volley, because if you have yourself positioned well (say a rooftop) you’ll have a clearer line of sight then they might. Spot whenever there’s a threat they haven’t noticed; nothing worse than watching as your whole squad gets GANKED by a couple of knife-happy Snipers, and you can’t afford to launch a rifle rocket because they’re too close. Use VOIP whenever you can, but don’t spam it.
More importantly, if you’re Squad leader, and you sit nearby while your teammates try to cap, your number one goal (in the absence of a spawn beacon) is to stay alive. If your squad blows it, obviously more enemies will spawn in, and you’ll need all the firepower you can get. Towers aren’t too bad a choice, as are darkened alleys or behind buildings—just make sure you have enough room. If you’re a member, you are expendable, don’t be too afraid to take one for the squad if you know it can buy them time to secure the flag and repel a counter-attack.
Other squad leader objectives might be less subtle, such as moving to a more secure position. Those move orders are actually useful, if you plan on camping a flag or silo until more reinforcements arrive. I find that if I have three guys with me, I’ll be balsy enough to take the flag if we’ve managed to sneak around the enemy defenses; less than that, I might wait for UAV confirmation. Plus, as Assault class, I can keep myself healed and not have to rely on other members to stay alive, simple as that.
Hold the Line n00bs! Hoooold the liiiine!!!
Obviously as Assault, you are versatile enough to defend as you are to…well, assault a position. The rules change somewhat, depending on whether you are squad leader or not. When your back is to the wall, Squad leaders can afford to take more risks (i.e. putting down a spawn beacon) and jump into the fray more often, since on a friendly flag, you have the advantage. As squad members, remember that dying sucks a lot more than having to retreat. When it’s too hot and the enemy is spamming grenades or other high-yield ordinance (or worse, the Battle Walker is stalking you), your best option is to fall back and wait for a clear shot. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to know when you can’t hold a position. Throwing your life away means unnecessary ticket loss, and can in the long run, cost your team the victory. If your enemy is throwing everything they’ve got into an offensive, you can hold a position with the proper planning and inflict mass casualties on them, with a little luck.
So how do you defend successfully? Find a good covered position and dig in, and use the biggest weapons in your arsenal (grenades, rockets, or base defenses) to take out the enemy as they approach. Choke points are abundant in Camp Gibraltar, Berlin, Cerbere Landing…where infantry fighting is the tightest, and most critical role. Camp one particular entrance, and have your squad mates nearby with pulse meters or supplies to detect incoming hostiles, but keep an eye out for other ones too. When done right, you can keep the enemy from progressing into this so-called death zone of grenades and explosives. On the defense, medics are extremely useful, as they are typically more free to do their duties while behind cover. Don’t hesitate to revive fallen comrades unless the area is swarming with hostiles.
Against most vehicles on the defensive line, Assault players don’t stand much of a chance, even with rifle rockets. They are useful against light recon buggies, so smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Against heavier armor, you really should leave the fighting to Engineers, and Recon as well…Assault should either concentrate on keeping these guys alive, or hopping into a base defense. Aim for the enemy flank if possible, or their rear—this is where armor is thinnest, so keep this in mind. When in doubt, run, and live to fight another day…There’s really no need to run up and make yourself a giant target if there is nothing you can do against a vehicle. Stay hidden if possible, and wait for the enemy to clear out. Sometimes you can get lucky and recap the flag before they realize what just happened, more-so if you’re squad leader and you instruct your members not to spawn until you say so.
So there we have it, a basic offense and defense tactics set…along with some general survival tactics for Assault players. I can post more when necessary, but I think this is a good place to leave off for now. Good luck out there on the Battlefield!!!
Last edited by Magius5.0 (2007-01-27 14:49:27)