MAX abilities...

[Cyanide]

What abilities does each MAX unit have and when are they used?

[Zentenk VA]

Vanu's has jump pack
NC has shield
TR has anchor

It explains them somewhere, im not even in open beta.

[Zenny]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/content.php?p=sdArmorInfo
Scroll down to the MAX info.

[Scarab]

The NC MAX's ability is pretty lame. It's a shield that immediately drops when you fire and takes 3 seconds to come back up when you stop firing. It recharges slowly from empty where it starts and drains power if you're not getting hit and drains super quick if you are getting hit. Its only use is when you're running full speed at someone to allow you to be full health/armor when you stop running and engage.

The Vanu MAX ability is awesome. It can be used while in run mode for some pretty nice mobility and can get you places where you're out of reach of most infantry. The anti-infantry version can switch between armor-piercing and regular rounds easily making it a decent AV MAX. Not much info on the other two since either they're more rare or they're hard to tell apart since all 3 shoot lasers.

The TR MAX ability is godly indoors while defending a caproom since while rooted not only do you fire super fast but your cone of fire also doesn't increase. The downside is if someone gets on your back you have to unroot to fight back, and the fact that AI MAX vs. AI MAX while not rooted ends up with the Terran MAX laying on the ground most of the time. So it's a give and take. While unrooted you can turn but you are a bit underpowered, but when you root yourself you're a bit overpowered...as is designed I'm guessing.

Overall the MAXes are pretty balanced between the empires...at least the anti-infantry versions which are the most popular kinds.