Staving off the dark side

[Veteran]

I got pretty sore about getting shot over and over by NC Jackhammers yesterday and I was thinking that without an AI MAX, Joe Terran would be forced to fall back on Heavy Assault to counter the threat, and so I had resigned myself to freeing up four certs for MCG.

I couldn't do it. It wasn't because the MCG is worse than the Jackhammer, and it wasn't because the Pounder is a steaming pantsload now with the four second reload time, it was because the TR needs AMS drivers, combat engineers, Deliverer drivers and Burster MAXs and if everyone jumps on the Heavy Assault bandwagon, we're just not going to have enough of them to remain flexible when our population fluxuates like mad, which it does a lot.

It makes perfect sense to me why people get Heavy Assault, but I think that better options exist, even if they require patience and a willingness to give up the "one man army" mentality that should only be reserved for desperate situations.

Yah, I know, yay for me, the golf clap, etc. but can I at least get an 'amen' from any other Deliverer/TS/CE/adv hax guys?

[Mango]

I have never picked up HA or Reinforced exo in my time playing planetside

[ZjinPS]

What gets my egg boiling is when I see 60 infantry attacking a base and only 1 or 2 AMS's supporting. An attack usually comes to a grinding halt when the only AMS is found and taken out by the opposition. I've seen zergs fail and decent small assaults win because of just 1 or 2 AMS drivers.

Maybe you should get 1 or 2 exp every time someone spawns in your AMS.

Oh and yes, I have an AMS cert.

[Jagd]

I would think that by BR20 if you can't find a good balance of support and combat skills you're doing something wrong. Why not drop Hack & Adv Hack and use the AMS instead? It's not the exact same thing but it does allow you the freedom to rearm deep behind enemy lines.

Although you can keep the skills if you want and go for special assault instead...

Combat Eng (5)
Adv Hack (5)
AMS (2)
Deliverer (3)
Med/Spec Assault (5)
Reinforced Exo (3)
= 23 certs

Personally I'd drop CE or AdvHack if I were you, upgrade the spec to heavy, and get yourself a reaver.

[Ducimus]

if i didn't know better, i'd swear you were TR on markov.

In short, everyone cert in: "what will get ME kills".
Not many cert with teamplay or empire needs in mind.

The zerg is, and always will be, a horde of mindless lemmings that fling themselves into a meatgrinder.

[Jagd]

I am on Markov, fought a couple campaigns with the Fire Ants before joining the Sky Raiders... Not sure if I made the best decision though.

That being said, not really sure if your comments are being directed at me cause I carry AdvHack and a Galaxy to help out my team, and on my other character AMS and CombatEng even though I'm only BR10. I think once you reach about BR12 you have enough certs that you can have a teamplay cert or two and still carry some personal firepower, and what's wrong with having some firepower? This game is about killing!!!

[Veteran]

You're right, Jagd, a balance between combat and support skills is ideal. As for giving up Advanced Hacking, I think you made baby Jesus cry by suggesting it. It's awesome, perhaps like Heavy Assault, too awesome, but it's my crutch and I can't live without it (ok, I could, if the game were completely rebalanced).

You got my template pretty nailed up there, except for rexo, which I replaced with Mosquito, the hacker's pink Cadillac. I think rexo is bunk unless you're a Heavy Assault troop, and even then it's got major drawbacks, like eating stamina like Oprah eats a glazed ham and making you slower than a 12 year old auctioneer with Tourette's syndrome. Just my opinion.

As for the Galaxy, it's officially broken until the HART gets settled out, but if they do the right thing and bundle it with the Lodestar, we'll be chillin'.

[TeraHertz]

Originally Posted by Veteran

I got pretty sore about getting shot over and over by NC Jackhammers yesterday and I was thinking that without an AI MAX, Joe Terran would be forced to fall back on Heavy Assault to counter the threat, and so I had resigned myself to freeing up four certs for MCG.

I couldn't do it. It wasn't because the MCG is worse than the Jackhammer, and it wasn't because the Pounder is a steaming pantsload now with the four second reload time, it was because the TR needs AMS drivers, combat engineers, Deliverer drivers and Burster MAXs and if everyone jumps on the Heavy Assault bandwagon, we're just not going to have enough of them to remain flexible when our population fluxuates like mad, which it does a lot.

It makes perfect sense to me why people get Heavy Assault, but I think that better options exist, even if they require patience and a willingness to give up the "one man army" mentality that should only be reserved for desperate situations.

Yah, I know, yay for me, the golf clap, etc. but can I at least get an 'amen' from any other Deliverer/TS/CE/adv hax guys?

Again, I don't play yet, but I've read the stats. I suggest a squad of 5 co-ordinated snipers calling identical targets wiping infantry advances. From what I've read it would work. e.g. 5 snipers with RogerWilco or something practiced at their co-ordination language all simultaneously hitting single targets, it doesnt matter how weak the sniper rifles are, the enemy would go down with 4 hits (assuming one persone would miss)

Im probably wrong, but im bored wating for my bank to get back to me about PSide payments.

[Jagd]

Actually you only need 2 hits from a bolt driver to finish people off, and I dread the day when I am under the scope of such a well organized sniper team.

[WritheNC]

Yeah I dropped HA a while ago, took it back for a day, then turned it into a Reaver cert.

I realized HA amounts to jack and shit if you take the time to learn how to use the sweeper, rocklet, or thumper.

[oosik]

writhe,

I think part of the reason for recent tr success is due to more people using special assault and vehicles rather than pounder max, heavy assault, and strikers. special assault is way more versatile a cert than any of those three. And with the large number of prowlers, lightnings, aircraft, and flails I see now on the battlefield for the tr....it is tough to beat. With special assault the tr who get out of their vehicles now have the tools to take down the maxs and infantry at tower battles large and small. A couple of weeks ago I might have been the only tr using thumper with plasma. Now I seem to be going into a tower with 2 other guys with thumpers backed by a few mcg and more guys with decimators.

The balance pass nerfs to the pounder and the striker may be the best thing to happen to the tr. It forced us out of a mold that couldn't effectively win against a more versatile enemy.

Zuvarg and Moongarm (flailboy)

[FightForFreedom]

I love the rocklet. I get more kills with it than HA. Special assault ain't perfect, though. I use it, but I have a war story. Today, my squad of 10 and I were continuously slaughtered by about 5 people over and over all over the continent. Those handful of people conquered many towers and bases, and they continuosly killed my entire squad. We were using SA, HA, and MAX's. They were NC, and they used: you guessed it, HA!

[Lithpope]

AMS should be a cert most people carry IMO. It only costs two cert points, is a speedy mode of transportation, you carry your own equip term with you, you can cloak your vehicle when repairing it, can easily turn the tide of almost any battle and has a load of HP thus great for mine field charges (particulary if fully shielded). It is a win-win cert for your empire and yourself.


Still love my striker even post balance pass (although I wish the missles were just a touch faster, hate seeing ground vehicles out distance them but, am cool with air vehicles doing it). Since the balance pass lots of folks gave up thier striker (God only knows why). Thus I am probably getting more kills with it than I did before for a couple reasons. 1) A lot of people in other empires seem to think it is "gimped" now and don't show proprer respect for that missle lock message . 2) Less people carry stirkers so a lock is more of a suprise ( I am guessing at this and see reason 1). 3) Somehow a lot of VS MAX drivers seem to think jumping is gonna break my lock (or maybe jumping is reflex for them) when it actually just makes them easier targets .

In defense of Rexo, I am in love with Rexo. It fits my boy scout mentality in playing Planetside. It gives me two things, 1) Moreprotection from splash damage, aggrivated damage, direct damage, etc. 2) IT HAS ROOM. I can be a boys scout and "Be Prepared." It allows me to carry a REK, a couple of ACES, a BANK, MCG + ammo, Striker + ammo, a couple of medkits and maybe a grenade. What does carrying all this do? It allows me to be a threat on multiple levels which in my opinion ups my survivability and longevity on the field of battle. I will trade a little speed for these things any day.

[Veteran]

Lithpope,

Lucid and valid reasoning. As for the Striker, it is so severely outshined by the Decimator that a lot of TR switched up. As for rexo, I don't blame you, but you can carry a lot in Agile also if you attune your mindset to get used to Standard, which lets you Surge for almost two minutes at high speed. I'd probably get rexo if it were two credits, but at three it's overpriced. A lot of people have agreed with this, so I don't think I'm alone in my belief.

[Unknown]

My strategy on the field seems to be the exact opposite of many people. Instead of grabbing the lightest armor possible and surging everywhere, most of the time when assaulting, I'll be in my Rexo with Personal shield and Lasher/Dec. When I take on an enemy instead of hitting surge and running circles around them, I'll hit crouch/shield and pump lasher rounds into them hitting a rep kit if I get low on health. I win 90% of the time 1 on 1 if I'm full health/armor/stamina (which is pretty often considering I also have adv med and engy to hide and repair/heal me to full health, and I take the time to recharge my stam before heading back in).

Frankly, I've tried being a surge monkey, but I'm not very good at it. On only one occasion have I ever succeeded at being a surge monkey, and that was with a looted MGC (go figure...). I much prefer my current method, especially now that I've gotten used to using personal shield (I find myself reflexively hitting the key even if the implant isn't charged yet, and I know it's not charged).