My 6 main Lightning tips

gonnagetyou · 2003-11-21, 08:21 PM

I'm a Lightning freak. I loved it even when the turret was fixed and it had as much armor as a MAX suit. Here's a few tips for all you Lightning driver want-to-be's.

1. How to get more angle for your dangle

Can't hit those pesky mines or you got enemy infantry trying to swarm your nice clean ride and you can't get your guns any lower to hit them. No problem! Climb a tree. That's right! Drive your lightning up a tree, wall or rock until you're at an angle and blast away. This takes practice and some skill, but once you master it you'll amaze your friends and shock your enemies.

2. 12mm machinegun or 75mm cannon. Which should I use?

You should use the 12mm on infantry at close ranges. Close in the 12mm rips infantry apart and you'll scare the crap out of them doing it. Also use the 12mm on aircraft of all kinds. It's easier to track and hit aircraft with the 12mm and you'll actually do more damage over time than trying to nail them with the 75mm. The only exception is Galaxys. They are so big and slow that I have no problems hitting them and the extra damage from the cannon shells helps against the Galaxys massive armor.

The 75mm is your long range, anti-armor bread and butter weapon. You'll use this on pretty much everything else.

Watch your crosshairs and you'll notice that the cannon shells actually land just to the right of them. The 12mm is the same, only they land just to the left of the crosshairs. Get used to the arc of the 75mm cannon shells and practice dropping them down onto the target. I see a lot of inexperienced Lightning drivers who just lay the crosshairs on the target and their rounds always land short. Better to aim high and walk your rounds into the target if you have to.

3. Infantry keeps hiding behind cover!

Cover won't save them from your cannons splash damage. Aim at the ground just behind and to the sides of their cover and the resulting explosion will deal out damage. It will take more rounds to eliminate the target, but you will eventually get them.

4. How to stay alive.

Move and keep moving. 9 times out of 10, if I die it is because I stopped moving and I became an easier target for someone. Learn to shoot while moving and always maintain situational awareness. You don't want to be shooting and suddenly hit a tree where you become stuck for the next 10 seconds. Learn to circle your targets and blast them while you're moving.

You should also get the basic Engineering cert. The ability to withdraw and repair quickly will allow you to contnue the fight on your terms and keep up the pressure on the enemy.

5. What is the Lightning good at?

The Lightning is billed as a light tank. However, don't use it like a tank. That's the quickest way back to the spawn tubes.

Lightnings are great for reconnaisance work and AMS hunting. Their speed allows you to cover a lot of terrain fairly quickly and you have enough firepower to easily take out the enemies spawn points all by yourself as long as there isn't any large guarding force with anti-armor weapons. If you do find an AMS, position yourself so that you can fire into the equipment terminal at the back. This prevents anyone from getting equipment when they spawn and you can concentrate on taking out that AMS before mopping up all the fresh meat. If for some reason someone does get their equipment (which will most likely be some form of anti-armor weaponry), quickly dispatch them and then get back to that AMS.

My most favorite use for a Lightning is to camp a newly aquired enemy tower. This doesn't mean you sit outside and try to blast anyone walking out the door. No you got to be more sneaky than that. I prefer to sit in ambush just out of sight and wait for them to actually leave the tower. When they finally get a few 100 meters from the tower and they are out in the open, that's when you rush in and get the kill. Preferably attacking them from the rear or from the flanks. This is called harrassment and it not only gives you the element of suprise, it really starts to wear the enemies morale down and allows you to retain your advantage in speed and mobility. When you start getting hate /tells, you know your doing it correct. This will also slow the enemies advance on your base down to a crawl and give your team enough time to send reinforcements to resecure the tower.

6. You got to be sneaky!

A good Lightning driver should be the most sneakiest and most irritating enemy you will face on the battlefield. A Lightning driver doesn't just rush into an assault and kill things. He sets up the kill and when the kill is made he withdraws and sets up the next kill. A Lightning driver has patience and attacks on his terms with speed and precision. Keep moving and keep the enemy guessing as to your next attack. Sometimes running away and then doubling back on the enemy is a lot more prudent than a head on face off. Make the enemy work his butt off to get you. I love attacking main battle tanks. Not to kill them, but to distract them and hopefully draw them away from my teammates. With some fancy driving and your superior speed you should have no problems evading them and that can lead to some intense fun chases.

That's enough for now. Hope there was something in here you find useful and that it makes sense to you. If you see my Lightning prowling the battlefield and you want to tag alone, just /tell me and we'll see what two lightnings can do together.

Rayder · 2003-11-21, 09:05 PM

You forgot number 7. If its larger than an empire buggy, run away

Biohazzard56 · 2003-11-21, 09:08 PM

or get damn lucky (took out prowler with lightning) he was

Rayder · 2003-11-21, 09:11 PM

Well, I suppose if its a Prowler or Mag you can just keep pushing it and kill it after a while, a Vanguard is to low for this though, and it turns on a dime too.

scarpas · 2003-11-21, 10:57 PM

Are u tr on markov by any chance..., then ill join u sometime

TeraHertz · 2003-11-21, 11:04 PM

lightnings are tinfoil armoured reaver magnets who's only use is their rapid deployment.

Unfortunatley they die just as fast as they are deployed.

Rayder · 2003-11-21, 11:37 PM

I prefer the Vanguard, only tank that I can run non-MAX's over without getting damaged!

Veteran · 2003-11-22, 04:08 AM

Great post. I'm gonna get Lightning and have some fun.

Lightnings no longer have tinfoil armor. I estimate their armor around 1300 plus a relatively decent amount of shielding. Their armor got increased bigtime in a recent patch, so they are much improved now. As for Reavers, pulling off towards cover, jumping out and launching a volley of Striker missiles makes a sorry Reaver who wishes he'd picked his prey a bit better.

ChewyLSB · 2003-11-22, 07:04 AM

Heh, one time I took out a vanguard with my lightning. I actually get wedged underneath the Vangaurd... just kept shooting straight up.

TeraHertz · 2003-11-22, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Veteran

Great post. I'm gonna get Lightning and have some fun.

Lightnings no longer have tinfoil armor. I estimate their armor around 1300 plus a relatively decent amount of shielding. Their armor got increased bigtime in a recent patch, so they are much improved now. As for Reavers, pulling off towards cover, jumping out and launching a volley of Striker missiles makes a sorry Reaver who wishes he'd picked his prey a bit better.

yeah, cool. Ill just go and get my Striker shall I? Oh wait..I'm vanu, and our only effective anti air is our crappy AAmax with missiles that can be outrun.

Rayder · 2003-11-22, 11:27 AM

Go straight-fire bright beamed weak weapon of death!

Nimbus · 2003-11-22, 03:13 PM

You forgot number 7. If its larger than an empire buggy, run away

Then you double back around them and attack from behind in a drive by. Most of the time the gunners don't even have time to fire a retaliatory shot at you. I've destroyed multiple heavy tanks this way. It just takes a while

lightnings are tinfoil armoured reaver magnets who's only use is their rapid deployment.

They've got decent armor and most reaver pilots I've encountered aren't able to hit a moving lightning worth a crap with their missiles. Thats why most reaver pilots don't even bother with lightnings unless there are multiple planes.

yeah, cool. Ill just go and get my Striker shall I? Oh wait..I'm vanu, and our only effective anti air is our crappy AAmax with missiles that can be outrun.

Have you ever tried playing a Vanu AA Max? They aren't crappy at all. 9 out of 10 reavers and mosquitos don't manage to outrun the shots. I think my vanu character has gotten more kills with that than with any other weapon/vehicle/max I've tried.

gonnagetyou · 2003-11-22, 08:25 PM

I eat Reavers for lunch.

They always try to hit you with their rockets and very few Reaver pilots actually know how to lead a moving target with their rockets. Typically I either kill them outright or damage them enough that they run off to repair. If they flee I often chase them the best I can. Sometimes I get lucky and the guy lands nearby to repair. Wait for them to actually get out of the vehicle and then you charge in with the 75mm.

If they actually use the 20mm then I'm in trouble. It's usually a 50/50 match up as to who kills who then.

The best way to get good at it is to practice by actually going after Reavers and Mosquitos aggressively. Keep moving unless they have their back to you. As soon as they turn to fight start moving and keep that 12mm on them as best you can. Most pilots don't actually expect Lightnings to purposely go hunting for them.

Everything I've mentioned is assuming that your Lightning is fully repaired at the moment of encounter, and it is a 1 v 1 face off. We all know that isn't always the case, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt.

For scarpas -
I'm Vanu/Markov usually. I don't always play the same character or roles when I'm on, but if you do see "gonnagetyou" in a Lightning running around give me a "hey".