What do I spec to make my MAX useful

[Sten]

Title question.

Im running(trying) TR max with basic weapons and first hp regen ability. What do I need to spec into to actually be able to kill people? The MAX is so weak its rediculous. I get one shotted by launchers and if I ever go up against two infantry Im dead.

Help!

[GreatMazinkaise]

1) Get a second Burster arm
2) Hang out with other Dual Burster MAX suits

AA is really the only useful role that MAX suits serve.

Alternatively get another Chaingun and hang out with engies in a large firefight; you'll make an ok bullet sponge with that setup.

[Tooterfish]

I agree with Mazinkaise. I haven't run into many situations yet that made me think "if only I were a MAX right now". However, the dual burster MAX is a very useful support class, though don't expect to profit much from it. Maybe someone who focuses on MAX gameplay can comment more, but I don't see investing your hard earned cert points in MAX over other infantry roles as a good way to go.

[Sunrock]

Flack armor..... and then some more flack armor certs...

[Sturmhardt]

If you play the TR MAX you can't go into the superclose combat with NC MAXes (like me), so don't even try it. Keep your distance from the enemy forces because they can't kill you if you don't to too close. Get a flak armor against enemy explosives since they are the things that kill you the fastest where you can't react. Damage from bullets is not so fast so you can still escape if things get too hot.

And: Never go anywhere alone. Always stick to your guys and have an engineer near you since you will need lots of love from him in the form of ammo and repairs. If you don't belong to an outfit engies can be hard to find, but the MAX is needy.

[psijaka]

I'm a big fan of MAX + dual Falcons (NC anti vehicle launcher - no doubt TR and VS have something similar), and just posted this in the New Player Questions section:

Originally Posted by psijaka

As I said in my OP, the second Falcon is the best thing that I have spent SC on. A single Falcon just doesn't quite cut it, but with 2 you can cause mayhem!

Best session running with this loadout was a few nights ago defending the Crown for 3 hours, almost entirely with dual Falcons, and mostly from the flight pads. Only killed once whilst in this role (but fell off the North flight pad to my death several times by accidentally activating "charge" lol). The extra height gives a huge advantage, as when you fire down on enemy infantry, a near miss will hit the ground near them and deal AoE damage - lots of assists. Particularly effective firing down on the infantry trying to camp our spawn near B, and any attackers coming up the zig zags from the North. Technique here is to approach the flight pad edge; let them have both barrels, and then back off to reload. Snipers not such a worry in a MAX too; usually occupying a high profile position such as a flight pad invites a headshot!

Dual Falcons particularly effective against deployed Sunderers too; once I had the range I just fired alternately until the job was done. Also, those Magriders present a much bigger (and weaker) target when you are above them.

Drawback to Dual Falcons is that you are vulnerable during CQC; a direct hit does a lot of damage to an enemy, but if you miss....you can't just spray. Keep your distance (it is possible to "snipe" infantry at mid range once you get the hang of the projectile drop - very satisfying).

To summarise; Dual Falcons:

- Are deadly against infantry at mid range (once you get the hang of the projectile drop), especially if you have a height advantage to maximise AoE damage from a near miss.

- Are deadly against deployed Sunderers once you have the range. An engi can't keep up with the damage (but 2 can, I believe)

- Are useful against enemy armor - expect to get a few kills and lots of assists. Height advantage useful here too

- but leave you vulnerable at close range, so keep your distance.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Sturmhardt

And: Never go anywhere alone. Always stick to your guys and have an engineer near you since you will need lots of love from him in the form of ammo and repairs. If you don't belong to an outfit engies can be hard to find, but the MAX is needy.

^this too. I've certed the regenerative armor instead of Flak armor as I play solo, so can't always rely upon having a friendly engi nearby.

[thegreekboy]

TR MAX is great with flak armor plus dual Mercy's. You with mow through swaths of guys at once.

[Sledgecrushr]

The most important certs you will spend on your max will be in flak armor.

[Ghoest9]

I only use a max for dual bursters. It doesnt get many kills but it can chase away some aircraft.


Maybe some people are actually good with the anti-infantry guns, they never seems worth the bother to me.

[Rat]

A max can be very powerful when working with a engineer, get the second cycler and a engineer, during the first double xp weekend in a tech plant I worked with a max that had a 80 kill streak (we had a medic too so it may not have been a true streak)...your results may vary, but it can be done with some friends....you still need to play smart and use cover.

[Illtempered]

The VS MAX's stock Comet isn't very good against vehicles, but it owns other MAXs. A br71 dual-MCGs kept owning a couple of my platoon members while they were trying to defend a biolab. They called for help and I teleported up from the bottom in a VS MAX. He was camping the SCU and after I hit him with that first comet shot, you could see the fear in his eyes. He started jumping in place until I took him out with the second or third shot.

We also like to crash the SCU when the shield-gen goes down in biolabs. It works very well.

[Fews J]

Cert resist shield or nano to lvl 4 or 5.

[Lieken]

I use MAX with full flak + dual mercys both with extended ammo, run with a dedicated engi in a biolab and youll fuck shit up

[MaxDamage]

Forget Nanite regen.

Dual Mercy setup is beautiful if you can aim.

Strategy:
Spec timer reduction to maximum.
Spec FLAK armour (to begin with, since it's so much cheaper).

AI:
If you go up against NC MAXes, try to bait them, make them miss.
They have a very slow reload and you can pump them full of love during this.

Aim for the head:
They only hit headshots for 150%, whereas we have great accuracy and still get a 200% bonus to headshots against NC MAXes.
Therefore, stand behind something that comes up to waist height or more and you are at an advantage in a standoff.

Don't waste a "charge", save it for chasing them if they charge away.
Extended magazines are great, but not as urgently needed as the magazine upgrade is for anti-air.

AV: Useless against anything except Lightnings, Sunderers and MBTs (from behind), with some practice you can snipe someone at medium range, but close range, forget about it, you're better off running up and trying to punch them (unless it's an infil).
You can (with full flak armour) run up to Lightnings, make sure every shot lands and to keep moving/strafing as you fire. I've killed a lot of lightnings like this. If they run at you, you can literally jump on them and fire more rounds into their roof and finish them with double damage from behind.

AV can be extremely fun, but it's the least useful perhaps of the MAXes. Don't even waste time trying to kill other MAXes with them, it's not like PS1 where AV MAXes were really anti-MAX MAXes.

AA:
Flak armour to full.
Optional: Spec ammo storage instead of charge (you will run out too damn fast).
Personally I keep charge ability, because if a lib starts bombing you, you can charge to cover sometimes and maintain aim/fire without losing accuracy. Saved my ass a bunch of times.
Find a nice spot, preferably near a deployed sunderer or engi for ammo replenishment.
One that can't be easily reached by your primary nemesis: vehicles/tanks.
You need to be able to take cover within a couple of seconds.

If you spec kinetic later, you'll probably only use it for AI duty.
This was fine in the past but C4 does approx 90% damage to a MAX, and every HA hero carries a Deci now which takes a massive chunk. If they break these out, you're probably going to die anyway, so in my mind I'd rather avoid the humiliation of being finished by an uncloaked infil with his pistol out. Stick Kinetic on for AI, once you've maxed Flak and learned to dodge Decis better..

[oosik]

Originally Posted by Sten

Title question.

Im running(trying) TR max with basic weapons and first hp regen ability. What do I need to spec into to actually be able to kill people? The MAX is so weak its rediculous. I get one shotted by launchers and if I ever go up against two infantry Im dead.

Help!

I have 1300 kills with my dual mercy's with extended mags, extra ammo and kinetic armor 5. I also run dual burster's with same setup. Mercy guns are quite a bit more accurate than other tr ai max guns. With the extended mags you have 75 rounds per magazine.