MechAssault Mech Strategy Guide: Bowman Version 1 Copyright 2003 A. Belonio Gamertag: Hiryu02 This FAQ was written by A. Belonio. No part of this FAQ in whole or in part may be used without the consent of its author. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Table of Contents: 1.) Introduction 2.) Specifications 3.) Tactics 4.) Enemy Mech Breakdown 5.) Maps 6.) Gametypes Intro: The Bowman was once one of the most underrated and underused mechs in the game. Now it seems like everyone has picked up on the power of the Bowman. If you are looking for a change from the usual array of mechs, the Bowman is an excellent "expert's choice". One of the few mechs with NO homing weapons at all, the Bowman is nonetheless an extremely potent threat. Able to destroy even the heaviest mech in 4 shots, the Bowman is a massacre waiting to happen in the right hands. A challenging mech to use, the Bowman requires a steady hand and a good sense of timing to get the most out of its arsenal. A skilled Bowman pilot can dominate almost any game, in almost any terrain. But as always, knowledge of the strengths and limitations of this mech is the best weapon you have for surviving, and dominating online battles. Specs: -Weapons Hammer Missiles x 2 Damage at level 1: 857 Damage at level 2: 1200 Damage at level 3: 1500 The most damaging weapon in the game, hands down. Even at level one; Hammers do more damage than dual PPCs at the same level, doing 857 points of damage to the PPC's 600. Combined with a shorter recharge time than PPCs, and their ability to do splash damage, Hammers have many strengths. So what's the catch? Hammers are dumb-fire, meaning that they do not lock on and home like PPCs or other missiles. They also have a timer that determines the distance they travel before exploding. The missiles do the SAME damage regardless of how long the timer is set. Remember, it's a TIMER, not a CHARGER. Holding the timer doesn't do any extra damage, and prevents you from firing at optimum speed. Hammers DO have a limited amount of tracking, assuming the target travels in the same direction and speed. For example, you charge the Hammer and place your targeting reticule over a mech strafing from left to right. If you release the missile when the sight turns red, the missile will fire at an angle trying to intercept the target. If the mech you aim at continues moving in the same direction and speed, the missile will hit it. But if the target changes direction, the missile will continue straight on its original course, missing the target. How to use Hammers effectively then? Well, utilize the splash damage radius. You really don't have to hit the target directly, if you can time the Hammers to detonate near the target, you'll do the same damage a direct hit would have done. As the level of the Hammer increases, so does the range of the blast. At level three, you can still hit someone with the splash from as much as one and a half mech widths away! Not to mention, at level 3 you're doing 1500 points of damage, enough to kill a full-health Mad Cat in 2 and a half shots. At level 3, you have THE MOST POWERFUL weapon in the game. If you're about to say "what about the Lava Gun", well think about this. The Lava Gun is nothing more than three level 3 Hammers fired quickly. The Lava fire is even identical visually to level three Hammers. In the time that the Lava cannon takes to recharge and fire a second shot, you have already put 3 dual Hammer salvoes into him. Actually with practice, the Hammer missiles can be fired FASTER than Javelins! Even at level 1, you can kill a Mad Cat in 5 shots. The Mad Cat needs to hit you with PPCs the same number of times, but your advantage is that you can squeeze off Hammers faster than he can charge his PPCs. The best technique for learning Hammer timing is to go into Grinder mode and practice. Nothing helps more than practice. Here are a few tips: you will do best in close range fights, so the average timing for the missile is just at one o'clock on the timer, two o'clock for slightly farther distances, and about 3 o'clock for midrange. Keep in mind the farther you are the harder it will be to hit your target with the splash, close combat should be your game. It also helps to mentally count the seconds you hold the trigger down for the timer. About two and a half seconds should be the average for close combat. The timing of the charge takes longer when you are overheated however, so in that case keeping one eye on the dial is recommended. TIMING TIMING TIMING! One last thing, the Hammer is difficult weapon to use. You will miss. You will miss a lot. Don't let it get to you, with practice you'll have your Hammer timing down to the point that you actually missing at close range will be a rare occurrence. Lasers x 2 Damage at level 1: 128 Damage at level 2: 182 Damage at level 3: 231 The dual Lasers the Bowman mounts are going to be a backup weapon most of the time. The damage they do isn't that great unless powered-up, and they also have no homing ability. You can use them most effectively at long distances while you steadily try to close the gap between you and your target, switching to Hammers once close quarters is achieved. But using Lasers at long distance sometimes lulls your foe into a false sense of security, with him actually charging you or letting you come closer, thinking that it will be easier to dodge the Lasers at close range. He's right about that, but wrong about letting you get in close. Once in range, drop the Hammer, and collect your salvage from the smoking heap that was his mech. Just bear in mind the Lasers are for long distances only, in close to medium you are much better off with your Hammers or your... Machine Guns x 2 Damage at level 1: 42 Damage at level 2: 60 Damage at level 3: 76 Yes, yet another non-homing weapon. Machine Guns will play a vital part in your close-range game as well as helping your heat management. The effective range for this and the Hammers is the same, but don't waste time with this when you could be launching Hammers. The best times to use your MGs are when you've finally overheated, after several Hammer salvoes. Machine Guns generate practically no heat, so you can use this to cool down while simultaneously dealing out damage. Then once you've cooled down enough to relaunch Hammers, its game over for your opponent. The other time you'll need to pull this out is when you want to conserve those valuable powered-up Hammer shots. Say you've got an opponent limping and smoking, on the verge of core breach, and then hose him down with Machine Gun fire to finish him off and save your Hammer ammo. Of course, if it's a question of life and death, then use the Hammers to kill your enemy as quickly as possible. But if you've got a little breathing room, you'll want to use the above tactic instead of using an overkill Hammer shot. One last use of the MGs is to flush out cloaked mechs. A fully cloaked mech using Nullsig can not be targeted by weapons, unless they heat up or are hit by weapons. If an opponent like a Puma or Hackman goes cloaked, use Machine Guns to spray the area you expect them to be in, and if you're lucky, a random shot will hit them and decrease the cloak. Upon which you pull out the Hammer and go for the kill. -Weight/Armor: 65 tons / 3,750 The Bowman brings up the upper end of the Medium weight class at 65 tons. Its Armor value is good at 3,750. A Bowman can absorb a large amount of punishment, taking almost 6 dual level 1 PPC shots before exploding. The extra armor is important, since you'll be taking a good amount of fire while trying to get into killing range. Once in close quarters however, the Bowman can dish out the pain like no other mech, having one of the best damage-per-second ratios in the game. Know that you'll survive a lot of exchanges before core breach, and don't forget to always use tactics and terrain to give you an edge. -Maneuverability Believe it or not, the Bowman, along with its brother the Catapult, is among the slowest mechs in the game. The Bowman clocks in at a top speed of 20, the same as the Atlas and Ragnarok. This lack of impressive speed makes it difficult to play a run and gun style of play, since many other mechs are faster than you. Which makes it even more important that you master using the Bowman's weapons effectively to make up for your slow speed. The Bowman does have JumpJets, so even when you are crippled and limping, you are not totally without options. Even crippled, it's only a short thruster burst to that pile of salvage that'll have you up and running again. Jump jets also allow you to dodge flak, and travel over obstacles many mechs heavier than you have to go around. Duking it out in an open space without cover? Jet over the nearest hill and force the enemy to follow you. Sometimes, jumpjets are the difference between dying in an encounter, and being able to reposition yourself for an effective counterattack. Don't forget about DFA or Death From Above. While it's very unlikely you'll be doing this often, it is possible to jumpjet above an enemy and fall on his head, causing damage. The Bowman does 650 damage DFA, which is its tonnage multiplied by 10. *"Speed" calculation as well as other technical info is taken from Shadow Panther's MA Mech and Weapon Stats spreadsheet found here: http://members.aol.com/shdwpnthr/stats.htm -Countermeasures: The Bowman deploys Chaff as a defensive weapon. Chaff attracts all missiles fired at you for 3- 5 seconds. Chaff recharges in 6 seconds, after which it can be used again. Keep in mind that you cannot deploy chaff once you are overheated. You need to be below the redline to use Chaff. Using it does not generate any heat however. Chaff will not work against PPCs, all ballistic weapons and other Warhammer missiles. Chaff is really effective against missile-based mechs like the Catapult and Mad Dog, or mechs that have multiple missile racks as a secondary like the Timberwolf. You need to deploy chaff BEFORE the enemy fires his missiles. If you try to use chaff in reaction to the opponent firing, it will not work on the missiles already in the air. Still, effective use of chaff can be a lifesaver in many battles, negating part of your opponent's fire while you continue to press the attack. Another good tactic is to drop chaff to the side as you make a run for the salvage, this prevents at least some shots aimed at you from killing you before you get to the salvage. Also remember to wait until you see the shockwave of a mech explosion before charging in for the power-ups. If you don't pay attention, you might get caught in the explosion and take massive damage, if not dying outright. One last "fun" thing to do is to launch your chaff directly onto an opponent, the chaff will stick to him and all missiles aimed at you hit him. This can be extremely hilarious in the middle of a firefight. Tactics/Strategy -XBOX LIVE Destruction: He who holds the Land, can conquer Heaven. Good strategy begins in the staging area. When starting up the game, look at your opponents, the stage and the number of players who are going to play. You'll want to mark the players using mechs that leave behind all-important missile power-ups when they die. If you can't remember which ones off the top of your head, here's a list. Mechs that leave behind missiles are: Ragnarok Ymir Prometheus Mad Cat Timberwolf Vulture Mad Dog Catapult Bowman Cougar Now that may not seem like an awful many targets, but remember that most of these, like the Mad Cat and the Ragnarok are among the most popular mechs in the game. Almost every game will have at least one or more of these guys. More likely most games will have several of these. Now that your primary targets are selected, think about the stage you are playing. How is the terrain? Does it spawn power-ups? Say you are going to play on Icepack, a level that has no power-ups spawning in the open. On a stage like this, the only power-ups you'll get are the ones your dead opponents leave behind. But it so happens that you are playing against seven other mechs, with four of them leaving missiles. In a situation like this, the availability of potential upgrades outweighs the lack of random power-ups. Not to mention Icepack has extremely advantageous terrain for a Bowman. With experience, you should be able to read pre-game scenarios like this and judge your chances of victory from the outset. Another example would be games set on Number 51, a small map with only one random upgrade spawn. But you are playing against Uziels, Thor variants, and a couple small mechs, only one or two leave upgrades that you need. In this case you might want to look for another game elsewhere, unless you're ready to slug it out most of the game with weapons at level one. Shiseki-no-chi: Close Quarters. Aside from mastering Hammer missiles, victory for a Bowman pilots relies on only one other thing: controlling the range between you and your opponent. The Bowman is deadly only if it can get close enough to bring its missiles to bear. Randomly charging enemy pilots without regard for terrain or tactics will only result in you being picked apart by snipers long before you get into close quarters. Your best bet in many cases will be to use the terrain to protect yourself from long range fire, while consistently making your way toward the target you have selected. A good example would be to jet over a small hill to get to another mech on the opposite side. The hill protects you from his fire until you drop down practically in his face, at optimum range to use your Hammers. Don't charge an opponent over flat open terrain if you can help it. An example of this would be making a beeline toward a Catapult in Colosseum. Thus resulting in him taking out half your armor because you traveled along the flat ground right next to the outer wall. A better tactic would be to travel over the plateaus or across the ravines using the terrain to block his view of you until you could get close. To this end, map knowledge plays a crucial part in your strategy. So it is important to play maps that offer you a tactical edge with varied terrain and elevation. Bowmans do well on almost every map except River City. River City turns into a flat plain with no place to hide once all the buildings have been destroyed. This takes about 3 minutes, after that there's no cover and no place to hide. You'll do well on Junkyard and Icepack, Frosty also. Remember that you can kill almost any other mech in around five shots from the Hammers, even at level one. The trick is to stay alive long enough to get in close and do precisely that. In-game target selection is very important. Proper target selection enables you to keep fully powered-up and continuing your killing streak. If you see say a Thor and a Timberwolf in a firefight, go for the Timberwolf, once it is out of the way, you should be able to power-up with the T-wolfs' salvage and finish off the Thor with a shot or two. If you keep going after mechs that leave salvage you need, you can chew through almost anyone one-on-one. Ex: First fight vs. a Catapult, drop chaff, get in close, kill him. Pick up the salvage, you are at level 2 Hammers and almost full health. Next, fight a Timberwolf, drop chaff, get in close, kill him with around 4 shots. Now you are at level 3, find a Mad Cat, get in close, kill him in about two and a half shots, pickup the salvage. Back to level 3 Hammers and full health. Rinse, repeat. Of course this sounds rather simplistic as well as implausible, but believe me, I have racked up 10 or more kills in a row without dying, by a simple good choice of target. My best record out there has been 46-4 in a 15-minute game, and I know that there are other more skilled Bowman pilots out there who can score in the 50's. Now, when duking it out against another mech, the best movement tactic is to strafe sideways either in the same direction he's going or the opposite one. This allows you to keep firing without being blinded by the Hammer explosions. As long as you match his movements and keep the target sight on him, firing when the sight is red should have your Hammers going off on an intercept trajectory and nailing him right in the face. Don't charge forward while firing Hammers if you can help it. There are two reasons for this; one is that Hammers exploding directly in front of you can blind you for a moment, as the opponent is hidden behind the blast. If you lose sight of the enemy it can throw off your timing for the next shot, since fuse timing is all about where you expect the opponent to be when the Hammer detonates. The other reason is that at level 2 and up, if you throw out a short-fuse Hammer ahead of you while continuing to move forward, you can actually get hit by the explosion from your own missile! A mistake like this at level 3 will result in your own weapon chopping off close to half of your lifebar. While strafing, remember to execute a small u-turn if you decide to reverse direction. Making a small u-turn at the end of each strafe keeps you moving smoothly and prevents the momentary stop your mech would otherwise do if you just reversed the direction on the thumbstick. That momentary stutter could throw off your aim and prevents you from dodging smoothly and continuously. It takes a little getting used to, but it eventually becomes second nature with practice. If you are pressing the attack, and the mech you are attacking starts to backpedal, (moving in reverse while still facing you) resist the impulse to just chase it down. More than likely it will be faster than you, as most other mechs are. Simply chasing it straight on only results in blinding yourself with Hammer explosions, or possibly hitting yourself with the blast as you rush forward. In situations like this it is better to break off pursuit and try strafing diagonally, enabling you to still move forward and maintain your range from the opponent. If at all possible, try to herd the opponent into an obstacle like a building or a wall, that way his movement options are restricted by the obstacle beside or behind him. Which again goes back to using terrain to your advantage, if you can restrict the dodging room of an enemy, your job is made easier. An example goes thus: On Icepack, you are being chased by a Mad Cat on open ground. Find the nearest hill and hide behind it. In order to continue attacking, the MC has to follow you around the hill. As he follows you around the hill, preferably walking along a narrow path between hills, you are waiting for him around the corner with a charged Hammer at the ready. An attack he'll have a hard time dodging because he can only dodge one way: away from the hill. Or if he's in a valley between hills, he won't have much space to dodge at all, leaving him vulnerable to your splash damage. Another tactic if your enemy's back is to the wall is to fire at the wall next to him, the missiles stick to the wall and still do damage, and variations of this are possible. Another multiplayer tactic is to "mine" the power-ups. Say you are in a multi-mech battle, and another mech is destroyed not too far from you. But there are other mechs closer to the salvage than you are, and you won't be able to beat them to the power-ups. You can still punish them as they take the salvage by firing a few charged Hammer shots onto the salvage. Hammers will stick to the power-ups as well, and they may get the salvage, but you'll have gotten some free hits in. It is also possible for the Hammer's splash damage to hit them before they actually touch the salvage. If they are near death and needing the health, you might kill them inches away from the salvage. There is also a glitch in the game that you can exploit this way. Sometimes is a players takes the health and is hit by enemy fire at the SAME TIME, the attack will sometimes do double damage. So instead of them getting fixed up, they are now hurting twice as bad. But as I said this is an occasional glitch and cannot be relied upon. One other factor you must be aware of is host lag. Simply put, host lag is the one-fourth of a second advantage the host has in the game. Since the host's xbox is running the game, everything the host does happens just a tiny bit faster. Host lag isn't an obvious thing at all, it's usually pretty subtle. If you regularly host your own games you may notice that you miss less often or dodge more shots. This is partly due to the host lag; your xbox is running just slightly ahead of everyone else. This is not to say that host advantage will make up for poor timing. No amount of host lag will make you a better shot, you just won't miss as often as you should. If you play on other peoples games you'll see that you have to work a little bit harder to nail opponents with the Hammer. You can still dominate these games, you just have to remember to practice squeezing off shots with little margin for error. Actually I suggest playing on other peoples servers for a while because it will help sharpen your timing in the long run. Then when you host your own games, you'll see the benefits of playing without that advantage. Finally, host lag also explains why sometimes you'll take damage from a Gauss Rifle shot that you could swear you dodged, or that you hid behind a building before it hit you. On the host's screen, it did hit you before you got behind the building. Just learn to play in all conditions, and you'll get to the point where host lag isn't a factor at all in your gameplay, as you'll have gotten proficient enough for it not to affect you at all. -Enemy Mechs Assault-Class Mechs include: Ragnarok Ymir Atlas Prometheus Assault Class mechs are surprisingly enough, not that hard to kill in a Bowman. The main problem is getting into range as most of them have better long-range weapons than you. Once in range though, you should be able to drop them with close range Hammers, as you can deal out more damage per second than almost any other mech in the game. Atlases will take the most time as they have an Armor value of 6,000, the Prometheus slightly less at 5,500. Don't forget to drop chaff as you approach the Atlas, as Javelin missiles are the best long-range weapon he's got. Once in close, your Hammers do more damage faster than anything the Atlas has. Only its quad Pulse Lasers are a danger, and only if they are powered up. And once you get him limping, he's as good as gone. The biggest threat from the Atlas is that he will knock you down with his quad Autocannons, but that is only when they are at level 2 or higher. In any case, keep strafing and firing. I usually don't go after an Atlas if there is another mech nearby, mainly because an Atlas doesn't leave behind any Missile salvage. The Prometheus is both easier and harder to kill than an Atlas. Easier because it has less armor, and harder because Prom's also carry dual Hammers, not to mention dual Gauss Rifles. But the Prometheus also overheats a lot faster than you. Which means you can get more shots in as he is cooling down enough for his weapons to recycle. Prometheus mechs also leave behind Missile salvage, as well as a lot of Armor. The benefits outweigh the risks when going up against a Prometheus; just remember to use terrain, cover and range. Against Rags and Ymirs, the tactics are pretty much the same. Ymirs are more difficult to get close to, owing to their PPCs. However, both the Rag and Ymir have only 5,000 armor points which makes them slightly easier to kill. Also being the biggest mechs in the game, they make really easy targets. Most Rags and Ymirs will try to get into close combat as well, where they can bring the Lava Gun to bear. Just keep in mind while they are the same speed as you, most Rag pilots don't move much, usually relying on their weapons and shield to bring them though. When they fire the Lava gun, either keep strafing in the direction you were going and let off a short burst from the jumpjets. Or immediately reverse direction and hit the jumpjets, either way, this move usually helps you dodge the fire and come out with little to no damage. Another reason to jump is because the Lava Guns' knockdown ability can't kick in when you're in the air. That and the Lava Gun is also a dumb-fire weapon, and jumping makes you harder to track. As for the shield, let me let you in on a little secret, the shield actually helps YOU kill the Rag. The shield will stop your Hammer sure enough, but most of the time, the Hammer will stick to the shield, hang there for a moment, and as the shield goes down the Hammer detonates, splash damage hitting the enemy. If the Rag starts using its shield, I'll charge a Hammer, and actually wait UNTIL the shield is up before firing. That way, the shield presents me with a bigger, easier to hit target. And I'm almost guaranteed the damage. As long as you don't set a super-short fuse, you should have no problems getting the Hammer to blow up in his face just as the shield goes down. Ragnaroks and Ymirs also leave behind every type of salvage; Ballistic, Energy and Missile. Not to mention a lot of armor. -Heavy-Class Mechs include: Mad Cat Timberwolf Thor Summoner One of the most popular and most-used mechs in the game, you'll see a Mad Cat in many, many games. Weighing in at 75 tons, this "heavy" mech can actually get up to a good speed. Its relative top speed is 24, but IMHO it's slightly faster than that. In any case, it's faster than you, has more armor, and great weapons. The Mad Cat is the most balanced mech in the game, and potentially the most deadly. Your best tactic with MC's in particular is to control the range between you. Do not engage these guys over large open spaces if you can help it. The Mad Cat excels at ranged combat with dual PPCs and quad Javelins. The main priority when dealing with MC's is to get into close range as much as possible, and to do this without taking too much damage while getting close. Again to this end, use cover and obstacles to block their fire. Once in close, you only need about five Hammer shots to make the kill. You also should be able shoot Hammers faster than the MC can charge PPCs. The main thing to watch out for is the Mad Cats' Target Jamming. This will negate what limited tracking the Hammer missiles have. This shouldn't be a huge problem; you'll just have to lead the shots. Hammers don't lock on anyway, so concentrate on reading your opponent's movement and lead your shots. Target Jamming also wears off after several seconds, so you won't have to deal with it for the duration of each encounter. This becomes much easier if you have powered-up Hammers. At level 3, you can take a 'Cat down in 3 shots. MC's also give you much needed Missile power-ups, so making the kill definitely helps you out. Also if you can cripple a Mad Cat, you should be able to circle around faster than its gimped body can turn. At this point, the kill is pretty much guaranteed. Just don't stop moving and shooting, if you start to overheat, hit the Machine Guns until you are cooled past the redline. Both Mad Cats and Timberwolves lack jump jets, so attacking from higher ground, like a hill or plateau can be effective, just remember to back away every so often and use the side of the hill to catch some of the return fire. Timberwolfs are on a similar threat level as the Mad Cat. The Timberwolf excels at alpha striking (using all three weapons in rapid succession) and is a threat at all ranges. Long range it will use its dual Gauss Rifles to snipe. At medium and close ranges it usually breaks out the dual Pulse Lasers and quad Crossbows. The only thing a T-wolf lacks is a defensive weapon. So aside from you missing the target, you don't have to worry about your arsenal being jammed or countered. The Timberwolf can also keep up a constant stream of fire, alternating weapons. The main thing you have to worry about is being knocked down or sniped from afar, and in close, getting showered with Crossbows. The usual tactics apply; try to get in close as quick as you can taking as little damage as possible. To this end, use cover and buildings. If there is another route that offers better protection, take it, even if it takes longer. In close, drop chaff to negate its missiles and force it to go to Gauss and Pulse Lasers temporarily. Then try to get as many shots in as possible. Timberwolves also leave missile salvage when they go down, so make their destruction a priority. Choose when to engage wisely, if you see a Timberwolf engaged in battle with another mech, go for the Timberwolf. Unless the other mech is near death, going after the T-wolf kills two birds with one stone; you get to drop Hammers on your opponent while he's busy engaging another enemy, possibly taking the kill yourself. And after you nuke the T-wolf and take the salvage, it should be relatively easy to finish off the other mech and power up yet again. If you can take out a Mad Cat, a T-wolf should be less difficult to kill in comparison. The Thor is another mech that excels in close-range combat. A good Thor player loves to get up close and pour fire from his quad Machine Guns into your hide. At long-mid range the Thor is much less of a threat, having only dual Lasers, which you also carry, and dual Crossbows. As usual, your chaff should take care of the missiles if he chooses to use them. Aside from the quad MGs, the other main problem is the Thor's Target Jamming, which the Mad Cat also carries. Thor players usually run in close, activate Target jamming, and begin circle-strafing with Machine Guns blazing. Thors are also tough mechs at 3,929 points of Armor. Your main advantage is that the Bowman can dish out more damage per second. While a Thor has to chip away for several seconds to get your armor down, you can take out a Thor in 4-5 shots even at level one. If you are powered up, you can tear through a Thor even faster. Just watch out if the Thor is powered up. Quad Machine Guns can really hurt at higher levels. Few mechs in the game leave ballistic salvage so you won't have to worry about the Thor being fully upgraded in most cases. Unless of course you are playing maps with lots of random power-up spawns like Colosseum, Junkyard or the new Stone Cold map. When engaging a Thor, start by shooting him with your dual Lasers while closing the distance. Once close enough, switch to Hammers and unload. Match his circle strafes and keep your shots on-target. Keep in mind that you can compensate for his target jamming by leading your shots and using splash damage. The Thor is the heaviest mech in the game with JumpJets, so don't be surprised if starts jumping around once you've crippled him. Finally, Thors leave Ballistic and Energy power-ups, not the Missiles that you need. So I don't recommend going after a Thor if there are other targets available, especially ones with Missile power-ups. Of course if the guy just starts attacking you, feel free to drop the Hammers. The Summoner is an extremely underused (and in my opinion, underpowered) mech. You won't see many of these guys running around. Summoners do best at mid-close range with their quad Pulse Lasers and dual Autocannons. However, the Pulse Lasers do less damage than Machine Guns, and the Autocannons are just ok. The Summoner does mount a single Hammer missile. Unfortunately, the Summoner also heats up pretty fast because of the Pulse Lasers, and the Autocannons are only a real danger at level two or higher. The single Hammer is good, but more often than not a Summoner pilot will stick to Pulse Lasers and attempt to knock you down with Autocannons. The Summoner also lacks a defensive weapon, making it that much easier to kill. Use the same tactics you would use with the Thor. It should be significantly easier to kill Summoners as they do less damage overall, and have no defensive capability. Summoners leave behind only Armor and Ballistic upgrades. -Medium-Class Mechs include: Catapult Bowman Vulture Mad Dog Uziel Belial The Catapult is built on the same chassis as a Bowman, with an eye towards long range combat. Catapults are actually an easy kill if you know what you're doing. The Catapult mounts quad Javelin missiles and quad Pulse Lasers. Unfortunately, because it relies on missiles to deliver most of its punch, the Catapult is very vulnerable to your chaff. Typical encounters should start with you dropping chaff to negate the missiles and charging to get in close range ASAP. Once in close, a Catapult pilot usually pulls out the quad Pulse Lasers for close combat. This usually isn't a problem unless they are upgraded. Level 3 purple Pulse Lasers can hurt a LOT. Regardless, these guys go down in 5 or so Hammer shots, less if you've been attacking with your own Lasers while you were still at long-midrange. Even if they change back to using missiles at close range, your chaff recharges in 6 seconds and can be used to negate their Javs yet again. Do not get stuck at long range fighting against a Catapult, if you do not get close, some of his missiles will still hit you. Your chaff can't counter them all. Don't ignore a Catapult sniping from range. If you are fighting another mech and a volley of Javelins comes out of nowhere, launch chaff immediately whether you can see the other attacker or not. (If you are fighting another missile-based mech your chaff should be launching continuously anyway) Catapults leave Missile and Energy power-ups so they should be on your hit list in every game. Bowmans...well, you know about these guys by now. In a fight with another Bowman, if the other pilot is skilled, he'll be using the same tactics against you. Bowmans will get in close and...you know the rest. Try to get any edge you can. Hit them with Lasers while they are still far away, and don't miss with the Hammers once you're in close. In close, move erratically, and don't forget to use jumpjets to throw off his aim. The harder you are to hit, the better, since none of your weapons track. Chaff doesn't work against Hammer missiles either, don't forget that. Bowmans leave behind Missiles, just what you need. Vultures are quite underrated in this game. They are also hard to play as except by experienced pilots. The Vulture also has quad Javelins mounted to its chassis. Vultures typically hang back and snipe like Catapults. Up close they use either dual Machine Guns or dual Lasers at medium range. Vultures have a medium Armor value of 3,571. Vultures are about the same speed as a Mad Cat, at a relative top speed of 24. The Vulture is also a relatively easy kill, since it has chaff as a defense and no jumpjets. Combined with the slow reload time of the Javelins, Vultures are extremely weak up-close, since neither of their other weapons packs significant punch without upgrades. Four level one shots from your dual Hammers should make the kill. And since chaff has no effect on Hammers, the Vulture is essentially without a defense against you once you get close enough. The Vulture also leaves Missile salvage, making it a prime target for you in multiplayer. The Mad Dog presents a different set of obstacles. It is faster than the Vulture with a speed of 29. The Mad Dog excels at close range combat using its speed and quad Crossbows to continually pour on damage. The Mad Dog will generally get into medium-close range and start circle strafing erratically all the while firing Crossbows. The damage of each salvo isn't great, but it does add up over time. If the missiles are powered up, he can fire up to twelve missiles each time, almost one volley per second! It is very important not to ignore a Mad Dog. Given enough time, a Mad Dog can weaken you enough so that other mechs can finish you off with a shot or two, or the 'Dog will kill you outright. Fortunately, your chaff negates the Mad Dog's Crossbows. Now usually when this happens the Mad Dog will switch to its dual Pulse Lasers and continue the attack. Unless the Pulse Lasers are powered up, you really don't have much to worry about. The main thing is to prevent the MD from using his missiles as much as possible. It is very important not to miss your Hammer salvoes as the Mad Dog is really quite adept at dodging shots with its sheer speed. Even a limping Mad Dog can turn its torso at a decent pace. The one major disadvantage of a Mad Dog is that he lacks a "kill shot" weapon, or a weapon that does a large amount of damage with a single shot. So a Mad Dog has to continually wear you down and hope to outlast you. Or a MD will sometimes attack a mech in battle with a third and try to steal the kill. It does have a single Autocannon, but unless its upgraded, you won't have to worry about the Autocannons knockdown ability. However, just as with the Vulture, four or so shots and they'll be down for the count. Mad Dogs leave behind Energy and all- important Missile power-ups. Just remember to use your chaff as fast as it recharges and the difficulty of this encounter should be significantly less. The Uziel is another mech that I use personally. The Uziel is as fast as the Mad Dog, with dual PPCs being its main weapon, and carrying a single MG and Crossbow. However the Uziel as well as its variant the Belial have the weakest Armor in their class. The Uziel comes in at 3,214 points of Armor. Weak armor aside, the Uziel really shines as a moderately fast mech with excellent mobility doe to JumpJets, as well as packing quite a punch from its dual PPCs. The main tactic here is quite similar to the techniques used against the Mad Cat. Don't engage Uziels at long range over open ground. You have to get close enough to bring your weapons to bear. A smart Uziel pilot will try to get in a few PPC shots before you know he's there. Uziels can also run hit-and-run tactics that can be very effective. Uziel pilots will also use cover if they can, since the Uziel can't take a huge beating like other mechs in its class. So you have to keep in mind that you'll have to chase this guy down while he hides and snipes. The Uziel's use of cover and obstacles can be of help to you however. If you can get close to an Uziel, the very cover he's been using to hide from you becomes obstacles that make it harder for him to avoid your shots. The Uziel's chaff doesn't work on your missiles, and you have enough Armor to take a few shots if that's what it takes to run an Uziel down. Depending on whether o not you used Lasers to hit him from long range before engaging in close combat, an Uziel will go down in 4-5 shots. If your Hammers are at level 3, then 2 shots should have him inches away from core breach. You can then easily polish him off with Machine Guns. Uziels only leave Energy power- ups, so unless an Uziel is attacking you flat out, you may want to choose another target, preferably one that drops missiles. The Belial is a true "sniper's mech", mounting dual Gauss Rifles as a primary weapon, the Belial's mobility and ability to hit you from across the map with dead accuracy can make it a difficult mech to handle. It also has a single Pulse Laser and Crossbow missile as backup. A smart Belial pilot will do his best to stay far, far away from you until you are either crippled or on the verge of death, at which point he'll close in to make the kill and take the salvage. There is really no way you can slug it out with a Belial at long range and hope to win. You have to close the distance and force close combat. A Belial's Gauss Rifles can also knock you down and leave you vulnerable, especially at higher levels. The only weakness of the Gauss Rifle is that although the slugs are extremely fast and accurate, they really can't adjust to home in on you once they've been fired due to the speed of the shot. Your best bet is to move erratically from side to side in a diagonal pattern, throwing random bursts from your jumpjets into the mix. Sudden, erratic movement can cause the Gauss slugs to miss. You won't make him miss very often, but each shot you dodge means you get that much close without damage, and he has to wait for the Rifle to recharge. Once in close, you should be able to kill a Belial with the same tactics as the Uziel. You'll have less of a problem with Belials if you play on maps with plenty of cover and lots of obstacles like Icepack or Hell's Kitchen. Maps like these force the Belial to come in closer than he would normally like just so that he can get a clear shot at his target. Belials leave Ballistic ammo. -Light-Class Mechs include: Cougar Puma Owens Hackman Uller Kit Fox Raven Corvus The Cougar is a perfect example of a middle-of-the-road mech. It's not bad, it just doesn't excel in any area. It has a really good speed of 32, but an Armor value of only 2,714. Its weapons package consists of dual Javelins, dual Pulse Lasers and a single Autocannon. Unfortunately, it lacks a defensive weapon, and none of its weapons are really dangerous by themselves. It does have good speed and JumpJets, but remains difficult to use efficiently. 3 shots from your Hammers should break this mech wide open. It also miraculously drops Missiles, which make it a prime target. No great weapons plus easy to kill equals a walking power-up container, at least in my book. The Puma is another story. This is a mech that can actually cause some trouble. It carries dual Machine Guns, dual Crossbow Missiles and a single PPC. It has the same speed and armor as the Cougar, but it has a defensive weapon: Nullsig. The PPC also makes a big difference in the threat level of a Puma. A Puma can activate Nullsig and disappear from radar as well as cloak visually. This enables it to move around almost completely undetectable until the Nullsig wears off. The PPC can also be used as a killing weapon after you get worn down by the other weapons. The Puma can also play long-range, using its speed and Nullsig to dodge attacks and stay away. The PPC isn't a bad sniping weapon either. Pumas can also get in close and dance around avoiding fire while spraying your with fire from their Machine Guns and Crossbows. You'll want to get in close and kill these guys quick if they begin sniping you from afar. Beware of the Puma hiding and using Nullsig to escape from the battle. If it goes completely invisible on you, try to spray the area with MG fire to flush them out. They aren't a huge problem if you keep an eye out for them. They drop Energy power-ups. The Owens and the Hackman belong to the "chicken mech" family of MechAssault. The name refers to their ostrich-like form and birdlike profile. The Owens can be extremely annoying in the right hands. With a top speed of 36, it is the fastest mech in the game. Also the Owens mounts Target Jamming as a defense, and loves to run circles around larger mechs while continually dishing out damage with its dual Machine Guns and Crossbows. This weapon combination means that the Owens will almost never overheat. And its sheer speed means that the Owens is a master of the power-up steal, dashing into an explosion, getting the salvage and getting away long before other mechs can get there. If they get powered-up the Owens can steal kills very effectively as well as doing decent amounts of damage. In combat an Owens will often get in close, activate Target Jamming and attempt to circle strafe while cycling its weapons. Your best counter is either to backpedal, and force the Owens to more or less chase you, so you can hit it with Hammers as it tries to get behind you. Alternatively, you can begin circle strafing yourself and throw Hammers into its path. Unfortunately, the Owens' speed means that unless you are consistent with Hammer timing or your Hammers are powered up, the Owens will dodge several of your shots. The Owens has an Armor value of 2,946. Not great, but surprisingly enough it has the best armor of all the Light mechs. You can kill an Owens with 4 or so shots. The task is just made more difficult by its Target Jamming. Also, don't forget to deploy chaff every time the Owens switches to missiles. Lastly, the Owens leaves behind no weapon upgrades, only Armor salvage. The Hackman can be just as effective as the Owens. It mounts a Gauss Rifle instead of Machine Guns, and Nullsig in place of Target Jamming. In all other respects it is identical to the Owens. The Gauss Rifle however can pack a decent punch, with a possible knockdown at higher levels. This makes the Hackman slightly more dangerous as it can continuously shoot Crossbows while the Gauss Rifle recharges. Your chaff is just as effective against the Hackman. Also, the Hackman needs to get in relatively close to be effective. Your Hammers still pack a punch four times that of its single Gauss and its Nullsig is not as useful against you. Also, when you chaff and force the Hackman to use the Gauss Rifles, he's stuck with the relatively long recharge time between shots. In contrast, Hammers can be launched almost every two seconds. Use the same tactics on the Hackman that you did with the Owens and you should do alright. Hackman mechs leave behind Ballistic upgrades. Remember though that with both the Owens and Hackman, if you miss too many times with those Hammers, they'll be able to put quite a bit of damage on you before you actually manage to kill them. The Uller is the possibly the most underpowered mech in the game hands down. Scorned by many players because of its weak weapons and armor, the Uller has a tough time surviving, much less actually winning battles. It's armed with dual Lasers and Crossbows, and with Chaff as a defensive weapon. Aside from its speed, the third best in the game at 32 it really excels in no other areas. Ullers are easy to kill, their armor being second weakest in the game, stronger than only the Corvus and Raven. Its armor value is 2,714. Since it lacks either a good weapon, or an effective defense, the Uller ends up being an easy kill. You should have no trouble disposing of these guys. They only drop Armor, no weapon upgrades, so they may not be worth your time. The Kit Fox is one of my personal favorites in this game. Built on the same chassis as an Uller, the Kit Fox shares its variants' armor and speed values but the similarity ends there. It mounts a single Pulse Laser and a single Hammer missile. Combine this Hammer with its speed and Nullsig defense, and that means the Kit Fox can stay off your radar and totally invisible until it plants a Hammer into your side and steals the salvage before the smoke clears. Good Kit Fox pilots stay out of direct battle until they can power-up their Hammer, and stay cloaked as much as possible. Then the Kit Fox swoops in and finishes off the most injured mech in a firefight, often taking the kill and the salvage in the process. Even though it only has one Hammer launcher, even single powered-up Hammers do good damage, and its speed and Nullsig mean that it can plant a couple of Hammers and wipe out half your powerbar before you realize he's there. Try to take these guys out every chance you get, you certainly don't want one of these cloaked behind you, they can be a major headache. Four shots ought to do the job, remember to compensate for its speed and lead your shots a little. These guys leave Energy salvage, which isn't what you really need, but it's a good idea to take out Kit Foxes when you can before they hurt you, or steal the Missile power-up you do need. NOTE: Combat tactics for the Raven and Corvus may not be completely comprehensive since they are they newest mechs made available only recently through MA's Downloadable Content Option. Since I am not yet as familiar with them as I am with the old mechs, I will post only what info and tactics I currently have on them. Thanks. The Raven is part of the first DLC package of new maps and mechs. New additions to the "chicken mech" family, the Raven and Corvus seem to be built from the ground up as a flag- runner for the upcoming Capture The Flag gametype. As such, the Raven is built for speed and stealth. Its speed clocks in at 34, the second fastest in the game. The real kicker with the Raven and its variant is that its defensive specials last TWICE as long. The Raven mounts Nullsig that lasts for a full 60 seconds as opposed to the default 30, and it recharges in 15 seconds. The weapons on the Raven are pretty balanced, if a little on the weak side. It mounts dual Machine Guns, single Laser and a single Crossbow missile. It does lack Jumpjets, and has the weakest armor in the game at only 2,640. Raven's aren't a major threat in Destruction owing to their relatively weak weapons. But its speed makes it ideal for stealing power-ups and annoyance tactics as it can outrun and outstrafe almost any other mech in the game. Not to mention it can hide quite effectively owing to its Nullsig. Unfortunately for the Raven, almost all its weapons give away its position almost immediately, even while cloaked. 3 Hammer shots should leave it on the verge of core breach. Just remember to keep it in front of you at all times by strafing or backpedaling so it doesn't get a chance to get behind you. The Raven leaves behind no weapon upgrades, only Armor. The Corvus mounts Target Jamming instead of Nullsig. Like the Raven, its Target Jamming lasts twice as long at 14 seconds. It recharges in 15 seconds. Unlike it's brother, the Corvus lacks a third weapon, carrying only dual Pulse Lasers and a single Autocannon. Like the Raven, the Corvus excels at annoyance and upgrade stealing. And its Target Jamming means it can get a lot of shots in before your weapons can lock on. Fortunately, Hammers don't rely on target lock. Use the same tactics as on the Owens with regard to timing and leading your shots and you should be fine. The Corvus does mount Jumpjets so be on the lookout for that. It does even less damage than the Raven with its dual Pulse Lasers, and its Autocannon is only a danger at higher levels. Keep moving, and place your shots and you should be fine. The Corvus leaves Ballistic upgrades in addition to Armor. -Maps As I've said before in my Uziel Strategy Guide, map knowledge is one of the most important tools in your arsenal. Knowledge of the map, how to use the terrain, where the powerups spawn, and so forth adds immeasurably to your combat effectiveness. Running through the maps randomly doesn't really help you get kills. And knowing for example where the land bridges are to collapse them on an opponent, or good areas that are easy to defend and provide good cover gives you an edge over players who blunder through the maps guns blazing. -Colosseum: The Colossuem is easily one of the most popular maps in the game. Your Bowman has the chance to excel in this map, as power-ups are relatively common. Power-ups spawn on the plateau on either side of the bridge, as well as directly under the bridge. You can also find power-ups in the deep ends of each ravine. You'll want to check for power-ups at the closest of the above locations every time you come out of the chambers set around the edge of the map. With any luck you'll be at level 3 Hammers in a matter of seconds. The map is essentially circular, with the plateaus on each side, with the bridge smack in the middle. The ravines run parallel to the bridge on either side. Use the plateaus for cover as well as a sniper spot. Don't forget that you can jumpjet over the obstacles and get directly to the other side of the map while ground-based maps are stuck taking the long way around. Also, if you can herd a mech without jumpjets into the deep ends of the ravines, they are stuck with only one way out while you can shoot down at them, just backing away when they fire back so that their shots hit the sides of the ravines. Don't sit right next to the flame towers, while they make good cover, being too close raises your heat pretty fast, and before you know it you're overheated and can't fire. Use the variations in terrain like the ravines and plateaus as cover to protect you while you make your way to your opponent and engage in close combat. -Frosty: This Map is essentially a deep, wide corridor going around a central hill. There are several large hills in this map, a few of them linked by ice bridges, which are great to shoot down on an unsuspecting opponent's head. Powerups spawn on the tops of the hills on a fairly regular basis. There is a path leading up to the top of the central hill, but some of the other hills can only be reached by jump jets. It doesn't snow here like it does on Icepack, giving you pretty good visibility. The hilltops are great for sniping slower mechs below, but watch out for enemies spawning on other hilltops with a clear shot at you. You can herd opponents pretty effectively against the sides of the hills, and with any luck you can get powered up before you engage. -Hell's Kitchen: One of the new maps made available through DLC, Hell's Kitchen is actually a pretty fun map to play on. There is a lot of lava in this area, as well as multiple fuel pumps, generators and power cells. There is raised terrain at each end of the map, with buildings scattered about. The center of the map has a large lava pool with a small island in the center. Fuel pumps are set in a circular pattern around the lava pool, which also has huge spiderlike pumping stations raised above it. There are multiple valleys and canyons set into the sides of the map, which make great places to hide. Power-ups spawn in the island in the middle, and in a few corners around the sides of the map. The fuel pumps explode when fired upon, doing a pretty good chunk of damage to anything in the surrounding area. You can also collapse the pumping stations, it'll just take a good amount of ammo. -Icepack: The layout of Icepack lends itself well to close combat and hit-and-run techniques. The whole map is bordered by a high rock shelf that makes a great sniping point. The interior of the map is strewn with multiple hills, mountains and valleys. A thick sheet of ice covers the many pools of water placed in the middle. The snow here can obscure your view at long ranges, but it actually helps your cooldown rate slightly. There isn't a lot of open ground here, which makes it ideal for your type of combat. Power-up spawns are almost non-existent here, as I have yet to actually find one! The hilly terrain can be used to shield yourself from an opponent on the other side, or you can jet over the hills to surprise a ground-based mech on the other side. The ice can be shot out from underfoot, which makes it a great trap for non-flying mechs. Without jumpjets, big mechs are stuck in the water until they shoot a path out back to solid ground. Take advantage of their temporary inability to dodge and punish them with Hammers if they fall into the water. Also, the valleys between the hills don't give a lot of room to move, so you can engage here at will, ensuring your opponent will have a hard time dodging your Hammer blast. -Junkyard: The main geographical feature here is the huge plateau that stands in the very middle of the map. No less than five power-up spawns are located here alone, one on each corner and one in the middle. Power-ups also spawn on the small hills that sit at the four corners of the map. The Bowman here is completely in its element. Lot's of power-ups plus a map that is based on med-close range combat and you can see how easy it for the Bowman to run this map. Ground-based mechs are stuck using the two paths that lead up the plateau, while you can simply jump up the side. There is a lot of destructible piles of trash and wreckage here that can be used as temporary cover, but the terrain itself is rugged and uneven, which can help when dodging fire. Also, there are a few dried oil patches that sit around the map, if you can herd an opponent onto this patch, you can blow it up from under them, doing massive damage to him in the process. After every respawn, check your surroundings for any power-ups. Since there can be as many as 9 upgrades spawning at once, you stand a pretty good chance of upgrading your weapons almost immediately even before your next encounter. -Number 51: Number 51 is made of two main areas; a long flat airstrip, and a smaller industrial zone. These areas are separated by a large volcano, complete with lava-filed crater. On either side of the volcano between the two main zones, there is slightly hilly terrain, with small lava pits in each. One side has a land bridge connecting the volcano to the hill at one end of the airstrip, as well as a large rock balanced on a small base, which will also collapse if shot at. The other side has more uneven terrain and a small hill next to the lava. The volcano can be climbed on one side by jump jetting up, while there is a path leading to the top on the industrial side. The only powerup on this map spawns on the level ground beside the crater on top of the volcano. Right beside the path leading up the volcano are two smaller volcanic hills which also explode when shot at, handy for surprising enemy mechs standing on or near them. The industrial zone has small generator lines that also can be destroyed, damaging whoever is near them, as well as a large generator which can be used for the same thing. If caught in a fight on top of the volcano against a non-jumping mech, try to herd them into falling into the crater, where they will continually take damage and die, or get them near the small lava hill right next to the crater, and try to blow up the hill, and have them take a good amount of damage from the explosion. -River City: River City: I almost never play on this map. It is the most played map in the game hands down. The map itself is bisected by a river that divides the map into two parts, the main part about twice the size of the smaller city. The river is crossed by three smaller bridges that can be shot out, or run under by smaller mechs. The main reason I don't play this map is because all cover provided by the buildings is completely gone after about three minutes of battle. After that, it becomes a mindless shootout, with everybody firing homing weapons across the now flat map from spawn point. The reason I never play here is because there is little to no cover, and the balance of the game swings heavily towards heavier mechs with long range weapons like the Mad Cat. I really can't give tactics for this level. -Stone Cold: The second of the new maps available for download, Stone Cold shares many similarities to River City. Like Icepack, a raised rock shelf encircles the central plain along its circumference. The shelf is broken by a few gullies and cliffs. Power-ups spawn on the shelf as well. The central plain has some slight variation in terrain but is mostly flat. A large ice hill stands in the center, with up to four power-ups spawning around it. Smaller ice columns are placed randomly along the sides of the map. The central hill can be used for cover, but after it's destroyed, prepare for a large open shootout. The trees on the shelf can also be used for temporary cover as they will absorb a shot or two before falling. The many power-ups in this map as well as its open layout can really present problems for the mostly short-ranged Bowman. Your best bet would be to find upgrades quickly and making the most out of what cover there is before it's gone. You can still get a lot of kills here, you'll just die more than usual from snipers. -Gametypes: Destruction: For all related strategy, refer to the general tactics section above. -Team Destruction: there really isn't much else different about tactics in Destruction and Team Destruction. The main variable in TD will be how effectively you can coordinate with teammates. Remember to communicate, and to share powerups. Unless you are close to death, always try to leave armor salvage for more injured teammates, and to take only the weapon upgrades you need. Take only missile power-ups for example, and leave the Energy for the Uziels and Mad Cats on your team. Of course, if you are the closest person to the salvage, and you have no teammates nearby with an opponent about to take the salvage, better that you take the salvage instead of the opposing player. The other half of TD is etiquette, like not claiming that a teammate stole your kill. It's TEAM Destruction after all. One kill is as good as another, so long as it's a kill for your team. The Bowman makes a good front-line attacker, as long as you are backed up with your teammates taking out mechs that are sniping while you dish out the punishment in-close. Team strategy only begins to come through if you play with the same people, and get to learn their styles of play. To this end, you might try playing regular Team Destruction games with people on your friends list, and eventually find a regular team. Last Man Standing Team Last Man Standing: Again I don't play either of these gametypes, so I'm really not qualified to give tips on them. Not It!: Not It: once again, a question of etiquette. Don't shoot somebody if they are not IT and please refrain from noob remarks like you stole my kill. In all other situations Not It can be one of the most fun variations of the game. Shoot the guy with the arrow over his head. When you are it, kill someone as quickly as you can before all the other players kill you. Real Simple. Don't shoot someone if they are not it, if you do accidentally, apologize and let him know it was an accident. Credits: All Stat information was taken from Shadow Panther's MA Mech and Weapon Stats spreadsheet found here: http://members.aol.com/shdwpnthr/stats.htm END OF FILE...