Tactics Improvement Pre-Thread

[Brutus Aurelius]

Apr 12, 2017 12:08:31 GMT -5 En1gma said:

Brutus Aurelius -- The final Templar for this compilation is the Neptune, so I leave it in your capable Gauntlets. No rush, there's still a ton of work to be done, and I'm eager to see what you come up with.

Sorry for not posting. I've been busy with school work. I will start ASAP.

[En1gma]

Like I said-- no rush. There's a list a mile long to get through and the in-depths are only one portion. I appreciate ANY amount of work you want to put in, and I know you're the authority on the Neptune, so I'm sure it will be stellar.

[Brutus Aurelius]

Neptunes: Unstoppable Firepower
Neptune Troopers exemplify pure firepower, more so than Soldiers. They are typically slower than other Templars, due to their heavier mechs and MP consuming attacks. They must place themselves carefully before unleasing their full firepower, as most of their main attack Talents will consume all remaining MP when used. This means that they must manage Heat carefully, as unchecked, it can quickly cause overheating to the point of shutdown.

Weaknesses:
The main weaknesses of the Neptunes are their slower movement due to heavy armor and high MP consumption, and quick overheating due to lack of unused MP and high Heat Talents. If left unchecked, they are quick to overheat and shut down. Higher level Leviathan Repeaters also have trade offs between more Damage and higher Penetration, and choices need to be made to compliment the Battleforce's abilities.

Strengths:
Neptunes are masters of heavy hitting across multiple targets. Their main attack, Full Auto, can hit more targets for more damage than Burst Fire from a similarly leveled Soldier. Other Talents of theirs make the most of hitting multiple targets and debuffing them, while providing additional Accuracy dice or venting large amounts of Heat. The Neptune is also the only Templar that can use Overwatch, besides the Soldier, giving them powerful defensive applications.

Roles:
Neptunes can be optimized for a number of roles, and they excel at chewing through large groups of enemies very quickly.

Squad Support: Neptunes in this role focus on mitigating their speed loss and Heat gain with lighter Armor. This allows them to more easily keep up with their Battleforce, meaning that they can avoide getting left behind and surrounded by Xeno.

This role should focus on these Talents:

• Deadly Burst: This allows the Neptune to continue to move after firing, if they have MP left. It also hits up to 3 targets, similar to Burst Fire.
  
• Stabilize Platform: This Buff gives the Neptune extra Accuracy dice, Crit %, and Damage. For this role, it is critical for letting the Neptune take advantage of every shot in their reduced spread. 
• Concentratred Fire: This gives the Neptune a heavy hitting, single target burst with large Damage bonuses. It is the Neptune's answer to Shredding Fire, with heavier damage, at the cost of only hitting one target.

Recomended Equipment:

Use Armor Coatings that beef up Armor, as the lighter Gunnery Armor doesn't have as much protective capability as its heavier cousins. Weapon Mods should focus on Accuracy and Penetration to make the most of their limited attack spreads.  A good Guantlet with higher Parry and Autoblock can aid in melee defense when the Xeno finaly get in close.

Defensive Bulwark:

In this role, the Neptune is optimized for defense of a small area or avenue of approach. It sacrifices mobility for impressive defensive and AoE capability, and uses heavier armor for better Heat control and for when the Xeno occasionally make it through the repeated barrages of firepower.

This role should focus on:

• Full Auto: The damage boost isn't as high as Concentrated Fire, but it hits up to 6 targets at higher levels. It allows the Neptune to pump out heavy damage to multiple targets at medium range.
  
• Supressing Fire: This wonderful Talent is both an AoE attack and a heavy hitting debuff, reducing enemy MP and Dodge, making it both harder for them to approach and easier for others to target. It is great in conjunction with other Neptunes, Soldiers or Turrets on the defensive. At higher levels, it can debuff up to 13 enemies with one attack!
  
• Full-Vent: This Talent allows for the venting of progressively larger amounts of Heat, at the cost of MP and various defensive scores. The lost MP is actually another boon, as it causes Heat to dissapate faster while Full Vent is active. Don't worry about the defensive penalties as much, becasue Overwatch and Supressing Fire will keep most Xeno away from melee range.
  

Recommended Equipment:

Focus on Weapon mods that add Damage and Penetration, to eliminate as many Xeno from a horde as quickly as possible. Every dead Xeno is one less Overwatch shot needed, and one less that can attack a Tactical Point or squadmate. Armor Coatings should focus on Max Heat increases, or Armor boosts to offset Full Vent's penalties. Heavy Gunnery Armor is best, as it has higher Deflection and Armor, while giving faster cooling via -MP. Pick the Leviathan Repeaters that give higher base damage, as most swarms are composed of Scitterings, Brood Mothers, and Hunters, whose armor can be overwhelmed via pure damage.

Summary:

Overall, Neptunes are heavier hitters than their Soldier counterparts, at the cost of their mobility and much higher Heat generation. They work best with other Soldiers or Engineers on the defense, especially those Engineers that can lay down Turrets to aid in the defense, while helping to sink Heat when the going gets hectic. They also have on of the best AoE debuffs in the game, reducing the MP of entire crowds of Xeno while making them easier to hit for other Templars. They can also deal heavy damage to single targets or small groups of targets, acting in a similar role to Soldiers.

[En1gma]

Added everything but the Berserker section to the main thread, which I'll get to later (Needs restructure and more content), but definitely chugging away at the list of content!! Major thanks to havnor , Brutus Aurelius , and johndramey for their help in collaborating for the In-Depths. I did edit and restructure slightly for consistency with the others in the Roster, but I kept the text and everything else true to how you wrote it.

If anyone has any section they want to do or feel like they know enough about any of the sections to provide some insight, now is the time!

[contributor]

This is a write-up for a battle field tactic rather than a unit.

Tactic: Total Flamer Defense

Summary:
This is a very simple tactic but if you're not using it your missing out on a major synergy between your Hydra and Over Watch units. It is a great way to defend anything so long as you don't need to later advance through your fields of fire. As such, it is ideal for TPs, retreats or any situation where you simply need to hold a position or block a hallway. It is illustrated in the picture below which was taken on Ironman Hell difficulty and where the three units (Hydra, Soldier and Turret) held a TP against two major attack vectors and probably killed around 200 xeno in 74 turns, without having to worry about overheating. The tactic basically consists of forcing oncoming enemies to march through a field of Napalm and then finishing them off with OW. In the image below Orange Xs represent ideal placements to target your napalm cloud.



Considerations: 
Obviously this works best on very narrow attack vectors. Anywhere you can bottleneck the enemy or strategically place your templars to draw them through a relatively narrow field this can work. Ideally the napalm field will be placed further from the defended area and the OW zone will be placed closer to it, behind the napalm field. In the upper napalm field it is easy to see the strategic importance of where the field is targeted. It is ideally placed to ensure xenos must march through the maximum amount of flamed squares before encountering the OW zone. Obviously bringing the napalm talent up to the largest AOE increases the effectiveness of the tactic, also selecting incinerators with the highest fire damage is important, because it is really the intensity of the flames which is dealing the greatest damage. It is tempting but pointless to place the OW zones further out into the napalm fields. Ideally it is best to place them completely on the close side of the field if possible, giving the flames the maximum amount of opportunity to kill the approaching enemy. Also, done well, this can be done with relatively weak OW providers. In the above image, the turret was only level 3, while my Captain was level 23 on Ironman Hell. Yet the turret was easily capable of finishing off the weakened attackers. Ideally I would have set this up with two level 3 turrets, freeing my soldier to assist the main contingent of Templars.

Weaknesses:
Again this is best when you do not later need to advance through your napalm fields. It can easily result in Templars getting locked into a position and not free to complete other tasks later. Done well you really want to use your 2nd string gunners or turrets. On a long mission this also works best when your Hydra is near a TP for napalm resupplies. If they are far from a TP you could face the dangerous situation of running out of napalm and having an isolated group, incapable of defending without it.

Variations:
Because many levels don't last long and a good napalm cloud can last for upwards of 10 turns, this can be used with a one-time application of the napalm. The Hydra can then continue on leaving a lone turret or gunner to finish the level. It can also be used on a larger scale. One Hydra can easily provide napalm for a much larger defensive perimeter than the one above, provided they are leveled up enough.

[En1gma]

ranokin this is where I would prefer comments on the other thread, if you don't mind

Thank you for posting in the other one, and it's certainly a work in progress. I've been super bogged down IRL so it dropped off while I replay the game on an even harder difficulty than I'm used to just for my own testing purposes.

Cory Trese feel free to delete the one in the other thread now that I've replied to our newcomer

[En1gma]

Berserker: Close Quarters Specialist and Unbreakable Wall.
    Commanders looking for a pure tank with stellar damage output should look no further.

Strengths:
--Capable of amassing an insane amount of Auto-Block, Berserks are able to turn aside massive numbers of attacks per turn, when this is combined with the late game unlimited Counter-Attack abilities, a Berserk can lay waste to multiple Xeno every turn.'.
--Berserkers possess the most fearsome grenades in the game. Grenades typically cover only nine squares in a ring around the target-- Berserk Assault Grenades begin with a 13 block diamond and cover far more ground than any comparable grenade. They may not come with frilly bonuses like -MP, but by virtue of their blast radius and the later Relic unlock Roavin Detonator (makes every grenade thrown auto-Penetrate enemy armor), they can demolish entire swaths of enemy forces to clear the way.
--Early and cheap Area of Effect in Unbalancing Blows 3+. This powerful strike hits enemies in a 5-Cross pattern and if it lands will strip valuable MP, AP, and large amounts of Accuracy (resulting in more blocks and consequent Counter-Attacks).
--Amazing Self buffs meant to shore up any need you may have.
1) Indomitable Defense provides Counter-Attack opportunities
2) Warding Shield increases Auto-Block, Parry, and Armor.
3) Uncapped Fury provides massive attack bonuses at the cost of your Parry and the defense it provides. This ability comes stock with a very minor self-heal component , and only costs 1 AP so if the +12 Heat per use is acceptable, this could very well get you out of nasty situations.
4) Battle Lock allows you to sacrifice mobility in order to provide gargantuan bonuses across the board. Provides Melee Accuracy, Damage, and Armor bonuses. One note here... the mobility debuff is severe, so only activate this ability in order to hold your ground and let your teammates heal up and cool down.

Weaknesses:
--Close Quarters Combat only means that unless you are investing heavily in Assault Grenades, you will need to force your Berserks into dangerous positions in order to deal damage.
--Low level Berserks are cannon fodder. They take EXPERT tactics to keep them alive, and must be kept safe in order to accrue the experience needed to become the killing machines of middle and late game. If you want to use Berserks, you must invest early in the game and recruit and USE THEM immediately. Your hard work will pay off, have no fear, but it IS hard work.
--They will often be forced into extremely high Heat levels, forcing you to choose between Fortitude and Willpower. This is a difficult choice for certain, but keep Willpower 2-3 points behind Fortitude and you should have enough balance to see you through.
--Much of their equipment is exclusive, meaning that most of your RP spent on their tree will be used only by the Berserks. Axes, Expert-Procs, and several Relics are Berserk only, and most of the other gear is usable only be the Berserks and Paladins.

Most Useful Talents:
--Unbalancing blows 3 is at the core of every Berserk class Templar. At a Heat cost of 3 per swing it is the cheapest melee AoE in the game, and packs some potent debuffs to go with it.
--Uncapped Fury allows your Berserk to Heal on the fly, and gives you the punch you need to make an escape. This ability may be best used in a manner similar to the Neptune's Full Vent, where you use it several times in a row in order to get the most benefit.
--Wrathful Defense allows you to send your Auto-Block through the roof, and gives your Dual Wield Berserks an insanely powerful way to counter enemy attacks, potentially holding an entire flank or assault force single handed.
--Warding Shield provides Shield Berserks with fantastic Auto-Block percentages, and should be used on any Berserk holding a Shield.

Least Useful Talents:
--Kill Strike. For all the delicious AoE damage you could be doing, an expensive single target attack just doesn't cut it IMO. 
--Berserk Slash makes this list, but only if you aren't building your Battleforce to capitalize on Crit boosting. Low accuracy means this is an expensive talent with no guarantee of connecting. If you want it, use it, but make sure it has synergy with your overall strategy.
--Battle-lock also makes this list, though it is extremely helpful for allowing your Battleforce to regather strength to make another assault. Many Berserk Armors lower MP in order to provide tougher front line defenses, so using this talent would grind your progress through the level to a standstill. Rallying Charge and Pressing Need can mitigate this however, so keep this in mind as you build your Squad.

How to use the Berserk: CAREFULLY, but they can be one of the most brutal offensive presences on the battlefield. A Berserk is only as good as their backup. Berserks NEED TO BE ONE HIT KILLING. If they need to spend an entire turn attacking only one enemy and not an entire crowd, you should just use a Paladin.
--Pairing them with a Scout with Crippling Fire allows the Berserk to approach a slowed enemy on their own terms to make a kill, allowing them to continue the advance and make precision kills. Pairing them with a Suppressing Fire Neptune is arguably the best option however, as Suppressing Fire affects a massive section of enemies, allowing the Berserk to wade in and wreak havoc, preferably backed up by a Headshot Sniper, Concentrated Fire from the Neptune, or your Ranged Captain to clean up the mess. They should always take a point or two in Assault Grenades early so they have a ranged option. Hydra can also fill this role, giving the Xeno a firestorm to wade through, only to meet an immovable Berserk and a razor sharp axe on the other side of the inferno.
--Overwatch is another stellar combination, and it allows you to use a Phalanx style offense/defense. Shield Paladin/Captain plus Shield/Wrathful Defense Berserk provides your front line, while a Neptune/Soldier/Turret provides a means to weaken/slow the advancing Xeno Should they decide to wade through the OW field and attempt an attack on the shield wall, they become easy targets for your melee Templars.
--Brute force is a somewhat reckless, yet viable style for Berserks. The goal is to wade the Berserk and another Melee Templar (Paladin for backup healing or Captain works well to provide support) directly into Xeno lines, attempting to line up 3 or more enemies for an Unbalancing Blows AoE attack or two, then lobbing a grenade in the center of the largest concentration of surviving Xeno. Snipers, ranged AoE from Soldiers/Neptunes, and follow-up grenades from Soldiers or your Captain are normally sufficient to wipe the entire board clear. Just make sure to leave enough AP for Overwatch to cover the next wave of incoming Xeno/Cultists, as your lines will likely be fragmented and vulnerable. 

[En1gma]

Sorry about the delays in putting this together! Been changing jobs and running through Battleforce on Nightmare to have some first-hand experience for the concepts I want to include. I will be working on this more now that my schedule is opening up and my Nightmare campaign is coming to a close.

Looking for people who have experience with New Game+, as I'm not dropping the difficulty and this will be my first time playing through it.

Also happy to announce that with the destruction of the Hive Mind, I beat my first ever Trese Brothers game I've always had a bad habit of restarting to do it better and I finally did it.

[En1gma]

Optimizing Templar Builds

There are many ways to play this game. As stated before, I don't claim to know everything, but I do know that the way I play results in a very comfortable play through, with very few instances of panic or existential dread. They're there, but they become manageable with thoughtful play and a firm knowledge in game mechanics. This section will not cover gear choices, this will focus on Attribute/Skill concepts and Talent levels and choices.

This being said, there are a few aspects to the base of your entire tactics mentality that make an entire world of difference to survival, and this begins from the ground up: How You Build Your Templars. The common train of thought is to raise weapon accuracy through Attributes such as Strength and Quickness. I tell you from experience, having Alpha tested this game and played it very often many different ways, the BEST WAY (IMO) TO SURVIVE IS TO RAISE FORTITUDE AND WILLPOWER EXCLUSIVELY. You will gain more than enough accuracy via your chosen Weapons and Attack Talents to connect, making any investment in Strength or Quickness is a waste. The other way we will raise Weapon Accuracy will be through our Skills, be it Gunnery, Grenades, or Warrior.

For my standard Captain build (for example), I raise Fortitude a few points higher than Willpower, then alternate until Fortitude is maxed out. My highest captain Melchior, for a Sword/Pistol setup at level 20 has 15 Fortitude and 10 Willpower. No other points have been spent on Focus, Strength, or Quickness. He doesn't need it. For Skills he has 6 Gunnery, 16 Warrior (Maxed), 6 Tactics (For group Buffs only), and 4 Grenades. He never (95-99% accuracy I'd say) misses on Nightmare.

Almost ALL of my Templars, with the exception of Engineers, are built this way: Fortitude and Willpower ONLY, with maxed out Weapon Skill and 6 Tactics (should they be using Group Buffs that is, otherwise back to weapon accuracy). Now allow me to explain the rationale.
--IMO, the biggest danger you face on higher difficulties will ALWAYS be incoming damage. Your job is to mitigate it at every turn. Since Heat dispersal is drastically reduced on these difficulties, Heat damage will ALWAYS BE AN ISSUE AND IT WILL KILL YOUR TEMPLARS! Expect to TAKE Heat Damage. Every Templar must have enough HP to spare for the inevitable Overheat and neglecting Willpower will mean you take dozens of HP damage per turn. Aside from the ever present Xeno closing in on you, Heat damage will be the number one source of damage.
--Imagine the scenario, this just happened to me on the Narvidian Outer Hull in my latest play through: Your Battleforce is spread out over a massive map, overheated to the point of shutdown. You're fighting the Narvs off, but one makes it through and brings Dalan Ortho down to 18 HP. There is no hope for a Paladin to deploy. There is no RP for another Medi-Kit. Should you be in this situation, the ONLY THING TO SAVE YOU IS YOUR WILLPOWER! He made it out with 12 HP and was able to survive for a full 3(!!) turns at Shutdown levels of Heat. Expect this to play out over your own campaign and imagine the anger at losing your best Templars over and over due to Heat Damage.

Engineers I build differently, Fortitude and Willpower are raised 1:1 until Willpower gets around 10, then Fortitude gets the nod. For skills, on your Turret Engineers (they should ALL be Turret Engineers, honestly) your Gunnery and Engineer Skills should be raised in lockstep.
Engineer run much hotter than your other Templars, and should ALWAYS invest in gear that raises your Total Heat level (the Cyclone Reactor should be purchased IMMEDIATELY and given to your best Engineer).

The Scout is another exception. Same concept as the Engineer in terms of Fortitude and Willpower, 1:1. Since you should have Overdrive 3 (my limit until late game), and Rallying Charge (You ARE using Rallying Charge, RIGHT?!), you will have no less than 11 Movement Points to use, more if your Captain is buffing MP as well. This  results in a gargantuan amount of Heat being generated in any given turn, and I have had Scouts at critical Heat levels by turn 4-5. Having a high Willpower allows this fragile Templar to operate for extended periods behind enemy lines without worrying about boiling alive inside their Leviathan. For their Skills, Gunnery and Stealth should be raised together-- Stealth is important for keeping Xeno away from you, and can be aided by Crippling Fire and Bio-Poison weaponry, buying you more time and giving you some space to execute your objective or just burn off some Heat.

****************************

Another aspect to think about when optimizing your Templar builds is your chosen Talents. The worst thing you can do is to allow your Templars to become unfocused in their capabilities. This prevents them from doing any of their needed roles to the best of their abilities, and in the realms of Brutal and above this means they will not have the tools at their disposal that a well planned and highly focused Templar will have in spades.

Look at the talents you have available at your current Requisition level. Some have what I call "Sweet Spots", and perhaps the best example is Rallying Charge. At levels 1-3, Rallying Charge provides +1 MP, and +4/8/12 Damage. But at level 4 it hits its Sweet Spot, giving a powerful +2 MP and +16 Damage. Others include Unbalancing Blows reaching its Area of Effect at level 3, or any time an Engineer's Turret ability upgrades the main gun of the Turret, or when a Grenade Talent gives you another to throw. Look for any point where the Talent gains a SIGNIFICANT boost in its capabilities like this, and either invest all the way to the Sweet Spot, or respec to it once you have enough Talent Points to make use of it. Look at the Templar Breakdown Sections for my suggestions of how to build them all, and use that as a reference for which Talents to look into.

**WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL FINISH LATER**

[En1gma]

Optimizing Gear Choices

The previous section covered the Templar and how they spend their Attribute/Skill/Talent Points. I tried to keep Gear talk for this section, where I will cover the different options and how they will affect your play style.

Of course you are immediately limited by your Gear Level, and will be constricted to Gear which fits into this Level Cap. You will be forced to first decide how to spend your acquired Requisition Points in order to balance Gear, Talent, Ordnance unlocks so that you don't outpace your Level Cap. I'll be going over all this in more detail in the Optimizing Requisition Tree Unlocks section, this is merely a crash course to keep us moving forward.

Since you will be limited via your War Gear Level Allocation, you must decide which gear is most important to unlock and when.

**Major work to be done here... Will Continue as available**

[En1gma]

Captain In-Depth (In Progress)

There are some Templars who follow the commands of those above them. There are more who will never set foot in a Leviathan, their Lineages being better suited for piloting ships, or other vital tasks-- Templars are not only those who fight to protect what remains of humanity. Yet there are some who are born leaders, their Lineages perfectly attuned to know exactly where, when, and how to command others in combat. You are one of these gifted Templars, and it is your sworn duty to execute the will of Templar Command, and defend the fledgling human colonies with your honor. And if need be, your life.

Your Captain is a Blade Pattern Templar Knight, and will carry a Sword into every single mission the game has to offer. In your other hand, you can wield either a mighty Shield, or a deadly Pistol. As you can guess, the Shield will greatly increase your Captain's defensive capabilities, and the Pistol will sacrifice that defense in order to allow your Captain to engage your enemies at range, keeping you out of direct combat until you choose to close the distance. I prefer the latter, though I will try my best to present the differences with as little bias as possible.

The Captain: Driven and Capable Leader
Your squad and every single step they take is under the direct command of you, the Captain. Nothing will happen without your direct order, such is the authority of your position. You MUST remember this at all times, as your squad will rely upon your judgement to see the day.

Weaknesses of the Captain:
The Captain is impeccably balanced, and is capable of filling almost every single role a squad can need. The one thing the Captain lacks is a group buff besides Commander's Confidence. The lack of defensive buffs means that the Captain is only able to increase your team's offensive presence, any defensive buffs must come from elsewhere.

Strengths for the Captain:
There are many, but the ability to lead from the front is always the most visible. Your Captain either needs to lead the way, or protect the most vital flank/front so that your squad is not overwhelmed by the ever encroaching Xeno.
--The most diverse set of attack skills in the game means that your Captain has an answer for everything.
--Powerful Crippling Orders allows the Captain to greatly impact and reduce the defenses of your enemies.
--Every single thing the Captain can do is meant to be the largest piece of the puzzle. Your Captain's choice of gear and Talents will dictate the needs of your squad, so plan accordingly.

Most Useful Talents:
Almost everything in the Captain's arsenal is of great use to your Battleforce. Building a Captain to make use of almost any combination of talents will result in a balanced and powerful commander.
--Slash and Precision Fire are the first vital talents, Slash for melee Captains and Precision Fire for a Pistol wielding Captain.
--Frag Grenades are powerful devices and act as an ace-in-the-hole in sticky situations.
--Bladeweave and Arc Fire are the next important talents. Melee Captains need not worry about Arc Fire, but Ranged Captains should grab at least a point in each. These allow the Captian to have an Area of Effect attack to use against groups of enemies.

Least Useful Talents:
--Denounce and Honing. Expensive, and not where I would recommend putting any points until your Battleforce is on its second run through and has a cohesive strategy that can make use of these excessively niche talents. It's not that they aren't good talents-- they are, it's just that you have far more important things to worry about. For the same Heat investment per attack, you could go with Bladeweave and Arc Fire and have an AoE attack.

How to Use Your Captain:

--Your Captain is the most important tactical asset in the entire Battleforce. There are times where you may be unsure of what to do next, as dismantling an entire Xeno horde seems like an impossible task. First and foremost, your most valuable attacks are your GRENADES. Rush up to a crowd, and throw your grenade(s) in the locations where they will impact the most targets. You don't have to kill them with your grenades, though Skitterings and low health enemies may die outright. They are valuable tools to get enemies to the kill threshold, and any enemy hit will be a much softer target for follow up attacks. Once crowds are damaged and you have cleared the way for your team to advance, move them up! Once your Battleforce has closed distance, using up most or all of their MP before attacking, the Captain can mop up any remaining enemies. Alternatively to this, if you know that there are some enemies that despite your best attempt to neutralize will survive to attack your team the next turn, placing your Captain in a position to intercept them is an excellent strategy.

--Captains are best placed between the xeno and your team, either on the front of the assault or defending the flank or rear. if you have ample Overwatch, or perhaps a defensively oriented Berserk/Paladin to guard the flank, then put your Captain on the front lines where they can do the most damage. Damage is what you do best, so make sure the Captain is cutting down the highest value targets on the battlefield, like Goliaths, Hunters, Carapaces, and other targets that require intense firepower to remove.

--Another of your most important assets are your +MP talents. A well timed buff can mean the difference between ending the level a turn ahead of when you might have finished otherwise. On the difficulties I want you playing on, it's the difference between life and death, or having the RP to buy that important upgrade. Know how far you and your templars can travel, and always try to buff AFTER moving, instead of BEFORE, as the buffs themselves take MP to use. No sense in wasting it when you really need it the most. Using your +MP talent, plus Rallying Charge 4, plus other personal MP buffs like Overdrive can give a Scout more than 11 MP. 11. Yes that's a gargantuan amount of heat. Yes the Scout will take damage. But when you can rush to the objectives at double time or more, you can finish levels before Heat damage becomes a true threat.

***IN PROGRESS***

[En1gma]

Respect the Overwatch. Fear the Overwatch.

[En1gma]

CROWD CONTROL AND HOW TO HANDLE LARGE GROUPS

    As you know, this game can get completely out of hand. Honestly it's one of my favorite parts of the game, and one that I have learned to embrace. You too can learn to handle the overwhelming swarms of Xeno and Narvidians the game can and will amass to stop your team.

    To quote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Don't Panic."
    Once more, and this is important-- "Don't Panic."
    Say it with me-- "Don't Panic"
    Deep breath, one more time: "Don't Panic."

    You are a Templar Knight, and you will not panic. Your team is counting on you to know what to do. Don't. Panic. There is a solution. There's always a solution.

    Your first and best line of defense is knowing exactly where your enemies will spawn, what routes they will use to approach you, and how to stop them from ever getting close. Once identified, there are several tools you can use to your advantage to stem the flow of Xeno.
1) and I cant stress this one enough-- OVERWATCH (OW for short). Overwatch is your number one best friend in this game.

**IN PROGRESS**

[drspendlove]

It would be very nice to copy some of these guides to the Wiki. I've almost written up a page on every class, but they could use a better "tactics" section and probably corrections throughout what I've written. (I still need to write up the page on the Berserk; I'll likely have time later today or tomorrow.) Someone with more experience than I have should be writing the final drafts of the pages.

[Cory Trese]

Aug 3, 2017 11:41:45 GMT -5 drspendlove said:

It would be very nice to copy some of these guides to the Wiki. I've almost written up a page on every class, but they could use a better "tactics" section and probably corrections throughout what I've written. (I still need to write up the page on the Berserk; I'll likely have time later today or tomorrow.) Someone with more experience than I have should be writing the final drafts of the pages.

You are an absolute boss. Everyone click +1 Karma on this dude RIGHT NOW