Tips for a N00B Vanu Infiltrator

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by Kendis, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. Kendis

    Hello,

    I'm a PS2 n00b, having only started playing the game a couple weeks ago. I play a decent amount of PS2 with the friend who got me into the game, and he is dedicated to the Vanu Heavy Assault. Soooooo... Don't Tell Me to Change Factions!

    I've managed to save up enough certs to purchase the full auto Scout Rifle. I've tooled around with it in training and used the trial purchase to fight with it against real people. Mostly I like it and I find it easy to use. Also, I'm a mediocre long-range sniper (both historically in other games and apparently in this game too), though I do decent at mid-range. At this point, I prefer the default semi-auto sniper rifle to the bolt actions I've tried out in training.

    I've read some other threads on this forum and elsewhere and I'm tempted to go for the bolt-action Scout Rifle and an upgraded pistol instead of the full-auto Scout.

    Any thoughts on what kinds of weapons are best? Also, realize that I've just started playing this game and I'm unwilling to spend real money on SC, so don't respond telling me to purchase the uber-weapons because that's not an option for me at this point.

    Thanks!
  2. Stinneyt

    My advice is faction neutral.
    - Unless you are paying a subscription and have certs to spare, spend some time finding the class you like and pile all your certs into that. In my case infiltrator.
    - Cert nano armour and hunter cloaking.
    - Get both proximity mines ASAP. They are incredibly useful.
    - Don't neglect the recon dart. I think its the least appreciated tool in the game.
    - Get the cloak upgrade for the flash. Helps you get into places where you can cause some disruption with a sniper rifle
    - Get the safe eject system for the scythe. Same reason as above.
    - Get an SMG. You wont be disappointed.

    That should get you going.
    • Up x 2
  3. tugernut

    Welcome to the madhouse that is PS2!

    i like the artemis full auto in mid range myself - its slow firing regular damage - but little recoil and pretty accurate - its rubbish in cqc though and no good at long range - so its got a small part in my game play.
    personally i tend to find 95% of my engagements as infiltrator in cqc - for this i have 2 smgs i like.

    if im headed to somewhere - i like the new ns smg - its decent at mid range n cqc
    if im in a base - i like the 2nd gen smg its a monster for cqc teamed with soft point ammo n laser sight

    for long range nothing beats the parralex bolt action while in sniper mode.

    as for vanu and a pistol - imho the only one worth having on the vs is the commissioner - which if bought with certs is account wide ( yes i saw you dont want to spend money ) but all other vanu pistols to me are crap - some people like the underboss too, also can be account wide if bought with SC.

    get the clock n sensor darts up as quickly as possible - they help a ton and BOTH prox mines!!!!!
  4. Mustarde

    Welcome to PS2!

    The 100 cert bolt action for the VS is a worthwhile investment (XM98), even if you prefer the scout rifle (artemis) and the default semi auto (Spectre).

    The Artemis will get you by as a cheaper weapon to compete in close quarters. It's not easy to master and you will die a lot if you get too close. The key to the weapon is using your cloak and position to flank and gank - straight up firefights won't end well.

    Bolt actions require headshots to shine. Try it out and see what you think once you get the hang of it. Watch a few videos to get some sense of positioning and ranges you can accomplish this at.

    My own 2 cents are that the long range bolt actions are very similar - for VS that is the XM98, V10, and Parallax. They have slight variations in velocity, reload speed, and damage but functionally are close enough in performance that you can just pick one and stick with it and get the same job done in 90% of situations. PS2 was very confusing to me when I started out, looking at all these sniper rifles that seemed the same, yet different. I felt like I needed to get them all, only to realize just how miniscule the differences were between them.

    The Spectre is pretty good for a SASR, I wouldn't bother buying the others (including the Nyx) for the time being. Just practice with the spectre and get comfortable with it. It's crowning feature is having no bullet drop (the other factions have drop), which let you do some interesting things at range.
    • Up x 2
  5. Dr. Euthanasia

    All new players, regardless of their preferred class, should buy and equip the Sunderer AMS as one of their first cert purchases. It's incredibly cheap and turns your Sunderers into mobile spawn zones whenever you press B while driving them. I'm also going to assume that you two travel around in a squad that consists of just each other, but regardless, both of you ought to also go into the squad leader cert tree (it's kinda hard to find) and buy at least a single rank in the squad deployment beacon or whatever it's called. Only the squad's current leader can place them, but you automatically carry them without losing other equipment for the privilege and can promote the other guy as leader if yours are on cooldown, at which point they'll literally just appear in his hands somehow.

    Basically, ensuring your ability to get back into the fight is more important than anything else you could possibly be buying for your class. That aside, any SMG is almost certainly going to perform better than a full-auto scout rifle, and your recon darts are probably the next most important thing to pour money into. Nanoweave Armor is currently the best suit slot in the game, and rather than mines, you should probably be grabbing medkits (whichever ones heal instantly), especially since neither of you are medics yourselves. Regardless of which one you choose, though, try to buy a utility slot item soon because you have to spend infantry resources to build up a stockpile and they're probably going to waste otherwise.

    Use your cloak to close large distances. If you rely on it for anything else, it will get you killed one way or another.

    Edit: What Mustarde says about the Specter is true, but its minimum damage at long ranges is far worse than the other two factions, and it's possible that you won't kill someone even in two headshots with it.
    • Up x 3
  6. Get2dachoppa

    I'd recommend the Artemis (full auto scout rifle) if you like it and have tried it. The small clip size will frustrate you at times, but it can still be an effective weapon. Its also very quiet with a silencer equipped. I got the auraxium medal with it mostly using just the 2x scope and a foregrip. Throw in the silencer and that's still under 500 certs. That's probably more cost efficient for you than saving up 1000 certs just for an SMG with no attachments. Though I'd still highly recommend the Sirius SMG if you ever see it on sale and change your mind on buying Station Cash.

    Bolt actions - go with the XM98. It will do the job and for only 100 certs. Another option would be the Ghost. It is more of a short range bolt action (1-4x scope attachments) and might suit you a bit better if you prefer medium range engagements. That one is 250 certs. Try them out in VR Training, see which you prefer with the different scope attachments.

    If you upgrade your pistol, the Manticore will be an upgrade over the Beamer (worst pistol in the game IMO) for only 250 certs. Personally, I prefer the Commissioner but that's a 1000 cert pistol so it may be beyond what you are willing to invest in at this point.
  7. GlyphZero

    play around with the starter sniper rifle for vanu, it has no drop. pair that with short hold breath time and no need to scope out to rechamber and, if you get good, you won't care what your target is. you can controlled pair other infils very fast. do upgrade recon darts, on waterson the vs are terrible about employing them not sure about elsewhere. if anything it's points for you when someone kills someone because they were on your dart. do get nanoweave and the cloaking is up to you; normal cloaking is 10 secs always fast refresh, armor cloaking is 8.5 seconds at max level 35% damage reduction and 11 sec refresh. you can compare max times in the VR to see which you might like. do get an smg; try in the sim to figure out which suits you, lots of people hate on the NS-7 PDW but i find its predictable recoil(up and to the left) and mid range accuracy(compensator, 3.4x red-dot, foregrip, soft point ammo) to be more useful for surprises without sacrificing too much in the cqc area. finally i think underboss would be your friend if you can pull off 2xshot->knife.
  8. CuteBeaver

    I
    Having a heavy assault and infiltrator combination is fantastic fun and you and your friend are going to be super effective as a team. Sometime in the future you should invest in the EMP grenade. If your friend invests in concussion grenades, both can be thrown into a room at the same time and it really weakens the enemy. Stripping their shields with your EMP, and his concussion grenade will stun them so they cannot move for a few seconds. I do this with my fiancee who also mains a HA. Sometimes I will follow him around with radar and flank enemies on the side for him so he can move forward. We both love playing as a team and its great fun to transport him places with my wraith flash covertly.

    The AMS sundy is another near mandatory choice for infiltrators. (All players really) Since we can pull them from any terminal it makes sense to cert into them for spawn point placement. No other class can get behind enemy lines as easily. I highly recommend going for stealth on the AMS Sundy so you can park it behind enemy lines where fewer eyes are searching for it. Having ranks of stealth prevent it from showing up automatically on the enemy mini map. Its a beautiful combination for allowing troops to bypass the enemies frontal defenses.

    In the future once your character is certed well for combat try and pick up the first rank of wraith module on the flash. This is one of my most certed vehicles and I regret nothing. The Wraith Flash allows you to enter into bases relatively undetected. The freedom it gives you is really worth while. If your friend also plays for free communicating with each other and picking vehicles to cert into will be very helpful. I would highly recommend he cert into the Harrassar. It too can be pulled from any terminal you hack and is just an amazing vehicle that works very well with a 2 man team.

    Perfect choice! The Artemis is an excellent option for getting yourself into CQC at a fraction of the cost of the other SMG. You do have to be selective with it in order to survive... but that will pay off because it will make you a better player. It will force you to learn to pick your fights. So try not to get too discouraged when things go wrong. Even with an SMG CQC we all get hit with the fail shovel too. SMG does have a fantastic advantage over the Atermis CQC but if you want to keep yourself a free player just use your time with the scout rifle as a learning opportunity and buy the Sirius when you do have 1000 certs to spend. I also recommend the Sirius because its a very flexible SMG. NS-7 PDW behaves similar in function to your Artemis however its easier to handle. I currently use the NS-7 SMG for my stealth and ambush loadout and love it. Your Artemis will fill gap and be perfect for your stealth loadout. The Eridani SMG requires excellent aim on behalf of the player. It DOES NOT HAVE advanced laser so its not something a new infiltrator would enjoy as much as the Sirius. You will get your mileage on the Sirius without a doubt, but upgrade when the time is right for you. The Artemis will see you through and help train you to be a master flanker if you stick with it.

    XM98 is a gun I always recommend to newer infiltrators. If you play enough with your Artemis your going to learn to be very sneaky and find great ambush spots inside bases. You will know when the time is right to start sniping mid-range. The XM98 offers the good times of other BASR (Bolt Action Sniper Rifles) at a fraction of the cost. The XM98 is a very wise investment and will allow you another good load-out to switch to. The infiltrator is very reliant on having good weapon options to pick for different situations in battle. Consider each battle carefully and pick the best loadout for the job.

    Loadouts:

    #1) Long range / assassination
    (XM98) (med kits) (Nanoweave Armor) (Grenade works fine)
    This is great choice for long(er) range encounters or when your pinned down. Later on in your career you will be able to use this gun to assassinate players from hide spots and wrack up the kills CQC and mid-range. Takes extremely good skill to get to that point but the BASR is a great investment. You do want to invest later into a heavy pistol like the NS- COMMY or the UBOSS. For the XM98 invest in a supressor for CQC/Medium Range Assassination play. Take it off for traditional sniping. When you cert into Nanoweave Armour at Rank 5 it will protect you from enemy 1 hit kill headshots at longer distances. Do not be surprised if Sony changes this in the future because its a really terrible problem for the BASR. If you happen to encounter someone who survives your headshot and you hear the "clunk" headshot sound immediately cloak. This will remove your red dorito so they do not get the free spot on you. This could save you from being discovered.

    With the XM98 its probably not worth it to cert into the very long distance scopes. The gun has a slower bullet speed then higher end rifles, and with the Nanoweave problem making kills at longer ranges near impossible anyway, no matter what gun you have, then you should go iron sights (default x6) or or something under x10 depending on your preference.

    #2) Medium range stealth / ambush play:
    (Artemis) (med kits / proxy mine) (Nanoweave Armor/Your choice) (I like EMP for the ambush part)
    Use this loadout (but the NS-7 instead) when your lone wolfing or going ahead of the allied forces. Silencer is your friend when you do not have the support of others. Artemis will shine by giving you opportunities for kills at medium range. Consider this fact though... If you use a 1X Reflex scope your mouse movements will be the same with other 1x scopes. Meaning over time using the HS/NV and Reflex 1X scope is FANTASTIC for training yourself to aim quickly using muscle memory.

    However 2X scopes do not respond the same way even if you give the game the same input. The 2X scopes require more movement on your part to end up at the same location. Pick one type of scope either 1X or 2X and just get used to using that. If you start mixing and matching between 1X and 2X scopes your going to screw yourself up.

    #3) Close Quarters Combat:
    (Sirius eventually) (med kits) (Nanoweave Armor) (EMP for Synergy with your friend)
    Med kits really shine here. Consider this your final loadout because you will probably be able to do okay in most situations using #2 until you can afford the SMG. This is a great loadout to use with your friend playing together in CQC. It really is a big game changer, and especially so when a player knows how to flank targets properly. I think the SMG is the most fun to use for sure. Personally I do not use a suppressor on my Sirius because of the damage reduction and how drastically it affects the handling of the gun. You can push the Sirius to make very expensive kills at medium range if needed. However suppressed this is not possible and the gun becomes more difficult to control. Nanoweave Armor really shines CQC with an SMG and is not resource intensive. Also keep in mind if you have been using a 2X previously with your Artemis do yourself a favor and keep using the same optics with the SMG or your aiming will suffer. SMG is highly dependent on hipfire and movement as well, so keep this in mind when playing and try to only aim down sights on ambushes.



    You might find this video useful since your new to the game.

    I am using the NS-7 which is similar to how you would play with an Artemis but follows rules of engagement of the SMG being highly mobile. Cheers and I hope you have an excellent time. One of the best infiltrators in my outfit, and friend of mine Nerdfest is also 100% free player and it is very possible to enjoy this game 100% without paying a cent.
  9. DeathSparx

    This. The game is balanced around the free-2-play experience so you won't ever really come across something that is straight-up better within specific weapon classes or the classes/roles themselves. Say infiltrator isn't working for you in the moment (it's a pretty hard class to work with at times) feel free to switch it up and use the Heavy Assault, MAX, Engineer, etc and whatever keeps it fun and fresh for you.

    When I first started this game, I got into the infiltrator and so did my friend who joined me. I liked close-quarters combat but found the full-auto scout rifle troubling at times (it was the only cqc option at the time and it was buffed at a later time which is the version you are using) so I went to the heavy assault for fun. Hell, you can probably join your friend on the frontlines when/if you experiment with the heavy assault.

    Well my two certs... xD

    Welcome to Planetside 2. I look forward to encountering you on the field (if you are playing on the Connery server ofcourse).
    • Up x 1
  10. Booface

    I won't go too far into it, but first you need to make sure you have two weapons. One for long range (sniping) and one for close range. That way you can adapt to whatever situation you need, rather than getting stuck in certain scenarios where you're a square peg trying to squeeze into a round hole.

    For sniping, as Vanu, stay away from the semi-auto sniper rifles. Get a bolt action. The semis have no drop, but awful damage degradation. You need 2 headshots and a follow up shot for the kill at sniping ranges, or a god-awful number of body shots. The bolt actions are identical across factions, though, so they will put you on even footing.

    For CQC, there's really only one option and that's the Sirius. I use the Eridani, which is fine, and so is the NS PDW, but the Sirius is the clearly better option. If you want to get fancy, you can use a semi-auto, silenced of course, for close up work kind of like a battle rifle--but it's not going to perform better than a Sirius up close and it won't perform better than a bolt at mid or long range, so it's kind of a gimmick weapon you might use just to show people up.

    Nanoweave is the clear option for Infiltrators' suit slots. Infiltrators start with 100 less HP than any other class, so that helps you get back on even footing. At NW5 you will start surviving bolt action headshots, which makes countersniping much easier.

    Hunter Cloak is the most popular cloak choice. Some people go with Nano, which is a decent choice, but Hunter is better if you're at mid or long range (where cloak is useful anyway) where cloak actually helps you not get shot at. At close range the TTKs are so short that if someone sees through you're cloak you're pretty much finished anyway, Nano Cloak or not.

    Proxy mines are great in CQC or for covering your angles when sniping, though medpacks are a good choice as well if you find yourself getting long killstreaks.

    Max or nearly max your darts as soon as possible. They are pretty useless at the early levels (an enemy practically has to stand on top of them for them to work) but once you get to the final 2 ranks they start to be fairly useful. Don't rely on them though, they glitch out fairly often and as of a patch or two ago they don't work unless you are also within range of the dart (i.e. probably already in CQC with the folks its detecting). But it is invaluable for your teammates and one of the biggest ways an infiltrator can contribute to an organized squad.

    Forget EMP grenades, they're fairly useless. If you can land a grenade on some people, kill them with a frag rather than annoying them with an EMP.

    Wraith Flashes and Ejection Seat Scythes are your friends, great for getting into good positions. Plus, if you've got a Wraith Flash, try sticking a few blocks of C4 to the front and ramming enemy Sundies or Tanks (you might need a Fury round to guarantee you can set off the bombs). Priceless. Remember that if you've got a buddy on your Wraith Flash, you can turn them invisible too. It's a great way to deliver a mine-equipped or C4 equipped Engineer to an enemy Sunderer.
  11. TheAntiFish

    You know that awful semi-auto you start with? Stick a suppressor on it. Then hide right in the middle of the enemy base.

    Suddenly it's not so awful. Give it a go man you'll laugh your head off ;)
  12. Calisai

    Depending on how you play with your HA friend, if you stick together a lot and are mostly engaging in close quarters... you'll want to sink certs into the radar darts a lot. They are so useful for knowing where the enemies are around you that you'll not only increase your killing ability, but increase the HAs killing potential 10-fold as well.

    Also, if you are going to be rolling with a HA a lot, I would suggest an SMG, as the ranges which HA's fight at, you'll be much more effective as a team if you can both concentrate fire at the same ranges. Trial them out and see if they fit the fighting that you guys tend to get into.
  13. Darkelfdruid_LOL


    You and your god dam...supressors. .... I really hope you never get a good pc..











    ..for all our sakes.

    -----------------------

    On topic OP, the way I started out was I just farmed 1k certs and got my self a bolt action.
    BA snipers need headshots to be the boss weapon, and it can be really fun snd rewarding racking up 50-100 kills a session from range. Of course it's all down how you prefer to play, close or far away?

    Most of the important information has already been given to you by the posters above. Main thing is try oit how you feel with different weps.

    Im not sure if it's fixed or w/e haven't tried for a while but.....when you "test" as wep for 30min it goes on cooldown for a while as im aure you are aware. But if you'd like to test out a that same wep later that day, just make a new character and try it out again- these CD usually is reset
    • Up x 1
  14. TheAntiFish

    Suppressors are the way forwards, Well worth the learning curve!
  15. Liquid23

    pro tip - running around open spaces in a large battle spamming cloak on and off while spraying an SMG at everyone is not "infiltrating"

    for some reason most infiltrators in this game seem to think it is
  16. DeathSparx

    If I still get kills, it doesn't matter what people call it. Besides, it's the closest thing we have to living up to our class name. But if you want real infiltrating, Just design your infiltrator to resemble the enemy--sure it gets you shot more often by your teammates but it sure as hell confuses your opponents for long enough to mow a couple of them down. I remember I walked up to some TR holding the A point at a bio lab and they passed me off as one of them...until I started shooting people then they started complaining... xD