Airhammer advice

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Lamat, Aug 26, 2014.

  1. Lamat

    So i've been playing around with the airhammer on my Reaver lately, I haven't had this much excitement in the game for a while now. Here is my loadout: airhammer (thermal+magazine size), afterburner, racer, nanite regen and fire supression. This seems to let me get in, get out, repair from flak but also escape lockons and enemy aircraft.

    The airhammer is also not bad for fighting enemy aircraft in a pinch or if they have tunnel vision on the ground and you can sneak up on them. Most enemy aircraft seem to panic when they get hit by it because I think they mistake the large burst of damage to be something on the ground not an enemy ESF.

    I try to do atrack runs and dive bombs generally to avoid taking much damage. Picking off snipers on hills is particularly satisfying. I love this weapon but most of my kill streaks end by me killing myself from getting close enough to use it but miscalculating the pull up. Does anyone have any advice or experiences to share about using the airhammer?
  2. ZeroErrorz

    use it with hornet, dive run into max unload, ???, dead burster...
  3. Lamat

    I haven't used the hornet outside of VR. Is it worth getting? What's your basic strategy with it.
  4. Sparks

    Hornets are pretty fun to use, works relatively well as infantry/max farm tool as well if you can land both on target (which isn't that hard).
  5. Lamat

    The only thing is with a reaver you are really slow, so then i'm in the same situation as having rocket pod secondaries and can't escape enemy ESFs. I can only dogfight dogshiet pilots.

    Although it's nice to have something anti-tank for taking out enemy sunderers and their spawnees.
  6. ZeroErrorz

    find a big fight so that the max might be distracted to something else, dive down once you decide your prey,open up your hornet, then once you reach the point where you can guarante a full hit from the airhammer (1m/closer) use the airhammer to the last bullet, and there how you serve a dead max.
    • Up x 1
  7. Lamat

    Thanks, I might experiment with this when I have to deal with some nasty burster MAX on an cliffside nest.
  8. jiggu

    You really don't need the hornets to take out a MAX if you have the airhammer, just get some extended mags. Hornets are fun though
  9. TheBlindFreak

    I suggest FireSupp-MaxedStealth-Racer3 as a loadout. You'd be surprised at how effective maxed out vehicle stealth can be.

    I tend to run coyotes ( :eek: ) as a secondary to compensate for the AH. This set up serves me well.

    As for tips on general use: fly low, get close, wreck face, get out. Burster maxes can be killed in one mag if you're pretty close, even with flak armor. Usually, I'll figure out where they are, sneak up, and unload in their face while popping fire suppression.
    • Up x 1
  10. Lamat

    The only thing about the airhammer alone on the MAX is that, although it does some heavy damage on the MAX, in its best damage range it is also within the bursters best damage and easiest to hit you range. Then you’re also hoping that they aren’t using flak armor.

    I have had success fighting burster MAXs in AA nests when they are in a nook that gives them a blind spot where I can sneak around though.

    I have the second last magazine size upgrade on the airhammer, I’m saving up the 1000certs for the last one now. It is fun being a speedy shotgun VTOL.
    • Up x 1
  11. axiom537

    I use Max ammo, Stealth, Fire Suppression and Hover. This really works well, because it allows you to get in close and unless you are spotted you can get a few kills in before you start taking fire.

    On a side note, the Air hammer needs its Max damage range un-nerfed from the current 50 up to at least 100, which is still less then the other 2 factions corresponding weapons max range distance and it is still less then where the Air hammers max damage max range was prior to the nerf.
    • Up x 2
  12. Axehilt

    Given the flexibility of my standard Nosegun+Rocketpod loadout, I find it super limiting to take a more limiting nosegun (Airhammer) and nothing more (Fuel Tank).

    So usually I opt for Airhammer+Coyote so that I'm not quite as vulnerable to enemy air. Fuel Tanks don't really add that much (it's a much bigger risk to attempt to run away than to fight back.)
    • Up x 1
  13. Lamat

    I don’t have much experience with Coyotes, I have them but haven’t been very impressed with them. Don’t they only do 100 damage each? So an entire magazine if they all hit is only 600 damage on a 3000HP ESF? Or do they have a damage modifier?

    It’s true that the airhammer + fuel tanks combo is limiting, I will occasionally take rocket pods for a bit of anti-armor ability with the anti-infantry nosegun, but my survivability is noticeably lower without fuel tanks (not just because of enemy air but for escaping lockons and flak). I hate getting chased by mosquitos that I can’t outrun. Maybe once I’m better I won’t feel like I have to run, I just can’t reverse maneuver on the fly like I see so many pilots do. If I can’t get the jump on an enemy ESF or I’m not in a group, I avoid engaging them because I tend to lose.
  14. Axehilt


    Well I take flares so lockons aren't really an issue. (Approach, kill stuff, flare on their first lock, kill more stuff, escape behind cover before second lock is achieved.) I feel like fire suppression and nano repair are only really for pilots who A2A at high altitude -- otherwise composite/flares are a lot stronger at mitigating the big threats against you (and even mitigates small threats as a bonus (small arms))
  15. Epoch/Eep


    Coyotes and AH are a very good combo. 30 kills off Aurax AH now :)
    Nicest part with Coyotes is they are ok for hover duels but best when you perform a reverse and are being chased its the perfect lead. I found this is something you tend to do a lot of when your running A2G because you often get attacked first by other ESFs. Coyotes let u reverse and put 1k damage into them early into the fight. It works for A2A and allows you to still have great fun as ground attack using the AH. Where AH alone makes you a bit gimped for A2A unles you get the jump. Its not an OP set up as most good a2a pilots will get you down and hover duels arent great but they arent much better with AB tanks and AH either.

    It also will do a combined 1 clip alpha strike to an ESF. You get 100m and open with Coyotes and the AH then to finish. It gives you a longer range than AH alone and as most AH users know the chance of 1 clipping an ESF with AH is so slim and has to be point blank. Its just not realistic to rely on it. Coyotes make it easy and consistent.

    You get plenty of hate tells though. Death Shotgun from space and lock ons at the same time? The hate is to be expected heh.
    • Up x 2
  16. Lamat

    Thanks for sharing everyone, I'm going to try some of these other loadouts.