There is no dedicated thread to telling battle stories, so I'll post here and if the mods want to move it, then fair enough. I'm an NC engineer with level 5 nano-repair kit. Lightning has 1.75 zoom Python HEAT with 37 rounds +1 in chamber. Combat chassis, proximity radar, stealth, 2% faster reload and a spawn cool down timer. Here is how a typical 09:00am game unfolds for me. I Spot NC owned Eisa tech plant is a hotspot with around a 40% NC / 40% VS / 10% TR so I choose rapid deploy hoping to get some turret repairs and action going. My drop-pod steering is broken for the first half of the drop but I manage to get some steering approaching dirt and land near the vehicle bay. I run in and am shot in the face by the VS. Okay, this base isn't secure, let's get the tank. I look around the map and choose the north Eisa spawn point. I spawn, run to the vehicle terminal, which two NC grunts are standing next to, and spawn a lightning. I switch off headlights and turn to Eisa, planning on re-visiting the vehicle bay. On my way there I spot a VS lightning, duelling someone on the north ridge, so I turn left towards him. Meanwhile the VS lightning has turned right exposing rear armour. Three shots and my KDR has achieved karma. Then the base turns VS. A quick tactical think and um, I'm next to a VS tech plant, and I can't see any NC anywhere...run away. So I turn and power towards the western Eisa sub-base. It's VS, but I can see a lone NC grunt standing out on the plain between plant and sub-base. Okay, new plan, let's get to the ridge overlooking sub-base and plant and pick targets I'm thinking when rat-tat-tat, a scythe is on me. Back to the run-away plan. I'm bouncing fast up that ridge watching my armour get chewed. The scythe has knocked a 1/3 off but peels off as he passes over-head, circles round and comes back again. I'm nearing the apex and lose more armour, and I'm thinking it's game-over, when I crash down on the other-side of the ridge, skidding and sliding into a ravine. The scythe is gone, and I repair. Where to next? Away from the tech-plant certainly, so I start trundling back north-west hoping to come across friendly units. Around the munitions base west of the tech-plant I come across a sunderer driving hell for leather towards the Apex base. Okay, let's follow and support the sunderer hoping there is a rational driving with a plan, and not some grunt with a death-wish. We bounce up to the Apex base, all the time I'm looking out for air, I'm seeing blue skies, when I spot an enemy sunderer. I go flat out and land 3 hits on it, but it's burning gas heading straight for Saerro, where I can see there are lots and lots of red triangles. Hmm, I'll let this go I think. Right, back to Apex and the sunderer. I'm checking skies as I go back, all clear. This makes me uneasy. The base is there, the sunderer is there, but something feels wrong, I one shot a TR grunt hiding on a hill, then I'm out of there. I see on the map some action is taking place at the Aurora base, so I head there. Once there I help retake the base from the TR getting an assist and a base cap. Ammo is restocked and joy of joys, I'm now part of a group consisting of 2 NC reavers, 3 lightnings (1 a skyguard), an MBT a sunderer with ammo capability and lots of squishy cannon fodder. We roll on Apex where I take up position on a slope overlooking the base spawn room. During the cap we are joined by another NC reaver. Yet a damaged Reaver lands for repairs near the spawn room in front of me, we are two reavers again. We cap the base and checking the map I hope we for the north tech-plant sub-base and not the Saerro base first, otherwise we'll be between a rock and a hard place. We all dash off, and 2/3 go for Saerro, while the rest of us find ourselves fighting at the junction that leads to the sub-base, for a Mag-rider and lightning are on our right flank. The skyguard is blazing away at a scythe while the rest of us are shooting at the elusive, mag-rider, as it performs its usual battle-ballet-dance. I pull back and re-position off road to the right where I hope to use elevation to bring dominance. The sub-base phalanx turret then decides to be friends with me, which I don't want, so I reverse and repair. Angle right and try to engage the turret, but though the turret is missing me, it's not far off, and I'm getting some great views of those incoming shots. Time to go lone-wolf. I nip off far-right and use a ridge to my right for cover. I can't see the mag-rider, but I can see the lightning. It's damaged, but using cover, however, it's full left side is exposed to me. I hit it, and it tries to run away by climbing a hill, I aim at where I think the lightning is going to be and watch as both my shell and enemy lightning converge and become no-more. Satisfied I turn and climb the ridge. I can see the phalanx turret and open up on it. I'm locked on, but I reckon I can get the turret first. I take damage as I blow the turret into scrap metal and reverse behind the hill to repair. Explosions appear around me, and on my radar are two large red shapes behind me. Two enemy MBT's. Eep! I'm at half armour. I hit forward and bounce across ridges. One of them is quite steep and slows me down. Panic! I clear the ridge and bounce off. I stream off to the Freyr base and arrive. I repair and wonder what next. I see Apex is under attack, and decide to head there, hopefully to re-secure the flank and then head south. As I near the base I spot 3 TR air units, and run away. I spot another enemy air unit over the Saerro base. There are no NC air-units. The units pie on the map looks bad. NC should have taken the sub-base first. Experience tells me not to go there. I'm looking around wondering where to go. I notice the tech-plant is a hot-spot, so I head off to the munitions base east of the tech plant to do a quick patrol first, as I like my rear and flanks to be secure. As I draw near I spot an NC Reaver, that's good, but the pilot obviously feels a strong urge to change vocation as he ploughs the ground at full speed 50 meters to my left. He's as good at flying as me. Okay, let's head to the tech-plant, but as I gun the engine, I spot a scythe lazily flying over the west ridge. Hmm, I know the NC, after a major assault anywhere they are a spent force. Half of them are probably back at base admiring the walls. No point waiting for them to regroup, and with no friendly air, and lots of enemy air I decide to head back to barracks. It was fun, though not great on the xp. 2xbase caps 2xlightnings 1xinfantry 1xturret 1xmy own death 3xrunning away
The things you can do with a souped up HEAT Lightning if you know how to play to its strengths. That thing is no MBT but damn, it's good at running away from them. Especially Magriders. Sadly it's prey to the ESF and Dalton.
Yeah, on that particular instance when I reviewed my actions, I would have been better off with the Python AP gun, but I stick with the HEAT as it's general purpose and I don't know what situations I'm going to be in. There are times when my chat box if full of nothing but the names of infantry I've splatted. I am looking forward to getting the gun to full ammo, x2 zoom, 10% reload time reduction. I don't really need the IR, as I see perfectly well, but if I ever do need it at 50 certs it will be easy to obtain.
Those who read this...I do not know. I can answer for myself: I like military history and understanding the heat of battle. Other people also like and enjoy others becasue they can. The words I wrote can benefit both friend or foe. In fact you can make of my words what you will!
Amazing story, exactly why i personally like my HEAT lightning beater than my HEAT vanguard, very well written, have a like .
One early morning I bought the light ppa for kicks then went 83-0 farming a few squads trying to take peris with no air cover. Turns out that thing kills maxes in like 4 direct hits (though they were so bad they pulled maxes without bursters). Then I went to the forums to marvel at the sheer density of crying. The end.
