Beavers Crossbow Playbook: I am just going to leave this here for future reference. I havn't been checking the forums as much lately over the holidays and with health issues that keep cropping up. Hopefully this will help those struggling with the crossbow to think differently about how they are using the weapon. ~Cheers and Happy Holidays Everyone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Beginner: Sniper Hunting: Stalker cloak is almost criminal for killing enemy snipers. You know where they will be, and they have to stand still while taking their shots. Aim for the head but expect retaliation. Having sensor shield implant for this is advised because they will try and find you with radar. Alternatively crouch walking sideways avoids detection on slopes as long as you don't fall or slide around its safe. Cover Your Tail: Drop mines to cover your tail as an enemy chases you. Also great for getting rage tells. If they don't die straight away because of Flak you can shoot them with a crossbow bolt. Explosive Spotter: Use your motion spotter as a trap with mines. Corners really work well for setting traps as it forces enemies to move around the wall in order to get line of sight on the spotter. Most players will take corners quickly without regard for any possible mines at their feet. If they don't die because of flak armor you can crossbow them from a distance. Turret Candy: Shoot engineers on turrets from a distance, or bolt knife them if you can get closer. Bolt Knife is great because engineers on turrets have increased delay on their reaction time and will most likely not get off their turret in time to hurt you. If they DO manage to get off the turret they will be behind you so try and get in the habit of running through them and attempting to bolt knife . As you "finish" face where they would exit just to be safe. Camp Terminals: This should be your go solution after a base flips to enemy control. If there are large groups of enemies, 5-10 crowding at the terminal EMP + Bolt from a distance, or use mines and rush the terminal for easy kills. I am finding the TR cannot mine terminals very easily and require both claymores be placed (no EMPs) to get the same effect as one BB or Proxy Mine + EMP. Alternatively you can play it safer and shoot targets over time from your hidden location. You may end up with more kills over time then one beautiful explosion would net you anyways. Noob Tubes: Look for heavies looking skyward with Rocket Launchers. These guys are pretty unaware and are usually easy kills because even if they manage to fight they have a rocket launcher equipped. High probability of successfully ambushing them. Heavies attacking tanks with Rocket Launchers typically are a little more wiggly and alert... so keep that in mind. Window Certs: Enemies are attracted to windows. Sometimes you can get some pretty easy ambushes by killing enemies who are shooting at your allies from windows. If you are just starting out with the crossbow and knife, and are looking for a good excuse to kill somewhat stationary enemies this would a good location to consider inspecting. I would not recommend hiding too close to the window. However you can hide nearby and check the window periodically like a hunter checks snares. Advanced: Vanish Attack: At longer distances you will be unable to fire both crossbow bolts before a target can react to being hit. This has to do with the very slow projectile speed on the crossbow. By the time the first bolt hits them and the second airborne the enemy will already have wiggled out of harms way. Consider firing once, and then re-cloaking to fire your second shot later on. You can try predicting where the enemy will take cover. This happens a lot with heavies. Their shield goes up, they face the directional hit-markers... However since you cloaked they don't see anything.... After a couple seconds they go about their business. Usually they drop their over-shield and that is your hint to fire the second shot. Spotter Bait: Use motion spotters to bait an enemy into a location where you can kill them. As the enemy shoots the spotter you can Bolt + Knife them or catch them in a reload. From a distance uncloaking then EMPing is a safer method because you can escape if things go badly. All it takes is one follow up show with the crossbow when you see the EMP blast envelope them. This is also how I get most of my bounties because it feels like instant death to the enemy and they tend to get pretty mad. Explosive Corpses: You can try hiding a mine near the corpse of your enemies. This is helpful when medics rush into revive a group of enemies you have just killed. Or even a single enemy if you know a medic is nearby. Alternatively you can just hide right next to the body and try and stab them. This can backfire if the medic is smart and pulls out a darklight. Which is why I have taken a liking to explosive corpses over standing around dead bodies. Less risk involved and you can still finish the medic from range with a crossbow bolt if they are wearing flak. Intercept Knifing: Bolt + Knife a target who is running towards you. Timing is everything on this. Very thrilling to uncloak right in someones face and Clothesline them. Player Magnets: Hide next to abandoned infantry turrets. Sometimes enemies will shoot your allied turrets you have the option of ambushing them. Alternatively you can ambush while they reload. Take whatever option presents itself. When you see an ENEMY turret train yourself to think "free kills" because players feel safe around them and gather like magnets to a fridge. The same thing goes for enemy (Medic) Shield Regeneration Bubbles. Allow the enemies to come over to these objects and take cover, then kill them. Driver Assassinations: In most cases drivers will exit out of the left hand side of the vehicle. Usually tankers play engineers and like to repair their damaged vehicles. <3 Generally they very predictable so have fun with them just be sure to take note of how many occupants the vehicle has. This very profitable for Bolt + Knife attacks if you can find a good tank column. Tankers will often try and return to their vehicle too. So you can place mines nearby or even catch them a second time as they return. Do this enough you can force their vehicle to despawn or contribute to its death over time from unchecked allied pressure. Motion Spotter Stools: Yes this is a thing.... You can place one, stand on it and shoot inside windows which are too high... Use spotters to climb places which are just slightly out of reach. Or to peek over the heads of allies and keep shooting outside without fear of hitting your team mates since your bolts go over their pretty little heads. Excellent trick for snipers but also works with the crossbow users too. Expert: Tactical EMPs: Cover doesn't matter with EMPs. Enemies can be tightly behind a wall out of line of sight. Simply EMP the floor so the blast touches them. The same thing can be done taking a corner. Heavies standing next to that corner won't have over-shield or their personal shield. So you can just take the corner and murder everything. When you EMP like this every single crossbow bolt becomes lethal to those affected. You can clear a room with a crossbow pretty easily and prep everyone for single shot kills or stabbings You can also predict enemies coming at your location and EMP ahead of you so when they DO take the corner they have no shields and you can single shot kill them while they are trying to ADS you down. Kinda sloppy but its a good way to recover form a bad situation. Explosive Frisbee's: Toss mines over walls and onto enemies heads. This is a great icebreaker for stalemates. You can also toss them through the air. I would recommend if possible to follow up with an EMP which turns BB and Proxy Mines into lethal combos. The activation time for the first mine happens right after the EMP detonates. The resulting explosion looks really pretty. You can do this to prep enemies before you take a corner or ambush them. Its basically a tactical EMP with more teeth because it can kill instead of just weakening. It also doesn't require you to necessarily put yourself in the mix or brawl to get kills. Those Are Mine: EMP (or shoot) enemy tank mines so they blow up their own vehicles. Consider the validity of finding some on a bridge, sipping your favorite beverage and waiting for a moment. Every time I have done this i have never regretted it. Voice Callouts: You can bait enemies out of turrets without hacking them. Manipulate enemies by using in game voice callouts. Entice a medic over to your location and stab them silly. Ask for ammo from enemy engineers. (If your vanu Asking for Batteries usually results in search attempts through). I have asked for batteries numerous times to get enemies out of their turrets or cause traffic jams. Spotting can also work but be careful about how often you give away your position. Drop Assassinations: Normally enemies don't get a chance to appreciate these but they are pretty freaking hard to do. Mid air drop down on an enemy below just like Batman. If your able hit crouch while in the air it will extend your downward reach allowing you to bolt knife them from above. Crouching mid air is like a dive attack. It cuts your speed and forces you directly down. Be sure the target isn't mobile for it to work. Leap Attacks: Leap into the air because movement speed of sprinting is not affected until you land. While in the air you do the bolt knifing, and as you land tap the sprint key to continue moving unhindered. This allows you to go from target to target without slowing down. Very hard to do because recently the developers changed knifing. Holding down sprint key will not automatically allow you to go back to sprinting once an attack finishes. Now you must focus on tapping the sprint key while your busy doing other things... (like stabbing) and it will take a while for this to become muscle memory for newer players. Static Hugs: This is something I do when I just want to demoralize a Heavy who thinks they have me cornered. I know the moment I uncloak, their shield is going up. They are anticipating the sound. Sometimes they have a dark-light out. Usually in these situations I am being hunted by someone who I have killed a few times. So I will attempt to EMP them and follow with a bolt or a knife in close proximity. Sometimes I will willingly EMP myself in the process. The intention is to basically say " Your shield doesn't matter and It won't save you." This move is not ideal because you weaken yourself but it works in a pinch, and they really don't expect it. (Can be countered by EMP shielding Implant)
Great work! Lots of effort was put into this. Though for the sake of the guide: What can you do about darklights, and how can you safely avoid them?
Ah yes... Darklights: Generally speaking enemies pull a darklight when bodies start dropping. Sometimes even purely by mistake while switching weapons or tools. Even so they broadcast your presence to enemies nearby. Everyone who sees a member of their faction with a Darklight out is going to be a little more alert to their surroundings. Easiest solution is to pull back or lay low. If you can move to locations they have searched there is little chance they will double back and re-search the same spot. Usually people sweep areas with the Darklight and clear an entire building or room. When it comes to Point Captures assume they will sweep the point with a Darklight. Placing down mines and traps early on while making connections is helpful because you won't typically be able to do so later. Once those traps have been exhausted you should probably concede the capture point to trick them into thinking the area is clear. That provides you with another opportunity to open. As long as the node doesn't show contested or flash they will think they have won. That is normally when you go back in for a kill, bail, and try and re-open on anyone who chases you around. Darklights are a problem when your caught without cover, in a bad place, maybe in transit from one location to another. We have all been surprised by them. Maybe we didn't know our enemies knew we were around. Maybe another infiltrator tipped them off. I am sure everyone has died from questionable bugs as well. So even if you do everything right, its still our counter. Even if you break Line Of Sight, the beam stupidly goes through solid objects. You may be seen by a casual observer who isn't actively hunting you in the first place. Keeping off the ground and out of predictable locations is another huge advantage. Darklight users are not going to go to super great lengths to find you. Another method is to get outside. Its easy to search a tiny room. Its much harder to search a forest. I think the weirdest place I Have hidden is next to an enemy TR max. The engineer pulled out a Darklight and started with the corner he was standing near. I snuck over behind the Max and stayed there until he finished. You could consider killing the Darklight user. However that really isn't always an option when your in crowded fights. Its better to find a way to avoid the beam and re-position in most cases. Its also much more profitable to double back and take advantage of their relaxed attitudes after a search. Do try and remember the player who pulled it out though. There is something incredibly rewarding about killing them after they cause such trouble. Another thing to consider is how often you use radar or motion spotters. Since those are just as bad at broadcasting your presence as the Darklight. When laying low, don't use radar sources and avoid cloaking & decloaking. Find a good hiding spot, stay off the map for 20-30 seconds and let them think your long gone.
Amazing read so far, but wanted to point out something. I'm sure you know this, so just pointing out for others: When you're hit by EMP directly, your shields start recharging right away, without any delay. And you won't have screen jumbled. So technically if the enemy has full nano, a crossbow bolt won't kill him, but leave nearly dead, because he will have regenerated some shields by the time he gets hit. Same goes for a knife strike. --- Another cool thing you can do with EMPs is jump start your own shield regeneration. For example, if you have no sheilds and an enemy chasing you through a building, you can throw an EMP at him around the corner, so it hits him directly and hits you through the wall. This will do you-know-what to the enemy, and jump start your shield regeneration, ignoring the delay for being damaged previously. --- LOL this somehow went from crossbow guide to full-blown stalker guide. Care to repost it to my site?
Iridar, Beaver, at what point are you two just gonna face the truth and tie the knot? You two are like peas in a pod.
I made A Picture In Paint... Words are hard. Things get a little screwy when it comes to cover objects. You can drain enemies you cannot see in that way but I prefer to splash them directly. Essentially trying to show that just because the enemies are not in your LOS doesn't mean you cant get them into the EMP blast radius directly. Basically trying to encourage people to use EMPs as Heavies use Lashers to nail enemies behind cover. Seriously though, that is amazingly useful about resetting your own shields. I had not considered that option. Especially if your fighting another infil doing the same thing as you are. Iridar, yes I will copy paste away as needed I really need to just gather things up one day.
another useful guide with we are all thankful for loved your cookies with cream, when i do this the mines don't land where i want, maybe i need more practice yes i know this but i never think of it while in combat it's one of the hardest things to do for me "remembering when i need it" i know every trick in the book i only don't think of it in combat only if i have a couple of seconds to plan ahead with no combat stress then i can use the master book of infiltrators
Great tips, btw can you do more vids on climbing things.I've found trees to be the best sniping spots and the best places to get out of harms way in a crowded area, i would really like to get into one on my first try without wondering why the hell i can't stick on the slope after doing micro jumps.
Nightmares about communist paint beavers running around in diapers crossbowing people with jetpacks. *assumes fetal position* Fuuuutuuureee... Fuuutuuurree... Fuuutuuurreee...
A very thorough and inspirational guide. I'm just getting into crossbow-stalking lately myself, and am tossing up between the grenade bandolier or ammunition belt.The latter is very useful for when runs go well and I stay alive long enough to need more ammo But at the same time more EMPs are hard to pass up. Which do you go for, Ms. Beaver?
Bando, hands down. I tend to operate closer up and perch less. Old SMG habits die hard. Thats not to say when I see a chance to sit back and plink from a sneaky spot I wont take it.... but when it comes to getting into a building and going against people who have primaries and over-shields I have no problems morally about splashing them with EMPs. Its so lethal to be able to throw the EMP past an enemy who has taken cover, have the splash hit the ground behind them, and watch the blast radiate outwards and envelope them even when they are out of line of sight of you personally. To me it turns us into a very precise unit that can clear rooms (However only a few enemies at a time since we can only shoot one bolt per second). If you peek a bit its possible to take an enemy or two out, toss a second EMP and finish the room methodically. EMPs pair beautifully with the crossbow, more so then any other weapon save for the bolt action sniper rifles. I might have felt differently about crossbows if the headshot multiplier had been x2 but since it cannot drop targets (besides infils) in a single headshot it really puts the weapon at the mercy of combat aids like knives, mines, and EMPs to shine under pressure. Not to metion that projectile velocity doesn't help you to score headshots at all. Just to get a body shot under live conditions with the jitter and ADAD spam is a feat in itself. Ammo wise Crossbow is also lacking, however if your a person who EMPs and can turn a few of your kills into 1 shot hits then your extending your ammo pool slightly. The same thing goes for knife attacks and mines each kill you manage with the knife is 50% less ammo cost then doing so at range. I totally get why someone would want to use the extra ammo belt when working at a distance though. If anything I would recommend using enhanced targeting at those ranges so you can know which targets are already injured and cheaper to kill with headshots. I think someone dedicated to plinking could really benefit immensely from enhanced targeting. I know I am having a good streak when I have to hunt for ammo or redeploy to get more. <3
Great, thanks for the insight! I did have a perch and plink setup when I tried the crossbow in the past, the ammo belt sure came in handy on the occasion I found a good enough perch and/or the pickings were especially rich. I seem to remember occasionally employing the enhanced targeting implant, was nice for discerning which targets besides infiltrators could be one-hit kills. Anywho, I'm enjoying the up-close-and-personal style a lot more this time around, got a lotta things to try thanks to your post and vids Keep up the good stuff!
When the propsed Heavy Shield changes go live.... Once this happens you will have very interesting circumstances allowing for a wider style of ambush and manipulation Headshot Opener on GLOWING (NMG / Adren Heavy) You would be able to inflict 975 damage (crossbow multiplier is 1.5 damage for headshots) Which eats through their over-shield completely leaving them with 475 HP and should allow you to follow up body shot them at a distance. (provided you can land it of course) Body Shot Opener on Glowing (NMG / Adren Heavy) You would inflict 650 damage (range dependent) Which still eats through their over-shield leaving them with 800 effective life. (500 hp / 300 reg shields) At that point your follow up shot WONT kill them ( as they will still have +150 HP remaining) Regardless of WHEN they apply the shield once these changes go through headshot crossbow openers on heavies will be a thing. As long as you can follow up and land the second shot it won't matter if they activate their shield prior to the ambush or after the ambush. We will be able to out damage the shield gains with the follow up shot as long as its a headshot opener. If its a body shot opening it will take 3 hits and nothing changes from the tactics you are used to using. I am a little bit Iffy on the Resist Shield because of this: Which would imply that Resist shield will not affect crossbow bolts? I am not sure but If that is the case then types of heavy shields would mean nothing stalkers using crossbows. It would simply come down to Headshot openers and or traditional Bolt + Knife openers when saving ammo.
You got that where and when? Because I tested it half a year ago or so, and it's not true. I think this piece of info circulates from before end of beta in 2012. Also, hate to be buzzkill, but it should be "if", not "when". And a very big "if" at that. Remember the LMG changes? It was what, six months between the announcement and changes going live? Or that "we want to add a delay to HA shield" that never went live. Those are PTS patchnotes, which have a history of being not very meaningful. Don't forget nanoweave, which I expect most HAs will stack with NMG / Adren.
Im not a Heavy Assault main so I honestly don't know the finer points of Resist Shield. That was on the Heavy boards in 2014 though. (It could be misinformation) I lost the link off hand I was googling resist shield and browsing the threads on the Heavy Boards. At the very least we can test it out if / when the changes do go live. Resist shield is the only one which could throw a wrench in things if it does protect from crossbow headshots. Heavy using Resist Shield 975 reduced by 40% = 585 headshot opener damage Heavies Health = 415 Follow up Body Shot does 410 Heavies Health = 5 HP Which would only allow us to HS open before the shields come up, and not afterwards for a kill to work. As for Nanoweave if the Heavy is shot in the head with a crossbow opener while using NMG or Adren they have 475 HP remaining. With Max out Nanoweave (20% reduction) and within 35 meters a crossbow body shot does : 520 Overkill (45) extending range slightly. We should be good for NMG / Adren who are using Nanoweave at least .
Nice thread as always, from top of my head atm I'll just address the part of speculative ha changes and influence on crossbow. I agree with Iridar on this one : 'resist shield not protecting if 1hit dmg>400" is currently nothing more than hoax excuse of ha who want to either victimize themselves, or pretend they have downsides. Same with current iteration of NMG/Adren as it initially protects from headshots. Don't know whether that was ever the case with lack of resisting, but atm it does easily ignore 1470 dmg point blank...well maybe not ignore, but resists. So yeah... As it is for whether it'll put wrench into engine of stalkin or general infilwork, in terms of resist shield... Well under assumption those PTS changes EVER, actually go live, I'm afraid resist will be go-to-f-to-win-some-more. Also one on topic kinda...ish point, in terms of Darklights, it's quite important to remember, it shows earlier from infils perspective. Infil can see flashlight on them when enemy wielding is ~15m away from said infil. Darklight user can see infil from roughly 10m. So something like 0-2 seconds to decide how to react.
Thanks guys. Its really hard to sort through the rubbish on that board. l I'm crossing my fingers hoping the changes do get through. It would be nice to have Headshot openers actually matter against Heavies. Resist shield at least is less trolly then NMG since the HA has to be smart about using it prior to starting a fight in order to get the maximum benefit from his health pool.
Nice guide. Just one question: what about the alternative ammos, sensor bolts and explosive bolts? I guess sensor bolts would be useless for stalkers
