Hey all. Recently I bought a Hailstorm after getting Auraxium on my T7 and I'd thought I would try the SMG infiltrator playstyle. It has been interesting to say the least. I get most of my kills by shooting enemies in the back and I die a lot from either running away from aware enemies or heavy assaults and their glowing shields of doooom (the stuff of nightmares really.) Does anyone have tips/suggestions? I especially need help with: -Infiltrating highly populated bases like biolabs or towers -Infiltrating small bases with little room to maneuver -Running away from people. -Also staying alive in general.
You're doing the right things. You have to use your stealth to get behind an enemy and get your shots off first. If you can do this you will most likely win the encounter. You are not going to be able to go face to face, head to head with any other class as an infiltrator. I dont run in with the zerg. I try to work the edges, picking lone prey or finding enemy snipers and neutralising them.
SMG infil is all about timing and psychology. You never want to be on equal terms with any enemy that you are targeting. You also have to gamble a lot when it comes to people's ability to recognize a cloaked infil. Some players are beasts when it comes to that, and the sound of an uncloaking infil is always an alarm clock for experienced players. Big battles are your friend, in that regard. At night, when groups of players trade shots across long ranges, uncloaking isn't as dangerous and it will be hard to see you coming. A dead player doesn't worry anyone in those battles. But a lot of it comes down to experience and psychology.
Use your recon darts and max them out if you haven't already, your best friend as SMG Infiltrator. In bases always hack infantry terminals and stay close to them so you can resupply your darts all the time to keep your surroundings scanned.
Interesting, because I'd offer very different advice. If you hack a terminal of any sort you don't want to be hanging around it for long. It's like staying at the scene of a crime. It's always safe to assume that you're only going to have limited time usage of anything you hack. - Always assume a finite, if not short, lifespan. - Ideally you want to strike an enemy's backline. That's where they feel safest and more likely to have their guard down. - Those two things in mind, you should try and considering having multiple ways of getting behind the enemy. Spawn beacons, squad deploy, instant action (if it allows), Flash cloak, ESF ejector seat, even taking out a galaxy if you have to. Use them, abuse them. The good thing is that when people kill they're likely to think you're gone. So you can give them a surprise when you appear behind them a minute later. - Never discount your pistol and knife. If you see an enemy alone, standing with his back turned -- like a sniper or a engineer at his turret -- get out your pistol, put a few shots in them -- depending on which you're using -- then knife. Easy kill without wasting SMG ammo, and if you've got a suppressor on your pistol then no minimap blip either. - To help with the above, rebind your knife attack to a key you can use on the fly. If you've got a mouse with extra buttons one of those is ideal I think. - Whenever you're hacking, you don't need to be facing your target for the entire duration of the hack. Once you've started the process of hacking you're free to turn around, shoot, and even shuffle around a bit, just so long as you keep holding the interact key (E). This way you can prevent yourself from being shot in the back while you hack. - Crouching still while using your cloak makes you even more transparent. Just a few tips.
ItzMurda who is a top tier infantry player recently made a great two part video guide for cqc infiltrator. You might want to check it out. Something that helps with the crowded areas like towers is to learn how to use the gravity lifts to your advantage. The lifts give you fall damage immunity for small period of time and can easily throw you outside by pressing space and movement keys while using the upwards lift. ItzMurda's "How not to suck at cqc infiltrator" Also something you might want to check out is streams from TwF and ItzMurda.
I've recently started playing a lot more on my TR Infiltrator and my TR also has the Hailstorm for his CQC. I REALLY don't like the Hailstorm. It has a slow Time-To-Kill, it's loud, it sounds annoying, and (like most SMGs) it just gets worse at range. I never feel like it's a good time/position to use the gun, except close up against a stationary foe who doesn't see me... which almost any gun is effective at handling. I am anxiously waiting for the Daily Sale to offer the Armistice so I can get and use that instead. I'd also be happy switching to the PDW NS-7 or SOAS-20 if they go on Daily Sale. Both these guns aren't great in very close range either, but they do have a range that they feel good at and they are usable at closer ranges.
I feel ya. Every time I use the Hailstorm I always wish I could use a lynx or TAR instead. The infiltrator is really a case study of playing to your strengths. Head on fights usually end up in death and as an infil I'm usually left getting easy kills on lone enemies. Thats how it's meant to be played and using the hailstorm on any other class is a mistake. For CQB I'd recommend the armistice. It has a shallow mag so fire discipline is crucial, but that things wrecks. Only used it a couple of times as a breath of fresh air from the hailstorm.
I made this video as part of my training program in VDRS. We have allot of new vanu players on the Waterson server and my Outfit has an open door policy. The video is geared towards increasing a new SMG's infils time to live. Hopefully it helps a little however your probably well beyond this skill level based on playing for a while. This video covers the most very basic combat tactics like: -Cloaking and movement -Zooming in the mini map -Avoiding Robots -Using arc of fire -Protecting your flank with radar -Using cover to your advantage -Supporting allied pushes with radar -Using enemy peripheral vision during approach -Preventing allies from being ambushed -Using ammo packs -Dancing -Med kits -Baiting with radar signatures -Setting ambush at capture points Here is my "TR Camo" refered to at the end of the clip http://i40.tinypic.com/2j2e06t.jpg
Oh and dont underestimate the Recon Dart. I think its the most under appreciated tool in the game. Put certs in it. The last bar is expensive, and its arguable as to whether its worth it or not, but I have it and I'm glad I do. Being able to see where people are and which direction they are running helps massively to me getting behind them and killing them.
General rule of thumb: focus on maintaining the element of surprise. Everyone (exept other infiltrators) has superior firepower, and superior survivability. Therefore you either need to have the initiative and kill your target, or escape if you know he knows you are there. General tips: - Stay close to cover. - Use high/low terrain to your advantage. - Cloak to get behind cover, recharge while you are behind it. - Cloaking makes it more difficult for your enemy to shoot you. Use this time to break line of sight, and come back from an angle he won't expect. - Use your recon dart to see where all the enemies are. - Don't get tunnelvisioned in chasing down targets. You'll get shot in the back. - If there's a group of enemies running towards the same point, always target the enemy that's furthest back. - Shooting someone in plain sight, is a bad idea. It'll put a crossbone symbol on his hud, and reveal your presence for all to see. - Only attack when you are behind your target. Oh.... and if you can, lose the Failstorm, and get the Armistice... it's a far better SMG.
Agree with the previous post. I have both the Hailstorm and Armistice with the attachments. As an SMG infiltrator you're often flanking an enemy and getting up close while cloaked. Come out of cloak, put the enemy down, go back into cloak. The faster you can put the enemy down the better. While the Hailstorm has appealing specs, the slower rate of fire and recoil leaves you exposed for too long. The smaller Armistice clip is still enough. Reload after each kill once you have returned to cloak.
Yeah I have both but I'm still trying to Auraxium the hailstorm anyway. 500 kills to go. By the way would anyone recommend the NS PDW? It has even less DPS then the hailstorm but it's supposed to have longer range.
