Hey fellow LA! I really love my LA. Its a lot of fun but on the other hand i am a bit concerned about his usefullness in the future. PS2 is a classed based game, with every class bringing different things to the table you need to do your work as a team. My opinion is that its not really relevant which class you pick while just going with the mainzerg. You can have a lot of fun with the LA in this department. But things get tricky the moment you join an outfit, where things are handled a bit more professional. My outfit lets me play what i want, but i often get the feeling that im a bit useless on the long run. When we rush objectives its not bad beeing an LA. But things get tricky as soon as the shiat hits the fan :/ Because whats happening if the enemy brings in armored forces or air? Well i switch to Max or HA. -.-# Engi and Medic still can do their job. But the moment i ran out of midrange infantrytargets i just feel useless. How does it help my team in any way that im speeding around in a jetpack while the others heal, place landmines (beastly things), rearm, shoot tanks and so on and on. Yeah C4 is nice. Atleast facing the enemy Zerg where peeps are not organized very well. Ever tried to C4 something which is guarded? In conclusion i think the LA is a truckload of fun, but i have the feeling it still has to prove its worth in organized play :/
I used to feel this exact sentiment and I do generally agree with these points, but I think that, while the metagame role is limited and extremely situational, the LA does have a place in organized teamplay. The most obvious example for this is in the attacking Tech Plants. There are 5 total openings that allow attackers into a tech plant. Two lower level doors, two openings above the vehicle bay shields, and one elevator shaft from the roof. The LA has the ability to use all these openings where other classes can use only the two doors. Having light assaults jet through those vehicle bay openings and up to the generator is essential to break the defenses. Also in other fights, LAs are able to get on top of roofs and flank defensive entrenchments such as engie turrets. When enemies hunker down in Bio Domes, LAs are a great way to flank and wipe out all the camping enemies. These are just some ways I am finding LAs useful in strategic teamplay.
Flank groups of opponents, throw nade into the fray, picking off stragglers- helps with pushing fortified positions. Capping/destabilizing/distracting from behind while your guys attack from the front. Disrupting (by killing) literally everyone on their route from their Sunderer to your objective. Protect facility and tower roofs by killing the people drop-podding in, destroying beacons- quite important to protect tech facilities. Just being a pain in the *** killing-house, basically. Role in the metagame...idk, you kinda have to define that yourself, but you can sure be helpful as heck. Against armor and air...hide?
I won't speak to metagame (because frankly I don't see ANY of that), but I see LA's role is much like that of the Infiltrator - to cause confusion and wreak havoc; to be a distraction. That can be just as useful in an outfit/squad as an engineer or medic.
LA are specialized to be flankers. There's a reason they have low durability and high mobility. In order to synergize them with the rest of the team, LA need to find alternate paths around the enemy, and need to spot the enemy positions. The flash and smoke grenades along with C4 turn the LA into something of a Spec Ops unit, great for causing chaos and eliminating key targets, then getting the hell out of dodge. It is possible to C4 tanks in the middle of an armor column, when they're all pointed somewhere else, like that HA on your squad. In order to make the most of LA in tactical operations, they need to be used as flankers and disruptors instead of direct combat units.
I don't know about you guys.. but, I usually rush behind their lines and wreck havoc among their "battle infrastructure". E.g I kill all medics, infiltrators and engineers I possibly can until my ammo runs out. Utilize platforms to move fast and stay outta harms way and occasionally I blow up a tank. I also often is able to get a commandpoint, which usually throws the enemy off a bit
