[Guide] Malleo Arma

Discussion in 'Heavy Assault' started by lawn gnome, Apr 6, 2014.

  1. lawn gnome

    this is a guide on how a heavy assault can destroy vehicles using the methods that have worked well for me. this is strictly from the perspective of a vanu heavy assault so any speculation on how to destroy magriders has been entirely left out.

    Equipment:
    2x C4
    4x Decimator rockets
    4x AV grenades (requires grenade bandolier)
    21x Hunter explosive crossbow bolts


    Basic Principals:
    vehicles of all flavors are your prey. you hunt and feed on them. many classes and methods can harm them, but as a heavy assault you alone are what they should truly fear.

    be mindful though, your prey are not simply cattle to be slaughtered. they will kill you if you ever give them the chance. you must move silently and remain invisible. when the moment arrives for you to strike, you must be ruthless and efficient. hesitation means death. the prey must be dead before they even know you have struck.

    Stealth:
    Positioning:
    if you are facing prey that could potentially be eliminated by C4 then approaching them unseen is most likely the best or only viable option you have. remember you do not have an infiltrators cloaking device so you must be much more careful.
    if you can see your target then he can potentially see you.
    before you begin your approach you must start by locating your target. look at the territory around your target and plan out a proper approach. always do whatever you can to avoid approaching at eye level. if you must pass through an area at eye level within view of the target do it quickly, remain in such areas as little as possible. the ideal approach is through a low valley of some kind, after that a high hill works well but DO NOT linger as a silhouette on the horizon, finally if neither of those is available dashing from cover to cover can be viable.
    again remember to look at your target as little as possible. use your mini map to keep yourself apprised of the location and facing of your prey. watch the shots they fire to determine which direction they are looking and thus where their attention is directed. only approach a target from the front if there are absolutely no other feasible options left to you.
    Observing:
    this is where you are allowed to lay eyes on your target. before you start your final approach you should find a well concealed position that allows you to easily see your target and allows as many viable approach routes as possible.
    observe your target. watch how they move and how often they move. wait until they look like they feel comfortable and safe. which way are the guns facing? always avoid approaching down the barrel of a gun if it is at all possible.
    observe the vehicle itself. is it deployed? a deployed target will remain stationary for an extended period of time so you do not need to worry as much about it escaping, generally making them easier prey. does it have radar? a target with radar requires much more precise timing then other prey but if you wait until they begin firing on another target they will often forget their radar and can be approached safely.
    observe the surroundings. find the best approach based on the previously described stealth rules. watch any infantry or other vehicles around your target. how are they moving? which way are they facing?
    The Final Approach:
    move quickly. ignore anything besides your target. DO NOT fire your primary weapon unless you have already been spotted and are being shot at, then you may shoot back but your primary goal should be reaching your target to strike the killing blow. DO NOT activate your shield because it will prevent you from being able to sprint and it will IMMEDIATELY alert every enemy within sight to your presence, which will result in a vastly shortened life span despite any defense bonus it grants. DO NOT switch targets once you have begun your final approach. once you have begun to move, your primary target should remain your sole focus until it has been eliminated, unless it completely escapes and there is absolutely no hope of catching it, and then after that you can attempt to feast on other bonus targets or eliminate any random infantry around.


    C4:
    C4 is an incredibly useful tool, but remember you only get 2 charges, they require a weapons terminal to refill and they cost 100 infantry points.
    the heavy assault has a unique advantage when using C4. the heavy assault rocket launchers can be used to set off C4 charges allowing the heavy assault to rapidly deal out massive amounts of damage leaving no time for repairs. NEVER hit the C4 charge directly with a rocket, if the C4 charge is hit directly it will absorb the rocket damage entirely wasting the shot ALWAYS aim near the C4 charge but not directly at it. a single C4 charge will not kill any tank, but a C4 charge touched off with a rocket on rear or side armor will kill almost every tank without allowing the tank any time to respond. instant death.
    when compared to laying the C4 charge, detonating it with the trigger, pulling out the rocket launcher, aiming, and then finally firing the kill shot, simply touching off C4 with rockets is vastly superior in almost every case. use the time it takes to switch weapons to back away from your target and that distance should be sufficient to prevent any damage to yourself from the C4.


    Aircraft:

    C4: non viable
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: non viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: viable
    these are not your primary prey. do not feel remorse if you fail to kill them. however you should always strive to eliminate them any time you are not actively hunting other vehicles. the odds of you eliminating any aircraft with your weapons are extremely low, BUT they are an excellent way to hone your skills. if you can hit flying aircraft with a decimator then none of your real prey will ever stand a chance, no matter how hard they try to dodge.


    Flashes:


    C4: possible
    Decimator: viable
    AV grenades: possible
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: preferred
    these are minor targets and you should not waste heavy weapons on them. use either your primary weapon or the hunter to quickly end their pitiful existences. do not waste time on them if you are hunting real prey unless they insist on bothering you.


    Harassers:

    C4: possible
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: viable

    your first real prey. they are soft targets but they are also very quick and often far more aware of their surroundings then any of your other prey. catching them with a surprise attack and ending them in one swift blow will generally be impossible. if a harasser is facing you then assume he will attempt to run you over. it only takes 2 rockets to eliminate them, but due to their high speed timing the rocket shots and leading them properly is difficult. when fighting harassers always remain near a solid object that will physically block their attempts to run you over and if that is not possible then run toward the harasser and turn at the last moment so that they cannot turn into you. to effectively fight harassers you will need to master firing your rocket launcher on the move.


    Lightnings:

    C4: preferred
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: possible

    these are somewhere in between harassers and prowlers. they are fairly quick like harassers, but often have the situational awareness of a prowler. these are the first targets in the list where C4 is a viable option. however remember not to be wasteful. if a lightning is smoking then a single decimator rocket to the rear armor will likely dispose of it without any unnecessary risk, if it remains burning finish it off with explosive crossbow bolts or a quick AV grenade. if the lightning is healthy and mostly stationary then the stealth and C4 rules using a single charge will be more than enough to end a lightning's existence. if you are detected at some point then lightnings are still soft enough targets that you can stay and fight putting rockets into them until they fall.


    Prowlers:

    C4: preferred
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: possible

    prowlers have incredible firepower and can easily take out any heavy assault they spot. in this case following the established stealth and C4 rules with a single charge is key. prowlers are capable of deploying. when deployed the axles at the front and rear of the treads will extend out to the sides and extend small metal rods in all directions. staying and fighting is rarely an option only to be used if you have no chance to escape or if the tank is heavily wounded. if you are detected before the final approach escape to a nearby safe location and attempt to hide until the prowler and any other supporting vehicles or infantry have gotten bored of chasing you or forgotten you and returned to their original actions. if you are detected assume your original observation location is being watched and find a new location to observe from if possible.


    Vanguards:

    C4: preferred
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: possible

    when striking a vanguard again assume standard stealth and C4 rules, but use both C4 charges. the vanguard shield is capable of almost entirely absorbing an entire C4 charge and it can be deployed instantly so the only way to reliably kill one of these tanks is to hit it with roughly the same firepower that would be used to dispose of a sunderer.

    Unarmored Sunderers:

    C4: preferred
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: viable
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: possible

    as with all heavy armor assume standard stealth and C4 rules, but as mentioned in the vanguard section use both C4 charges. sunderers do deploy, extending multiple legs from both the front and rear of the sunderer, along the sides a pair of panels opens exposing a glowing equipment terminal. deployed sunderers will likely have troops either standing around them or randomly spawning next to them. be wary of the infantry and pay attention to which way they are facing and which directions they are moving.

    Armored Sunderers:

    C4: preferred
    Decimator: preferred
    AV grenades: preferred
    Hunter Explosive Crossbow Bolts: possible

    these are extremely dangerous and CANNOT be taken out in one blow with the equipment of a single heavy assault. standard stealth and C4 rules still apply with both charges the same as the unarmored sunderer, but a healthy Armored sunderer will require additional ordinance. i prefer to plant 3 AV grenades into the undercarriage because 3 is enough to finish it off and they will likely also kill any engineers standing nearby trying to repair it, no matter where they are standing. also grenades can be thrown at a much higher rate than rockets can be fired and they do far more damage than the exploding crossbow bolts.
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  2. Roland2TowerCame

    I'll have to cert up my bandolier and try the av toss idea.
  3. TheBloodEagle

    AV Bandolier and AV Grenades is such a great combo in some situations yet people rarely use it. Not only is it great for MAX crashes but tossing them at Sundies with infantry around is great too. I know set up my C4 first and then toss AV's because I have much better luck in doing the job quick enough to not get killed rather than using a rocket in that situation to kill it off. It also works out well for Blockade Armor Sundies because that extra damage is needed & you can do it from a safer distance. I find that they work better as regular grenades too because you have to be pretty dead on anyway to get a kill but you have a chance to kill a MAX too when needed without having to switch inventory.

    With 2 C4 bricks I always go and kill Two MBT's. Place a brick on the back and then rocket them. Same for Lightning.
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  4. lawn gnome

    my brother showed me how he was regularly one shotting lightnings with his C4 by simply placing one charge on the rear as a light assault but i tried several different times with my heavy and i always had to finish it off with a rocket even when i took my time and carefully planted the charge directly on the tail pipe.

    i am tempted to believe that the LA C4 charges are slightly stronger than the HA version.

    as for the AV grenades being used to touch off C4, i have been tempted to do that a few times, but you also need to consider your resources. if you are regularly fighting vehicles it is easy to run yourself dry, so while i won't say that is a bad idea i will say you should be careful with your resources (this is why i suggested missiles, although there are plenty of cases where i wished i had thrown a grenade instead). as it is, i already have to avoid purchasing MAX suits because they completely break the resource balance that i maintain (i can MAX once in a while since i try to keep my explosive stockpiles full, but i have to spend time rearming). also grenades bounce a lot and roll down hills so they can be somewhat unpredictable for inexperienced players, combined with the fact that i have had sunderers pack up and roll away from my grenades several times before. when it comes down to it i think it is a preference/situational choice, i have had most of my success with rockets so i went with what i knew worked.
  5. racksmey

    I really enjoyed this guide. Great Job
  6. lawn gnome

    thx.

    also if anyone has experience with fighting magriders feel free to add it in, i haven't simply because i have never fought against them. i have theories about how to fight them, but without any testing i don't intend to post them.
  7. Chazt

    I just straight up run 2x c4 and a phoenix. I grab concussion grenades instead of anti vehicle but other than that I focus on getting rid of enemy MBT's and sundies. I mean really, I have an entire team at the base just chilling and getting overrun, and I manage to sneak around (alone) and blow up the enemy sunderer that was causing us all these problems no problem. Why can't more people do this? Because they are dumb. Thanks for the guide, maybe enough people will see this and remember that heavy assaults have c4.

    In case your wondering the concussions are for those rare moments I do get caught setting up the c4, just throw one by the sunderer and watch the enemy run around dizzy for a minute while I finish my work ;)
  8. lawn gnome

    a little trick i learned a while back, if a lightning is driving full speed directly at you and is likely to run you over run full speed directly at him and jump just before he hits you. lightnings are short and your combined speeds will result in you completely leaping over the tank with no harm done. swing around for a quick shot to rear armor with your rocket launcher if you want to make it clear that you are not to be messed with (and deal a solid chunk of damage).
  9. lawn gnome

    a smoking harasser will die if you hit it directly with a single decimator rocket.
  10. Atenson

    Awesome Guide.
  11. lawn gnome

    just got the sensor shield implant so now my HA should be even more powerful. at least he will be once i get done grinding launchers for the kraken and can go back to my normal build.
  12. lawn gnome

    since the last major patch i have been unable to trigger my C4 with the blast from my rockets, reducing the ambush capabilities of my heavy (even when my decimator rocket lands within a couple inches of the C4 it won't trigger).

    is anyone else having this problem?

    a large portion of this guide is built around that idea.
  13. Casterbridge


    It's probably due to the splash nerf, at least that's my guess.
  14. lawn gnome

    i thought the nerf was only to the radius. i knew i would need to be a bit more accurate, but i didn't think the change would make it impossible.
  15. lawn gnome

    so after some extensive testing in VR i have some updates to the tactics i posted originally.

    important facts:

    1. the decimator is no longer capable of triggering C4 with a single indirect hit.
    2. grenades do still trigger C4 if placed well (although my experiences so far have shown me that the ability of grenades to actually HIT the C4 when placed on vehicles is somewhat unreliable).

    Tactics:

    PROWLER
    a single C4 charge triggered by a well placed AV grenade on rear armor can instantly destroy a prowler (meaning you should still be able to surprise stationary targets)

    LIGHTNING
    same as prowler.

    MAGRIDER
    just because i was curious i hit the magrider with the C4 / AV grenade combo and it seems to drop them instantly as well ALTHOUGH due to the shape of the magrider makes it very difficult to keep grenades from flying off in strange directions including possibly right back at you.

    VANGUARDS
    as usual vanguards get to survive what outright kills every other tank. a single C4 charge and an AV grenade will just barely set the vanguard on fire (leaving them plenty of time to, get out, kill you, and THEN repair their tank, so i recommend using the grenade timer duration to pull out a rocket launcher and dumping a rocket into the rear armor AS SOON AS the grenade detonates. firing the rocket near the C4 charge is recommended to increase the odds of it detonating when needed.





    it looks like being an AV ninja just isn't going to gain you much anymore.