New NC player, what do I buy first for Heavy?

Discussion in 'Heavy Assault' started by Beesore, Nov 21, 2015.

  1. Beesore

    I have a friend who is helping me out in understanding the specifics of this game, but he refers to everything by its name, and I don't understand any of it.

    Among the things that I understand are:
    • That the starting LMG for the NC empire is an excellent weapon once certain modifications are made to it, but it is hard to use before you do this
    • Most of the time, your abilities are more important than your weapons
    I know relatively little but I'd like to know what to spend my certs on first. I'm likely to main Heavy in the future.
  2. johnway

    The best way to experiment is to go to the VR training room. virtually everything is available for you to try and modify to your hearts content and decide whats worth it for you.

    That said, THIS might help:




    Personally, there are several things i would consider in no particular order:


    1. getting an AA launcher to shoo away Air. It used to be 250 certs before they jacked up the price.

    2. Improving the HA Shield (the NMG is more than adequate) and getting some suit slots like nanoweave armor. The first few levels are relatively cheap and some are just pointless.

    3. Deck out your SAW to make it more effective. Foregrips and a scope are probably the most popular. A compensator is also a good option, but you'll be decked out completely for ADS long range combat but than the SAW is a long range LMG of sorts so why not go all the way?

    4. The GD22. the alternate LMG to the SAW. its more versatile especially if you are struggling with the SAW. Its cheap as well.

    5. A medkit/restoration kit. Good news for this one is that once you buy it, all classes get the upgrade.
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  3. Ryoken

    Medkits, Nanoweave (if using Nanite Mesh Gen Shield) or Advanced Shield Capacitor (for Resist Shield). Those two are probably the most important along with attachments for your weapon.

    Trial the GD22S. It's personal preference but I prefer it to the SAW, and for only 325 certs it costs about as much to buy as the SAW does to fully deck out.


    If you go with Resist Shield the first rank is more than useable. The better ranks just increase the time it can be active for. NMG on the other hand NEEDS to be certed into ASAP to be worth a damn or you'll be spending more time waiting for your shield to recharge than anything else.
  4. Eternaloptimist

    Pretty much what others have said....my order of priorities for any class is:
    1. personal protection - nano armour is probably your best bet for HA up to level 4 to start
    2. Shield - NMG is your best bet as a new HA. Max it out
    3. All-round effectiveness - a rocket launcher that locks on to aircraft as they are much harder to hit with dumbfire. More liekly to scare them off than kill them but that's good too).
    4. Reducing primary weapon recoil - foregrip for horizontal control and compensator for vertical control (if available).
    5. Then medkits for instant healing or if you want to run with C4 instead (your only explosive option as HA), then load a regeneration implant - level 1 will usually suffice. But you have to get given one as a supply drop and you have to keep feeding it by making or buying charger packs..........probably a longer term option.
    After that you can start to follow the preferences or experiences you developed so far to guide what you invest in.

    Beyond that though, learn your trade - burst fire is better than unloading the whole mag if you want accuracy at anything more than point blank range with an auto. Remember that as few as five or six SAW rounds on target will usually do for anyone.

    And work out your optimum range - medium to long is where the SAW excels. But if you get fed up with problems of using it you can cert into another weapon after you've covered the essentials above - GD22S is very manageable and several forumsiders have suggested it ought to be the starter weapon (I'd agree with them). But you will need to remember to change mags more often.

    And don't stand still or run in straight lines...........or get separated from your mates. These all invite a one-hit-kill sniper round to the head or a one-hit-kill power blade in the butt (I'll be sure to say "hi" if it was from me :)). That's right......I started as HA and loved it but I've gone over to the dark side now...........Engineer for all round ability to do so many things and massive cert gain, Infiltrator for the jazz and for being so damned annoying. And they can both drop anti personnel mines...........soooo deliciously annoying to enemies. Actually, make a point of learning what the mine icons look like and what they look like close up as well (not too close though or Boom! and no shield will save you)
  5. oTec

    I've been using the gauss saw without att and it works rather well but like the above says, trial the gd22, alot easier to handle and cheap. Nanite mesh is easiest to use and works rather well, for suit slot i recommend flak armor. You can get nanoweave and be a pro mlg heavy (like all those resist shield guys) but then die from a random grenade like a welp. Flak armor is default for me on all my classes except Light assault. Too much explosive sh*t is flying around in this game for me to change to NW.
  6. Eternaloptimist

    I have also started using Flak instead of Nano on most classes due to the (fairly) recent increase in explosive spam. The sheer number of grenades people seem to lug around these days is awesome. Then there is tank HE, aircraft rocket pods and C4. Its just a question of adapting to the latest trend in my case. But I haven't tried it on my HA avatars yet...probs because I have been maining engineer and stalker infil for a while. I'll bear it in mind.
  7. oTec


    I just hate getting killed by a random grenade/AI mine. Flak armor saved me countless times, if i had NW it might save me 1/5 times the amount since explosives are more random than getting shot in the face.
  8. TKBoom

    I use Flak on all my classes. I can't really recall any instance that I felt like Nanoweave saved me but I've lost count of how many times Flak has saved me.
  9. bLind db

    I've primarily mained HA and LA since release and I CONSTANTLY reroll thanks my my alpha boost, so I'm a bit of an expert at certing low-levels.

    If you're a competent shooter, NC weapons will treat you well. That being said, it'll take you roughly 400 kills depending on the amount of various other experience you get from base captures, point captures, defenses, etc., to reach BR15 and get your full bonus certs. Because of this, I try to maximize my effectiveness by BR10 since the earlier levels occur much more frequently.

    My typical order of certs is as follows:
    1cert Advanced Shield Capacitor. Unlock it asap, just to get started on the cert line. It's also better than any of your other options at low ranks.

    5cert 1x optic for Gauss Saw. Yes, the gun does well at long ranges because of the damage it has, but your recoil becomes substantially harder to control with higher zoom optics. I'd advise against 2x or higher for now. You can always get one down the road when you become better acquainted with the weapon.

    50cert medkit rank 1. This will keep you in the fight better than any other option, and medkits work for all of your classes. Buy one on your HA, you get it on all of them.

    100cert foregrip for your Gauss Saw. I don't recall exactly because I don't play NC much, but this MAY cost 200 for an Advanced Foregrip. Either way, it should be your next purchase. Gauss Saw recoil is too high to go without the foregrip for too long - the benefit is just too big.

    10, 30cert ASC ranks. Will reduce your overall shield recharge by 25% of base. Not huge, but that means you can engage enemies at full shields 2.4 seconds faster. It may not seem like much, but in PS2, that's a lifetime. Trust me.

    100cert medkit rank 2. If it weren't for NC weapon recoil, I'd have put this even higher on the list, but you should have it by now.

    Total so far (with 200 cert foregrip) is only 396 certs, which means you should have this by level 5. Just these items will make you every bit as strong as 90% of the players out there, kit wise. This also shouldn't take you a very long time to get, since BR 5 comes very quickly. After this, your certs will depend on your playstyle more than anything.

    Notes: Notice I didn't put any certs into any of the overshields. The reason is that both default overshields have their pros and cons depending on your playstyle, habits, and both are perfectly effective at rank 1. NMG is substantially more noob-friendly as it completely negates damage until the shield is depleted. Even if you're caught off-guard, it can be a great buffer until you can engage your target. However, it comes with a very long cooldown, taking a full minute to recharge to 100% at rank 1 (max rank reduces this recharge to 48 seconds). It should be noted that the Adrenaline Shield functions identically to the NMG, but instead of each rank reducing the cooldown by a percentage, it recharges a percentage of your shield for each kill you get. The early ranks of AS are virtually worthless, but if you choose to save your certs and get 4 ranks in, you'll start to see AS's potential (assuming you can kill people semi-regularly.)

    Resist Shield, on the other hand, is a very pro-aggressive shield that reduces damage taken by 40-45% while the shield is activated. I run RS on 100% of my new characters and NEVER put a point into higher ranks until pretty much everything else I want/need is unlocked, because the 6 second default duration should be plenty of time to complete one or multiple fights. Time-to-kill in this game is very fast, and 6 seconds is a long time. Remember that you really need to activate RS before you get into a fight to maximize it's effectiveness, as it isn't a full damage shield, but just a percentage mitigation. Be liberal with activating this shield if you use it - it has a fast recharge (some 17 seconds at max rank, which I believe is longer than rank 1). Pop the shield before you peek corners, before you scout pretty much anything.

    Nanoweave Armor is WORTHLESS when combined with Resist Shield, and even at max rank will only allow you to take 1-2 more bullets before you die. This is definitely good for some playstyles, but the heavy cert cost combined with lack of synergy with Resist makes it iffy to purchase early on. I'd honestly suggest Flak Shield over Nanoweave, which suffers from the same lack of synergy with Resist but offers much needed protection from the grenade-spam meta that exists currently in PS2. Still, not a priority.

    Hope that you get a Battle Hardened implant at some point early on, but don't bother too much with using it for awhile. Unfortunately, the recharger cost at early game is absurd for the duration, but having even rank 1 Battle Hardened down the road will make life a lot easier. I wouldn't suggest using implants at all until you have enough spare implants to craft Super/Ultra Chargers. It's just not worth it with low-level chargers.

    Get medkit rank 3 ASAP if you find yourself outliving your 2 current medkits. Medkits are MASSIVE for staying in the fight in this game, since DBG continually makes medic gameplay less enjoyable. For 150 certs, it's still a huge bargain.

    Buy an Anti-Vehicle nade relatively early on to help combat tank spam and sundies. They're worthless against fast-moving vehicles like Flashes and Harassers unless you can get on top of them since grenade physics (and physics in general) in PS2 are terrible. You'll suffer a damage loss against infantry with the AV grenade, so use it situationally, but at 100 certs, it's a good buy for a HA main.

    Avoid high velocity ammunition for pretty much all of your weapons. They're simply not worth the increase in recoil for the additional velocity.

    Compensators are decent pickups, but occasionally unnecessary. If you feel you need more help controlling your recoil (and with a Gauss Saw, that's likely), ONLY then should you grab one.



    I think that MOSTLY wraps it up, but I'd always suggest asking questions in game through /yell chat. Most people are pretty helpful towards new players. As an aside, try to avoid becoming the cancer that is the typical shotgun heavy or a frequent max user. There are enough ****ters in the game already.

    Here's my two recent new characters cert pages for reference, by the way. The Vanu is 100% HA gameplay, the TR is 50/50 HA/LA that is still efficient in both. I have suppressors equipped on the Trac-5 and Carv for small fights. In large fights, they're usually pretty useless.

    http://ps2.fisu.pw/cert/?name=bLindTR&page=1015 TR
    http://ps2.fisu.pw/cert/?name=bLindVS&page=1022 VS

    Notice both have 600+ certs available to spend, but only rank 1 overshields? It's more how you play, not what you play with.
    • Up x 1
  10. Khallixtus

    So, basically everything important has already been said.

    Work on a gun. A single gun. Don't try to cert out more than one at the start. The SAW is an amazing gun, but it isn't overly beginner friendly. GD22 isn't too bad. If you can max out a gun, with a scope (don't go higher than 2x, especially on the SAW), barrel attachment, rail and all that. Don't worry about High Velocity Ammo, as you have better things to buy, you will be good.

    Get a medkit or two. If you win a fight, you can use one of these, and you can win the next one, but without you will be too hurt.

    Then, depending on what overshield you are using, get Nanoweave (NMG) or Adv. Shield Capacitor (Resist). Don't overdo the leveling, as the latest levels get expensive.

    Once you have done this, cert whatever you want. Try to keep it useful for now however. If you really want an expensive gun early on, you can use the BR 5-15 to get it. I know I did this on my NC alt for the Jackhammer.
  11. RedArmy

    good NC guns for the HA:
    EM1, EM6, LA1 Anchor, Blitz, Cyclone
    depends on what your looking for - faster RoF or harder hitting. Personally id reccomend the Blitz and EM1
    id stick with nanoweave armor, stick with the basic NMG shields also
    for gun attachments, use compensators where possible otherwise stay away from supressors and flash supressors. fwd grips are always nice, and lasers are kinda pointless -
  12. Ivansmith

    As Max user, I'm cancer ? It's just a class ...
  13. Ryoken

    Depends if you only play MAX and play CrutchAssault when you don't have the nanites for maxes. If so, yep.
  14. Ximaster

    Well,ive played HA a bit and i always select advanced shield capacitor and resist sheild. Its cheaper and can save ur *** mostly times. However the NMG shields can save ur *** better,specially versus other HAs. But the bad point is the slow reload of shields,if u go 1 vs 1 then is right,but if another guy appart of the first killed appears,then run or u will die surely.

    As for weapons,im not an expert of HA weapons,my experience is from TR HA and Vanu HA,with the T7 Mini Chain Gun and the Lasher respectively. Not touched NC HAs. But all i need to say u is that ive killed a MAX solo only shooting the T7 Mini Chain Gun on the face of the MAX and i winned,i need to say that enemy MAX is half noob and have bad aim,but its gratificant to kill a MAX only using brute force. With the Lasher is a different story,i killed some hurt MAXes,but if the MAX have all his armor at maximum dont try it. The T7 MCG of TR and Jackhammer of NC can kill MAXes with brute force and inteligence.

    So my tip is to pick a shotgun on ur NC HA,Jackhammer is a good choice. I dont know about other NC HA weapons,so i cannot suggest anymore. As for rocket launcher,ill go for antiair one or the Anihilator. But if u go for the Anihilator u most have a good primary weapon for face infantry,because that RL cant shoot without lock targets,so cannot kill infantry or MAXes. My tip is to take an antiair RL and if i remember correctly,the name of the antiair NC RL is named Crow,but im not sure. Maybe other person explain u better.

    So,resist sheild + advanced shield capacitor for overall defense,NMG sheilds + nanoarmor for 1 vs 1. Jackhammer as primary weapon,Blackhand for have defense at distance (i really like that pistol) and antiair rocket launcher for beat enemy planes. U can kill MAXes and ground vehicles without lock too with that RL.

    Oh and i forgot,take med kits!!! Or regeneration ones. Specially if u using resist sheild and advanced sheild capacitor.

    That upgrades of sheilds and secondary sheilds and medkits can take ur firsts 15 BRs 1500 certs,so choose carefully.
  15. DeadlyOmen

    Don't take it personally, he's being a crybully. Crying is what crybullies do.
  16. Azawarau

    Id suggest keeping the resist shield for a while and diving into the others when you have certs to spare

    The phoenix is a must have rocket for defending but youll also want something that has more of a punch for AV

    Im not too big on LMgs but i use the EM1 and love it. Occasionally the jackhammer for tighter spaces and defense
  17. bLind db


    k bb
  18. Mianera

    Hi, I highly recommend watching Wrels youtube tutorial on the heavy assault class.

    Personally, I would recommend that you do this:

    Buy GD-22S lmg

    At least unlock medkit rank 1

    Max out advanced shield capacitors and default HA shield

    But the AA launcher which can also dumbfire ground targets.

    ^ Do this and you are off to a very good start which should give you a lot of versatility on the battlefield. Once you have done this, you can then begin to invest in improving the class further to a more advanced level, such as getting C4 blocks, maxing out resist or adrenal shield depending on your playstyle.

    The reason I recommend the GD-22S is because it is a damn good LMG and on par with the Anchor considered to be among the best LMG's in the game. Good for CQC, midrange and short reload compared to other LMG's. Firerate aint bad either. If investing certs in this weapon, it will pay off. You could go for the NS15 but only if you are a master of landing shots on your target since accuracy is that weapons only strength.

    Since your utility slot is empty, having that medkit is damn good as medics are not always around and implants can be very hard for new players to maintain at a steady charge. They are also extremely cheap.

    Advanced shield capacitor will make your shield regen after depletion much faster. That being when you have taken damage, there is a timer on when the shield starts to recharge and advanced shield capacitors will make that time much much quicker meaning you can get back into fight faster rather than wasting time in cover waiting for your shields to recharge. Same goes with the default nanite shield.

    Lastly, getting the dumbfire anti- air launcher is a must. It can lock on to air targets and you can use it as your standard dumbfire launcher with slightly reduced damage in comparison to the default launcher which cannot lock on to air. I know that all the other NS launchers may seem tempting but that one truly is the best.
  19. Moz

    I will give you my standard load out and you can make your decision if you like the sounds of it or not.

    Suit: Advanced Shield Capacitor
    Ability: Resist Shield

    This paring is great, its gives you a great big health pool and goes great when you have a squad with Medics. The Shield bubble helps with the already silly up time of your shield while a medic "tank healing" you can make you genuinely god like.

    Grenade: Concussion - A great little tool for team based breaching or even use on your own.
    Utility: Restoration Kits - NOT Medical Kits!! The idea being you can pre pop your heal before engaging, healing as you fight.
    Implant: EMP Shield - The highest level of EMP shield you can get!! There's is a lot of EMP around at the moment and being almost immune can be reeeeeally handy!

    Primary Weapon - NC6 Gauss SAW, Your choice of scope, Grip, Compensator. I would NOT equip HV Ammo (google guides for reasons).
    Alternative Primary - Jackhammer. You really cant go wrong with the JH in a close range type engagement, grab the extended mags!!
    Secondary Weapon - This is really up to you,you have a LMG with a big clip so a panic type weapon is not really needed. I personally feel you cant go far wrong with the Commissioner or the Underboss.
    Rocket Launcher - Hawk GD-68. This give you air lock on while still having the ability to kill Infantry and tank a like. IMHO its the best RL for the all round HA.

    Build really works great, up to you if you want to use it or not. :)

    A quick note:

    If you take Nanite Mesh (NMG) don't bother with Advanced Shield Cap (ASC). The up time of your personal shield has NO bearing on NMG (unlike with Resist Shield).
    NMG is just an overshield! Once it is gone its gone. ASC + NMG is a bad paring!! If you are running NMG take one of the other suit slots. Flak, Nanoweave and Grenade Bandolier all work better with NMG!
  20. Nalothisal

    Personal opinion, max your default shield out, get the hawk for AA or an NS equvalent, max out flack armor, and get the GD-22s as soon as you can. The default SAW only gets useful once you really understand the recoil pattern on that thing and make sure to ADS with it and burst in shots of three or four (one to two at ranges beyond 200m)